Interactive timeline interface and data visualization

• US 9,754,428 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Connect Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Fleetmatics Ireland Limited (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Peter, Erlenbach, Kyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODEH, NADEEM N
• Application Number:
  US14/027,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 701 324, 705 738
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• 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

A computer system and method for storing and processing GPS data for a plurality of drivers and vehicles to provide a visual representation of driver'"'"'s activity for fleets of driver and vehicles.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to the memory, configured to;

receive Global Positioning System (GPS) event data transmitted from each GPS device, of a plurality of GPS devices, over a period of time,

each GPS device, of the plurality of GPS devices, being associated with a corresponding vehicle, of a plurality of vehicles, and

each GPS event data including location information for a vehicle, of the plurality of vehicles, associated with each GPS device;

store the GPS event data, received from the plurality of GPS devices, in the memory;

associate information identifying each driver, of a plurality of drivers, and information identifying one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

provide a graphic user interface that includes at least one user-selectable filtering category for generating a report based on the GPS event data in the memory,

the at least one user-selectable filtering category including a group filter category with a plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups including information identifying two or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

provide driver activity information for each driver of the plurality of drivers,

the driver activity information being derived from the GPS event data;

provide, via the graphic user interface and based on the GPS event data, an interactive display that displays a visual representation of the driver activity information during a time period;

generate, in response to a selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups and based on the GPS event data, one or more vehicle activity reports that include information associated with;

each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

scores and rankings, associated with a plurality of operational metrics, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

the rankings being based on a comparison of the scores, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, with scores of the plurality of vehicles other than the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each driver assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, and

each indirectly-associated vehicle that is assigned to at least one of the drivers assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each indirectly-associated vehicle not being included in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups;

provide, via the graphic user interface, the one or more vehicle activity reports;

determine whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy a goal, associated with the plurality of operational metrics, based on the one or more vehicle activity reports and the GPS event data; and

provide information indicating whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy the goal.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the information identifying each driver is associated with information identifying one of the plurality of vehicles for a particular period of time.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the visual representation indicates a start time, an end time, and duration, associated with the driver activity information, for the time period.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the visual representation comprises a plurality of segments,

each of the plurality of segments representing a segment time period during which one of the plurality of vehicles includes an unchanged vehicle status based on the driver activity information.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle status is based on at least one of the plurality operational metrics, and

wherein the visual representation indicates each different vehicle status with a different graphic pattern.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein when one of the plurality of segments is selected, the at least one processor is further configured to:

provide segment information for the one of the plurality of segments.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the segment information includes information indicating:

a segment start time associated with the one of the plurality of segments,

a segment end time associated with the one of the plurality of segments,

a segment duration associated with the one of the plurality of segments, and

a location of the one of the plurality of vehicles during the segment time period.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

store, in the memory, a record of a route from an origin location to a destination location during the time period represented by the visual representation; and

provide the record of the route to a device that displays the route as a map.

9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

store, in the memory, a record of a segment route from an origin segment location to a destination segment location during the segment time period; and

provide the record of the segment route to a device that displays the segment route as a map.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein each GPS device, of the plurality of GPS devices, is associated with a corresponding driver, of the plurality of drivers, based on an input received from a driver identification device.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the driver identification device is one of:

a Driver Keyfob,

a Driver Assignment Module,

a Driver Mobile Application,

a Third Party Integrations, or

a GPS device not included in the plurality of GPS devices.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generate a data structure that associates information identifying one of the plurality of drivers and information identifying one or more of the plurality of vehicles and associates information identifying one of the plurality of vehicles and information identifying one or more drivers of the plurality of drivers; and

store the data structure in the memory.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the data structure is a lookup table.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, Global Positioning System (GPS) event data transmitted from each GPS device, of a plurality of GPS devices, over a period of time,

each GPS device, of the plurality of GPS devices, being associated with a corresponding vehicle, of a plurality of vehicles, and

each GPS event data including location information for a vehicle, of the plurality of vehicles, associated with each GPS device;

storing, by the device, the GPS event data, received from the plurality of GPS devices, in a memory;

associating, by the device, information identifying each driver, of a plurality of drivers, and information identifying one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

providing, by the device, a graphic user interface that includes at least one user-selectable filtering category for generating a report based on the GPS event data in the memory,

the at least one user-selectable filtering category including a group filter category with a plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups including information identifying two or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

providing, by the device, driver activity information for each driver of the plurality of drivers,

the driver activity information being derived from the GPS event data;

providing, by the device and via the graphic user interface and based on the GPS event data, an interactive display that displays a visual representation of the driver activity information during a time period;

generating, by the device, in response to a selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, and based on the GPS event data, one or more vehicle activity reports that include information associated with;

each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

scores and rankings, associated with a plurality of operational metrics, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

the rankings being based on a comparison of the scores, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, with scores of the plurality of vehicles other than the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each driver assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, and

each indirectly-associated vehicle that is assigned to at least one of the drivers assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each indirectly-associated vehicle not being included in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups;

providing, by the device and via the graphic user interface, the one or more vehicle activity reports;

determining, by the device, whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy a goal, associated with the plurality of operational metrics, based on the one or more vehicle activity reports and the GPS event data; and

providing, by the device, information indicating whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy the goal.

15. The method of claim 14, where the information identifying each driver is associated with information identifying one of the plurality of vehicles for a particular period of time.

16. The method of claim 14, where the visual representation indicates a start time, an end time, and duration, associated with the driver activity information, for the time period.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive Global Positioning System (GPS) event data transmitted from each GPS device, of a plurality of GPS devices, over a period of time,

each GPS device, of the plurality of GPS devices, being associated with a corresponding vehicle, of a plurality of vehicles, and

each GPS event data including location information for a vehicle, of the plurality of vehicles, associated with each GPS device;

store the GPS event data, received from the plurality of GPS devices, in a memory;

associate information identifying each driver, of a plurality of drivers, and information identifying one or more of the plurality of vehicles;

provide a graphic user interface that includes at least one user-selectable filtering category for generating a report based on the GPS event data in the memory,

the at least one user-selectable filtering category including a group filter category with a plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups including information identifying two or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

provide driver activity information for each driver of the plurality of drivers,

the driver activity information being derived from the GPS event data;

provide, via the graphic user interface and based on the GPS event data, an interactive display that displays a visual representation of the driver activity information during a time period;

generate, in response to a selection of one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups and based on the GPS event data, one or more vehicle activity reports that include information associated with;

each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

scores and rankings, associated with a plurality of operational metrics, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

the rankings being based on a comparison of the scores, for each of the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, with scores of the plurality of vehicles other than the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each driver assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups, and

each indirectly-associated vehicle that is assigned to at least one of the drivers assigned to the vehicles in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups,

each indirectly-associated vehicle not being included in the one of the plurality of user-selectable vehicle groups;

provide, via the graphic user interface, the one or more vehicle activity reports;

determine whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy a goal, associated with the plurality of operational metrics, based on the one or more vehicle activity reports and the GPS event data; and

provide information indicating whether the plurality of vehicles satisfy the goal.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the information identifying each driver is associated with information identifying one of the plurality of vehicles for a particular period of time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the visual representation indicates a start time, an end time, and duration, associated with the driver activity information, for the time period.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the visual representation comprises a plurality of segments,

each of the plurality of segments representing a segment time period during which one of the plurality of vehicles includes an unchanged vehicle status based on the driver activity information.