Method and system for notifying a user of a predetermined traffic condition

• US 8,630,788 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Varun A. Shah
• Original Assignee: Varun A. Shah
• Inventors: Shah, Varun A
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/766,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,399 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701 23- 25, 701117-119, 701/204, 701/400, 701408-410, 701/426, 340/988, 340/994, 340/995.13, 348/148, 348/149
• US Class Current: 701/117
• 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: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Abstract

A method for notifying a user, including obtaining a route and a predetermined traffic condition associated with the route; identifying an occurrence of the predetermined traffic condition associated with the route; and notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined traffic condition associated with the route.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations, comprising:

obtaining a desired maximum travel time between a first location and a second location;

monitoring a particular route between the first location and the second location for an occurrence of an estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time;

identifying the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time;

transmitting a notification of the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining user input indicating a start time after which the occurrence is to be detected;

wherein identifying the occurrence comprises identifying the occurrence, of the estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time, after the start time.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining user input indicating a start time and an end time between which the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time is to be identified;

wherein identifying the occurrence comprises identifying the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the particular route being below the desired maximum travel time between the start time and the end time.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining the estimated travel time for the particular route based on an average speed of vehicles for at least a portion of the particular route.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the particular route from a plurality of routes between the first location and the second location responsive to determining that the estimated travel time for the particular route is below the desired maximum travel time.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting the particular route from a plurality of routes between the first location and the second location responsive to determining that the estimated travel time for the particular route is below a threshold value.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the estimated travel time for the particular route is estimated based on a level of traffic associated with the particular route.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein notifying the user comprises signaling the user to begin traveling on the particular route.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

monitoring a plurality of routes between a first location and a second location for a first occurrence of an estimated travel time for any of the plurality of routes being below the desired maximum travel time between the first location and the second location;

identifying the occurrence of the estimated travel time for a particular route, of the plurality of routes, being below the desired maximum travel time;

selecting the particular route from the plurality of routes based on the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the particular route, in a plurality of routes, being below the desired maximum travel time;

notifying a user of the selected particular route between the first location and the second location.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

providing at least one from a group comprising of;

a route;

or

two locations used to determine the route,

selecting a desired maximum travel time for the route;

wherein an occurrence of an estimated travel time for the route being below the desired maximum travel time for the route is identified; and

receiving a notification of the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the route being below the desired maximum travel time for the route.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a start time indicated in a user input, wherein the occurrence of the estimated travel time for the route being below the desired maximum travel time for the route is to be detected after the start time.

12. The medium of claim 10, wherein the notification is received using a mobile device.

13. The medium of claim 10, wherein the notification comprises a notice to begin traveling on the route.

14. The medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an advertisement concurrently with receiving the notification, wherein the advertisement is selected based on the route.