Apparatus and methods for providing journey information

• US 9,798,985 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Holdings Ltd. (Inrix Incorporated)
• Inventors: Burr, Jonathan Charles, Gates, Gary, Slater, Alan George
• Primary Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US13/147,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,825 Days
• Field of Search: 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A method of providing at least one journey option computation to user and a journey information computer system is provided. The journey information computer system comprising: a client interface configured to receive a calendar email invitation comprising appointment details and user identity information; a decode module operable to identify and extract the user identity information and the appointment details from the email; a travel information processor configured to compute at least one journey option based on the appointment details together with data received from a least one travel information source; and a communication module configured to send the at least one computed journey option to a user device.

Claims

1. A journey information computer system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions;

an interface configured to receive a calendar email invitation comprising appointment details, identity information of a recipient of the calendar email invitation and second identity information of a second recipient of the calendar email invitation;

a decode module operable to receive the calendar email invitation, cross-reference the calendar email invitation with templates in a template archive to identify a first template with a matching format, and decode the calendar email invitation by extracting the identity information and the appointment details from the calendar email invitation based upon the first template;

a library of user profiles, each user profile comprising an address, wherein the decode module is configured to use the identity information to look up a first address from a first user profile of a user and define a starting point as the first address and use the second identity information to look up a second address from a second user profile of a second user and define a second starting point as the second address;

a travel information processor configured to execute the instructions to compute;

a journey with the starting point based on the appointment details together with data received from at least one travel information source;

a return journey based on a duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the return journey starts from a finishing point of the journey and ends at the starting point;

a second journey with the second starting point based on the appointment details together with data received from at least one travel information source; and

a second return journey based on the duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the second return journey starts from a second finishing point of the second journey and ends at the second starting point,

wherein the travel information processor takes into consideration economic factors and outputs the most cost-effective journey; and

a communication module configured to;

send the journey and the return journey to a device identified as being a preferred device for delivery from amongst two or more devices of the user in the user profile; and

send the second journey and the second return journey to a second device identified as being a preferred device for delivery from amongst two or more devices of the second user in the second user profile.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the decode module is configured to process the appointment details to generate a travel information data packet comprising at least a starting point and finishing point for one or more journeys, and the identity information.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the travel information processor receives the travel information data packet and uses it to compute the journey.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the first address is one or more of a home address or a work address.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein the recipient is prompted to select between the home and work address.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the appointment details comprise:

date, time, and location.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the decode module is configured to define the location from the appointment details as the finishing point.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the decode module is configured to extract the duration from the appointment details.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein each template in the template archive describes a structure of appointment details in e-mails.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein each user profile comprises more than one address and a sender is prompted with a message to confirm at least one of the starting point or the finishing point.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein each user profile comprises preference information used by the travel information processor for journey computations.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the preference information comprises one or more of:

preferred method of transport, cost preferences, or environmental preferences.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the identity information comprises an e-mail address.

14. The system according to claim 1 comprising an e-mailer module for creating an email message comprising details of the journey and sending it to the device.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the email message comprises at least one of updates or reminders regarding the journey.

16. The system according to claim 1 comprising a messenger module for creating a SMS/MMS message comprising details of the journey and sending it to the device.

17. The system according to claim 1 wherein the device is one or more of:

a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a smart-phone, or a PDA.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one travel information source used to compute the journey comprises one or more of:

real-time traffic information;

rail information;

flight information;

coach information;

local taxi companies;

or public transport schedules.

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein travel information is sent as regular updates to the recipient by at least one of an e-mailer module or a messenger module, and wherein the travel information is sent at least one of before or during the journey.

20. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one travel information source used to compute the second journey comprises one or more of:

real-time traffic information;

rail information;

flight information;

coach information;

local taxi companies;

or public transport schedules.

21. The system according to claim 1 wherein the travel information processor takes into consideration environmental factors and outputs the most environmentally friendly journey.

22. The system according to claim 1 wherein the journey allows a predetermined amount of time for parking.

23. The system according to claim 1 comprising an interface configured to present parking availability in the vicinity of the finishing point.

24. The system according to claim 1 wherein the decode module sends an instruction to a module to send a registration link to a third user, and the third user completes profile information which is used to create a third user profile.

