Viewing, modifying, and/or creating routes

• US 9,506,771 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Santilli, Robert, Snyder, Steve, Defronzo, Elisabeth, Inskeep, Svetlana, Tantzer, Joel, Levin, Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEBER, TAMARA L
• Application Number:
  US14/638,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20160258774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for creating, modifying, and viewing geographic areas and their corresponding routes and items of work. For example, an interface can be provided with a map display area and a route display area. The map display area and the route display area can be synchronized to create new routes, modify existing routes, and/or view information about various routes and/or items of work.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving input identifying a geographic area in which to create a new route;

simultaneously causing display, via an interface comprising a map display area and a route display area, of at least a portion of the geographic area as a digital map via the map display area of the interface, wherein (a) the map display area and the route display area do not overlap, (b) the map display area and the route display area are synchronized, (c) the digital map comprises a plurality of service points represented on the digital map with each of the plurality of service points corresponding to a location comprising an address to which items can be delivered, and (d) the route display area comprises a grid comprising rows, (i) with a row for each of the plurality of service points, and (ii) each row comprising textual information for the corresponding service point;

receiving input selecting two or more of the plurality of service points displayed via the digital map for the new route;

responsive to receiving the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points for the new route, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, simultaneously causing display (a) of an indication in the map display area that the selected service point has been selected and (b) of an indication in the row of the corresponding selected service point in the route display area that the selected service point has been selected;

assigning the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to the new route in the geographic area, wherein the new route comprises at least the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to be visited as part of a delivery route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each service point of the plurality of service points is represented on the digital map as an icon.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, (a) the indication in the map display area comprises highlighting the corresponding icon and (b) the indication in the route display area comprises highlighting the corresponding row.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points comprises input from a user drawing a polygon around the two or more of the plurality of service points in the map display area.

5. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including program code, the at least one memory and the program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive input identifying a geographic area in which to create a new route;

simultaneously cause display, via an interface comprising a map display area and a route display area, of at least a portion of the geographic area as a digital map via the map display area of the interface, wherein (a) the map display area and the route display area do not overlap, (b) the map display area and the route display area are synchronized, (c) the digital map comprises a plurality of service points represented on the digital map with each of the plurality of service points corresponding to a location comprising an address to which items can be delivered, and (d) the route display area comprises a grid comprising rows, (i) with a row for each of the plurality of service points, and (ii) each row comprising textual information for the corresponding service point;

receive input selecting two or more of the plurality of service points displayed via the digital map for the new route;

responsive to receiving the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points for the new route, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, simultaneously cause display (a) of an indication in the map display area that the selected service point has been selected and (b) of an indication in the row of the corresponding selected service point in the route display area that the selected service point has been selected;

assign the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to the new route in the geographic area, wherein the new route comprises at least the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to be visited as part of a delivery route.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each service point of the plurality of service points is represented on the digital map as an icon.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, (a) the indication in the map display area comprises highlighting the corresponding icon and (b) the indication in the route display area comprises highlighting the corresponding row.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points comprises input from a user drawing a polygon around the two or more of the plurality of service points in the map display area.

9. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive input identifying a geographic area in which to create a new route;

an executable program code portion configured to simultaneously cause display, via an interface comprising a map display area and a route display area, of at least a portion of the geographic area as a digital map via the map display area of the interface, wherein (a) the map display area and the route display area do not overlap, (b) the map display area and the route display area are synchronized, (c) the digital map comprises a plurality of service points represented on the digital map with each of the plurality of service points corresponding to a location comprising an address to which items can be delivered, and (d) the route display area comprises a grid comprising rows, (i) with a row for each of the plurality of service points, and (ii) each row comprising textual information for the corresponding service point;

an executable program code portion configured to receive input selecting two or more of the plurality of service points displayed via the digital map for the new route;

an executable program code portion configured to, responsive to receiving the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points for the new route, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, simultaneously cause display (a) of an indication in the map display area that the selected service point has been selected and (b) of an indication in the row of the corresponding selected service point in the route display area that the selected service point has been selected;

an executable program code portion configured to assign the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to the new route in the geographic area, wherein the new route comprises at least the selected two or more of the plurality of service points to be visited as part of a delivery route.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each service point of the plurality of service points is represented on the digital map as an icon.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein, for each of the selected two or more of the plurality of service points, (a) the indication in the map display area comprises highlighting the corresponding icon and (b) the indication in the route display area comprises highlighting the corresponding row.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the input selecting the two or more of the plurality of service points comprises input from a user drawing a polygon around the two or more of the plurality of service points in the map display area.