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Advance notification system and method

DC
  • US 5,400,020 A
  • Filed: 05/18/1993
  • Issued: 03/21/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An advance notification system for notifying passengers of an impending arrival of a vehicle at particular stop locations and corresponding scheduled times of arrival, comprising:

  • a plurality of passenger telephone means associated respectively with the passenger;

    a vehicle control unit disposed on said vehicle, said vehicle control unit including vehicle control means, a vehicle communication means controlled by said vehicle control means, an input means for signaling to said vehicle control means when said vehicle reaches particular positions along said scheduled route, and a vehicle clock for tracking elapsed time of said vehicle while on said scheduled route, said vehicle control means having a wireless telephone means, said vehicle control means adapted to initiate a communication when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is ahead of said scheduled time by greater than a first predetermined time period and when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is behind said scheduled time by greater than a second predetermined time period, said vehicle control means for refraining from initiating said communication when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is less than said first and second predetermined time periods; and

    a base station control unit having a base station communication means and a base station control means for controlling said base station communication means, said base station communication means having first and second telephone means, said first telephone means being a wireless communication device for communicating with said vehicle communication means, said second telephone means for communicating with said plurality of passenger telephones, said base station communication means for receiving said calls from said vehicle control unit and for receiving said amount of time in which said vehicle is ahead in time and behind in time, said base station control means for calling via said second telephone means each of said passengers to be boarded at a particular stop location via said base station communication means a third predetermined time period prior to said arrival of said vehicle at said particular stop location, the base station control unit causing a passenger telephone to ring only a preset number of times to indicate onset of said third predetermined time period.

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