Preventative traffic congestion social networking improvement system within a community

• US 8,712,675 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grigsby, Travis M., Jania, Frank L., Seacat, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US12/131,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/202, 701/201, 701/207, 701/209, 701/210, 701/225, 701/213, 701/400, 701/408, 701/410, 701/412, 701/414, 701/421, 340/995.23, 340/995.13, 340/988, 342/350, 342/357.06
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• 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: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for transmitting traffic congestion routing data to a community of global positioning system (GPS) devices. Community routing logic of a community routing system (CRS) receives a route request containing the current location and desired destination of a GPS device. The CRS may use the community routing logic to determine a path that the user of the GPS device should travel on to best minimize driving time and traffic conditions for a community of users of the CRS. The CRS considers road capacity, current traffic conditions, and historical traffic data for roads and alternate roads along a preferred route. The CRS also considers routes previously taken by the GPS device. Additionally, the CRS may receive information about routes taken by other GPS devices to further improve future routes of the community of GPS devices.

Claims

1. A community routing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a transceiver to connect and exchange information with a community of global positioning system (GPS) devices; and

a processing logic executing on the processor configured to;

receive a route request from one or more GPS devices within the community of GPS devices, wherein each GPS device in the community is associated with a vehicle;

identify a preferred route for directing the one or more vehicles in the community to the desired destination;

determine one or more vehicles in the community traveling along the preferred route;

evaluate alternate roads that can be taken off the preferred route to reach the desired destination;

create at least two optimized routes to reach the desired destination, wherein the at least two optimized routes provides routing instructions to minimize driving time for the community of GPS devices;

transmit a first optimized route to reach the desired destination to a first subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices;

transmit a second optimized route to reach the desired destination to a second subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices;

transmit, to a particular GPS device, a selection of one or more alternate routes in use by one or more GPS devices of a third subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices, wherein the third subset of GPS devices and the particular GPS device are part of a same social network, wherein a social network is a group of users associated with a corresponding group of GPS devices that are collectively registered with the community routing system;

transmit identification information of a user of each alternate route to the particular GPS device, wherein the identification information contains a full name of the user of each alternate route;

provide a selection to the particular GPS device of a currently selected route and the one or more alternate routes in use by the third subset of GPS devices; and

receive a selection of an alternate optimized route from the one or more alternate routes in use by the third subset of GPS devices.

2. The community routing system of claim 1, the processing logic further configured to, in response to the GPS device reaching the desired destination, receive information of an actual route taken by the GPS device.

3. The community routing system of claim 1, the processing logic further configured to:

receive updated traffic congestion information;

determine whether the traffic congestion information has substantially changed;

in response to determining the current traffic congestion information has substantially changed, modify the at least two optimized routes to minimize the overall driving time for the community of GPS devices;

transmit the modified first optimized route to the first subset of GPS devices; and

transmit the modified second optimized route to the second subset of GPS devices.

4. The community routing system of claim 1, wherein the route request contains:

a current location of the GPS device;

a desired destination of the GPS device; and

a maximum re-routing distance permitted from a typical route while traveling to the desired destination.

5. The community routing system of claim 1, the processing logic further configured to:

receive a current traffic congestion information from a traffic congestion information provider;

determine one or more locations where traffic levels along the preferred route exceed normal levels along the preferred route at the current time;

analyze a vehicle capacity for each of the roads along the preferred route; and

retrieve one or more similar routes previously taken by the GPS device.

6. The community routing system of claim 1, the processing logic further configured to:

interface with a database of the same social network to facilitate improved carpool and route recommendations amongst GPS devices subscribed to the same social network; and

transmit, to the particular GPS device, one or more carpool suggestions, wherein the carpool suggestions identify one or more other GPS devices within the same social network typically travelling along a same optimized route to reach the desired destination.

7. The community routing system of claim 6, wherein the database of the same social network is stored on an external network separate from the community routing system.

