System, method, and app for managing waste services

• US 9,574,892 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2016
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rubicon Technologies Holdings LLC (Founder SPAC)
• Original Assignee: Rubicon Global Holdings, LLC (Founder SPAC)
• Inventors: Rodoni, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US15/168,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20160377445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 701/428, 435/262, 705/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• 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: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0294 Trajectory determination or predictive filtering, e.g. target tracking or Kalman filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A system is disclosed for providing a waste management app. The system may have a locating device disposed onboard a service vehicle and configured to generate a first signal indicative of a location of the service vehicle, an input device, and a controller. The controller may be configured to receive a route assignment including waste services to be performed by the service vehicle, and to track movement of the service vehicle during performance of the waste services based on the first signal. The controller may also be configured to provide a graphical user interface for display on the input device, listing the waste services from the route assignment to be performed by the service vehicle and showing a location of the service vehicle relative to at least one location at which the waste services are to be performed.

Claims

1. A system for providing a waste management app, comprising:

a locating device disposed onboard a service vehicle and configured to generate a first signal indicative of a location of the service vehicle;

an input device;

at least one sensor disposed onboard the service vehicle and configured to generate a second signal associated with one of waste services being performed, wherein the at least one sensor is one of an acoustic sensor and an accelerometer; and

a controller in communication with the locating device, the input device, and the at least one sensor, the controller being configured to;

receive a route assignment including the waste services to be performed by the service vehicle;

track movement of the service vehicle during performance of the waste services based on the first signal;

determine completion of the one of the waste services based on the second signal;

provide a graphical user interface for display on the input device, listing the waste services from the route assignment to be performed by the service vehicle and showing a location of the service vehicle relative to at least one location at which the waste services are to be performed; and

cause the graphical user interface to display on the input device an indication of which of the waste services have been completed based on the second signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor forms a portion of the input device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive manual input from an operator of the service vehicle indicating performance of a particular one of the waste services; and

cause the graphical user interface to display on the input device an indication that the particular one of the waste services has been completed based on the manual input.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine that a particular one of the waste services has been completed; and

cause the graphical user interface to update the map and show the location of the service vehicle relative to one of the plurality of locations corresponding with a next of the waste services to be completed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller and the locating device form portions of the input device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the graphical user interface to display instructions regarding each of the waste services on the input device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive input from an operator of the service vehicle requesting additional information about a particular one of the plurality of locations; and

cause the graphical user interface to responsively display the additional information on the input device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

make a determination that the service vehicle is approaching one of the plurality of locations; and

cause the graphical user interface to display additional information associated with the one of the plurality of locations on the input device in response to the determination.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive input associated with a receptacle found at the at least one location; and

cause the graphical user interface to responsively display information associated with the input on the input device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the input is at least one of a manually-entered identification of the receptacle, an automatically detected RFID tag, an uploaded image, a scanned index, a measured weight, or a problem report.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

make a determination that a next of the waste services to be performed by the service vehicle is unloading of waste material at a landfill; and

cause the graphical user interface to responsively display information associated with the landfill on the input device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to make the determination based on at least one of the listed order of the waste services, a proximity of the service vehicle to the landfill, or an amount of waste material in the service vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to make the determination based on manual input received from an operator of the service vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a weight change in the service vehicle while the service vehicle is at the landfill; and

cause the graphical user interface to responsively display the weight change on the input device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is the acoustic sensor.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the second signal is a detected acoustic signature associated with at least one of a lifting, tilting, and dumping of a waste receptacle.

16. A method for providing a waste management app, the method comprising:

receiving a route assignment including waste services to be performed by a service vehicle;

tracking movement of the service vehicle during performance of the waste services;

determining completion of one of the waste services based on a signal associated with waste services being performed from at least one sensor including one of an acoustic sensor and an accelerometer;

providing a graphical user interface for display to an operator of the service vehicle, listing the waste services from the route assignment to be performed by the service vehicle and showing a location of the service vehicle relative to at least one location at which the waste services are to be performed; and

causing the graphical user interface to display an indication of which of the waste services have been completed based on the signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

causing the graphical user interface to responsively show the location of the service vehicle relative to a location corresponding with a next of the waste services to be completed.

18. The method of claim 16, further including:

making a determination that the service vehicle is approaching the at least one location;

causing the graphical user interface to display additional information associated with the at least one location based on the determination;

receiving input associated with a receptacle found at the at least one location; and

causing the graphical user interface to responsively display information associated with the input.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable programming instructions for performing a method of providing a waste management app, the method comprising:

receiving a route assignment including waste services to be performed by the service vehicle;

tracking movement of the service vehicle during performance of the waste services;

providing a graphical user interface for display to an operator of the service vehicle, listing the waste services from the route assignment to be performed by the service vehicle and showing a location of the service vehicle relative to at least one location at which the waste services are to be performed;

sensing when one of the waste services is being performed by the service vehicle based on a signal associated with waste services being performed from at least one sensor including one of an acoustic sensor and an accelerometer; and

causing the graphical user interface to responsively display an indication of which of the waste services have been completed based on the signal.