METHODS AND SYSTEMS RELATED TO ESTABLISHING GEO-FENCE BOUNDARIES AND COLLECTING DATA

• US 20120303256A1
• Filed: 07/10/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gordon Howard Associates Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gordon Howard Associates Incorporated
• Inventors: MORGAN, Gerald A., SCHWARZ, Stanley G., FRANK, Jeffrey H., MACHECA, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,659,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

Establishing geo-fence boundaries and collecting data. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: detecting a vehicle is located within a first political boundary; establishing a first geo-fence boundary for the vehicle corresponding to the first political boundary, the establishing responsive to detecting the vehicle is within the first political boundary; collecting data regarding the vehicle movement within the first geo-fence boundary; and detecting the vehicle has departed the first geo-fence boundary.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a vehicle is located within a first political boundary;

establishing a first geo-fence boundary for the vehicle corresponding to the first political boundary, the establishing responsive to detecting the vehicle is within the first political boundary;

collecting data regarding the vehicle movement within the first geo-fence boundary; and

detecting the vehicle has departed the first geo-fence boundary.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a transition from the first political boundary to a second political boundary;

establishing a second geo-fence boundary for the vehicle corresponding to the second political boundary;

collecting data regarding the vehicle movement within the second geo-fence boundary; and

detecting the vehicle has departed the second geo-fence boundary.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the vehicle is located within the first political boundary further comprises detecting by way of an on-board device coupled to the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3:

wherein collecting data further comprises collecting an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle by way of the on-board device; and

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

5. The method of claim 3:

wherein collecting data further comprises collecting an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle by way of a processor at an operations center remote from the vehicle, the operations center coupled to the vehicle by way of a wireless network; and

then

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary periodically, the periodically sending by way of the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the vehicle is located within the first political boundary further comprises detecting by an operations center remote from the vehicle, the operations center coupled to the vehicle by way of a wireless network.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

wherein collecting further comprises collecting an indication of mileage driven within the first political boundary, the collecting by way of an on-board device coupled to the vehicle; and

then

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary by way of the wireless network.

8. The method of claim 6:

wherein collecting further comprises collecting an indication of mileage driven within the first political boundary by way of the operations center; and

then

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary by way of the operations center.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an indication of mileage driven within the first political boundary, the determining by way of an on-board device coupled to the vehicle; and

then

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an indication of mileage driven within the first political boundary, the determining by way of a remote operations center coupled to the vehicle by way of a wireless network; and

then

sending the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the data in an on-board device coupled to the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein collecting further comprises determining an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle within the first political boundary.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein collecting further comprises collecting based on GPS data collected during movement of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein collecting further comprises:

reading an odometer of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the first political boundary; and

then

reading the odometer of the vehicle when the vehicle departs the first political boundary.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein collecting further comprises:

reading an odometer of the vehicle when the vehicle ignition is activated; and

then

reading the odometer of the vehicle when the vehicle ignition is deactivated.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a signal that indicates operability of an onboard device coupled to the vehicle, the receiving at an operations center and the signal received periodically over a first period of time;

determining absence of receipt of the signal in a second period of time following the first period of time;

issuing an alert responsive to the determining, the alert indicative of at least one selected from the group consisting of;

tampering with the onboard device; and

disablement of the onboard device.

17. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing a program that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

detect a vehicle is located within a first political boundary;

establish a first geo-fence boundary for the vehicle corresponding to the first political boundary, the establishing responsive to detecting the vehicle is within the first political boundary;

collect data regarding the vehicle movement within the first geo- fence boundary; and

detect the vehicle has departed the first geo-fence boundary.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the program causes the processor to:

detect the vehicle is located within a second political boundary;

establish a second geo-fence boundary for the vehicle corresponding to the second political boundary;

collect data regarding the vehicle movement within the second geo-fence boundary; and

detect the vehicle has departed the second geo-fence boundary.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor and the memory are part of an on-board device coupled to the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

wherein when the processor collects, the program causes the processor to collect an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle; and

then

send the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein when the processor collects data, the program further causes the processor to periodically send the data to an operations center remote from the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to collect an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

a mapping module coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor and the memory are part of an operations center remote from the vehicle communicatively coupled by way of a wireless network.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

wherein when the processor collects, the program causes the processor to receive from the vehicle an indication of mileage driven; and

then

send the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising:

wherein when the processor collects, the program causes the processor to collect an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle; and

then

send the indication of mileage driven to a representative of the first political boundary.

26. The system of claim 17 wherein when the processor detects the vehicle is located with the first political boundary, the program further causes the processor to periodically send data indicative of the position of the vehicle to a remote operations center.

27. The system of claim 17 wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to store data in an on-board device coupled to the vehicle.

28. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

a Global Positioning System receiver coupled to the processor;

wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to collect an indication of mileage driven by the vehicle within the first political boundary using the Global Positioning System receiver.

29. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a Global Positioning System receiver coupled to the processor;

wherein when the processor detects the vehicle has departed, the program further causes the processor to detect based on location data read from the Global Position System receiver.

30. The system of claim 17 wherein when the processor detects the vehicle is located with the first political boundary, the program further causes the processor to periodically receive data indicative of the position of the vehicle.

31. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a wireless receiver coupled to the processor;

wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to receive data from the vehicle by way of the wireless receiver.

32. The system of claim 31 further comprising:

wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to;

collect an electronic reading on an odometer when the vehicle enters the first political boundary; and

then

collect the electronic reading on the odometer when the vehicle departs the first political boundary.

33. The system of claim 17 wherein when the processor collects, the program further causes the processor to:

collect an electronic reading on an odometer when the vehicle enters the first political boundary; and

then

collect the electronic reading on the odometer when the vehicle departs the first political boundary.

34. The system of claim 17 wherein the program further causes the processor to:

receive a signal that indicates operability of an onboard device coupled to the vehicle, the receiving at an operations center and the signal received periodically over a first period of time;

determine absence of receipt of the signal in a second period of time following the first period of time;

issue an alert responsive to the determining, the alert indicative of at least one selected from the group consisting of;

tampering with the onboard device; and

disablement of the onboard device.