Customizable vehicle fleet reporting system

• US 9,141,266 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telogis Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: McCormick, Sean Ali'i, Koch, Jason Mathew, Mason, Ralph James, Elliot, William Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US13/645,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/29.3, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/32.1, 701/33.4, 705/13, 705/301, 705/305, 705/337, 705/338, 705/341, 715/222, 715/765
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Customization features for providing users with the ability to customize various aspects of a vehicle management system are described. These customization features can include functionality for generating custom reports based on vehicle parameters, including diagnostic codes. The customization features can also include features for customizing alerts based on vehicle parameters and features for customizing nomenclature in the vehicle management system.

Claims

1. A method of enabling users to customize a vehicle management system, the method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

outputting a custom report creation user interface for presentation to a user, the custom report creation user interface comprising one or more user interface controls configured to enable a user to create a custom report;

downloading, from a vehicle management system, a data set related to a vehicle fleet to the computer system;

receiving a user selection of fields in the data set for inclusion in a custom report template;

receiving a user selection of layout details with respect to the selected fields, the selected layout details comprising information for organizing a layout of the selected fields in the custom report template;

outputting a custom alert user interface for presentation to the user, the custom alert user interface configured to enable the user to define a custom alert including conditional logic on a plurality of vehicle parameters obtained from telematics data so that satisfaction of the conditional logic results in an alert message being automatically generated and sent by the vehicle management system to at least one in-vehicle device associated with at least one vehicle of the vehicle fleet for presentation to a vehicle driver;

receiving a user selection of the plurality of vehicle parameters and a user input of the conditional logic, the selected plurality of vehicle parameters comprising a vehicle diagnostic trouble code and a vehicle location, the input conditional logic indicating to alert when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered and the vehicle location is greater than a threshold distance from a site location; and

uploading the custom report template and the custom alert to the vehicle management system thereby enabling the custom report template to be used by the vehicle management system to run the custom report and the custom alert to be used by the vehicle management system to determine to automatically generate the alert message and send the alert message to a first in-vehicle device associated with a first vehicle of the vehicle fleet when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered by the first vehicle and the vehicle location of the first vehicle is greater than the threshold distance from the site location, the custom report template comprising the selected fields of the data set and the selected layout details, the custom alert comprising the selected plurality of vehicle parameters and the input conditional logic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert message indicates to return the first vehicle to the site location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set comprises information regarding workflow in the vehicle fleet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information regarding workflow comprises information related to vehicle routes and driver performance with respect to servicing the vehicle routes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a custom terminology user interface configured to enable the user to replace a fleet management term used in the vehicle management system with a custom term so that the custom term is used in place of the fleet management term in (1) at least one user interface output by the computer system for presentation to the user, (2) a database maintained by the vehicle management system, and (3) information output by the in-vehicle device for presentation to the driver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the custom alert user interface is configured to enable the user to further define the custom alert to include the conditional logic on (1) the plurality of vehicle parameters and (2) workflow in the vehicle fleet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein textual contents of the alert message depend at least on the conditional logic.

8. A system for enabling users to customize a vehicle management system, the system comprising:

processing circuitry comprising physical computer hardware configured to;

output a custom report creation user interface for presentation to a user, the custom report creation user interface comprising one or more user interface controls configured to enable a user to create a custom report;

download, from a vehicle management system, a data set related to a vehicle fleet to the processing circuitry;

receive a user selection of fields in the data set for inclusion in a custom report template;

receive a user selection of layout details with respect to the selected fields, the selected layout details comprising information for organizing a layout of the selected fields in the custom report template;

output a custom alert user interface for presentation to the user, the custom alert user interface configured to enable the user to define a custom alert including conditional logic on a plurality of vehicle parameters obtained from telematics data so that satisfaction of the conditional logic results in an alert message being automatically generated and sent by the vehicle management system to at least one in-vehicle device associated with at least one vehicle of the vehicle fleet for presentation to a vehicle driver;

