Apparatus and method for tracking vehicle travel and expenditures

• US 7,599,770 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cynthia Hardy
• Original Assignee: Cynthia Hardy
• Inventors: Hardy, Cynthia
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/300,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/29, 701/33, 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 340/438, 340/439, 342/357.07
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/02 by conversion into electric waveforms and subsequent integration, e.g. using tachometer generator G01C22/002, G01C22/004, G01C22/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• 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

Abstract

A system and method is provided to track and log the distance traveled by a vehicle during a trip and other expenditures related to the trip. The system is capable of categorizing the trip as business or pleasure. In one embodiment, a tracking device receives global positioning data and/or distance data from the vehicle'"'"'s odometer. The system receives and stores travel data such as voice, geographic location, receipts, time, date, notes, pictures, etc. to provide verification for the purpose of the trip. In one configuration, the system queries the user for verification data at various intervals such as when the user starts the trip or when the motion of the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined length of time. The system can display the trip information to the user and allow the user to output the travel data to another device such as a printer and/or a third party, etc.

Claims

1. An apparatus for tracking vehicle travel comprising:

a travel determination device configured to determine a distance traveled by a vehicle;

a distance log device configured to receive and log travel data generated by the travel determination device;

a travel identification device configured to verify the distance traveled as business or pleasure, wherein the travel identification device corroborates the type of trip and a user making the trip using travel verification data received from the user and local data obtained from the locations visited during the travel, wherein the travel identification device is configured to obtain at least some of the local data automatically without intervention by the user; and

a transceiver configured to output the travel data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the travel determination device comprises an odometer data processing device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the travel determination device comprises a global positioning device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the travel determination device comprises a compass.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance log device comprises a distance processing system capable of storing distance data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the travel identification device comprises an input device capable of receiving data associated with the vehicle trip.

7. A system for tracking and logging the distance traveled by a vehicle, the system comprising:

a travel monitoring device configured to monitor a distance traveled by the vehicle;

a travel logging device configured to store vehicle travel data received from the travel monitoring device;

a travel identification device configured to determine whether the vehicle travel is related to business or pleasure;

a travel type validation device configured to receive vehicle travel data indicative of business travel or pleasure travel, wherein the vehicle travel data is indicative of the purpose of the travel with respect to locations visited during the vehicle travel for a specific user, wherein at least some of the vehicle travel data is local data obtained during the vehicle travel from one or more of the locations visited, wherein at least some of the local data is obtained automatically without intervention by the user; and

a travel data output device configured to output the travel data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the travel monitoring device comprises an input device configured to receive data from an odometer of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the travel monitoring device comprises an input device configured to receive data from a global positioning system.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the travel logging device comprises a storage device configured to store distance data.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the travel logging device comprises a storage device configured to store geographic data.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the travel identification device comprises an input device configured to receive data associated with the purpose of the vehicle travel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the local data associated with the purpose of the vehicle travel comprises local receipts, or voice data, or video data, or geographic data, or business identification data, or time data, or date data, or business documentation data.

14. A method for tracking and verifying the distance traveled by a vehicle, the method comprising:

querying a user for information about vehicle travel;

categorizing the vehicle travel as business or pleasure;

determining the distance traveled during the vehicle travel;

receiving validation data during the vehicle travel;

wherein the validation data is

associated with the purpose of the vehicle travel and wherein at least some of the validation data is received without the user'"'"'s knowledge, wherein at least some of the validation data is local data obtained automatically during the vehicle travel from one or more locations visited by the user; and

associating the validation data with the vehicle travel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein querying the user for information about the vehicle trip comprises prompting the user to verify if the vehicle travel is for business or pleasure.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein querying categorizing the vehicle travel comprises marking vehicle data associated with the vehicle travel as business or pleasure.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the distance traveled comprises receiving distance data from an odometer of the vehicle or a global positioning system.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving validation data comprises receiving data associated with the vehicle travel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the validation data comprises receipts, or address verification data, or business type data, or voice data, or video data, of geographic data, or business identification data, or time data, or date data, or business documentation data associated with the vehicle travel for verification thereof.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein associating the validation data comprises marking the validation data as either business or pleasure.