Recovery of time due to an unplanned event on a reserved route

• US 9,292,891 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory Jensen, Jones, Andrew R., Lingafelt, Charles Steven, McConnell, Kevin C., Moore, John Elbert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US14/313,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Providing reserved routes for a plurality of vehicles, in which the at least a location is monitored and communicated from each of a plurality of vehicles having GPS devices and traveling to destinations on reserved routes with guaranteed arrival times. For a traffic event along one of the reserved routes; determining if any of the plurality of vehicles are affected or will be affected by the traffic event and calculating alternate routes for those vehicles The alternate routes are sent to the GPS devices in the affected or possibly affected vehicles and once the vehicle has reached the destination, comparing an actual arrival time of the vehicle at the destination to the guaranteed arrival time, and if the actual arrival time is later than the guaranteed arrival time, crediting a user of the vehicle for at least a portion of an amount paid for reserving the reserved route.

Claims

1. A method of providing reserved routes for a plurality of vehicles, comprising the steps of:

a computer monitoring at least a location communicated from each of a plurality of vehicles having GPS devices and traveling to destinations on reserved routes with guaranteed arrival times;

the computer monitoring real-time traffic data associated with a plurality of reserved routes;

the computer receiving a traffic event along at least one of the reserved routes;

the computer determining if any of the plurality of vehicles are affected or will be affected by the traffic event and calculating alternate routes for those vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event; and

the computer sending the alternate routes to the GPS devices in the vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event, and repeating the method from the step of monitoring at least a location until a vehicle has reached the destination for which the vehicle received a guaranteed arrival time; and

once the vehicle has reached the destination, the computer comparing an actual arrival time of the vehicle at the destination to the guaranteed arrival time, and if the actual arrival time is later than the guaranteed arrival time, crediting a user of the vehicle for at least a portion of an amount paid for reserving the reserved route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer additionally sends driving condition allowances to the GPS devices in the step of sending the alternate routes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the step of the computer monitoring at least a location of a vehicle, the method comprises the steps of:

the computer receiving a request from the GPS device of the vehicle to reserve a route for the vehicle to travel to a destination;

the computer determining at least one route to the destination from the current position of the vehicle;

the computer calculating an arrival time at the destination along the at least one route to the destination;

the computer associating a cost for reserving the route with at least one arrival time guarantee;

the computer sending the at least one route with the at least one arrival time guarantee and the cost associated with the at least one arrival time guarantee to the GPS device; and

the computer receiving from the GPS device a choice of at least one reserved route with an arrival time guarantee.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein in the step of associating a cost, the computer associates a plurality of costs to a plurality of arrival time guarantees for the route, such that the computer sends a plurality of arrival time guarantees at differing costs to the GPS device for the user to select.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the driving condition allowances include waiving toll road fees.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the driving condition allowances include permission to drive in a lane or on a road that has restrictions that the vehicle would otherwise not meet.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the driving condition allowances include exceeding posted speed limits for at least a portion of the alternate route.

8. A computer program product for providing reserved routes for a plurality of vehicles comprising a computer comprising at least one processor, one or more memories, one or more computer readable storage media, the computer program product comprising a computer readable non-transitory storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the computer to perform a method comprising:

monitoring, by the computer, at least a location communicated from each of a plurality of vehicles having GPS devices and traveling to destinations on reserved routes with guaranteed arrival times;

monitoring, by the computer, real-time traffic data associated with a plurality of reserved routes;

receiving, by the computer, a traffic event along at least one of the reserved routes;

determining, by the computer, if any of the plurality of vehicles are affected or will be affected by the traffic event and calculating alternate routes for those vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event; and

sending, by the computer, the alternate routes to the GPS devices in the vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event, and repeating the program instructions from the step of monitoring at least a location until a vehicle has reached the destination for which the vehicle received a guaranteed arrival time; and

once the vehicle has reached the destination, comparing, by the computer, an actual arrival time of the vehicle at the destination to the guaranteed arrival time, and if the actual arrival time is later than the guaranteed arrival time, crediting a user of the vehicle for at least a portion of an amount paid for reserving the reserved route.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer additionally sends driving condition allowances to the GPS devices in the step of sending the alternate routes.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein prior to monitoring at least a location of a vehicle, by the computer comprising:

receiving, by the computer, a request from the GPS device of the vehicle to reserve a route for the vehicle to travel to a destination;

determining, by the computer, at least one route to the destination from the current position of the vehicle;

calculating, by the computer, an arrival time at the destination along the at least one route to the destination;

associating, by the computer, a cost for reserving the route with at least one arrival time guarantee;

sending, by the computer, the at least one route with the at least one arrival time guarantee and the cost associated with the at least one arrival time guarantee to the GPS device; and

receiving, by the computer, from the GPS device a choice of at least one reserved route with an arrival time guarantee.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein associating, by the computer, a cost, associates a plurality of costs to a plurality of arrival time guarantees for the route, such that the computer sends a plurality of arrival time guarantees at differing costs to the GPS device for the user to select.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the driving condition allowances include waiving toll road fees.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the driving condition allowances include permission to drive in a lane or on a road that has restrictions that the vehicle would otherwise not meet.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the driving condition allowances include exceeding posted speed limits for at least a portion of the alternate route.

15. A computer system for providing reserved routes for a plurality of vehicles comprising a computer comprising at least one processor, one or more memories, one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions executable by the computer to perform the program instructions comprising:

monitoring, by the computer, at least a location communicated from each of a plurality of vehicles having GPS devices and traveling to destinations on reserved routes with guaranteed arrival times;

monitoring, by the computer, real-time traffic data associated with a plurality of reserved routes;

receiving, by the computer, a traffic event along at least one of the reserved routes;

determining, by the computer, if any of the plurality of vehicles are affected or will be affected by the traffic event and calculating alternate routes for those vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event; and

sending, by the computer, the alternate routes to the GPS devices in the vehicles which are affected or will be affected by the traffic event, and repeating the program instructions from the step of monitoring at least a location until a vehicle has reached the destination for which the vehicle received a guaranteed arrival time; and

once the vehicle has reached the destination, comparing, by the computer, an actual arrival time of the vehicle at the destination to the guaranteed arrival time, and if the actual arrival time is later than the guaranteed arrival time, crediting a user of the vehicle for at least a portion of an amount paid for reserving the reserved route.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer additionally sends driving condition allowances to the GPS devices in the program instructions of sending the alternate routes.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein prior to the program instructions of monitoring at least a location of a vehicle, by the computer, the program instructions comprises:

receiving, by the computer, a request from the GPS device of the vehicle to reserve a route for the vehicle to travel to a destination;

determining, by the computer, at least one route to the destination from the current position of the vehicle;

calculating, by the computer, an arrival time at the destination along the at least one route to the destination;

associating, by the computer, a cost for reserving the route with at least one arrival time guarantee;

sending, by the computer, the at least one route with the at least one arrival time guarantee and the cost associated with the at least one arrival time guarantee to the GPS device; and

receiving, by the computer, from the GPS device a choice of at least one reserved route with an arrival time guarantee.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein associating, by the computer, a cost, associates a plurality of costs to a plurality of arrival time guarantees for the route, such that the computer sends a plurality of arrival time guarantees at differing costs to the GPS device for the user to select.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the driving condition allowances include waiving toll road fees.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the driving condition allowances include permission to drive in a lane or on a road that has restrictions that the vehicle would otherwise not meet.