receive a user selection of the plurality of vehicle parameters and a user input of the conditional logic, the selected plurality of vehicle parameters comprising a vehicle diagnostic trouble code and a vehicle speed, the input conditional logic indicating to alert when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered and the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold speed; and

upload the custom report template and the custom alert to the vehicle management system thereby enabling the custom report template to be used by the vehicle management system to run the custom report and the custom alert to be used by the vehicle management system to determine to automatically generate the alert message and send the alert message to a first in-vehicle device associated with a first vehicle of the vehicle fleet when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered by the first vehicle and the vehicle speed of the first vehicle is greater than the threshold speed, the custom report template comprising the selected fields of the data set and the selected layout details, the custom alert comprising the selected plurality of vehicle parameters and the input conditional logic.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the alert message indicates to bring the first vehicle to a site location.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data set comprises information regarding workflow in the vehicle fleet.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the information regarding workflow comprises information related to vehicle routes and driver performance with respect to servicing the vehicle routes.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to output a custom terminology user interface configured to enable the user to replace a fleet management term used in the vehicle management system with a custom term so that the custom term is used in place of the fleet management term in (1) at least one user interface output by the computer system for presentation to the user, (2) a database maintained by the vehicle management system, and (3) information output by the in-vehicle device for presentation to the driver.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the custom alert user interface is configured to enable the user to further define the custom alert to include the conditional logic on (1) the plurality of vehicle parameters and (2) workflow in the vehicle fleet.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein textual contents of the alert message depend at least on the conditional logic.

15. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising instructions stored thereon for implementing, in one or more processors, a method of enabling users to customize a vehicle management system, the method comprising:

outputting a custom report creation user interface for presentation to a user, the custom report creation user interface comprising one or more user interface controls configured to enable a user to create a custom report;

downloading, from a vehicle management system, a data set related to a vehicle fleet to a user computer;

receiving a user selection of fields in the data set for inclusion in a custom report template;

receiving a user selection of layout details with respect to the selected fields, the selected layout details comprising information for organizing a layout of the selected fields in the custom report template;

outputting a custom alert user interface for presentation to the user, the custom alert user interface configured to enable the user to define a custom alert including conditional logic on a plurality of vehicle parameters obtained from telematics data so that satisfaction of the conditional logic results in an alert message being automatically generated and sent by the vehicle management system to at least one in-vehicle device associated with at least one vehicle of the vehicle fleet for presentation to a vehicle driver;

receiving a user selection of the plurality of vehicle parameters and a user input of the conditional logic, the selected plurality of vehicle parameters comprising a vehicle diagnostic trouble code and a vehicle location, the input conditional logic indicating to alert when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered and the vehicle location is greater than a threshold distance from a site location; and

uploading the custom report template and the custom alert to the vehicle management system thereby enabling the custom report template to be used by the vehicle management system to run the custom report and the custom alert to be used by the vehicle management system to determine to automatically generate the alert message and send the alert message to a first in-vehicle device associated with a first vehicle of the vehicle fleet when both the vehicle diagnostic trouble code is triggered by the first vehicle and the vehicle location of the first vehicle is greater than the threshold distance from the site location, the custom report template comprising the selected fields of the data set and the selected layout details, the custom alert comprising the selected plurality of vehicle parameters and the input conditional logic.

16. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, further comprising outputting a custom terminology user interface configured to enable the user to replace a fleet management term used in the vehicle management system with a custom term so that the custom term is used in place of the fleet management term in (1) at least one user interface output by the computer system for presentation to the user, (2) a database maintained by the vehicle management system, and (3) information output by the in-vehicle device for presentation to the driver.

17. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the custom alert user interface is configured to enable the user to further define the custom alert to include the conditional logic on (1) the plurality of vehicle parameters and (2) workflow in the vehicle fleet.

18. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the textual contents of the alert message depend at least on the conditional logic.

19. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the alert message indicates to return the first vehicle to the site location.