11. The community routing system of claim 6, the processing logic further configured to:

retrieve, from a calendar component of the same social network, schedule information of other users of the same social network.

12. The community routing system of claim 6, wherein the identification information further comprises a department title.

13. The community routing system of claim 1, the processing logic further configured to:

identify one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device.

14. The community routing system of claim 13, the processing logic further configured to:

in response to identifying the one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device, select a longer route for the particular GPS device, wherein the longer route normalizes typical travel time for the community of GPS devices; and

transmit the longer route to the particular GPS device.

15. The community routing system of claim 13, the processing logic further configured to:

in response to identifying the one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device, select a shorter route for the particular GPS device, wherein the shorter route normalizes typical travel time for the community of GPS devices; and

transmit the shorter route to the particular GPS device.

8. A computer-readable storage device having a plurality of instructions embodied therein, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processing device, allows a machine to:

receive a route request from one or more GPS devices within the community of GPS devices, wherein each GPS device in the community is associated with a vehicle;

identify a preferred route for directing the one or more vehicles in the community to the desired destination;

determine one or more vehicles in the community traveling along the preferred route;

evaluate alternate roads that can be taken off the preferred route to reach the desired destination;

create at least two optimized routes to reach the desired destination, wherein the at least two optimized routes provides routing instructions to minimize driving time for the community of GPS devices;

transmit a first optimized route to reach the desired destination to a first subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices;

transmit a second optimized route to reach the desired destination to a second subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices;

transmit, to a particular GPS device, a selection of one or more alternate routes in use by one or more GPS devices of a third subset of GPS devices within the community of GPS devices, wherein the third subset of GPS devices and the particular GPS device are part of a same social network, wherein a social network is a group of users associated with a corresponding group of GPS devices that are collectively registered with the community routing system;

transmit identification information of a user of each alternate route to the particular GPS device, wherein the identification information contains a full name of the user of each alternate route;

provide a selection to the particular GPS device of a currently selected route and the one or more alternate routes in use by the third subset of GPS devices; and

receive a selection of an alternate optimized route from the one or more alternate routes in use by the third subset of GPS devices.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to, in response to the GPS device reaching the desired destination, receive information of an actual route taken by the GPS device.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

receive updated traffic congestion information;

determine whether the traffic congestion information has substantially changed;

in response to determining the current traffic congestion information has substantially changed, modify the at least two optimized routes to minimize the overall driving time for the community of GPS devices; and

transmit the modified first optimized route to the first subset of GPS devices; and

transmit the modified second optimized route to the second subset of GPS devices.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

receive a current traffic congestion information from a traffic congestion information provider;

determine one or more locations where traffic levels along the preferred route exceed normal levels along the preferred route at the current time;

analyze a vehicle capacity for each of the roads along the preferred route; and

retrieve one or more similar routes previously taken by the GPS device;

wherein the route request contains;

a current location of the GPS device;

a desired destination of the GPS device; and

a maximum re-routing distance permitted from a typical route while traveling to the desired destination.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

interface with a database of the same social network to facilitate improved carpool and route recommendations amongst GPS devices subscribed to the same social network, wherein the database of the same social network is stored on an external network separate from the community routing system;

retrieve, from a calendar component of the same social network, schedule information of other users of the same social network; and

transmit, to the particular GPS device, one or more carpool suggestions, wherein the carpool suggestions identify one or more other GPS devices within the same social network typically travelling along a same optimized route to reach the desired destination;

wherein the identification information further comprises a department title.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 8, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

identify one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

in response to identifying the one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device, select a longer route for the particular GPS device, wherein the longer route normalizes typical travel time for the community of GPS devices; and

transmit the longer route to the particular GPS device.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the plurality of instructions further comprising instructions for enabling the machine to:

in response to identifying the one or more past optimized routes travelled by the particular GPS device, select a shorter route for the particular GPS device, wherein the shorter route normalizes typical travel time for the community of GPS devices; and

transmit the shorter route to the particular GPS device.