Context sensitive speed tracking

• US 8,040,256 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xora, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rani, Ananth, Venkatraman, Sivakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/291,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 340/936, 340/905, 340/441, 340/539.13, 340/995.13, 340/988, 340/989, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 701/117, 701/119, 701/200
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing a context sensitive speed tracking by generating a location of the mobile tracking device; determining context information related to the location; and analyzing the location and context information to determine an appropriate speed of the mobile tracking device in view of the context information.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing context sensitive speed tracking comprising:

a mobile tracking device for generating a location of the mobile tracking device; and

a host, coupled to the at least one mobile tracking device, for receiving the location, determining context information related to the location, and analyzing the location and context information to determine an appropriate speed of the mobile tracking device in view of the context information, wherein the host analyzes a speed of the mobile tracking device related to the context information and the host generates context sensitive speed information, and wherein the host logs the context sensitive speed information within a database and communicates information related to the context sensitive speed information to a client.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the mobile tracking device or the host computes a present speed of the mobile tracking device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a client, coupled to the host, for utilizing information related to the present speed in view of the appropriate speed.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the host analyzes the context information at the time and location relevant to the mobile tracking device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the host computes the speed of the at least one mobile tracking device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the context information comprises environmental conditions proximate the location of the mobile tracking device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the environment conditions comprise at least one of location of a street traveled, speed limits, weather conditions, zoning limitations, current traffic congestion, or current traffic speed.

8. A method of providing context sensitive speed tracking comprising:

generating a location of the mobile tracking device;

determining context information related to the location;

analyzing the location and context information to determine an appropriate speed of the mobile tracking device in view of the context information and generating context sensitive speed information by analyzing the current speed of the mobile tracking device in view of the appropriate speed and the context information;

storing the context sensitive speed information within a database to maintain a record of context sensitive speed information; and

communicating information related to the context sensitive speed information to a client.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a present speed of the mobile tracking device is computed or reported by the mobile tracking device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising comparing the present speed to the appropriate speed.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the analyzing step utilizes context information at a time and location relevant to the mobile tracking device.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the context information comprises environmental conditions proximate the location of the mobile tracking device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the environment conditions comprise at least one of location of a street traveled, speed limits, weather conditions, zoning limitations, current traffic congestion, or current traffic speed.