Intelligently providing user-specific traffic-related information

• US 10,373,491 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Inventors: Haag, Stephen, Lebrilla, Carlos J., Rush, Marc, Rolfes, Linda
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/598,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20170256164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 340905, 3404255, 340441, 340565, 3405681, 340902-904, 340907, 340910, 340961, 340438, 340901, 3406916, 34053913
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Methods, systems and/or software for distributing transportation-related alerts to mobile devices may do so in accordance with various factors, such as device-specific and/or location-specific factors. In some variations, transportation-related alerts may be presented to the user in audio format and/or visual format. In some variations, these may be user-selectable options, and in other variations, a speed at which the mobile device is moving may be considered in determining how to present the transportation-related alerts to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile device, including:

a wireless receiver of the mobile device;

an audio output interface of the mobile device; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores an application program, in the form of computer-executable instructions configured to cause the implementation of operations comprising;

receiving from a remotely-located source, not physically present at the mobile device, using the wireless receiver, a transportation-related alert at the mobile device, wherein the transportation-related alert applies to a geographic location of the mobile device; and

outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format, using the audio output interface, as a user-selectable option.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further includes a visual display configured to visually display the transportation-related alert.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format is provided as the user-selectable option if the mobile device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold speed level.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a tag included with the transportation-related alert that indicates that the alert is capable of being output in audio format.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting geographic location information of the mobile device to a traffic information center.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format comprises converting the transportation-related alert from a text format to an audio format.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores an application program, in the form of computer-executable instructions configured to cause the implementation of operations comprising:

receiving from a remotely-located source, not physically present at the mobile device, using a wireless receiver of a mobile device, a transportation-related alert at the mobile device, wherein the transportation-related alert applies to a geographic location of the mobile device; and

outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format, using an audio output interface of the mobile device, as a user-selectable option.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further include visually displaying the transportation-related alert on a visual display of the mobile device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format is provided as the user-selectable option if the mobile device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold speed level.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a tag included with the transportation-related alert that indicates that the alert is capable of being output in audio format.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting geographic location information of the mobile device to a traffic information center.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format comprises converting the transportation-related alert from a text format to an audio format.

13. A method of operating a mobile device, including:

receiving from a remotely-located source, not physically present at the mobile device, using a wireless receiver of the mobile device, a transportation-related alert at the mobile device, wherein the transportation-related alert applies to a geographic location of the mobile device; and

outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format, using an audio output interface of the mobile device, as a user-selectable option.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device further includes a visual display configured to visually display the transportation-related alert.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format is provided as the user-selectable option if the mobile device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold speed level.

16. The method of claim 13, further including:

detecting a tag included with the transportation-related alert that indicates that the alert is capable of being output in audio format.

17. The method of claim 13, further including:

transmitting geographic location information of the mobile device to a traffic information center.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the outputting the transportation-related alert in audio format comprises converting the transportation-related alert from a text format to an audio format.