Accident prone location notification system and method

• US 9,953,536 B1
• Filed: 10/16/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Original Assignee: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Inventors: Kerr, Ronald Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US14/884,954
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• 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

Abstract

A method includes maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information includes accident location information, accident occurrence date information, and accident occurrence time information and identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations. When a vehicle enters an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations, a notification is made that the vehicle has entered the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations. In addition, in response to a query, a visual representation of one of the accident-prone locations is displayed, along with accident occurrence date information and accident occurrence time information associated with the accident-prone location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the accident occurrence information comprises accident location information;

identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations; and

when a vehicle enters an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations, providing a visual indicator and an audible indicator on a GPS enabled device that the vehicle has entered the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations,

the visual indicator being superimposed on a map and being configured to indicate visually, without text, both of a frequency and a severity of accidents previously occurring at the accident-prone locations;

the GPS enabled device being separate from and not connected, either physically or electronically, to the vehicle.

2. A system comprising:

a database that maintains vehicle accident occurrence information comprising accident location information;

a processor that identifies one or more accident-prone locations based, at least in part, on the accident location information; and

a notification component comprising a GPS enabled device that provides a visual indicator that a vehicle has entered an area comprising one of the accident-prone locations when the vehicle enters the area comprising one of the accident-prone locations,

the visual indicator being superimposed on a map and being configured to indicate visually, without text, both of a frequency and a severity of accidents previously occurring at the accident-prone locations;

the GPS enabled device being separate from and not connected, either physically or electronically, to the vehicle.

3. A method comprising:

maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information comprises accident location information, accident occurrence date information, and accident occurrence time information;

identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations; and

in response to a user-initiated query, the query comprising a request to identify accident-prone locations, displaying on a display component a visual representation of one or more of the accident-prone locations, wherein the visual representation is displayed by way of an indicator superimposed on a map, and wherein information describing accident occurrence date, accident occurrence time, a number of vehicles involved in the accident, a direction of travel of a vehicle involved in the accident, an age of a driver involved in the accident, weather conditions at the time of the accident, speed of vehicles involved in the accident, and injuries or fatalities sustained as a result of the accident, associated with the one or more accident-prone location is displayed upon selecting the indicator.

4. A system comprising:

a database that maintains vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information comprises accident location information, accident occurrence date information, and accident occurrence time information;

a processor that identifies one or more accident-prone locations based, at least in part, on the accident location information; and

a display component that displays, in response to a user-initiated query, the query comprising a request to identify accident-prone locations, a visual representation of one or more of the accident-prone locations, wherein the visual representation is displayed by way of an indicator superimposed on a map, and wherein information describing accident occurrence date, accident occurrence time, a number of vehicles involved in the accident, a direction of travel of a vehicle involved in the accident, an age of a driver involved in the accident, weather conditions at the time of the accident, speed of vehicles involved in the accident, and injuries or fatalities sustained as a result of the accident, associated with the one or more accident-prone location is displayed upon selecting the indicator.

5. A method for delivering vehicle accident occurrence information, comprising:

maintaining vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information comprises accident location information;

identifying, based at least in part on the accident location information, one or more accident-prone locations; and

in response to a query, initiated by a user in a non-driving context, the query comprising a request to identify accident-prone locations within an area on a map, displaying on a display component separate from and not connected to a vehicle a visual representation of one or more of the accident-prone locations wherein the visual representation is displayed by way of an indicator superimposed on the map, the indicator being configured to indicate visually, without text, both of a frequency and a severity of accidents previously occurring at the accident-prone locations.

6. A system for delivering vehicle accidence occurrence information, comprising:

a database that maintains vehicle accident occurrence information, wherein the vehicle accident occurrence information comprises accident location information;

a processor that identifies one or more accident-prone locations based, at least in part, on the accident location information; and

a display component separate from and not connected to a vehicle that displays, in response to a query, initiated by a user in a non-driving context, the query comprising a request to identify accident-prone locations within an area on a map, a visual representation of one or more of the accident-prone locations wherein the visual representation is displayed by way of an indicator superimposed on the map, the indicator being configured to indicate visually, without text, both of a frequency and a severity of accidents previously occurring at the accident-prone locations.