Remote transportation management

• US 10,922,988 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: XRS Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mohn, Charles, Sekula, Christopher A., Kakumanu, Sarat, Tuttle, Odell R., Fuglewicz, Daniel P., Anderson, Peter S., Martin, Jr., Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, Robert D
• Application Number:
  US13/730,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,972 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 7/00 Details or accessories common to the registering or indicating apparatus of groups G07C3/00 and G07C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A network device includes a memory, a display, a processor, and a network communication module configured to receive vehicle data, driver information, and driver communications from a plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display device via a long-range wireless network, each portable wireless data transfer and display device being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of vehicles. The memory configured to store the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications. The processor is configured to process at least one of: the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communication into summary electronic reports and present the summary electronic report of the plurality of vehicles in real-time by location via the display. The network device is configured to allow for selection of the drivers presented and is configured to send work requests to wireless devices in use by the selection of the drivers presented.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a network communication module configured to receive vehicle data including location of a vehicle, driver information, and driver communications from a plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices via a long-range wireless network, each portable wireless data transfer and display device being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of vehicles;

a memory storing computer-readable instructions and configured to store the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications; and

a processor coupled with the network communication module and the memory, the processor executing the computer-readable instructions which configure the processor to;

process the locations of the vehicles and at least one of;

the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications into a summary electronic report;

generate an interactive map interface, wherein the processor generates a plurality of user-selectable elements on the interactive map interface, each user-selectable element corresponding to a vehicle and a driver;

present, via the interactive map interface, each user-selectable element rendered at locations of the corresponding vehicles, in real-time, on a map, wherein selection of a user-selectable element accesses information for the corresponding vehicle and driver, the information including at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communications, and the summary electronic report;

receive, via the interactive map interface, selections of user-selectable elements corresponding to a plurality of drivers presented via the interactive map interface;

send, via the long-range wireless network, a new work request for a cargo pickup to the portable wireless data transfer and display devices associated with the selected plurality of drivers;

receive, via the long-range wireless network, an acceptance of the new work request from a driver of the selected plurality of drivers who received the new work request;

calculate, in response to receiving the acceptance of the new work request for the cargo pickup, a modified route and a modified trip schedule corresponding to the new work request, wherein the processor accesses a current route and current trip schedule for the vehicle and modifies the current route and the current trip schedule based on an updated location of the vehicle and updated route parameters to address route changes due to the acceptance of the new work request and wherein the modified trip schedule includes one or more of scheduled times when the driver is expected to reach each of one or more scheduled destinations, a time remaining to complete the modified route, or a remaining time for which the driver may remain on duty; and

send, to the portable wireless data transfer and display device associated with the driver who accepted the new work request, the modified route and modified trip schedule.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map includes route information for one of more vehicles.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map uses a street view.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map uses an aerial view display.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the network communication module is further configured to send at least one of:

the vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, the summary electronic report to at least one portable wireless data transfer and display device via the long-range wireless network.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the network communication module is further configured to:

receive subscriber information from one or more remote computing devices via a network, the subscriber information associating one or more subscribers with the vehicle data and the driver information from a plurality of the portable wireless data transfer and display devices; and

receive a request for vehicle data and driver information from a remote subscriber device and provide the remote subscriber device with the vehicle data and driver information associated with a subscriber according the subscriber information.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to process the subscriber information, one or more of the vehicle data, and one or more of the driver data into a subscription report.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the communication module is further configured to receive a request for the subscription report from a remote subscriber device and provide the remote subscriber device with the subscription report associated with the subscriber according the subscriber information.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured to:

group the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications according to predetermined criteria into a grouping,

present a grouping for the plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices specified by the user with associated items from the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the display, and

allow the user to modify the grouping, the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communication and present a modified grouping with associated items from the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the display.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined criteria is selected from a group consisting of:

an organization;

a vehicle'"'"'s status;

a driver'"'"'s status;

a location; and

driver schedule availability.

11. The device of claim 1,

wherein the network device is further configured to store the vehicle data and the driver information via the memory and successively store any updates of the vehicle data and the driver information via the memory for each of the plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices when the network communication module receives the vehicle data and the driver information, at predetermined times, from the plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices, and

wherein the network communication module is further configured to:

receive data requests for the vehicle data and the driver information from one of more remote computer devices via a network, and

send the vehicle data and the driver data, corresponding to the data request from the remote computer device, to the remote computer device via the long-range wireless network.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the network device is further configured to receive driver communications from a plurality wireless data transfer and display devices via the long-range network, wherein the network device is configured to store the driver communications via the memory and is configured for successive storage any updates of the driver communications via the memory, and wherein the communication module is further configured to send the driver communication corresponding to the data request from the remote computer device to the remote computer device via the network.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the new work request is for a new pickup.

14. A network device comprising:

a means for receiving, via a long-range wireless network, vehicle data including location of a vehicle, driver information, and driver communications from a plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices, each portable wireless data transfer and display device being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of vehicles;

a means for storing the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications;

a means for processing the locations of the vehicles and at least one of;

the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communication into summary electronic reports;

a means for generating an interactive map interface and a plurality of user-selectable elements rendered on the interactive map interface, each user-selectable elements corresponding to a vehicle and a driver;

a means for presenting, via the interactive map interface, each user-selectable element rendered at locations of the corresponding vehicles, in real-time, on a map, wherein selection of a user-selectable element accesses information for the corresponding vehicle and driver, the information including at least one of the vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, and the summary electronic report;

a means for receiving, via the interactive map interface, selections of user-selectable elements corresponding to a plurality of drivers presented;

a means for sending, via the long-range wireless network, a new work request for a cargo pickup to the portable wireless data transfer and display devices in use in response to the selection of the plurality of drivers presented;

a means for receiving, via the long-range wireless network, an acceptance of the new work request from a driver of the plurality of drivers who received the new work request;

a means for calculating, in response to receiving the acceptance of the new work request for the cargo pickup, a modified route and a modified trip schedule corresponding to the new work request, by accessing a current route and a current trip schedule for the vehicle and modifying the current route and the current trip schedule based on an updated location of the vehicle and updated route parameters to address route changes due to acceptance of the new work request and wherein the modified trip schedule includes one or more of scheduled times when the driver is expected to reach each of one or more scheduled destinations, a time remaining to complete the modified route, or a remaining time for which the driver may remain on duty; and

a means for sending, via the long-range wireless network, the modified route and the modified trip schedule to the portable wireless data transfer and display device associated with the driver who accepted the new work request.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map includes presenting route information for one of more vehicles.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map includes displaying a street view.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein presenting the locations of the vehicles on the map includes an aerial view display.

18. The device of claim 14, further comprising a means for sending at least one of:

the vehicle data, the driver information, the driver communication, the summary electronic report to at least one portable wireless data transfer and display device.

19. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a means for receiving subscriber information from one or more remote computing devices via a network, the subscriber information associating one or more subscribers with the vehicle data and the driver information from the plurality of the portable wireless data transfer and display devices; and

a means for receiving a request for vehicle data and driver information from a remote subscriber device and provide the remote subscriber device with the vehicle data and driver information associated with a subscriber according the subscriber information.

20. The device of claim 19, further comprising a means for processing the subscriber information, one or more of the vehicle data, and one or more of the driver data into a subscription report.

21. The device of claim 19, further comprising:

a means for grouping the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications according to predetermined criteria into a grouping;

a means for presenting the grouping for the plurality of portable wireless data transfer and display devices specified by the user with associated items from the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications via the display;

a means for modifying the grouping, the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communication via a user input; and

a means for presenting a modified grouping with associated items from the vehicle data, the driver information, and the driver communications.