Multi-modal traveler information system

• US 6,591,263 B1
• Filed: 04/27/1998
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, William R., Acton, Thomas G., Martens, Scott W., Balliett, Brian D., Bennett, Theresa M., Ng, Sai L., Becker, Timothy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US09/066,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,898 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/208, 709/218, 709/217, 709/227, 455/412, 379/10, 380/24, 705/26, 705/14, 705/10, 705/1, 705/5, 705/13, 705/6, 707/43, 707/104, 707/4, 707/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A system and method for disseminating information concerning, for example, conditions affecting travel routes personalizes information in accordance with individual users or customers by building filters for attributes of the information from attributes of interest to each user, such as nodes of a travel route, which are registered with the system by the user or customer. The information is filtered by the filters constructed from the attributes to form a list of user identifications of users that have registered an attribute of interest which is included in the information provided to the system. Messages are retrieved from storage and communicated to users in accordance with the list of user identifications either automatically over one or more communication media also registered by each user or on a call-in inquiry basis. In the latter case and for modification or additions to registered user information and attributes of interest, the system and method provide for an active automated dialog with the user. Messages may include user-specified nomenclature for attributes or collections thereof.

Claims

1. A method for selecting information from a database containing data and messages corresponding to said data and communicating said selected information of interest to a particular user in a selected manner, said method including the steps of

registering personal information of interest and personal delivery information data in accordance with identification data for each user,

constructing a filter from said personal information of interest to said user,

filtering generalized information input to said database in accordance with said filter to construct a list of user identifications corresponding to said generalized information, and

retrieving and communicating to a user identified in said list of user identifications a message corresponding to personal information of interest to said user corresponding to said generalized information input to said database in accordance with said personal delivery information corresponding to said user identified in said list of user identifications.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the steps of

registering a communication medium for a user, and

constructing a message in accordance with said communication medium registered in said step of registering a communication medium.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said communication medium is one of a wired or wireless telephone link, a pager, a facsimile device and e-mail.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the step of

repeating said retrieving and communicating step for each user identified in said list of user identifications.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising the further step of

repeating said filtering step responsive to each entry of generalized information to said database.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, comprising the further step of

performing said filtering step responsive to an inquiry by a user.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the steps of

registering a time window for a user;

filtering said list of user identifications against said time window; and

performing said retrieving and communicating step for a user in accordance with said time window and a current time.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said messages include an identification, specified by said user, of personal information used in said step of constructing said filter.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said information of interest is in the form of attributes.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said information of interest includes a geo-referenced area.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said attributes include a geo-referenced location and travel mode.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said information of interest includes a geo-referenced location and travel mode.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said generalized information is travel condition information and said information of interest is multi-modal travel information corresponding to at least one geo-referenced area and at least one of a plurality of travel modes.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said delivery information includes a desired delivery time.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said delivery information specifies delivery upon user call-in.