Emergency and traffic alert system

• US 8,612,131 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B&C Electronic Engineering Incorporated
• Original Assignee: B&C Electronic Engineering Incorporated
• Inventors: Gutierrez, Juan, Johnson, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US13/080,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20110181443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 701400-541, 701/301
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• 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: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing event notification to navigational applications and devices. An event notification system determines whether to send application information to a navigation application or device based upon the proximity of the device to the event. In other embodiments, the event notification system sends all event information to the device and the device determines whether or not to display the information based upon the proximity of the event to the device. User interfaces for displaying event information to a user are also disclosed. Finally, system and methods are disclosed for providing disaster related information to service providers who, in turn, send the disaster information to users of personal navigation devices. For example, information provided may include evacuation routes, shelter locations, disaster recovery centers, hospitals, points of distribution, economic recovery locations, etc.

Claims

1. A method of relaying information on a device, the method comprising:

receiving event notification information;

relaying information related one or more assets on the device, wherein the location of the one or more assets are displayed on a map;

determining that at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device; and

when at least one of the one or more assets is in geographic proximity of the device, relaying an alert to the user, wherein relaying the alert comprises displaying information to the user via a user interface, and wherein displaying the information further comprises;

generating a flash, wherein generating a flash comprises overlaying the user interface with a transparent color;

displaying textual information related to the direction of approach of the at least one of the one or more assets; and

providing textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets on the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets is displayed at the top of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device, playing an audible alert.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the one or more assets on the map is indicated by a marker, and wherein the marker comprises at least one of:

a police car;

a fire truck; and

an ambulance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying information about one or more events on the map.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more events comprise at least one of:

road maintenance;

marathons;

parades;

traffic signal failure;

flooded streets; and

construction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first asset of the one of the one or more assets is cloaked; and

withholding information about the first asset.

8. A system for displaying information, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory containing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising;

receiving event notification information;

displaying information related one or more assets on the device, wherein the location of the one or more assets are displayed on a map;

determining that at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device; and

when at least one of the one or more assets is in geographic proximity of the device, displaying an alert on the user interface, wherein relaying the alert comprises displaying information to the user via a user interface, and wherein displaying the information further comprises;

generating a flash, wherein generating a flash comprises overlaying the user interface with a transparent color;

displaying textual information related to the direction of approach of the at least one of the one or more assets; and

providing textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets asset on the device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets is displayed at the top of the user interface.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises, when the at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device, playing an audible alert.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the location of the one or more assets on the map is indicated by a marker, and wherein the marker comprises at least one of:

a police car;

a fire truck; and

an ambulance.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises, displaying information about one or more events on the map.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that a first asset of the one of the one or more assets is cloaked; and

withholding information about the first asset.

14. A computer storage medium encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method of relaying information on a device, the method comprising:

receiving event notification information;

relaying information related one or more assets on the device, wherein the location of the one or more assets are displayed on a map;

determining that at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device; and

when at least one of the one or more assets is in geographic proximity of the device, relaying an alert to the user, wherein relaying the alert comprises displaying information to the user via a user interface, and wherein displaying the information further comprises;

generating a flash, wherein generating a flash comprises overlaying the user interface with a transparent color;

displaying textual information related to the direction of approach of the at least one of the one or more assets; and

providing textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets on the device.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the textual information related to the type of the at least one of the one or more assets is displayed at the top of the user interface.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises, when the at least one of the one or more assets is in proximity of the device, playing an audible alert.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the location of the one or more assets on the map is indicated by a marker, and wherein the marker comprises at least one of:

a police car;

a fire truck; and

an ambulance.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 14, the method further comprising displaying information about one or more events on the map.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein one or more events comprise at least one of:

road maintenance;

marathons;

parades;

traffic signal failure;

flooded streets; and

construction.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining that a first asset of the one of the one or more assets is cloaked; and

withholding information about the first asset.