Auto-categorized mileage tracking

• US 9,953,366 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Rogers, Aaron David, Bhatt, Ghanshyam, Nour-Omid, Talia Shereen, Shah, Vidhi, Tan, Brian Galutira
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/070,391
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A method, system, and computer readable medium for tracking mileage. The method includes obtaining global positions of a mobile device and timestamps corresponding to the global positions, and detecting, based on the global positions and the timestamps, a completed trip having global positions and timestamps. The global positions include an origin and a destination. The method further includes categorizing, from location categories, the origin into an origin location category, categorizing, from location categories, the destination into a destination location category, and categorizing, based on the origin location category and the destination location category, the completed trip into a completed trip category from trip categories. The method further includes calculating mileage based on the global positions of the completed trip, and storing, for the completed trip, the mileage and the completed trip category.

Claims

1. A method for tracking mileage, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor and via a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a plurality of global positions of a mobile device;

obtaining, via a system clock, a plurality of timestamps corresponding to the plurality of global positions;

detecting, based on the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, a completed trip comprising the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, wherein the plurality of global positions comprises an origin and a destination;

categorizing, from a plurality of location categories, the origin into an origin location category based on the plurality of global positions;

determining that the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the destination at a same time of day on a plurality of days;

in response to the determination, categorizing, by the computer processor and based on a type of business associated with a user of the mobile device obtained from a financial management application and from the plurality of location categories, the destination into a destination location category;

categorizing, based on the origin location category and the destination location category, the completed trip into a completed trip category from a plurality of trip categories;

calculating mileage based on the plurality of global positions of the completed trip; and

storing, for the completed trip, the mileage and the completed trip category.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a location name corresponding to the origin, wherein the origin location category is selected from the plurality of location categories based on the location name corresponding to the origin.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user of the mobile device, a request to merge the completed trip with a subsequent trip;

setting the destination of the completed trip equal to the destination of the subsequent trip;

adding the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps of the subsequent trip to the completed trip; and

purging the subsequent trip.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user of the mobile device, a request to divide the completed trip, wherein the request comprises a stop;

dividing, in response to the request, the completed trip into a first new completed trip comprising a new destination and a second new completed trip comprising a new origin; and

setting the new destination and the new origin equal to the stop.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of location categories comprises a workplace category, a business category, and a home category.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of trip categories comprises a business trip category, a personal trip category, a charitable trip category, a medical trip category, and a relocation trip category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the completed trip comprises:

calculating an average velocity using a second global position, a third global position, a second timestamp, and a third timestamp;

determining that the average velocity exceeds a start threshold velocity; and

identifying the origin as the second global position.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a global position of the plurality of global positions comprises a set of GPS coordinates.

9. A system for tracking mileage comprising:

memory;

a GPS sensor configured to obtain a plurality of global positions of a mobile device and a plurality of timestamps corresponding to the plurality of global positions;

a system clock configured to generate the plurality of timestamps; and

a computer processor for executing a mileage tracking application stored in memory and comprising a tracking engine, which causes the computer processor to;

detect, based on the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, a completed trip comprising the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, wherein the plurality of global positions comprises an origin and a destination,

categorize, from a plurality of location categories, the origin into an origin location category based on the plurality of global positions,

determine that the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the destination at a same time of day on a plurality of days,

in response to the determination, categorize, based on a type of business associated with a user of the mobile device obtained from a financial management application and from the plurality of location categories, the destination into a destination location category,

categorize, based on the origin location category and the destination location category, the completed trip into a completed trip category from a plurality of trip categories,

calculate mileage based on the plurality of global positions of the completed trip, and

store, for the completed trip, the mileage and the completed trip category.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a mobile device comprising the memory, the computer processor, and the mileage tracking application.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an address data repository comprising mappings between addresses and location names,

wherein the tracking engine further causes the computer processor to;

obtaining a location name corresponding to the origin from the address data repository, wherein the origin location category is selected from the plurality of location categories based on the location name corresponding to the origin.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an application data repository comprising the plurality of location categories, the plurality of trip categories, and completed trip data comprising the mileage and completed trip category.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of location categories comprises a workplace category, a business category, a home category, and a client category.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of trip categories comprises a business trip category, a personal trip category, a charitable trip category, a medical trip category, and a relocation trip category.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for tracking mileage, the instructions comprising functionality to:

obtain, by a computer processor and via a GPS sensor, a plurality of global positions of a mobile device;

obtain, via a system clock, a plurality of timestamps corresponding to the plurality of global positions;

detect, based on the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, a completed trip comprising the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps, wherein the plurality of global positions comprises an origin and a destination;

categorize, from a plurality of location categories, the origin into an origin location category based on the plurality of global positions of the mobile device;

determine that the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the destination at a same time of day on a plurality of days;

in response to the determination, categorize, by the computer processor and based on a type of business associated with a user of the mobile device obtained from a financial management application and from the plurality of location categories, the destination into a destination location category;

categorize, based on the origin location category and the destination location category, the completed trip into a completed trip category from a plurality of trip categories;

calculate mileage based on the plurality of global positions of the completed trip; and

store, for the completed trip, the mileage and the completed trip category.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising functionality to:

obtain a location name corresponding to the origin, wherein the origin location category is selected from the plurality of location categories based on the location name corresponding to the origin.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising functionality to:

receive, from the user of the mobile device, a request to merge the completed trip with a subsequent trip;

set the destination of the completed trip equal to the destination of the subsequent trip;

add the plurality of global positions and the plurality of timestamps of the subsequent trip to the completed trip; and

purge the subsequent trip.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising functionality to:

receive, from the user of the mobile device, a request to divide the completed trip, wherein the request comprises a stop;

divide, in response to the request, the completed trip into a first new completed trip comprising a new destination and a second new completed trip comprising a new origin; and

set the new destination and the new origin equal to the stop.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of location categories comprises a workplace category, a business category, and a home category.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of trip categories comprises a business trip category, a personal trip category, a charitable trip category, a medical trip category, and a relocation trip category.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein identifying the completed trip comprises:

calculate an average velocity using a first global position, a second global position, a first timestamp, and a second timestamp;

determine that the average velocity exceeds a start threshold velocity; and

identify the origin as the first global position.