Determining a geographical location

• US 9,323,303 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Casey, Nanavati, Sharvil A., Jenson, Scott, Morrison, Jerry, LeBeau, Michael J., Mavinkurve, Sanjay, Gilbert, Fred, Dzierson, Will
• Primary Examiner(s): Balaoing, Ariel
• Application Number:
  US13/250,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20120021778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 : with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods systems, and program products for determining a change in a mode of transportation. A change in a mode of transportation of the mobile computing device may be determined by determining that a speed of the mobile computing device has changed. A first geographical location is stored as a geographical location of the mobile computing device that corresponds to the change in mode of transportation. A graphical indication of the first geographical location is displayed. The graphical indication of the first geographical location is different than graphical indications for one or more other geographical locations of the mobile computing device at one or more other times. The one or more other geographical locations were not determined to correspond to a change in mode of transportation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, with a mobile computing device, that a mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed, based at least in part on determining that an average speed of the mobile computing device over at least three geographical locations in a route of geographical locations through which the mobile computing device is traveling has fallen below a first threshold speed;

identifying, after having determined that the average speed of the mobile computing device has fallen below the first threshold speed, a particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, by going backwards in the route of geographical locations from a location at which the mobile computing device determined that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device had changed, and analyzing speeds of the mobile computing device at such geographical locations in the route while going backwards in the route until a speed that falls beneath a second threshold speed that is less than the first threshold speed is encountered, the particular geographical location corresponding to a location of the speed that falls beneath the second threshold;

responsive to identifying the particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, storing, by the mobile computing device, the particular geographical location at which the mode of the transportation of the mobile computing device changed; and

displaying a graphical indication of the particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, wherein the graphical indication of the particular geographical location is different than graphical indications for one or more other geographical locations of the mobile computing device that were not determined to correspond to a location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the average speed of the mobile computing device is a moving average of at least three recent speeds of the mobile computing device that correspond to the three geographical locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first threshold speed is greater than 3 miles per hour, and

the second threshold speed is less than 2 miles per hour.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that an auxiliary audio device has disconnected from the mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that an auxiliary audio device has connected to the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that a trajectory of the mobile computing device has changed more than ninety degrees at the geographical location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that a geographical location of the mobile computing device has departed from a known transportation route.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the mobile computing device has departed from all transportation routes that are known to a computing system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the particular geographical location is geographically near one or more other geographical locations, the one or more other geographical locations being geographical locations at which a change in a mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has previously been previously determined.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the particular geographical location is geographically near one or more other geographical locations, the one or more other geographical locations being geographical locations at which a change in a mode of transportation of other mobile computing devices has previously been previously determined.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the mobile computing device has changed from a first repeating state of motion that has first repeating characteristics to a second repeating state of motion that has second repeating characteristics, wherein the first and second repeating characteristics are different.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the mobile computing device has been physically removed from a dock in which the mobile computing device had been physically paired.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining that the mobile computing device has been physically removed from the dock includes determining that a source of electrical power for charging a rechargeable energy source on the mobile computing device has been interrupted.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining that the mobile computing device has been physically removed from the dock includes determining that a data communication over a physical electrical connection between the dock and the mobile computing device has been interrupted.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based on determining that the mobile computing device has vertically ascended or descended more than five meters within an area defined to be within five horizontal meters from a center point.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing routes through which multiple different mobile computing devices travelled based on the multiple different mobile computing devices having travelled the routes,

wherein determining that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based at least in part on determining that the mobile computing device has deviated from the stored routes through which the multiple different mobile computing devices travelled.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based on determining that the mobile computing device is in a parking lot due to the mobile computing device having doubled back over a previous location of the mobile computing device but with a change in altitude.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed is further based on receiving an indication that a vehicle of a user of the mobile computing device has been locked or unlocked.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to identifying the particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, prompting the user to indicate whether or not the particular geographical location actually identifies a location of a change in mode of transportation.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, perform operations comprising:

determining, with a mobile computing device, that a mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed, based at least in part on determining that an average speed of the mobile computing device over at least three geographical locations in a route of geographical locations through which the mobile computing device is traveling has fallen below a first threshold speed;

identifying, after having determined that the average speed of the mobile computing device has fallen below the first threshold speed, a particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, by going backwards in the route of geographical locations from a location at which the mobile computing device determined that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device had changed, and analyzing speeds of the mobile computing device at such geographical locations in the route while going backwards in the route until a speed that falls beneath a second threshold speed that is less than the first threshold speed is encountered, the particular geographical location corresponding to a location of the speed that falls beneath the second threshold;

responsive to identifying the particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, storing, by the mobile computing device, the particular geographical location at which the mode of the transportation of the mobile computing device changed; and

displaying a graphical indication of the particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, wherein the graphical indication of the particular geographical location is different than graphical indications for one or more other geographical locations of the mobile computing device that were not determined to correspond to a location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed.

16. A computer-implemented system comprising:

a location identifier that is programmed to determine a plurality of geographical locations of a mobile computing device at a plurality of respective times;

a location repository that stores the plurality of geographical locations in association with the plurality of respective times;

a transportation mode determiner that is programmed to;

(i) determine that a mode of transportation of the mobile computing device has changed, based at least in part on determining that an average speed of the mobile computing device over at least three geographical locations in a route of geographical locations through which the mobile computing device is traveling has fallen below a first threshold speed;

(ii) identify, after having determined that the average speed of the mobile computing device has fallen below the first threshold speed, a particular geographical location at which the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device changed, by going backwards in the route of geographical locations from a location at which the mobile computing device determined that the mode of transportation of the mobile computing device had changed, and analyzing speeds of the mobile computing device at such geographical locations in the route while going backwards in the route until a speed that falls beneath a second threshold speed that is less than the first threshold speed is encountered, the particular geographical location corresponding to a location of the speed that falls beneath the second threshold; and

a location displayer that is programmed to display a visual indication of the particular geographical location.