Providing route recommendations

• US 8,855,901 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Leader, Adam L., Kirmse, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US13/532,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-120, 701/400, 701408-421, 701/423, 701/429, 701/431, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes obtaining travel information that indicates travel patterns for a mobile computing device that is associated with a user; identifying a current context for the mobile computing device and the user; identifying one or more destination locations that the user has at least a threshold likelihood of travelling to with the mobile computing device based on the current context and the obtained travel information; generating a prediction that one or more events have at least a threshold probability of occurring along one or more of a plurality of routes for travelling to the identified one or more destination locations; selecting a particular route from the plurality of routes to recommend to the user based on the current context and the prediction of the one or more events; and providing route information that identifies the selected particular route.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, at a computer system, information that indicates historic routes along which a mobile computing device has previously moved, wherein the mobile computing device is associated with a user;

identifying, by the computer system, a current geographic location at which the mobile computing device is currently located;

identifying, by the computer system, a predicted location to which the mobile computing device has at least a threshold likelihood of traveling based on the current geographic location and the obtained information that indicates the historic routes along which the mobile computing device has moved;

identifying, by the computer system, a plurality of predicted routes for traveling from the current geographic location to the predicted location based on the predicted location and the current location;

generating, by the computer system, a prediction that a future event that has yet to occur has at least a threshold probability of occurring along a first predicted route of the predicted routes for traveling from the current geographic location to the predicted location;

selecting, by the computer system, a particular predicted route from the plurality of predicted routes to recommend to the user based on the generated prediction that the future event has at least a threshold probability of occurring; and

providing, by the computer system, route information that identifies the selected particular predicted route, so as to cause the mobile computing device to provide an indication that the user travel the selected particular predicted route.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying, by the computer system, the predicted location to which the mobile computing device has at least the threshold likelihood of traveling is further based on at least one of a group consisting of:

a current time of day, a current date, and one or more calendar events for the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying, by the computer system, the predicted location to which the mobile computing device has at least the threshold likelihood of traveling is further based on recent user activity with regard to one or more applications that are installed on the mobile computing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the one or more applications are selected from a group consisting of:

an email application, a calendar application, a texting application, a voicemail application, a telephone application, and a social networking application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates historic routes along which the mobile computing device has previously moved is obtained from a user model that is associated with the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the particular predicted route is selected from the plurality of predicted routes based on the future event, being predicted to increase, by at least a threshold amount of time, an amount of time during which travel along another one of the plurality of predicted routes is estimated to require.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the route information that identifies the particular predicted route is provided without being prompted by the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the route information is provided in response to user input that indicates a request for a route recommendation.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the computer system comprises the mobile computing device;

and

providing the route information comprises outputting the route information on the mobile computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device provides the indication that the user of the mobile computing device travel the selected particular predicted route by displaying, on a display of the mobile computing device, a map that depicts the particular predicted route or by displaying textual directions for traveling along the particular predicted route.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device provides the indication that the user of the mobile computing device travel the selected particular predicted route by audibly outputting, using one or more speakers of the mobile computing device, directions for traveling along the particular predicted route.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein;

the computer system is separate from the mobile computing device; and

the method further comprises;

receiving, at the computer system and from the mobile computing device, a request to provide a route recommendation for the user of the mobile computing device, wherein the request includes information that identifies the mobile computing device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the computing system and after providing the route information, an indication that the future event has begun to occur.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the future event is an event that is predicted to occur at an intermediate location along the first route of the plurality of predicted routes between the current geographic location and the predicted location.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein selecting the particular predicted route from the plurality of predicted routes includes selecting the particular predicted route instead of the first route in order to avoid the future event, even though the first route would otherwise be selected from the plurality of routes for recommendation to the user.

16. A computing system comprising:

an input subsystem programmed to identify a current geographic location at which a mobile computing device is currently located;

a travel monitor unit programmed to obtain information that identifies historic routes along which the mobile computing device previously moved;

a destination unit programmed to identify a predicted location to which the mobile computing device has at least a threshold likelihood of traveling based on the current geographic location and obtained information that identifies the historic routes along which the mobile computing device previously moved;

a route unit programmed to identify a plurality of predicted routes for traveling from the current geographic location to the predicted location based on the input subsystem having identified the current geographic location and the destination unit having identified the predicted location;

an event prediction unit programmed to generate a prediction that a future event that has yet to occur has at least a threshold probability of occurring along a first route of the plurality of predicted routes for traveling from the current geographic location to the predicted location;

a recommendation unit programmed to select a particular predicted route from the plurality of predicted routes to recommend to the user based on the event prediction unit having generated a prediction that the future event has at least the threshold probability of occurring along the first route of the plurality of predicted routes; and

an output subsystem of the mobile computing device that is programmed to output route information that identifies the selected particular predicted route, so as to cause the mobile computing device to provide an indication that the user of the mobile computing device travel the selected particular predicted route.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the output subsystem comprises a display of the mobile computing device that is configured to visually output the route information.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the output subsystem comprises a speaker system of the mobile computing device that is configured to audibly output the route information.