Method of providing a car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system

• US 8,949,272 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hutschemaekers, Mathias Hubertus Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Spieler, William
• Application Number:
  US12/996,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,434 Days
• Field of Search: 707/780, 701/533
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

The invention relates to a method which receives location information of a mobile terminal of a single user. One or more journeys are extracted from the location information of the single user. The corresponding journey data is stored in a journey database. From the journey data in the journey database, journey patterns for the single user are extracted. A journey pattern indicates at least the regularity of a particular journey in time, i.e. over a number of days. The journey patterns are stored in the pattern database. The journey patterns of the single user are matched with patterns of other users. If a match is found, at least one match based on the journey patterns is sent to the single user. These features enable the carpool service to find a match which takes into account the regularity across a period of days. By identifying the regularity, a better match can be made with users which travel the same route, as also the days on which the users travel are taken into account.

Claims

1. A method of providing a car pooling assistance through a carpool system in a wireless communication system;

the method comprising;

receiving location information of a mobile communications device which is mobile with a first user both in vehicular and pedestrian journeys;

determining non-traveling upon receipt of consecutive location information having a same location;

storing a journey record in a journey database if a period of non-traveling exceeds a preset time;

identifying similar journey records for the first user, the similar journey records having similar start and end locations and similar start and end times, but on different days;

determining a match between the similar journey records of different days and a repetition pattern;

upon determining the match between the similar journey records, storing a journey pattern record for the first user in a pattern database; and

determining if the journey pattern record of the first user matches with a journey pattern record of another user;

using journey pattern rules to determine whether a journey pattern type of the first user matches a journey pattern type of the another user, a match of journey pattern types being determined when one of the journey pattern types is a subset of the other journey pattern type, each journey pattern type having a different frequency, thereby enabling determining the match with users that travel less or more frequently along a same route.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the repetition pattern is selected from a group comprising:

every day, every working day, every day except one, every week same day, every week different days, every two weeks, every month.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising matching the journey pattern record of the first user against all journey patterns records of other users using predefined criteria comprising preferences of said first user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein predefined criteria comprising preferences of the first user comprises one or more criteria out of a group comprising:

maximum allowable deviation in start and end time,

acceptable deviation in start and end location,

same other user when matching journey pattern record and return journey pattern record with other user journey pattern records.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein matching uses journey patterns extracted from databases from various service providers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification based on matched journey pattern records to the first user.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

searching in the pattern database for a return journey pattern record that matches a journey pattern record of the first user, and,

linking the journey pattern record and the matched return journey pattern record in the pattern database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

finding two journey pattern records where the pattern type matches,

determining a first additional time corresponding to a traveling time between start locations of the two journey patterns records,

determining a second additional time corresponding to a traveling time between end locations of the two journey patterns records, detecting a match if the first additional time and the second additional time do not exceed a predefined criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a choice of the first user for another user journey pattern record; and

,

setting up a communication between the first user and other user of said chosen journey pattern record.

10. A computer program product loadable into a processing unit of a service control entity, the computer program comprising non-transitory software code which, when executed by a computer, perform the method according to claim 1.

11. A service control entity for providing car pooling assistance in a wireless communication system;

the service control entity comprising;

a tracker configured to;

receive location information of a mobile communications device which is mobile with a first user both in vehicular and pedestrian journeys;

determine non-traveling upon receipt of consecutive location information having a same location;

store a journey record in a journey database if a period of non-traveling exceeds a preset time;

an extractor configured to identify similar journey records for the first user, the similar journey records having similar start and end locations and similar start and end times, but on different days;

a matcher configured to;

determine a match between the similar journey records of different days and a repetition pattern;

upon determining the match between the similar journey records, to store a journey pattern record for the first user in a pattern database;

wherein the extractor is further configured to determine if the journey pattern record of the first user matches with a journey pattern record of another user;

wherein the extractor is further configured to use journey pattern rules to determine whether a journey pattern type of the first user matches a journey pattern type of the another user, a match of journey pattern types being determined when one of the journey pattern types is a subset of the other journey pattern type, each journey pattern type having a different frequency, thereby enabling determining the match with users that travel less or more frequently along a same route.

12. The service control entity of claim 11, wherein the matcher is configured to match the journey pattern record of the first user against all journey patterns records of other users using predefined criteria comprising preferences of said first user.

13. The service control entity of claim 12, wherein predefined criteria comprising preferences of the first user comprises one or more criteria out of a group comprising:

maximum allowable deviation in start and end time,

acceptable deviation in start and end location,

same other user when matching journey pattern record and return journey pattern record with other user journey pattern records.

14. The service control entity of claim 12, further comprising a communications interface through which:

the first user is provided with a choice for another user journey pattern record; and

,

a communication is set up between the first user and a user of said chosen journey pattern record.

15. The service control entity of claim 11, further comprising a communication interface configured to send a notification based on matched journey pattern records to the first user.

16. The service control entity of claim 11, wherein the extractor is configured to:

search the pattern database for a return journey pattern record that matches a journey pattern record of the first user, and,

link the journey pattern record and the matched return journey pattern record in the pattern database.

17. The service control entity of claim 11, wherein the matcher is configured to:

find two journey pattern records where the pattern type matches,

determine a first additional time corresponding to a traveling time between start locations of the two journey patterns records,

determine a second additional time corresponding to a traveling time between end locations of the two journey patterns records,

detect a match if the first additional time and the second additional time do not exceed a predefined criteria.

18. The service control entity of claim 11, wherein the extractor is configured to match journey patterns extracted from databases from various service providers.