Method and apparatus for fleet management

• US 5,922,040 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telematics Corporation (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobile Information Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Prabhakaran, Sanjiv
• Primary Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/706,211
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/300, 701/207, 701/117, 340/990, 340/992, 340/993
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• 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: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

The invention provides a system for fleet management having a main process 1501 and client processes 1503, 1505. The system has a graphical user interface user apparatus 1508 having a display and user interface such as a keyboard. The system also uses a main process manager 1501 operably coupled to the display 1508 through a central processor. The child processes include a current report receiver 1503 operably coupled to the display through said central processor, and a history report receiver 1505 operably coupled to the display through the central processor. The child processes are also each operably coupled to a mobile information center, which provides vehicle position data and the like. This vehicle position data are received and transmitted to a fleet of vehicles (e.g., couriers, etc.) through the mobile information center.

Claims

1. A system for fleet management, said system comprising:

a graphical user interface apparatus comprising a display and a user interface, said graphical user interface apparatus including a central processor;

a main process manager operably coupled to said display through said central processor;

a current report receiver operably coupled to said display through said central processor; and

a history report receiver operably coupled to said display through said central processor,

wherein said history report receiver transfers a historical vehicle position report from a mobile information center to said graphical user interface apparatus.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said mobile information center is operably coupled to said main process manager.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said main process manager provides one or more communication channels between said graphical user interface apparatus and said mobile information center.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said main process manager spawns a child process configured to perform a selected function.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said current report receiver transfers a current vehicle position report from said mobile information center to said graphical user interface apparatus.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a computer aided dispatch station operably coupled to said graphical user interface apparatus.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a computer aided dispatch station operably coupled to a geocoder.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of servers operably coupled to said historical report receiver.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a memory operably coupled to one of said plurality of servers.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said memory is a shared memory.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of fleet terminals operably coupled to said shared memory.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server operably coupled to said main process manager.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a two-way messaging system operably coupled between said graphical user interface apparatus and a fleet terminal.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said graphical user interface comprises a keyboard.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said display displays information including a raster map and vector information.

16. A system for fleet management, said system comprises:

a client process operably coupled to a user interface apparatus, said client process providing vehicle position data to said user interface apparatus, said vehicle position data comprising a vehicle latitude/longitude and a vehicle address; and

a geocoder operably coupled to said client process, said geocoder comprising a search engine and a library, said library comprising latitude and longitude data and address data, said geocoder converts said vehicle latitude/longitude into said vehicle address.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said geocoder is coupled to said client process using a TCP/IP protocol.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said client process is a current report receiver.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said current report receiver transfers a current vehicle position report from a mobile information center to said user interface apparatus.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein said client process is a history report receiver.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said history report receiver transfers a historical vehicle position report from a mobile information center to said user interface apparatus.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising a mobile information center operably coupled to said client process.

23. A method for fleet management comprising:

providing a vehicle latitude/longitude from a vehicle;

transferring said vehicle latitude/longitude into a client process, said client process operably coupled to a user interface apparatus;

transferring said vehicle latitude/longitude from said client process into a geocoder, said geocoder being operably coupled to said client process, said geocoder comprising a search engine and a library, said library comprising latitude and longitude data and address data;

converting said vehicle latitude/longitude using said search engine and said library in said geocoder to a vehicle address; and

using said vehicle address in a graphical user interface apparatus.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said transferring to said geocoder is provided using a TCP/IP protocol.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said client process is a current report receiver.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said client process is a history report receiver.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said vehicle latitude/longitude is provided from a mobile information center.

28. A system for fleet management, said system comprising:

a user interface apparatus comprising a display, a user interface, and a central processor;

a main process manager operably coupled to said display through said central processor;

a first report receiver operably coupled to said display through said central processor;

a second report receiver operably coupled to said display through said central processor; and

a computer aided dispatch station operably coupled to said user interface apparatus.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising a mobile information center operably coupled to said main process manager.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said main process manager provides one or more communication channels between said user interface apparatus and said mobile information center.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein said first report receiver comprises a current report receiver, said current report receiver transferring a current vehicle position report from said mobile information center to said user interface apparatus.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein said second report receiver comprises a history report receiver, said history report receiver transferring a historical vehicle position report from said mobile information center to said user interface apparatus.

33. The system of claim 28 wherein said main process manager spawns a child process configured to perform a selected function.

34. The system of claim 28 further comprising a plurality of servers operably coupled to said second report receiver.

35. The system of claim 34 further comprising a memory operably coupled to one of said plurality of servers.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein said memory is a shared memory.

37. The system of claim 36 further comprising a plurality of fleet terminals operably coupled to said shared memory.

38. The system of claim 28 further comprising a server operably coupled to said main process manager.

39. The system of claim 28 further comprising a two-way messaging system operably coupled between said user interface apparatus and a fleet terminal.

40. The system of claim 28 wherein said user interface comprises a keyboard.

41. The system of claim 28 wherein said display displays information including a raster map and vector information.