Passive traffic alert and communication system

• US 8,306,555 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• 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:
  US13/323,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/406, 701/201, 701/213, 701/211, 701/209, 701/217, 701/202, 701/117, 701/36, 340/583.12, 340/995.19, 340/909, 340/905, 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 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 method comprising:

receiving, at a traffic alert system, traffic information including a traffic event;

determining, within the traffic alert system, an event zone around the traffic event, the event zone defined by a shape and an extent;

selecting, within the traffic alert system, a mobile device based on a location associated the mobile device in relationship to the event zone;

sending, over a network from the traffic alert system, an alert message regarding the traffic event to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the event zone includes recalculating the shape and the extent based on updated traffic information related to the traffic event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the event zone includes defining a first child zone within the event zone to form a hierarchical set of event zones, the first child zone encompassing a smaller area than the event zone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the alert includes:

determining the location of the mobile device relative to the first child zone; and

altering the alert if the mobile device is in the first child zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the mobile device includes:

determining a user zone, the user zone including a user zone shape and a user zone extent around the location of the mobile device; and

determining a relationship between the user zone and the event zone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the mobile device includes determining that the user zone and the event zone intersect.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the user zone includes calculating at least one of the user zone shape and the user zone extend based on traffic information associated with the traffic event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the event zone includes defining the shape and the extent based at least in part on cell tower locations in proximity to the traffic event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the alert includes generating a hierarchical alert message including a first alert and a second alert.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the hierarchical alert message includes generating a audible alert for the first alert and generating a text message alert for the second alert.

11. A traffic alerting system comprising:

a wireless communication network; and

a traffic alerting server communicatively coupled to the wireless communication network, the traffic alerting server including one or more processors communicatively coupled to a memory device, the memory device containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the traffic alerting server to;

receive traffic information including a traffic event;

determine an event zone around the traffic event, the event zone defined by a shape and an extent;

select a mobile device based on a location associated the mobile device in relationship to the event zone;

send, over the wireless communication network, an alert message regarding the traffic event to the mobile device.

12. The traffic alerting system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to determine the event zone further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to recalculate the shape and the extent based on updated traffic information related to the traffic event.

13. The traffic alerting system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to determine the event zone further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to define a first child zone within the event zone to form a hierarchical set of event zones, the first child zone encompassing a smaller area than the event zone.

14. The traffic alerting system of claim 13, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to send the alert further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to:

determine the location of the mobile device relative to the first child zone; and

alter the alert if the mobile device is in the first child zone.

15. The traffic alerting system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to select the mobile device further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to:

determine a user zone, the user zone including a user zone shape and a user zone extent around the location of the mobile device; and

determine a relationship between the user zone and the event zone.

16. The traffic alerting system of claim 15, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to select the mobile device further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to determine that the user zone and the event zone intersect.

17. The traffic alerting system of claim 15, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to determine the user zone further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to calculate at least one of the user zone shape and the user zone extend based on traffic information associated with the traffic event.

18. The traffic alerting system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to determine the event zone further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to define the shape and the extent based at least in part on cell tower locations in proximity to the traffic event.

19. The traffic alerting system of claim 11, wherein the instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to send the alert further include instructions that cause the traffic alerting server to generate a hierarchical alert message including a first alert and a second alert.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, at a traffic alert system, traffic information including a traffic event;

determining, within the traffic alert system, an event zone around the traffic event, the event zone defined by a shape and an extent;

sending, over a network from the traffic alert system, an alert message regarding the traffic event to a plurality of mobile devices; and

determining, on a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, whether to present the alert message based at least in part on a location of the first mobile device relative to the event zone.