Optimizing traffic predictions and enhancing notifications

• US 8,494,991 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HNTB Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: HNTB Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Stehle, Tommy Allen, Pallotto, Terrence Matthew, Ostrom, Michael Richard, Simon, Christopher James
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US13/271,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 706/14
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D

Abstract

Travel-demand forecasting methods are described for predicting traffic volume based, at least in part, on user-entered data in the form of anticipated traffic routes, demographic data and/or other types of socioeconomic data. This data can source a prediction algorithm or be used to forecast traffic patterns. Methods and systems are described for, among other things, optimizing traffic predictions, forecasting traffic patterns using user-assigned trip patterns, associating rich attribute information to navigation routes, exposing personal-logistic information to a group, communicating traffic-situation-generated alerts based on user information, optimizing a presentation of user-defined traffic routes, and presenting location indications based on proximity (temporal or geographical).

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of forecasting traffic, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of user-entered data sets that each describe an origin and a destination of a route, thereby providing a collection of route-information data;

utilizing the route-information data to increase an accuracy of forecasting a traffic pattern; and

communicating an indication of the forecasted traffic pattern for display on a display device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the user-entered data sets include data provided by a user.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein said receiving further includes receiving a time indication associated with each route.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the time indication reflects one or more of the following:

an anticipated departure time;

an anticipated arrival time;

or

an anticipated duration associated with said route.

5. The media of claim 3, wherein the time includes one or more of the following:

a date;

a day;

an hour; and

a minute.

6. The media of claim 3, wherein the utilizing includes accounting for the time indication such that said forecasted traffic pattern is associated with a timeframe, which is presentable on demand.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the utilizing includes increasing an accuracy of a traffic-prediction model used, in part, to forecast the traffic pattern.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein said communicating includes sending an indication of the traffic pattern to an end-user device.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the indication of the traffic pattern includes one or more of the following:

textual information;

map information;

notification information;

or

time information.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein the utilizing is also based on demographic data associated with one or more users.

11. The media of claim 1, further comprising forecasting traffic patterns of other persons having certain demographic traits based on gleaned traffic patterns of a user associated with certain demographic data.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the certain demographic traits are shared by the user, or wherein the certain demographic traits are dissimilar to those of the user.

13. The media of claim 1, further comprising providing, based on the user-entered data, one or more location-based services to a user.

14. The media of claim 13, where one or more of the location-based services include presenting incentives associated with entities along a route determined by the user-entered data.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of forecasting traffic, the method comprising:

receiving a collection of user-entered data sets, each user-entered data set describing an origin, a destination, and an anticipated time of travel for a route, thereby providing a collection of route information;

utilizing the collection of user-entered data sets to assist with forecasting a traffic pattern; and

communicating an indication of the forecasted traffic pattern.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the utilizing includes one or more of:

incorporating the user-entered data into a traffic-prediction algorithm;

or

supplementing the results of a traffic-prediction algorithm.

17. The media of claim 15, further comprising exposing a user interface to a user that includes a set of fields that are useable to receive the route information.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein said exposing said user interface includes providing for the exposing of said user interface on one or more of the following:

a plurality of mobile devices including smart phones;

a plurality of land-line computers coupled to the Internet;

or

combinations of the same.

19. The media of claim 15, wherein the user-entered data is a collection of user-entered data from a plurality of user that is collectively utilized to forecast the traffic pattern.

20. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of forecasting a traffic pattern, the method comprising:

exposing a plurality of instances of user interface to a plurality of users, wherein the user interface includes a set of fields that are useable to receive user-entered data that describes an origin and a destination for which a route can be provided;

receiving a plurality of origin-destination pairs by way of the plurality of instances of the user interface;

utilizing the plurality of origin-destination pairs to increase an accuracy of predicting a traffic pattern.