Real-time traffic condition measurement and presentation of user-based route data

• US 8,489,314 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edward H. Nortrup
• Original Assignee: Edward H. Nortrup
• Inventors: Nortrup, Edward H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/188,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701/400, 701408-414, 701/416, 701418-419, 701/421, 701/428
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 : from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 : for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 : for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 : for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 : Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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: G08G 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 : where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 : according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 : to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 : including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for identifying locations of a plurality of automobiles using cell phone tower triangulation to locate a cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles, and calculating a vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles using the identified locations, and creating a traffic condition measure for a route in proximity to the locations. The computer program product may repeat this process in real-time to calculate a real-time traffic condition measure that may be used to predict a travel time, and may respond to a user'"'"'s request with an audio alert on the user'"'"'s cell phone that comes from a speaker on the cell phone that can also be combined with a wirelessly-enabled speaker in an automobile or a wirelessly-enabled headset. The audio alert may be displayed in conjunction with at least one navigation option pertaining to the route.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed on one or more computers, performs the steps of:

Step One;

identifying a first location, at time one, of a plurality of automobiles using cell phone tower triangulation to locate a cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

identifying a second location, at a time two, subsequent to time one, for each of the plurality of automobiles using cell phone tower triangulation to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

calculating a vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles using the first location at time one and the second location at time two;

using the calculated vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles to create a traffic condition measure for a route in proximity to the first and second locations;

Step Two;

iteratively performing Step One, in real-time, at a time interval to calculate a real-time traffic condition measure;

receiving a user request from a user'"'"'s cell phone for traffic condition information associated with the route, wherein the user'"'"'s request is further associated with sending a signal from a user'"'"'s cell phone to a cell phone tower indicating that a user has entered a geographic location; and

displaying an alert on the user'"'"'s cell phone based at least in part on the traffic condition measure, wherein the traffic condition measure is related to the geographic location.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the alert is an audio alert issued from a speaker associated with the cell phone.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the speaker associated with the phone is a wirelessly-enabled speaker affixed to the automobile.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the speaker associated with the phone is a wirelessly-enabled headset.

5. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed on one or more computers, performs the steps of:

Step One;

identifying a first location, at time one, of a plurality of automobiles using cell phone tower triangulation to locate a cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

identifying a second location, at a time two, subsequent to time one, for each of the plurality of automobiles using cell phone tower triangulation to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

calculating a vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles using the first location at time one and the second location at time two;

using the calculated vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles to create a traffic condition measure for a route in proximity to the first and second locations;

Step Two;

iteratively performing Step One, in real-time, at a time interval to calculate a real-time traffic condition measure;

receiving a user request from a user'"'"'s cell phone for traffic condition information associated with the route, wherein the user'"'"'s request is further associated with sending a signal from a user'"'"'s cell phone to a cell phone tower indicating that a user has entered a geographic location; and

displaying an alert on the user'"'"'s cell phone based at least in part on the traffic condition measure, wherein the traffic condition measure is related to the geographic location, and wherein the alert is displayed in conjunction with at least one navigation option pertaining to the route.