Real time map rendering with data clustering and expansion and overlay

• US 9,697,485 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telogis Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Mason, Ralph James, Koch, Jason Mathew
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Daeho
• Application Number:
  US14/285,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20150112741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 715767, 715855, 715772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for the organization, management, and graphical display of multiple logically related entities. In some embodiments, the systems and methods provide the real-time display of status and location information for a fleet of tracked vehicles. In some embodiments, the systems and methods permit the automatic clustering of assets based on a user'"'"'s view of an underlying map. In some embodiments, the assets are vehicles that are a part of a managed fleet. In some embodiments, the assets are logically arranged into clusters of like assets. In some embodiments, the clusters provide graphical indications of status or class information of their underlying assets.

Claims

1. A system for controlling display of information pertaining to a fleet of vehicles, the system comprising:

a memory device configured to store position information for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet, the position information comprising locations of the plurality of vehicles on a network of streets in a geographic region; and

a hardware processor in communication with the memory device, the hardware processor configured to;

retrieve the position information from the memory device,

assign each of the plurality of vehicles to one of a plurality of groups according to the position information,

generate a vehicle management user interface comprising a map and a plurality of group indicators including a first group indicator and a second group indicator, the map depicting at least part of the geographic region, the plurality of group indicators being overlaid on the map and each group indicator providing status information for the each of the plurality of vehicles assigned to the one of the plurality of groups,

wherein the first group indicator corresponds to a first group of the plurality of groups, the first group indicator comprising a geometric shape having an inner area, the inner area comprising an outer periphery section encompassing a perimeter of the inner area and denoting a total number of vehicles assigned to the first group at a center of the inner area, the outer periphery section depicting the status information for the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group as coloring of portions of the outer periphery section in a plurality of colors,

wherein a first portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a first color of the plurality of colors denoting that a first set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a first status, and a second portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a second color of the plurality of colors denoting that a second set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a second status different from the first status, the first status and the second status comprising two of (i) a vehicle moving status, (ii) a vehicle stopped status, and (iii) a vehicle idling status, and

output the vehicle management user interface to an administrator device for presentation on a display to an administrator of the vehicle fleet.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the position information is updated as the plurality of vehicles travel on the network of streets, and the hardware processor is configured to change a size of the first portion responsive to one of the plurality of vehicles entering or leaving a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing an area of the geographic region.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a third portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a third color of the plurality of colors denoting that a third set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a third status different from the first status and the second status, the first status comprising the vehicle moving status, the second status comprising the vehicle stopped status, the third status comprising the vehicle idling status.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a third portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a third color of the plurality of colors denoting that a third set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a third status different from the first status and the second status, the first status comprising the vehicle moving status, the second status comprising the vehicle stopped status, the third status comprising a vehicle out of contact status.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is configured to change a size of the first portion responsive to a user input indicative of the administrator zooming in on the map.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is configured to change a size of the first portion responsive to a user input indicative of the administrator zooming out on the map.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a size of the first portion relative to a size of the second portion is indicative of a total number of vehicles in the first set relative to a total number of vehicles in the second set.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a size of the first portion depends on a total number of vehicles in the first set relative to the total number of vehicles assigned to the first group.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the geometric shape is a circle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is configured to:

assign the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group because of a proximity of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group to a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing an area of the geographic region different from other areas of the geographic region encompassed by other bounding areas associated with the plurality of groups other than the first group, and

not display the first bounding area on the map with the first group indicator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is configured to assign the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group because of a proximity of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group to a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing an area of the geographic region different from other areas of the geographic region encompassed by other bounding areas associated with the plurality of groups other than the first group, a shape of the geographic shape being different from a shape of the first bounding area.

