Threshold-based service notification system and method

• US 7,035,731 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Dwight R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/331,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701207-210, 701/213, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.24, 340/995.16, 340/995.19, 340/995.13, 342/457, 705/5, 705/13, 705/14, 705/26
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle

Abstract

A notification server (100) is coupled to a database (102). The database (102) includes information relating to a user service and a threshold for notifying the user of the availability of the service. The threshold is based upon a then current location of the user and an availability of the service relative to the then current location of the user. The notification server (100) is operable to generate an alert based upon the user service, the then current location of the user and the threshold and to communicate the alert to the user via a communication interface (104).

Claims

1. A method of communicating the availability of a service to a potential consumer of the service, the method comprising:

determining a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based at least upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer;

determining an availability of the service within the zone of interest; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and a settable threshold, the settable threshold being established in advance by the potential consumer of the service;

periodically recalculating the zone of interest to provide a recalculated zone of interest,

determining the availability of the service within the recalculated zone of interest; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the recalculated zone of interest and the settable threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an availability of the service within the zone of interest comprises quantitatively determining the availability of the service within the zone of interest;

and wherein the alert is based upon a level of the availability of the service of a predetermined quantity within the zone of interest and the settable threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an availability of the service within the zone of interest comprises qualitatively determining the availability of the service within the zone of interest;

and wherein the alert is based upon a level of the availability of the service of a predetermined quality within the zone of interest and the settable threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the zone of interest is at least one of temporally and geographically based.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

predicting a future location of the potential consumer;

determining a future zone of interest, the future zone of interest being based at least upon the future location of the potential consumer;

determining an availability of the service within the future zone of interest; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the future zone of interest and the settable threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert has an alert intensity, the intensity being based upon the level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the alert intensity is inversely proportional to the level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising, upon generating an alert, determining an availability of an additional service and alerting the potential consumer as to the availability of the additional service.

9. A method of communicating the availability of a service to a potential consumer of the service, the method comprising:

determining a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based at least upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer;

determining an availability of the service within the zone of interest; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and a settable threshold, the settable threshold being established in advance by the potential consumer of the service;

determining a dynamic threshold, the dynamic threshold being based upon a predicted need for the service by the consumer; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and the dynamic threshold.

10. A method of communicating the availability of a service to a potential consumer of the service, the method comprising:

determining a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based at least upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer, the predicted mobility being based upon at least one of traveling conditions and intended destination;

determining an availability of the service within the zone of interest; and

generating an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and a settable threshold, the settable threshold being established in advance by the potential consumer of the service.

11. A service notification system comprising:

a notification server;

a database coupled to the notification server, the database including service threshold information being associated with a potential consumer of a service;

the notification server being operable to determine a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer, and to determine an availability of the service within the zone of interest in order to numerate an alert to the potential consumer based noon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and the consumer settable threshold information, and to periodically recalculate the zone of interest to provide a recalculated zone of interest, to determine an availability of the service within the recalculated zone of interest; and

to generate an alert to the potential consumer of the service, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the recalculated zone of interest and the consumer settable threshold information.

12. The service notification system of claim 11, wherein the availability of the service is based upon a quantity of the service being available within the zone of interest;

and wherein the alert is based upon a level of the availability of service of a predetermined quantity within the zone of interest and the settable threshold.

13. The service notification system of claim 11, wherein the availability of the service is based upon a quality or the service being available within the zone of interest;

and wherein the alert is based upon a level of the availability of service of a predetermined quality within the zone of interest and the settable threshold.

14. The service notification system of claim 11, wherein the zone of interest is at least one of temporally and geographically based.

15. The service notification claim 11, the notification server being operable to predict a future location of the potential consumer;

to determine a future zone of interest, the future zone of interest being based at least upon the future location of the potential consumer;

to determine an availability of the service within the future zone of interest; and

to generate an alert to the potential consumer, the alert being based upon a level of the availability of the service within the future zone of interest and the threshold information.

16. The service notification system of claim 11, wherein the alert has an alert intensity, the intensity being based upon the level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest.

17. The service notification system of claim 11, wherein the alert intensity is inversely proportional to the level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest.

18. The service notification system of claim 11, the notification server being operable upon generating an alert to determine an availability of an additional service and to alert the potential consumer as to the availability of the additional service.

19. A service notification system comprising:

a notification server;

a database coupled to the notification server, the database including service availability information and consumer settable threshold information, the consumer settable threshold information being associated with a potential consumer of a service;

the notification server being operable to determine a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer, and to determine an availability of the service within the zone of interest in order to generate an alert to the potential consumer based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and the consumer settable threshold information, and to determine a dynamic threshold, the dynamic threshold being based upon a predicted need for the service by the potential consumer; and

to generate an alert to the potential consumer, the alert being based upon the level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and the dynamic threshold.

20. A service notification system comprising:

a notification server;

a database coupled to the notification server, the database including service availability information and consumer settable threshold information, the consumer settable threshold information being associated with a potential consumer of a service;

the notification server being operable to determine a zone of interest, the zone of interest being based upon a current location of the potential consumer and a predicted mobility of the potential consumer, the predicted mobility being based upon at least one of traveling conditions and intended destination and to determine an availability of the service within the zone of interest in order to generate an alert to the potential consumer based upon a level of the availability of the service within the zone of interest and the consumer settable threshold information.