Transportation routing

• US 8,798,917 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowley, Henry, Baluja, Shumeet
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diacou, Ari M
• Application Number:
  US13/964,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/411, 340/995.13
• US Class Current: 701/411
• 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: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• 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: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of providing personalized route information involves gathering a plurality of past location indicators over time for a wireless client device, determining a future driving objective using the plurality of previously-gathered location indicators, obtaining real-time traffic data for an area proximate to the determined driving objective, and generating a suggested route for the driving objective using the near real-time traffic data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented navigation device having memory for storing instructions that, when executed:

obtain information related to a suggested navigation route for a reoccurring event;

display the suggested navigation route based on at least the obtained information;

receive a command in response to the display of the suggested navigation route;

transmit data relating to the command to a remote system and receive follow-up information in response to the transmission of data relating to the command; and

update the suggested navigation route based on the command and the follow-up information for a future travel in connection with the reoccurring event.

2. The computer-implemented navigation device of claim 1 further having memory storing instructions that, when executed, generate a location information for use in computing expected navigation points for the device based on past locations for the device.

3. The computer-implemented navigation device of claim 2, wherein the expected navigation points are computed for a time period corresponding to a time period for the past locations for the device.

4. The computer-implemented navigation device of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of information showing a suggested navigation route occurs at a predetermined time of the day.

5. A computer-implemented method of providing personalized route information, comprising:

generating, for display at a wireless client device, a travel objective route from a starting point to a destination for a reoccurring event, for a user of the wireless client device;

receiving one or more navigation points manually entered by a user of the wireless client device between the starting point and the destination of the travel objective route;

updating the travel objective route with the one or more navigation points for a future travel in connection with the reoccurring event;

obtaining, at a server system remote from the wireless client device, near real-time traffic data for an area proximate to the travel objective route;

generating, at the server system, a suggested route based on the travel objective route and the traffic data, with the suggested route passing through the navigation points entered by the user; and

providing, from the server system to the wireless client device, map data formatted to generate a map showing the suggested route on the wireless client device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving from a user an indication of an intent to have the client device enter a learn mode, and to gather location indicators only during the learn mode.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the map data is provided at a predetermined time of day.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting information indicative of real-time traffic data to the wireless client device.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying one or more advertisements targeted to locations on the map and providing indicators for the advertisements with the map data, wherein the advertisements are targeted based on a profile of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertisements are further targeted to information in a profile for a user of the wireless client device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising charging a business for a location associated with one of the advertisements if a user of the wireless client device interacts with the advertisement.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein each location indicator is gathered as the result of a cell-tower hand-off for the wireless client device.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the location indicators are grouped according to multiple different time periods.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising a calendar for a user of the wireless client device and generating the suggested route based on a future entry in the calendar.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising a calendar for a user of the wireless client device and generating the suggested route based on a future entry in the calendar.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the reoccurring event comprises a predetermined period of time for one or more days of the week.

16. A computer-implemented navigation system, comprising:

a mobile computing device comprising a location generator that produces data indicative of a plurality of computing device locations;

a navigation point generator at a server system remote from the computing device that receives and analyzes the data indicative of the plurality of computing device locations for a reoccurring event, receives one or more navigation points manually entered by a user of the mobile computing device after receiving data indicative of at least one of the plurality of device locations, determines a travel objective route from a start to a destination for a user of the device through the one or more navigation points, and updates a user profile with the travel objective route for a future travel in connection with the reoccurring event;

a route generator at the server system that;

receives information indicative of near real-time traffic data near the one or more received navigation points; and

generates data for one or more optimized routes based on the near real-time traffic data and the travel objective route; and

a response formatter at the server system to generate a document for transmission to the computing device, wherein the document includes a map showing the one or more optimized routes.

17. The computer-implemented navigation system of claim 16, wherein the document further includes one or more advertisements targeted to locations on the map.

18. The computer-implemented navigation system of claim 17, further comprising a billing unit to charge a business for a location associated with one of the advertisements if a user of the mobile device interacts with the advertisement.

19. The computer-implemented navigation system of claim 16, wherein the information indicative of traffic data includes real-time traffic data.