System and method for reviewing travel trips

• US 9,423,269 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automatic Labs Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automatic Labs Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Miljkovic, Ljubinko, Jayaraman, Ramprabhu, Valdivia, Gabriel
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, JELANI A
• Application Number:
  US14/049,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20140100767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 701/33.3, 701/409, 701/123, 701/33, 340/903, 340/995.13, 345/634, 345/661
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable

Abstract

A mobile communication device includes a global positioning system (GPS) capability, a digital processor, digital memory, a display screen, and a software (SW) application executing by the processor, the SW providing determining and recording a start of a trip, tracking location of the vehicle after trip start, interpreting data and recording an acceleration event, a deceleration event or a speeding event, recording fuel volume during the trip, determining and recording an end of the trip; and an interactive display including an address at the start and the end of the trip, separated by a timeline for the trip, a vehicle icon moveable along the timeline, icons specific to event type at locations along the timeline representing the acceleration, deceleration and speeding events determined during the trip, and a summary box providing a distance and duration of the trip and fuel efficiency and fuel cost for the trip.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

global positioning system (GPS) capability;

a digital processor;

a non-transitory digital memory coupled to the digital processor;

a display screen; and

a software (SW) application executing by the digital processor, the SW application providing;

determining and recording a start of a trip in which the mobile communication device is carried in a vehicle, the recording a start of a trip including a geographic location determined by GPS coordinates associated with geographic data;

tracking location of the vehicle after the trip start by the GPS system, and recording the tracking location;

interpreting the tracking data and recording an acceleration event, a deceleration event, position of the vehicle over time as determined by the GPS, or a speeding event and determining vehicle velocity, wherein a change in the determined vehicle velocity indicates at least one of exceeding a preprogrammed acceleration, deceleration or speed threshold, the recorded event including magnitude and duration of the recorded event;

recording fuel volume at the start of a trip, addition of fuel during the trip, and usage of fuel during the trip,

determining and recording an end of the trip, the recording an end of the trip including a geographic location determined by GPS coordinates associated with geographic data; and

an interactive display on the display screen of the mobile communication device, the interactive display including a display in text of an address at the start of the trip and the end of the trip, separated by a representation of a timeline for the trip,

a vehicle icon moveable along the timeline, event icons specific to an event type at locations along the timeline representing the acceleration event, the deceleration event and the speeding event determined during the trip, and a summary box providing a distance and duration of the trip and fuel efficiency and fuel monetary cost for the trip.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device is coupled wirelessly by near-field pairing to a Link device connected to an Onboard Diagnostics (OBD) system via an OBD connector of the vehicle, enabling the Link device to access data from the OBD system for use in the trip recording and event determinations.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device is coupled wirelessly by a cellular network and an Internet gateway to an Internet-connected server hosted by an enterprise, the Internet-connected server providing data useful by the mobile communication device in the trip recording and event determinations.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the SW application is originally provided to the mobile communication device by the Internet-connected server.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein start and end of the trip is entered by a user of the device and vehicle through input mechanisms of the mobile communication device.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein fueling events during the trip, including amount and cost of fuel are entered by a user of the device and vehicle through input mechanisms of the mobile communication device.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 3 wherein the SW application is executed remotely on the Internet-connected server, and data is transmitted between the Internet-connected server and the mobile communication device via an Internet connection.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein multiple trips are recorded, and the interactive display on the display screen of the mobile communication device shows more than one trip along the timeline, and is scrollable to show more recorded trips taken by a user of the vehicle.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the vehicle icon is moveable by touch or by click and drag, and positioning the vehicle icon at an event icon, additional detail about the event is displayed.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein the display includes an input to cause a display of the trip on a map which may be zoomed in or out to display additional or less geographic detail.

11. The mobile communication device of claim 10 wherein events determined for the trip are displayed along the timeline as depicted on the map where the events occurred.

12. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein tapping or clicking as appropriate for display screen type on text boxes and icons causes additional information about events or data to be displayed.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 1 wherein data for a trip is enabled to be downloaded from the mobile communication device to a portable memory device or to a computerized appliance in a form that may be coherently displayed, transmitted to other devices, and printed.