Graphical fleet management methods

• US 5,904,727 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telematics Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobile Information Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Prabhakaran, Sanjiv
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/706,341
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/300, 701/207, 701/117, 340/990, 340/992, 340/993, 345/348
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A method for tracking a location of a transmitter with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database includes the steps of determining the location of the transmitter, displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the transmitter, determining an icon associated with the transmitter, displaying the icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter, and outputting vector data in response to the location of the transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a location of a transmitter with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database, the method comprising:

determining the location of the transmitter;

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

determining an icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the transmitter;

displaying the icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter; and

outputting vector data in response to the location of the transmitter,

wherein the transmitter is associated with a particular job; and

the icon has a size on the display associated with a size of the particular job.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a vector map database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the color of the icon indicates whether the vehicle is suitable for a particular job.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a shape associated with the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job type from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the job.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the job.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is associated with an operator from a plurality of operators;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the operator.

10. A method for tracking a location of a transmitter with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database, the method comprising:

determining the location of the transmitter;

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

determining an icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the transmitter;

displaying the icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

outputting vector data in response to the location of the transmitter;

determining a particular job associated with the transmitter;

determining a landmark for the particular job; and

displaying a landmark icon on the rasterized representation on the display.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a raster map database.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a vector map database.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the color of the icon indicates whether the vehicle is suitable for a particular job.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a shape associated with the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job type from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the job.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the job.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with a particular job;

and

wherein the icon has a size on the display associated with a size of the particular job.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitter is associated with an operator from a plurality of operators;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the operator.

21. A method for tracking a location of a transmitter with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database, the method comprising:

determining the location of the transmitter;

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

determining an icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the transmitter;

displaying the icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter; and

outputting vector data in response to the location of the transmitter,

wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a raster map database, the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles, and the icon is associated with the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the color of the icon indicates whether the vehicle is suitable for a particular job.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the icon has a shape associated with the vehicle.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job type from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the job.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with a job from a plurality of jobs;

and

wherein the icon has a color associated with the job.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with a particular job;

and

wherein the icon has a size on the display associated with a size of the particular job.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is associated with an operator from a plurality of operators;

and

wherein the icon is associated with the operator.

29. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

determining a particular job associated with the transmitter;

determining a landmark for the particular job; and

displaying a landmark icon on the rasterized representation on the display.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a vector map database.

31. A method for tracking locations of transmitters with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector map database, the method comprising:

determining a location of a first transmitter and a second transmitter;

displaying a first rasterized representation of a first geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the first transmitter;

displaying a second rasterized representation of a second geographic area on the display, in response to the location of the second transmitter;

determining a first icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the first transmitter;

determining a second icon from the plurality of icons, associated with the second transmitter;

displaying the first icon on the first rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the first transmitter;

displaying the second icon on the second rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the second transmitter; and

outputting vector data in response to the location of the first transmitter and the second transmitter,

wherein the first rasterized representation of the first geographic area is derived from a raster map database and the second rasterized representation of the second geographic area is derived from the vector map database.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the act of determining a location of the first transmitter comprises receiving data from a global positioning sensing device.

33. A method for tracking a location of a vehicle with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database, the method comprising:

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the vehicle;

displaying an icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the vehicle on the rasterized representation of the geographic area on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

displaying a rasterized representation of a portion of the geographic area on the display;

outputting vector data from the vector database in response to the location of the vehicle; and

selecting the portion of the geographic area,

wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a raster database.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the selecting comprises determining the portion of the geographical area using a positioning device.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the rasterized representation of the portion of the geographic area is derived from a vector map database.

36. A method for tracking a location of a vehicle with a computer system, the computer system coupled to a vector database, the method comprising:

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display, in response to the location of the vehicle;

displaying an icon from a plurality of icons, associated with the vehicle on the rasterized representation of the geographic area on the display, in response to the location of the transmitter;

displaying a rasterized representation of a portion of the geographic area on the display; and

outputting vector data from the vector database in response to the location of the vehicle,

wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a raster database and the rasterized representation of the portion of the geographic area is derived from a raster database.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising selecting the portion of the geographic area.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the selecting comprises determining the portion of the geographical area using a positioning device.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the rasterized representation of the portion of the geographic area is derived from a vector map database.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the rasterized representation of the geographic area is derived from a raster database.

41. A method for graphically assigning jobs to vehicles with a computer system coupled to a vector database and a dispatching system, the method comprising:

determining a location of a vehicle;

displaying a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display;

determining a vehicle icon from a plurality of vehicle icons, the vehicle icon associated with the vehicle;

outputting vector data from the vector database in response to the location of the vehicle;

displaying the vehicle icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the vehicle;

displaying a job icon on the display representing a job, in response to data from the dispatching system; and

assigning the job to the vehicle by moving the job icon on top of the vehicle on the display.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising updating the dispatching system in response to the assigning step.

43. The method of claim 41, further comprising displaying a plurality of job icons on the display representing a plurality of jobs.

44. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable media including;

code that receives a location of a vehicle;

code that directs an output of a rasterized representation of a geographic area on a display;

code that determines a vehicle icon from a plurality of different vehicle icons, associated with the vehicle;

code that outputs vector data from the vector database in response to the location of the vehicle;

code that directs an output of the vehicle icon on the rasterized representation on the display, in response to the location of the vehicle;

code that directs an output of a job icon on the display representing a job, in response to data from the dispatching system; and

code that assigns the job to the vehicle in response to the job icon being moved on top of the vehicle on the display.