Method and apparatus for an automated location-based, dynamic notification system (ALDNS)

• US 20070024469A1
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Y Chou
• Original Assignee: Y Chou
• Inventors: Chou, Y.
• Application Number:
  US11/543,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20070024469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

An automated, location-based, dynamic notification system comprises a mobile unit hardware device and a control center computer facility with communication capabilities. The mobile unit comprises a position module, a location processor, an action processor, a data module, and an I/O module. The control center comprises a system processor, a communication module, and a master database. The system provides notifications of arriving, approaching, leaving, entering, and any other types of location-related notifications, which are issued in an automatic, unattended manner. The illustrated embodiments of the invention are based on location and thus are used in a dynamic routing situation where both route patterns and stop locations change frequently while the object is moving. The system requires no interaction from the driver or the dispatcher, requires no on-board checking or manipulation of a schedule, and applies in many situations including special-education transportation, prisoner transportation, airport shuttle service.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A method for automated location-based action based on the location of a mobile object comprising:

automatically determining a location of the mobile object;

automatically comparing the determined position with a stored list of meaningful locational features; and

automatically generating an action based on the comparison of the stored list of meaningful locational features and the location of the mobile object.

44. The method of claim 43 where automatically determining the location of the mobile object is performed by a position module collocated with the mobile object.

45. The method of claim 44 where automatically comparing the determined position with the stored list of meaningful locational features comprises:

determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in a location processor;

retrieving a plurality of locational features stored in a data module by means of an action processor; and

comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate an action.

46. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features generates a plurality of actions.

47. The method of claim 45 further comprising updating the plurality of locational features stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object.

48. The method of claim 45 where determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in the location processor and retrieving the plurality of locational features stored in the data module by means of the action processor are performed in separate coprocessors, one acting as the location processor and the other acting as the action processor.

49. The method of claim 45 where determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in the location processor and retrieving the plurality of locational features stored in the data module by means of the action processor are performed in a single processor, acting as the location processor during a first time period and acting as the action processor during a second time period.

50. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to generate the action is performed in the location processor.

51. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates a notification action to a recipient.

52. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates a plurality of notification actions to a plurality of recipients whose identity is stored in the data module.

53. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action compares the location of the mobile object with a point feature, a line feature, a polygonal feature or a combination thereof.

54. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action whenever the location of the mobile object lies within a buffer zone of the locational feature.

55. The method of claim 52 further comprising updating the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object.

56. The method of claim 47 where only local locational features are stored in the data module and where updating the plurality of locational features stored in the data module is performed by means of communication with a remote control center computer system.

57. The method of claim 55 where only local recipients are stored in the data module and where updating the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module is performed by means of communication with a remote control center computer system.

58. The method of claim 51 further comprising selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means.

59. The method of claim 45 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates an event recordation action corresponding to an event involving the mobile object, which event recordation action is communicated to and stored in a control center computer system.

60. The method of claim 58 where selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means comprises direct communication from the action processor to the recipient.

61. The method of claim 58 where selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means comprises communication from the action processor to the control center computer system and then communication from the control center computer system to the recipient.

62. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to update the plurality of locational features stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object;

processing the request to update the plurality of locational features stored in the data module from a master data base in the control center computer system;

communicating an updated plurality of locational features to the action processor for storage in the data module; and

storing the updated plurality of locational features in the data module.

63. The method of claim 55 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to update the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object;

processing the request to update the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module from a master data base in the control center computer system;

communicating an updated plurality of the identity of the plurality of recipients to the action processor for storage in the data module; and

storing the updated identity of the plurality of recipients in the data module.

64. The method of claim 51 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to send the notification action to a recipient;

processing the request to send the notification action to the recipient whose identity is retrieved from a master data base in the control center computer system; and

communicating the notification action to the recipient through a communications module in the control center computer system.

89. The method of claim 43 further comprising generating a plurality of action demands.

90. The method of claim 89 wherein generating the plurality of action demands is performed by a location processor.

91. The method of claim 89 further comprising prioritizing the plurality of action demands.

92. The method of claim 91 wherein prioritizing the plurality of action demands is performed by an action processor.

65-88. -88. (canceled)

93. A method for automated location-based action based on the location of a mobile object comprising:

automatically determining a location of the mobile object;

automatically comparing the determined position with a stored list of meaningful locational features;

generating a plurality of action demands;

prioritizing the plurality of action demands to form a prioritized list of action demands; and

automatically generating an action based on the comparison of the stored list of meaningful locational features and the location of the mobile object, and on the prioritized list of action demands.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein the action comprises a first action, the method further comprising:

generating a second action based on the prioritized list of action demands.

95. The method of claim 93 where automatically determining the location of the mobile object is performed by a position module collocated with the mobile object.

96. The method of claim 95 where automatically comparing the determined position with the stored list of meaningful locational features comprises:

determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in a location processor;

retrieving a plurality of locational features stored in a data module by means of an action processor; and

comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate an action.

97. The method of claim 96 further comprising updating the plurality of locational features stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object.

98. The method of claim 96 where determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in the location processor and retrieving the plurality of locational features stored in the data module by means of the action processor are performed in separate coprocessors, one acting as the location processor and the other acting as the action processor.

99. The method of claim 96 where determining the validity of the location of the mobile object provided by the position module in the location processor and retrieving the plurality of locational features stored in the data module by means of the action processor are performed in a single processor, acting as the location processor during a first time period and acting as the action processor during a second time period.

100. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to generate the action is performed in the location processor.

101. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates a notification action to a recipient.

102. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates a plurality of notification actions to a plurality of recipients whose identity is stored in the data module.

103. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action compares the location of the mobile object with a point feature, a line feature, a polygonal feature or a combination thereof.

104. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action whenever the location of the mobile object lies within a buffer zone of the locational feature.

105. The method of claim 102 further comprising updating the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object.

106. The method of claim 97 where only local locational features are stored in the data module and where updating the plurality of locational features stored in the data module is performed by means of communication with a remote control center computer system.

107. The method of claim 105 where only local recipients are stored in the data module and where updating the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module is performed by means of communication with a remote control center computer system.

108. The method of claim 102 further comprising selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means.

109. The method of claim 96 where comparing the location of the mobile object with the plurality of locational features to automatically generate the action automatically generates an event recordation action corresponding to an event involving the mobile object, which event recordation action is communicated to and stored in a control center computer system.

110. The method of claim 108 where selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means comprises direct communication from the action processor to the recipient.

111. The method of claim 108 where selectively communicating the notification action to the recipient by a selected one of a plurality of communication means comprises communication from the action processor to the control center computer system and then communication from the control center computer system to the recipient.

112. The method of claim 97 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to update the plurality of locational features stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object;

processing the request to update the plurality of locational features stored in the data module from a master data base in the control center computer system;

communicating an updated plurality of locational features to the action processor for storage in the data module; and

storing the updated plurality of locational features in the data module.

113. The method of claim 105 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to update the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module based on the location of the mobile object;

processing the request to update the identity of the plurality of recipients stored in the data module from a master data base in the control center computer system;

communicating an updated plurality of the identity of the plurality of recipients to the action processor for storage in the data module; and

storing the updated identity of the plurality of recipients in the data module.

114. The method of claim 101 further comprising:

receiving a request in a control center computer system from the action processor to send the notification action to a recipient;

processing the request to send the notification action to the recipient whose identity is retrieved from a master data base in the control center computer system; and

communicating the notification action to the recipient through a communications module in the control center computer system.