Accident prone location notification system and method

• US 9,196,159 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Original Assignee: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Inventors: Kerr, Ronald Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US13/611,343
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/905, 340/991, 340/993, 340/995.13, 340/995.17, 340/995.18, 340/995.24, 340/995.27, 340/464
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A method includes maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information includes accident location information, accident occurrence date information, and accident occurrence time information and identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations. When a vehicle enters an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations, a notification is made that the vehicle has entered the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations. In addition, in response to a query, a visual representation of one of the accident-prone locations is displayed, along with accident occurrence date information and accident occurrence time information associated with the accident-prone location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the accident occurrence information comprises accident location information;

identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations; and

when a vehicle enters an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations, providing a visual indicator and an audible indicator on a GPS enabled device that the vehicle has entered the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations,

when the vehicle exits the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations, providing the visual indicator and the audible indicator on the GPS enabled device that the vehicle has exited the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations,

the visual indicator being superimposed on a map;

the GPS enabled device being separate from and not connected, either physically or electronically, to the vehicle; and

the GPS enabled device displaying accident occurrence date information, accident occurrence time information, a number of vehicles involved in the accident, a direction of travel of a vehicle involved in the accident, an age of a driver involved in the accident, weather conditions at the time of the accident, speed of vehicles involved in the accident, and injuries or fatalities sustained as a result of the accident, associated with the one of the accident-prone locations.

2. A system comprising:

a database that maintains vehicle accident occurrence information comprising accident location information;

a processor that identifies one or more accident-prone locations based, at least in part, on the accident location information; and

a notification component comprising a GPS enabled device that provides a visual indicator and an audible indicator that a vehicle has entered an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations when the vehicle enters the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations and that the vehicle has exited the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations when the vehicle exits the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations,

the visual indicator being superimposed on a map;

the GPS enabled device being separate from and not connected, either physically or electronically, to the vehicle; and

the GPS enabled device displaying accident occurrence date information, accident occurrence time information, a number of vehicles involved in the accident, a direction of travel of a vehicle involved in the accident, an age of a driver involved in the accident, weather conditions at the time of the accident, speed of vehicles involved in the accident, and injuries or fatalities sustained as a result of the accident, associated with the one of the accident-prone locations.