System and method for fleet tracking
First Claim
1. A system for tracking and graphically displaying the positions of vehicles in a fleet comprising:
- at least one vehicle comprising;
a G.P.S. receiver for receiving G.P.S. data; and
a communicator coupled to the G.P.S. receiver for communicating the G.P.S. data to a base station;
the base station comprising;
a base station receiver for receiving the G.P.S. data from the communicator;
a computer system coupled to the base station receiver, wherein the computer system comprises;
a database comprising text data relating to the at least one vehicle and a graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
mapping and tracking software for tracking and displaying the position of the at least one vehicle on a map;
updating software for interacting with the mapping and tracking software wherein the updating software further comprises instructions for updating the text data in the database when the base station receiver receives G.P.S. data, updating the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when the base station receiver receives G.P.S. data, linking the text data and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle, and interactive communication by a user at the base station with the at least one vehicle;
a display for receiving instruction from the mapping and tracking software and for displaying the text data and graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
a selector interacting with the mapping and tracking software, wherein the updating software further comprises instructions for displaying text data from the database when the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle is selected using the selector and further comprises instructions for displaying the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when the text data is selected using the selector; and
wherein the updating software further contains instructions for identifying preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and for downloading the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases.
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Abstract
The present invention is for a system for tracking and graphically displaying the positions of vehicles in a fleet, and interacting with the vehicles from a base station. The vehicles in the fleet are equipped with a G.P.S. receiver and communicate the G.P.S. information to a base station. A receiver at the base station receives the information. A computer system connected to the receiver then uses this information to display the position of the vehicle using mapping and tracking software. The system also includes update software which updates text data in a database, updates the graphical representation of the vehicle, and bidirectionally and dynamically links and integrates the text data with the graphical representation of a vehicle. The text data in the database includes information relating to the vehicle, the driver, the schedule of the fleet as well as information relating to the fleet. A user is able to select a vehicle using a selector, the update software can provide information relating to text data. If the user selects information relating to a vehicle or driver using the selector, the update software provides the graphical representation of the selected vehicle or driver. The system also has several features allowing a dispatcher to cooperate with the driver in delivery and vehicle operation.
612 Citations
82 Claims
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1. A system for tracking and graphically displaying the positions of vehicles in a fleet comprising:
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at least one vehicle comprising;
a G.P.S. receiver for receiving G.P.S. data; and
a communicator coupled to the G.P.S. receiver for communicating the G.P.S. data to a base station;
the base station comprising;
a base station receiver for receiving the G.P.S. data from the communicator;
a computer system coupled to the base station receiver, wherein the computer system comprises;
a database comprising text data relating to the at least one vehicle and a graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
mapping and tracking software for tracking and displaying the position of the at least one vehicle on a map;
updating software for interacting with the mapping and tracking software wherein the updating software further comprises instructions for updating the text data in the database when the base station receiver receives G.P.S. data, updating the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when the base station receiver receives G.P.S. data, linking the text data and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle, and interactive communication by a user at the base station with the at least one vehicle;
a display for receiving instruction from the mapping and tracking software and for displaying the text data and graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
a selector interacting with the mapping and tracking software, wherein the updating software further comprises instructions for displaying text data from the database when the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle is selected using the selector and further comprises instructions for displaying the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when the text data is selected using the selector; and
wherein the updating software further contains instructions for identifying preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and for downloading the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 80)
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26. A system for tracking and graphically displaying the positions of vehicles in a fleet comprising:
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at least one vehicle comprising;
a G.P.S. receiver for receiving G.P.S. data;
a vehicle transceiver for transmitting the G.P.S. data and for receiving transmissions from a base station; and
a vehicle computer system coupled to the G.P.S. receiver and the vehicle transceiver, wherein the computer system comprises;
vehicle mapping and tracking software for tracking and displaying the position of the at least one vehicle on a map; and
vehicle updating software for interacting with the vehicle mapping and tracking software and providing text data relating to the vehicle, graphically representing the at least one vehicle, and linking the text data and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle; and
a vehicle display interacting with the vehicle mapping and tracking software for displaying the text data and graphical representations of the at least one vehicle; and
the base station comprising;
a base station transceiver for receiving the G.P.S. data from the at least one vehicle and for transmitting the text data and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
a base station computer system coupled to the transceiver, wherein the base station computer system comprises;
a database comprising text data relating to the at least one vehicle and graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
base station mapping and tracking software for tracking and displaying the position of the at least one vehicle on a map;
