Intelligent trip status notification

• US 7,206,837 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (Empire IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Seligmann, Doree Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): BENGZON, GREG C
• Application Number:
  US10/287,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 701/204, 701/200, 701/25, 731/78.R, 340/988, 340/989, 340/994, 340/995.13, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 709/204, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

Methods of providing trip status information periodically to a user in transit to a destination are disclosed. Trip status information comprises information and alerts based on estimates of various time-of-arrival metrics, such as expected time-of-arrival and earliest time-of-arrival. The estimates are based on a plurality of data, including calendrical time (the time and date), historical statistics, average speed, current weather, weather forecasts, current traffic, and traffic forecasts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(i) receiving a location of a mobile communications device that is in transit to a destination;

(ii) estimating the time-of-arrival bounds for said mobile communications device at said destination for a confidence interval based on;

(a) said location, and

(b) at least one historical travel time statistic; and

(iii) sending the time-of-arrival bounds to said mobile communications device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said historical travel time statistic comprises at least one of:

a minimum value;

a maximum value;

a variance;

an nth-order moment, wherein n is an integer greater than 2; and

a probability distribution.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said estimating is also based on at least one of:

current weather information;

current traffic information;

forecasted weather;

forecasted traffic; and

a metric of said user'"'"'s speed over a time interval.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said mode of travel is selected from the group consisting of:

automobile, private watercraft, private aircraft, snowmobile, skateboard, roller skates, skiing, ambulating, and swimming.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said mode of travel is selected from the group consisting of:

bus, train, commercial watercraft, commercial aircraft, and spacecraft; and

wherein said estimating is also based on a departure schedule for said mode of travel.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said user specifies a desired time-of-arrival, and wherein the expected time-of-arrival and the time-of-arrival bounds is also based on said desired time-of-arrival.