Method for reporting traffic conditions

• US 8,818,695 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HTI IP LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Link, Charles M. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilder, Hunter
• Application Number:
  US12/711,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33, 701/117, 701/119
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A targeted area audio distribution system for Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services Receivers (“SDARS”) provides specific content to listeners based on location. A service provider can facilitate delivery of local content using a telematics device installed in the listener'"'"'s vehicle. The telematics device uses a content database indexed on an identifier formed from coordinates of a desired geographical area to target particular content for users in a targeted area as small as a few blocks. In addition, interstate drivers can receive location specific advertisements for exits that they may be approaching. Digital audio content can be queued up for insertion into the audio stream based on specific locations. The identifier can also be used to report vehicle performance information from a plurality of vehicles to facilitate providing real-time traffic conditions for many traffic corridors.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle telematics services provider'"'"'s central computer, comprising:

receiving data corresponding to one, or more, vehicle performance parameters from one, or more, telematics devices corresponding to one, or more, respective vehicles;

processing the data received from the one, or more, telematics devices to determine current traffic conditions within a geographic area defined by a polygon that encompasses geographic coordinates of the one, or more, vehicle'"'"'s, or vehicles'"'"', telematics device, or devices; and

reporting the traffic conditions to one, or more, user devices as media content;

wherein the one, or more, vehicle'"'"'s, or vehicles'"'"', telematics device, or devices, each transmitted the data corresponding to the vehicle performance parameters after performing a method comprising the steps of;

determining values of non-fixed coordinates of a geographic location of the respective telematics device substantially located at the same location as the vehicle corresponding to the telematics device;

creating a unique identifier derived from the values of the non-fixed coordinates; and

associating the unique identifier with the vehicle performance parameter data before transmitting it with the associated vehicle performance parameter data to the central computer, and

wherein the performance parameters may be one or more of a group of parameters that incudes vehicle braking, vehicle forward acceleration, vehicle lateral acceleration, and vehicle speed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the values of non-fixed coordinates are rounded down to the nearest five one hundredths of a degree before being associated with the vehicle performance parameter data.