SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING MOBILE MAPPING SERVICES INCLUDING TRIP PREDICTION AND ROUTE RECOMMENDATION

• US 20140358437A1
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: FLETCHER, George
• Granted Patent: US 9,803,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

Computer implemented methods are disclosed for providing geographical information to a user. One method includes observing, via location information generated or obtained through a user'"'"'s mobile electronic device, a user traverse a preferred user route from the start location to the destination, and saving the preferred user route in relation to the user. The method may predict, based on past behavioral information for the user, a predicted start time of a future trip to the destination and may identify one or more routes from the start location to the destination. In addition, the method may compare, at a time relative to the predicted start time of the future trip, a duration or distance associated with traversing the preferred user route to a duration or distance associated with traversing the fastest route or the shortest route from the start location to the destination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing, to a user, geographical mapping information relating to a trip from a start location to a destination, the method including, using a processor for:

determining, via location information generated or obtained through a user'"'"'s mobile electronic device, that a user traverses a preferred user route from the start location to the destination on multiple days and within a common time range on each of the multiple days, and saving the preferred user route in relation to the user;

predicting, on a particular day, based on the location information for the user and a comparison of a current time to the common time range, that the user will be making a future trip to the destination within the common time range on the particular day;

upon predicting that the user will be making the future trip from the start location to the destination, calculating (i) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing the preferred user route on the particular day at a time within the common time range and (ii) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing a fastest or shortest route from the start location to the destination on the particular day at a time within the common time range; and

displaying, at a time preceding one or both of the common time range and a predicted start time of the future trip, an identification of a shortest or fastest one of;

(i) the preferred user route, (ii) route from the start location to the destination, and (iii) the shortest route from the start location to the destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of predicting comprises retrieving the common time range and calculating the predicted start time based on the common time range, and wherein the step of displaying comprises providing the route to the user'"'"'s electronic device and accessing the routes at a time when the user'"'"'s electronic device is not connected to a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the routes are determined based on at least one of:

routes saved by the user, one or more maps, and routes saved by other users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of predicting comprises accessing data related to each of the routes from at least one database selected from the group consisting of:

a traffic database, a weather database, and an event database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred user route is saved upon receiving the user'"'"'s input requesting that the traversed route be saved as a user preferred route.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying comprises saving map information for a predetermined radius from the destination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying is performed at a predetermined time preceding the predicted start time of the future trip, where the duration or distance associated with traversing the preferred user route is based on the predetermined time, and the duration or distance associated with traversing the fastest route or the shortest route is based on the predetermined time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the start location is an address of the user'"'"'s home or workplace, and the destination is an address of the user'"'"'s home or workplace;

and the predicted start time is a predicted commuting time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises accessing information in at least one database and providing subsequent information relating to the routes to the destination based on information accessed from the at least one database,

wherein the at least one database is selected from the group consisting of:

a traffic database, a weather database, and an event database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferred user route includes one or more of an average time that the user departs his or her home for work, and an average time that the user departs his or her workplace for home.

11. A system for providing to a user geographical mapping information relating to a trip from a start location to a destination, the system including:

a data storage device storing instructions for causing computer servers or mobile devices to provide to a user geographical mapping information relating to a trip from a start location to a destination; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions to perform a method of;

determining, via location information generated or obtained through a user'"'"'s mobile electronic device, that a user traverses a preferred user route from the start location to the destination on multiple days and within a common time range on each of the multiple days, and saving the preferred user route in relation to the user;

predicting, on a particular day, based on the location information for the user and a comparison of a current time to the common time range, that the user will be making a future trip to the destination within the common time range on the particular day;

upon predicting that the user will be making the future trip from the start location to the destination, calculating (i) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing the preferred user route on the particular day at a time within the common time range and (ii) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing a fastest or shortest route from the start location to the destination on the particular day at a time within the common time range; and

displaying, at a time preceding one or both of the common time range and a predicted start time of the future trip, an identification of a shortest or fastest one of;

(i) the preferred user route, (ii) the fastest route from the start location to the destination, and (iii) the shortest route from the start location to the destination.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of predicting comprises retrieving the common time range and calculating the predicted start time based on the common time range, and wherein the step of displaying comprises providing the routes to the user'"'"'s electronic device and accessing the routes at a time when the user'"'"'s electronic device is not connected to a network.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the routes are determined based on at least one of:

routes saved by the user, one or more maps, and routes saved by other users.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of predicting comprises accessing data related to each of the routes from at least one database selected from the group consisting of:

a traffic database, a weather database, and an event database.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the preferred user route is saved upon receiving the user'"'"'s input requesting that the traversed route be saved as a user preferred route.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the step of displaying comprises saving map information for a predetermined radius from the destination.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of displaying is performed at a predetermined time preceding the predicted start time of the future trip, where the duration or distance associated with traversing the preferred user route is based on the predetermined time, and the duration or distance associated with traversing the fastest route or the shortest route is based on the predetermined time.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the start location is an address of the user'"'"'s home or workplace, and the destination is an address of the user'"'"'s home or workplace;

and the predicted start time is a predicted commuting time.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of determining further comprises accessing information in at least one database and providing subsequent information relating to the one or more routes to the destination based on information accessed from the at least one database, wherein the at least one database is selected from the group consisting of:

a traffic database, a weather database, and an event database.

20. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to provide geographical mapping information to a user relating to a trip from a start location to a destination, the method including:

determining, via location information generated or obtained through a user'"'"'s mobile electronic device, that a user traverses a preferred user route from the start location to the destination on multiple days and within a common time range on each of the multiple days, and saving the preferred user route in relation to the user;

predicting, on a particular day, based on the location information for the user and a comparison of a current time to the common time range, that the user will be making a future trip to the destination within the common time range on the particular day;

upon predicting that the user will be making the future trip from the start location to the destination, calculating (i) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing the preferred user route on the particular day at a time within the common time range and (ii) one or both of a real-time duration and a distance associated with traversing a fastest or shortest route from the start location to the destination on the particular day at a time within the common time range; and

displaying, at a time preceding one or both of the common time range and a predicted start time of the future trip, an identification of a shortest or fastest one of;

(i) the preferred user route, (ii) the fastest route from the start location to the destination, and (iii) the shortest route from the start location to the destination.