Passive crowd-sourced map updates and alternative route recommendations

• US 9,140,566 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Waldeck Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Scott, Halber, Eric P., Evans, Gregory M., Petersen, Steven L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/135,659
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 701/11, 701/14, 701/207, 379/93.02, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

tracking locations of a plurality of users of a plurality of mobile location-aware devices over time;

receiving an alternate route request from a requestor, the alternate route request identifying a desired start location and a desired stop location; and

determining, by a hardware processor, at least one of one or more different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route based on the tracked locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location aware devices, wherein the one or more users of the plurality of users includes users other than the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

identifying one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the tracked locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location-aware devices; and

determining, by the processor, one or more different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the locations of the one or more users.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location comprises identifying one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location during a desired time window.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, for each different route of the at least one of the one or more different routes, a characteristic of the different route; and

providing the characteristic of each different route to the requestor.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the characteristic of the different route is a number of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route during a desired time window.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.

10. At least one server comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the server to a plurality of mobile location-aware devices via a network; and

a controller associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

track locations of a plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location-aware devices over time;

receive an alternate route request from a requestor, the alternate route request identifying a desired start location and a desired stop location; and

determine at least one of one or more different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route based on the tracked locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location aware devices, wherein the one or more users of the plurality of users includes users other than the requestor.

11. The at least one server of claim 10, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location-aware devices; and

determine the one or more different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the locations of the one or more users.

12. The at least one server of claim 11 wherein in order to identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location, the controller is further adapted to identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location during a desired time window.

13. The at least one server of claim 12 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.

14. The at least one server of claim 10 wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine, for each different route of the at least one of the one or more different routes, a characteristic of the different route; and

provide the characteristic of each different route to the requestor.

15. The at least one server of claim 14 wherein the characteristic of the different route is a number of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

16. The at least one server of claim 14 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

17. The at least one server of claim 14 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route during a desired time window.

18. The at least one server of claim 17 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for instructing at least one controller of at least one server to:

track locations of a plurality of users of a plurality of mobile location-aware devices over time;

receive an alternate route request from a requestor, the alternate route request identifying a desired start location and a desired stop location; and

determine at least one of one or more different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route based on the tracked locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location aware devices, wherein the one or more users of the plurality of users includes users other than the requestor.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the software further instructs the at least one controller of at least one server to:

identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the locations of the plurality of users of the plurality of mobile location-aware devices; and

determine the one or more different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location based on the locations of the one or more users.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein in order to identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location, the software further instructs the controller to identify one or more users of the plurality of users that have traveled from the desired start location to the desired stop location during a desired time window.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the software further instructs the controller to:

determine, for each different route of the at least one of the one or more different routes, a characteristic of the different route; and

provide the characteristic of each different route to the requestor.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the characteristic of the different route is a number of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the characteristic of the different route is an average travel time for the different route determined based on actual travel times of users of the plurality of users that have traveled the different route during a desired time window.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the desired time window is a reoccurring time window corresponding to at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day and a current day of the week.