Delivering location-dependent services to automobiles

• US 6,636,801 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Curbow, David Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/840,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/117, 701/201, 701/202, 701/210, 701/211, 455/456, 455/457, 379/111, 379/113, 379/133, 379/134
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

An automobile equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and an on-board computer is configured to transmit the automobile'"'"'s location and direction of motion to a central server. The central server is configured to identify the automobile, the route taken by the automobile. The central server obtains location information or geo-related information pertinent to the route taken by the automobile, filters the data according to certain criteria, and then delivers an audible version of the filtered data to an audio output device such as a radio receiver located in the automobile.

Claims

1. A method of providing geo-related data to an automobile in motion, the method comprising the steps of:

recording at least one route for a moving automobile;

receiving a first location information from said moving automobile, said first location information being formatted in a manner to convey a first static position of the automobile, a first direction of motion of the automobile, and a first speed of the automobile;

automatically determining whether said moving automobile is traveling said route;

receiving first geo-related information for a predefined geographical area along said route, said predefined geographical area including a second location, said second location being a location at which the automobile is estimated to be at the a first future time, said second location based on the first static position, the first direction of motion, and the first speed;

filtering said first geo-related information to contain filtered geo-related information for said second location;

translating said filtered geo-related information to a spoken instruction; and

transmitting said spoken instruction to an audio output device coupled to the moving automobile.

2. The method of claim 1, where the geo-related information is traffic related information for a particular geographical region.

3. The method of claim 1, where the geo-related information is weather related information for a particular geographical region.

4. The method of claim 1, where the first static position of the automobile is an instantaneous position of a moving automobile expressed in a standard coordinate system.

5. A method of receiving geo-related information in a moving automobile, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting at least one mute for the moving automobile;

transmitting a first location information from the moving automobile, said first location information being formatted in a manner to convey a first position of the automobile, a first direction of motion of the automobile, and a first speed of the automobile;

automatically determining whether said moving automobile is traveling said route;

receiving filtered geo-related data for a predefined geographical area along said route, said predefined geographical area including a second location, said second location being a location at which the automobile is estimated to be at the a first future time, said second location based on the first position, the first direction of motion, and the first speed;

translating said filtered geo-related information to a spoken instruction; and

outputting the spoken instruction via an audio output device coupled to the moving automobile.

6. The method of claim 5, where the geo-related information is traffic related information for a particular geographical region.

7. The method of claim 5, where the geo-related information is weather related information for a particular geographical region.

8. The method of claim 5, where the first static position of the automobile is an instantaneous position of a moving automobile expressed in a standard coordinate system.

9. A system for providing geo-related information, said system comprising:

a server computer comprising a processor and memory;

said server computer coupled to a wireless transceiver, said wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to a wireless network, said wireless network configured to communicate with an on-board wireless transceiver mounted on an automobile; and

a filter coupled to the server computer and configured to receive geo related information from at least one source of instantaneous and real-time geo-related information;

wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, said instructions configured to record at least one route for a moving automobile;

to direct the processor to receive first location information from said moving automobile, said first location information being formatted in a manner to convey a first static position of the automobile, a first direction of motion of the automobile, and a first speed of the automobile;

to automatically determine whether said moving automobile is traveling said route;

to receive first geo-related information for a predefined geographical area along said route, said predefined geographical area including a second location, said second location being a location at which the automobile is estimated to be at the a first future instant, said second location based on the first static position, the first direction, and the first speed;

to filter said first geo-related information to contain filtered geo-related information for said second location;

to translate the filtered geo-related information into spoken instructions; and

to transmit said spoken instructions to an audio output device coupled to the moving automobile.

10. The system of claim 9, where the geo-related information is traffic related information for a particular geographical region.

11. The system of claim 9, where the geo-related information is weather related information for a particular geographical region.

12. The system of claim 9, where the first static position of the automobile is an instantaneous position of a moving automobile expressed in a standard coordinate system.