Presenting geographic search results using location projection and time windows

• US 10,354,527 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Inventors: DiMeo, David, Hecht, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US15/123,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20170219373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 701411, 701424, 701426, 701465, 701533
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1044 Output speed change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 : of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 : for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 : Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 : using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 : using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 : Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 : Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 : output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 : associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 : Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 : Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 : Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 : using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 : from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 : from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 : for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 : for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 : for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 : for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 : by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 : Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 : Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 : having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 : responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 : where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 : where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 : where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/097 : Supervising of traffic control systems, e.g. by giving an alarm if two crossing streets have green light simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 : Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 : based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 : for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Users within transit in a vehicle may initiate location queries to fulfill a set of interests, such as stops for food, fuel, and lodging. A device may fulfill the queries according to various factors, such as the distance of nearby locations to the user or to another location specified by the user, and the popularity of various locations. However, the user may not have specified or even chosen a route, and may wish to have interests fulfilled at a later time (e.g., stopping for food in 30 minutes), and a presentation of search results near the user'"'"'s current location may be unhelpful. Presented herein are techniques for fulfilling location queries that involve predicting a route of the user, and identifying a timing window for the query results (e.g., locations that are likely to be near the user'"'"'s projected location when the wishes to stop for food in 30 minutes).

Claims

1. A method of fulfilling a location query of a user of a vehicle in transit, the method involving a device having a processor and comprising:

executing, by the processor, instructions that cause the device to;

identify a transit contingency corresponding to historic times and frequencies at which a user has performed an action;

identify a timing window for query results of the location query to be presented to the user based upon the transit contingency;

predict a route of the vehicle and a projected location of the vehicle along the route during the timing window, comprising;

identifying a route set comprising a set of routes, wherein each route of the route set is associated with a probability that the vehicle will complete a corresponding route;

for the respective routes of the route set, identifying a set of locations that satisfies the location query and that is within a proximity range of the projected location along the route; and

sorting the set of locations according to the probabilities of the respective routes to create a sorted set of locations; and

present at least one location of the sorted set of locations to the user as a query result of the location query.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

comparing a current location of the vehicle for predicting the route by comparing the transit of the vehicle with a historical route set of routes previously completed by users of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying, in a user profile of the user, a future destination of the user that is consistent with the transit of the vehicle; and

predicting the route based upon the future destination.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location query is associated with an operating metric of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing window further comprises:

identifying, in the location query submitted by the user, a user-specified timing window.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising:

evaluating the operating metric of the vehicle to determine the timing window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the timing window further comprises:

identifying a set of transit contingencies of the transit of the vehicle; and

for a selected transit contingency of the set of transit contingencies;

monitoring a status of the selected transit contingency, and

identifying the timing window that is associated with the selected transit contingency, wherein the timing window reflects the status of the selected transit contingency.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

monitoring the transit of the vehicle over time to detect a first transit contingency that the user fulfills during the transit of the vehicle; and

storing the first transit contingency detected during the transit of the vehicle in the set of transit contingencies.

9. A server that fulfills location queries of a user of a vehicle in transit, the server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify a transit contingency corresponding to historic times and frequencies at which a user has performed an action;

identify a timing window for query results of a location query to be presented to the user based upon the transit contingency;

predict a route of the vehicle and a projected location of the vehicle along the route during the timing window, comprising;

identifying a route set comprising a set of routes, wherein each route of the route set is associated with a probability that the vehicle will complete a corresponding route;

for the respective routes of the route set, identifying a set of locations that satisfies the location query and that is within a proximity range of the projected location along the route; and

sorting the set of locations according to the probabilities of the respective routes to create a sorted set of locations; and

present at least one location of the sorted set of locations to the user as a set of query results of the location query.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

sort the set of query results according to a user preference.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

remove, from the set of query results, locations that are respectively associated with an operating time window that does not overlap the timing window of the location query.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

sort the set of query results according to user popularity of the respective locations identified as the query results.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

sort the set of query results according to user popularity of the respective locations among users in transit along the route predicted for the transit of the user.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

upon receiving from the user a second location query to be periodically updated during the transit, store the second location query; and

periodically update the at least one location identified within the proximity range of the projected location of the vehicle.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

evaluate an adjustment of the route of the user with a selected location at a time that is before the timing window; and

upon determining that an adjustment of the route during the timing window involves a reversal along the route that is not involved in the adjustment of the route at the time, present the at least one location to the user during the time before the timing window.

16. A device that fulfills a location query of a user of a vehicle in transit, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify a transit contingency corresponding to historic times and frequencies at which a user has performed an action;

identify a timing window for query results of a location query to be presented to the user based upon the transit contingency;

predict a route of the vehicle and a projected location of the vehicle along the route during the timing window, comprising;

identifying a route set comprising a set of routes, wherein each route of the route set is associated with a probability that the vehicle will complete a corresponding route;

for the respective routes of the route set, identifying a set of locations that satisfies the location query and that is within a proximity range of the projected location along the route; and

sorting the set of locations according to the probabilities of the respective routes to create a sorted set of locations; and

present at least one location of the sorted set of locations to the user as a query result of the location query.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

predict a first route of the transit of the vehicle and a second route of the transit of the vehicle; and

concurrently presenting to the user;

a first location as a query result of the location query for the first route, and

a second location as a query result of the location query for the second route.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

predict, for the at least one location, a route adjustment of the route to include the current location.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the processor to upon receiving from the user a selected location, notify the selected location of the transit of the user to the selected location.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the processor to:

present, with the at least one location, the route adjustment of the current location.