25. A method, comprising:

receiving a calendar email invitation comprising appointment details, identity information of a recipient of the calendar email invitation and second identity information of a second recipient of the calendar email invitation;

cross-referencing the calendar email invitation with templates in a template archive to identify a first template with a matching format;

extracting the identity information and the appointment details from the calendar email invitation based upon the first template;

using the identity information to look up a first address from a first user profile of a user in a library of user profiles and defining a starting point as the first address;

using the second identity information to look up a second address from a second user profile of a second user in the library of user profiles and defining a second starting point as the second address;

receiving travel information from at least one travel information source;

computing at journey with the starting point based on the appointment details and the travel information using a travel information processor;

computing a return journey based on a duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the return journey starts from a finishing point of the journey and ends at the starting point;

computing a second journey with the second starting point based on the appointment details and the travel information using the travel information processor;

computing a second return journey based on the duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the second return journey starts from a second finishing point of the second journey and ends at the second starting point,

wherein the travel information processor takes into consideration one or more factors including zero or more economic information and outputs the most cost-effective journey;

sending the journey and the return journey to a device identified as being a preferred device for delivery from amongst two or more devices of the user in the user profile; and

sending the second journey and the second return journey to a second device identified as being a preferred device for delivery from amongst two or more devices of the second user in the second user profile.

26. The method according to claim 25 comprising using the appointment details to generate a travel information data packet comprising at least a starting point and finishing point for one or more journeys, and the identity information.

27. The method according to claim 26 comprising receiving the travel information data packet and using it in the computation of the journey.

28. The method according to claim 25 wherein the appointment details comprise:

date, time, direction and location.

29. The method according to claim 28 comprising using the location as the finishing point for the journey.

30. The method according to claim 25 comprising extracting the duration from the appointment details.

31. The method according to claim 25 wherein each template in the template archive describes where an e-mail client application places appointment details in e-mails.

32. The method according to claim 25 wherein each user profile comprises more than one address and a sender is prompted with a message to confirm at least one of the starting point or the finishing point.

33. The method according to claim 25 wherein user profiles comprise preference information used by the travel information processor for journey computations.

34. The method according to claim 33 wherein the preference information comprises one or more of:

preferred method of transport, cost preferences, or environmental preferences.

35. The method according to claim 25 wherein the identity information comprises an e-mail address.

36. The method according to claim 25 comprising creating an email message comprising the journey and sending it to the device.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein the email message comprises at least one of updates or reminders regarding the journey.

38. The method according to claim 25 comprising creating a SMS/MMS message comprising the journey and sending it to the device.

39. The method according to claim 25 wherein the device is one or more of:

a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a PDA.

40. The method according to claim 25 wherein the at least one travel information source comprises one or more of:

real-time traffic information, rail information, flight information, coach information, local taxi companies, or public transport schedules.

41. The method according to claim 25 comprising sending regular traffic information updates to the recipient before and during the journey.

42. The method according to claim 25 wherein the second device is one or more of:

a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a PDA.

43. The method according to claim 25 wherein the travel information processor takes into consideration environmental factors and outputs the most environmentally friendly journey.

44. The method according to claim 25 wherein the journey allows a predetermined amount of time for parking.

45. The method according to claim 25 comprising sending a registration link to a third user.

46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a calendar email invitation comprising appointment details, identity information of a recipient of the calendar email invitation and second identity information of a second recipient of the calendar email invitation;

cross-reference the calendar email invitation with templates in a template archive to identify a first template with a matching format;

extract the identity information and the appointment details from the calendar email invitation based upon the first template;

use the identity information to look up a first address from a first user profile of a user in a library of user profiles and define a starting point as the first address;

use the second identity information to look up a second address from a second user profile of a second user in the library of user profiles and define a second starting point as the second address;

compute at journey with the starting point based on the appointment details together with data received from at least one travel information source, wherein the computing takes into consideration economic factors and outputs the most cost-effective journey;

compute a return journey based on a duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the return journey starts from a finishing point of the journey and ends at the starting point;

compute a second journey with the second starting point based on the appointment details together with data received from at least one travel information source;

compute a second return journey based on the duration extracted from the appointment details, wherein the second return journey starts from a second finishing point of the second journey and ends at the second starting point;

send at least one of the journey or the return journey to a device identified as being a preferred device of the user in the user profile; and

send at least one of the second journey or the second return journey to a second device identified as being a preferred device of the second user in the second user profile.