MOBILE TRAVEL INFORMATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150057837A1
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hertz System, Inc. (Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hertz System, Inc. (Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: MOORE, Robert D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile travel information system and method are disclosed for providing a variety of travel-related information and services to a traveler via a personal electronic device. A custom application installed on the personal electronic device provides, for example, itinerary management, navigational assistance, local recommendations, driving condition alerts, etc. The system may interface with airline, hotel and car rental reservation systems and obtain data from a variety of sources, so as to function as a mobile personal concierge for a traveler.

Claims

1. A travel information system comprising:

a central server;

a database operably connected to the central server;

an application program adapted for installation and operation on a mobile electronic device;

means for wirelessly communicating data between the central server and the mobile electronic device;

means for communicating data between the central server and at least one third-party server;

wherein the application program includes instructions for the mobile electronic device to receive from the central server a travel information update automatically transmitted from the third-party server to the central server.

2. The travel information system of claim 1, the travel information update corresponding to a change in the departure and/or arrival time of a scheduled flight.

3. A method for providing mobile travel information comprising:

providing an application program adapted for installation and operation on a mobile electronic device;

providing a central server configured to wirelessly send and receive data to and from a mobile electronic device having the application program installed thereon;

the central server retrieving a travel information update from a third-party server; and

the central server automatically sending the travel information update to the mobile electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, the travel information update corresponding to a change in the departure and/or arrival time of a scheduled flight.

5. A mobile itinerary management system comprising:

a central server;

a database operably connected to the central server, the database storing profiles of a plurality of users;

an application program adapted for installation and operation on a mobile electronic device; and

means for communicating data between the central server and a mobile electronic device;

the application program including instructions for a user login, entered into a mobile electronic device running the application program, to be transmitted from the mobile electronic device to the central server,

the central server, in response to receiving the user login, being programmed with instructions to compare the received user login to stored user logins associated with the stored user profiles, and if the received user login matches one of the stored user logins, to transmit itinerary information from the corresponding stored user profile in the database to the mobile electronic device, the itinerary information including at least one event having a scheduled time and location, and

the application program further including instructions to cause the mobile electronic device to present a reminder of the event at a reminder time preceding the scheduled time.

6. The system of claim 5, the reminder time preceding the scheduled time by at least a travel time between the location of the mobile electronic device and the scheduled location.

7. A system for enhancing a travel experience, comprising

a mobile electronic device configured to receive and store input data remotely communicated to the mobile electronic device, the input data corresponding to a travel services customer preference, and to present a message determined by the stored preference data.

8. The system of claim 7,

the mobile electronic device comprising a GPS component,

the remotely communicated input data including data identifying a customer location preference, and

the message including information identifying a location corresponding to the location preference and an estimated fastest route to the identified location from the current location of the mobile electronic device.

9. The system of claim 8,

the input data including data corresponding to a category of locations preferred by the customer,

the mobile electronic device configured to find a location in a database that is within the preferred category, and

the message including information identifying the found location in the preferred category if the found location is currently within a predetermined distance from the mobile electronic device.

10. A system for enhancing the convenience of a vehicle rental experience comprising:

a mobile electronic device running an application program configured to communicatively link the mobile electronic device to a rental vehicle and, when the mobile electronic device is linked to the rental vehicle, to cause the mobile electronic device to transmit a signal to the rental vehicle causing the rental vehicle to modify a vehicle comfort setting.

11. The system of claim 10, the comfort setting comprising a setting selected from a seat position parameter, a seat contour setting, a steering wheel position parameter, a pedal position parameter, and a mirror position parameter, the signal to the rental vehicle including information indicating a physical attribute of a rental customer, and the signal causing the rental vehicle to adjust the comfort setting to a predetermined setting based on the physical attribute.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the application program instructs the mobile electronic device, when connected to the rental vehicle, to detect a state of a manually adjustable vehicle comfort setting and store input data corresponding to the state of the comfort setting, and to cause the comfort setting to adjust to a stored state corresponding to the stored input data.

13. The system of claim 10, the comfort setting selected from the group consisting of a thermostat temperature, a fan setting, a seat warmer setting, a radio volume, and a radio station frequency.

14. The system of claim 11, the seat position parameter comprising a setting selected from a forward-rearward seat position, a seat height, and a seat tilt.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the application program enables the mobile electronic device to transmit stored comfort setting data to a remotely located server and to download stored comfort setting data from the remotely located server.

16. A system for alerting a vehicle rental customer in a rental vehicle to a driving condition requiring an action by the customer, comprising

an mobile electronic device running an application program configured to automatically receive information indicating the driving condition and to communicate a message indicating the driving condition to the customer.

17. The system of claim 16, the application program configured to communicatively link the mobile electronic device to the rental vehicle, and the driving condition being a vehicle condition automatically communicated by the vehicle to the mobile electronic device.

18. The system of claim 17, the vehicle condition selected from a group consisting of a fuel level, a battery charge level, a fluid level, an engine temperature, a brake wear condition, and a tire pressure.

19. The system of claim 18, the message indicating a low fuel level and identifying a location of a fuel station near the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 16, the driving condition being an environmental condition selected from the group consisting of a traffic condition, a weather condition, and a road surface condition.

21. The system of claim 20, the message including suggested directions for an alternate route to avoid encountering the environmental condition.

22. A system for real-time remote reporting of damage to a rental vehicle comprising

a mobile electronic device running an application configured to receive input from a user indicating damage to the vehicle and to automatically transmit the damage input to a remote server.

23. The system of claim 22, the mobile electronic device comprising a camera and the user input comprising a digital photograph of the damage to the vehicle taken by the user.

24. The system of claim 22, the application program configured to cause the mobile electronic device to display an image of the vehicle on a touch screen and to sense a touch of a user on the touch screen at a location on the image of the vehicle corresponding to the location of the damage on the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 24, the application program configured to cause the mobile electronic device to permit a user to specify a type of the damage by touching an area of the screen indicating the damage type.

26. The system of claim 25, the application program configured to cause the mobile electronic device to display a plurality of damage-type markers, each marker indicating a different type of vehicle damage, and to permit a user to touch the image of a particular marker on the screen and drag the image to a location on the vehicle image to indicate a location on the vehicle of damage of a type corresponding to the marker.

27. A virtual car rental system comprising:

a mobile electronic device having a memory and running an application program directing the mobile electronic device to store customer data in the memory;

receiving means mounted on a vehicle for wirelessly receiving the customer data from the mobile electronic device; and

means for automatically unlocking the doors of the vehicle in response to the receiving means receiving customer data corresponding to a particular customer.

28. A virtual car rental method comprising:

sending to a customer'"'"'s mobile electronic device a message containing rental vehicle information, wherein the message further contains one or more offers for an alternate vehicle;

placing the alternate vehicle on hold the customer for a predetermined hold time after sending the one or more offers;

receiving from the customer'"'"'s personal electronic device a response to the one or more offers; and

if the customer has accepted one of the offers prior to the expiration of the hold time or prior to the reservation of the corresponding alternate vehicle by another customer, modifying the rental vehicle information based on the response, and sending to the customer'"'"'s mobile electronic device a message containing the modified rental vehicle information.