12. A method of controlling display of information pertaining to a fleet of vehicles, the method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

retrieving, from a memory device, position information for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet, the position information comprising locations of the plurality of vehicles on a network of streets in a geographic region;

assigning each of the plurality of vehicles to one of a plurality of groups according to the position information;

generating a vehicle management user interface comprising a map and a plurality of group indicators including a first group indicator and a second group indicator, the map depicting at least part of the geographic region, the plurality of group indicators being overlaid on the map and each group indicator providing status information for the each of the plurality of vehicles assigned to the one of the plurality of groups,

wherein the first group indicator corresponds to a first group of the plurality of groups, the first group indicator comprising a geometric shape having an inner area, the inner area comprising an outer periphery section encompassing a perimeter of the inner area and denoting a total number of vehicles assigned to the first group at a center of the inner area, the outer periphery section depicting the status information for the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group as coloring of portions of the outer periphery section in a plurality of colors,

wherein a first portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a first color of the plurality of colors denoting that a first set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a first status, and a second portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a second color of the plurality of colors denoting that a second set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a second status different from the first status, the first status and the second status comprising two of (i) a vehicle moving status, (ii) a vehicle stopped status, and (iii) a vehicle idling status; and

outputting the vehicle management user interface to an administrator device for presentation on a display to an administrator of the vehicle fleet.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the position information is updated as the plurality of vehicles travel on the network of streets, and further comprising:

by the computer system comprising computer hardware;

changing a size of the first portion responsive to one of the plurality of vehicles entering or leaving a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing an area of the geographic region.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a third portion of the portions of the outer periphery section is a third color of the plurality of colors denoting that a third set of the one or more vehicles assigned to the first group has a third status different from the first status and the second status, the first status comprising the vehicle moving status, the second status comprising the vehicle stopped status, the third status comprising the vehicle idling status.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

by the computer system comprising computer hardware;

changing a size of the first portion responsive to a user input indicative of the administrator zooming in or out on the map.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a size of the first portion relative to a size of the second portion is indicative of a total number of vehicles in the first set relative to a total number of vehicles in the second set.

17. A method of controlling display of information representing a plurality of vehicles, the method comprising:

by a computer system comprising computer hardware;

determining locations of a plurality of vehicles in a geographic region;

assigning each of the plurality of vehicles to one of a first group and a second group, the first group encompassing one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles that are within a first area of the geographic region, the second group encompassing one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles that are within a second area of the geographic region different from the first area;

generating a vehicle management user interface comprising a map, a first group indicator, and a second group indicator, the map depicting the first area and the second area with the first group indicator overlaid on the first area and the second group indicator overlaid on the second area, the first group indicator comprising status information for the one or more vehicles of the first group, the second group indicator comprising status information for the one or more vehicles of the second group,

wherein the first group indicator comprises a geometric shape having an inner area, the inner area comprising an outer periphery section encompassing a perimeter of the inner area and denoting a total number of vehicles assigned to the first group at a center of the inner area, the outer periphery section depicting the status information for the one or more vehicles of the first group as a first color coded portion, a second color coded portion, and a third color coded portion of the outer periphery section,

wherein the first color coded portion is a first color denoting that at a first set of the one or more vehicles of the first group has a first status, and the second color coded portion is a second color different from the first color denoting that a second set of the one or more vehicles of the first group has a second status different from the first status, the first status and the second status comprising two of (i) a vehicle moving status, (ii) a vehicle stopped status, and (iii) a vehicle idling status; and

outputting the vehicle management user interface to an administrator device for presentation on a display to an administrator of the plurality of vehicles.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

by the computer system comprising computer hardware;

changing a size of the first color coded portion responsive to a user input indicative of the administrator zooming in or out on the map.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein

said assigning comprises assigning the one or more vehicles of the first group to the first group because of a proximity of the one or more vehicles of the first group to a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing the first area,

said assigning comprises assigning the one or more vehicles of the second group to the second group because of a proximity of the one or more vehicles of the second group to a second bounding area associated with the second group, the second bounding area encompassing the second area, and

said generating comprises generating the vehicle management user interface so that the first bounding area and the second bounding area are not displayed on the map.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein

said assigning comprises assigning the one or more vehicles of the first group to the first group because of a proximity of the one or more vehicles of the first group to a first bounding area associated with the first group, the first bounding area encompassing the first area, and

the geometric shape of the first group indicator being different from a shape of the first bounding area.