base station updating software for interacting with the base station mapping and tracking software wherein the base station text software comprises instructions for updating the text data in the database when the transceiver receives the G.P.S. data, updating the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when the transceiver receives the G.P.S. data, linking the text data and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle, and interactively communicating with the at least one vehicle;
a base station interacting with the base station mapping and tracking software and for displaying the text data and graphically representing the at least one vehicle; and
a selector interacting with the base station mapping and tracking software for selecting a vehicle in the fleet;
wherein the base station transceiver transmits the text data and graphical representation of the at least one vehicle to the vehicle transceiver, wherein the vehicle software and the base station updating software each display text data from the database when the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle is selected using the selector and the updating software displays a graphical representation of the at least one vehicle when text data is selected using the selector; and
wherein the updating software further contains instructions for identifying preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and for downloading the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A system for tracking and graphically representing the positions of at least one vehicle in a fleet wherein text data relating to the at least one vehicle is bi-directionally linked and dynamically integrated with a graphical representation of the at least one vehicle, comprising:
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said at least one vehicle comprising;
a G.P.S. receiver for receiving G.P.S. data; and
a data collector coupled to the G.P.S. receiver for collecting the G.P.S. data;
a base station comprising;
a recorder for playing the collected G.P.S. data;
a computer system coupled to the recorder comprising;
a database comprising the text data relating to the at least one vehicle and the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
mapping and tracking software for tracking and mapping the position of at least one vehicle on a map;
update software for interacting with the mapping and tracking software, wherein the updating software comprises instructions for updating the text data in the database when the G.P.S. receiver receives G.P.S. data and for updating the graphical representation of the vehicle when the G.P.S. receiver receives G.P.S. data, and interactively communicating with the at least one vehicle;
a display interacting with the mapping and tracking software and for displaying the text data and graphical representation of the at least one vehicle;
a selector interacting with the mapping and tracking software, wherein the update software further comprises instructions for displaying text data from the database when the graphical representation of the at least one vehicle is selected using the selector and the update software displays a graphical representation of a vehicle when text data is selected using the selector;
a communication means to communicate the GPS data from said at least one vehicle to said computer system; and
wherein the updating software further contains instructions for identifying preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and for downloading the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A system for tracking and graphically displaying the positions of vehicles in a fleet comprising a computer system which further comprises:
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a database comprising text data relating to a vehicle and graphical representation of the vehicle;
mapping and tracking software for tracking and displaying the position of the at least one vehicle over a map;
update software for interacting with the mapping and tracking software wherein the update software comprises instructions for updating the text data in the database when G.P.S. data relating to the position of a vehicle in the fleet is received, updating the graphical representation of the vehicle in the fleet when the G.P.S. data is received from the vehicles in the fleet, linking the text data and the graphical representation of the vehicle, and interactively communicating with the at least one vehicle;
a display interacting with the mapping and tracking software and for displaying the text data and graphical representation of the vehicle;
a selector for interacting with the mapping and tracking software, wherein the mapping and tracking software further comprises instructions for displaying text data from the database when the graphical representation of a vehicle in the fleet is selected using the selector, and the mapping and tracking software further comprises instructions for displaying the a graphical representation of a vehicle in the fleet when the text data is selected using the selector; and
wherein the updating software further contains instructions for identifying preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and for downloading the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79)
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81. A method for dynamically linking and displaying text data and graphical representations of vehicles in a fleet comprising:
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receiving G.P.S. data using a G.P.S. receiver on a vehicle in a fleet;
transmitting the G.P.S. data using a communicator to a base station receiver at a base station;
receiving the G.P.S. data at the base station using the base station receiver;
storing the G.P.S. data in a G.P.S. data file on a computer system;
storing driver information in a database on the computer system;
storing vehicle information including a vehicle position from the G.P.S. data in a database on the computer system;
updating the vehicle position as the G.P.S. data is received;
dynamically linking the driver information and vehicle information;
displaying a graphical representation of the vehicle position on a map;
linking the vehicle information including the vehicle position with the driver information;
displaying the driver information and vehicle information as text data upon a user selection on the graphical representation of the vehicle;
updating the vehicle representation in a database using software on the computer system;
linking the text data and the vehicle representation using software on the computer system;
linking the linked text data and vehicle representation using software on the computer system with mapping and tracking software using the software on the computer system;
overlaying the graphical representation of a vehicle over a map;
displaying the text data and graphical representation of a vehicle;
linking interactive communications between a vehicle and a user at the base station, further comprising displaying the text data from the database using software on the computer system when the graphical representation of a vehicle is selected using a selector and displaying the graphical representation of the vehicle using software on the computer system when the text data is selected using the selector; and
further comprising using software on the computer system to identify preselected words for detection when transmitted in a message of communicated data and to download the communicated data associated with the preselected words into separate report databases. - View Dependent Claims (82)
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Specification