Passive traffic alert and communication system

• US 8,099,113 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Traffic Network, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Alert Network Incorporated
• Inventors: Morrison, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US11/970,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.6, 455/406, 701/201, 701/213, 701/209, 701/211, 701/217, 701/202, 701/117, 701/36, 340/593.13, 340/995.19, 340/909, 340/905, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 342/342.12, 375/150
• US Class Current: 455/456.6
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A passive traffic alerting method includes: identifying traffic events from analyzing traffic information; selecting an identified traffic event based on a location of a mobile communicator; and alerting the mobile communicator with a passive message regarding the selected traffic event with or without prompting the mobile communicator to launch an application on a mobile communication device. In some cases a user-zone and an event zone is selected and the user gets alerted when his user-zone overlaps with the event-zone. The alert can contain hierarchical messages. The method may include: determining an alert zone by rating a traffic incident and overlaying maps of the incident, the cell-phone towers, and the corresponding road network; acquiring user identification of cell phone users from data from cell-phone towers in the alert-zone; identifying subscribers from acquired cell-phone tower data; matching subscribers with alerts in appropriate formats; and sending the appropriate alert messages to cell phones of identified subscribers.

Claims

1. A passive traffic alerting method, comprising the steps of:

identifying traffic events from analyzing traffic information;

selecting an identified traffic event based on a location related to a mobile communicator and an event zone defined around the identified traffic event, the event zone defining a dynamic two dimensional shape around the identified traffic event; and

alerting the mobile communicator with a passive message regarding the selected traffic event without prompting the mobile communicator to launch an application on a mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, the analyzing the traffic related information comprising:

collecting traffic information from a plurality of traffic data sources; and

identifying a traffic event by integrating collected traffic information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

creating a traffic-assessment by modeling traffic using collected traffic information; and

identifying the traffic event by integrating collected traffic information and the traffic assessment.

4. The method of claim 1, the selecting an identified traffic event comprising

selecting a user-zone corresponding to the mobile communicator.

5. The method of claim 4, the selecting the traffic event comprising

selecting an identified traffic event based on the user-zone.

6. The method of claim 5, the selecting the traffic event comprising

selecting an identified traffic event based on whether the identified traffic event is located within the user-zone.

7. The method of claim 5, the selecting the traffic event comprising:

defining a shape and size of an event zone around each of the identified traffic events; and

selecting an identified traffic event based on whether the event zone of the identified traffic event overlaps with the user-zone.

8. The method of claim 5, the selecting the traffic event comprising:

determining the user-zone as an area corresponding to the location of the mobile communicator; and

determining a location of the mobile communicator.

9. The method of claim 8, the determining of the user-zone comprising

determining a center of the user-zone repeatedly, wherein the user-zone has a center.

10. The method of claim 9, the determining the center of the user-zone comprising

determining the center according to information regarding a speed of the mobile communicator.

11. The method of claim 8, the determining of the user-zone comprising

determining an extent or a shape of the user-zone repeatedly, wherein the user-zone has an extent or a shape.

12. The method of claim 8, the determining the location of the mobile communicator comprising

determining the location of the mobile communicator passively, i.e. without running an application on the mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, the determining the location of the mobile communicator comprising

determining the mobile communicator location from location data provided by one or more mobile communication stations of a mobile communication network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the mobile communication network is a cell phone network;

the mobile communication stations are towers of the cell phone network; and

the mobile communicator location is determined by triangulation using data provided by the towers of the cell phone network.

15. The method of claim 12, the determining the location of the mobile communicator comprising

determining the mobile communicator location from data provided by a global positioning system.

16. The method of claim 5, the selecting the traffic event comprising

selecting the user-zone based on a characteristic of the selected traffic event.

17. The method of claim 16, the selecting the user-zone comprising

selecting the user-zone to alert the mobile communicator in time to make a decision based on the characteristic of the traffic event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

the traffic event is a traffic-jam;

the characteristic of the traffic event is an extent of the traffic-jam; and

the user-zone is selected to alert the mobile communicator in time to avoid the traffic-jam.

19. The method of claim 4, the selecting the user-zone comprising

selecting the user-zone based on mobile communicator information.

20. The method of claim 19, the selecting the user-zone based on mobile communicator information comprising at least one of:

selecting a user-zone based on an address selected by the mobile communicator; and

selecting a user-zone based on a location of a person, selected by the mobile communicator.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein

the user-zone has a hierarchical structure, comprising user-zone layers.

22. The method of claim 4, wherein

an extent or shape of the user-zone is updated based on an update of a traffic information.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein

the event zone has a hierarchical structure, comprising event zone layers.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein

an extent or a shape of the event zone is updated based on an updated traffic information.

25. The method of claim 1, the identifying traffic events comprising

identifying at least one of an accident, a traffic slow-down, a traffic-jam, a road-construction, and a traffic condition caused by at least one of a sporting event, an entertainment event, a weather event, and a traffic control event.

26. The method of claim 1, the selecting the traffic event comprising

selecting the traffic event without requiring the mobile communicator to specify or program a traffic route.

27. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator comprising

alerting the mobile communicator without requiring the mobile communicator to respond by using hands.

28. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator comprising

alerting the mobile communicator without requiring the mobile communicator to terminate or interrupt an active application.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein

the mobile communication device is one of a mobile telephone, a mobile computer, and an electronic device configured to operate in conjunction with a mobile data network.

30. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator comprising

alerting the mobile communicator on a separate communication line of the mobile communication device.

31. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator with a message comprising

alerting the mobile communicator with an alert-message comprising at least one of an audio component, a text component, an SMS, a video component, a radio broadcast component, a television broadcast component, a multimedia component, and a multimedia messaging service component.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the alert-message comprises at least one of:

an audio component comprising a ring-tone;

an audio component comprising an instruction to tune to a traffic radio; and

a video component comprising a live traffic camera broadcast.

33. The method of claim 31, the alerting the mobile communicator comprising:

selecting the alert-message component based on a location of the mobile communicator relative to the selected traffic event; and

alerting the mobile communicator with the alert-message component.

34. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator comprising

offering traffic utility information regarding the selected traffic event.

35. The method of claim 34, the traffic utility information comprising

information regarding at least one of an alternative route related to the traffic event, an expected duration of the traffic event, a parking information, an event information, and an exit near the mobile communicator'"'"'s location.

36. The method of claim 34, the offering traffic utility information comprising at least one of

offering traffic utility information in response to the mobile communicator requesting more information;

and

offering traffic utility information automatically launched on the mobile communication device.

37. The method of claim 34, the offering traffic utility information comprising one of

offering the traffic utility information as part of an advertisement-based non-paying service;

and

offering the traffic utility information as part of a paying service.

38. The method of claim 37, the paying service comprising at least one of

a monthly fee based service;

a per-use service; and

a service, billed in relation to the bill of the mobile communication service.

39. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator further comprising

offering sponsored information to the mobile communicator.

40. The method of claim 39, the offering sponsored information comprising:

selecting information-sponsors based on the location of the mobile communicator; and

offering sponsored information to the mobile communicator, sponsored by the selected information-sponsors.

41. The method of claim 40, the offering sponsored information comprising

offering advertisements, sponsored by the selected information-sponsors.

42. The method of claim 1, the alerting the mobile communicator with a passive message comprising

offering information in a hierarchical manner including multiple message components, the multiple message components to be delivered at different points in reference to the identified traffic events.

43. The method of claim 42, the alerting the mobile communicator in a hierarchical manner comprising at least two of the steps of:

alerting the mobile communicator regarding the selected traffic event;

offering traffic utility information; and

offering sponsored information.

44. The method of claim 42, the offering information in a hierarchical manner comprising

offering information with hierarchical components, the components comprising at least two of:

an audio component, a text component, an SMS, a video component, a radio broadcast component, a television broadcast component, a multimedia component, and a multimedia messaging service component.

45. The method of claim 40, the offering sponsored information comprising at least one of:

offering streaming sponsored information;

offering download-and-play information; and

offering audio-visual information.

46. The method of claim 39, the offering sponsored information comprising

offering sponsored information via an Interactive Voice Response system.

47. The method of claim 40, the offering sponsored information comprising

offering one or more of coupons, bar codes, and identifying marks in displayable electronic format.

48. The method of claim 39, further comprising

offering access to on-line services.

49. The method of claim 48, the offering of online services comprising:

verifying that the mobile communicator is at a location where gaming is legal; and

offering access to on-line gaming.

50. The method of claim 1, further comprising

providing a service for the mobile communicator to interact with the mobile communication device with voice commands.

51. A passive traffic alert method, comprising the steps of:

identifying traffic events from analyzing traffic information;

defining an event zone for each of the identified traffic events;

selecting a user-zone based on a location related to a mobile communicator;

selecting an identified traffic event based on a relation of identified traffic events, the event zone associated with each of the identified traffic events, and the user-zone; and

alerting the mobile communicator with a passive message regarding the selected traffic event.

52. A passive traffic alert method, comprising the steps of:

identifying traffic events from analyzing traffic information;

defining events zones, each event zone associated with one of the identified traffic events;

selecting an identified traffic event based on a location related to a mobile communicator and one of the event zones; and

alerting the mobile communicator regarding the selected traffic event with a plurality of messages in a hierarchical manner.

53. A passive traffic alert method, comprising the steps of:

determining an alert-zone by rating a traffic incident and overlaying a map of the incident, a map of cell-phone towers, and a map of a corresponding road network;

acquiring user identification data of cell phone users from data from cell-phone towers in the alert-zone;

identifying subscribers from the acquired user identification data;

defining a dynamic user-zone for each of the identified subscribers based on a current location and rate of travel;

matching identified subscribers with appropriate alerts based on the alert-zone and the dynamic user-zone for each subscriber; and

sending appropriate alert messages to cell phones of the matching identified subscribers.

54. A server comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory device, the processor configured to;

identify traffic events from analyzing traffic information;

select an identified traffic event based on a location related to a mobile communicator and an event zone defined around the identified traffic event, the event zone defining a dynamic two dimensional shape around the identified traffic event; and

alert the mobile communicator with a passive message regarding the selected traffic event without prompting the mobile communicator to launch an application on a mobile communication device.