Patent Issued for Navigational system for meeting real-time user needs (USPTO 11530929): United Services Automobile Association

2023 JAN 09 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States) has been issued patent number 11530929, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Smith, Arthur Quentin (Fredericksburg, TX, US).

This patent was filed on October 8, 2019 and was published online on December 20, 2022.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Many well-known digital route guidance systems have been in common use for years. Most commonly used for street directions when driving, route guidance systems generally provide turn-by-turn directions between two geographic locations. The Global Positioning System (“GPS”) is a satellite based network system that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver, and most route guidance systems are based on combining GPS data with map information.

“In recent years, route guidance systems have most commonly been used on mobile computing devices such as smart phones. A variety of mobile computing device based route guidance systems are known in the art. Systems such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and other third-party smartphone apps are used by millions of smartphone owners each day. These systems generally include different graphical user interfaces, slightly different underlying map data, and may also draw on other various types of information when calculating route information. For example, Waze is known in the art for its peer-to-peer traffic data.

“However, existing route guidance systems do not currently incorporate all of the many types of data that might help in selecting the best particular route to address a user’s preferences and needs.

“There is a need in the art for systems, devices, and methods that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art discussed above.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one aspect, the disclosure provides a system for preparing and sending route guidance information comprising: a server computer including a processor; the server computer being in communication with at least one database; and the server also being in communication with at least one mobile computing device; wherein the server computer is configured to perform the steps of: receiving traffic information from a traffic database; receiving location information from the mobile computing device; receiving personal consumption needs information from the mobile computing device, the personal consumption needs information being inputted into the mobile computing device by a user; retrieving information from the at least one database, wherein the at least one database includes information related to a location and availability of a consumable resource; calculating fulfilment information, the fulfilment information being information regarding whether and where a personal consumption need of the user matches the location and availability of the consumable resource, by comparing the information related to the consumable resource from the database with the location information and the personal consumption needs information received from the mobile computing device; preparing route guidance information, from a first geographic location specified in the location information received from the mobile computing device to a second geographic location, the route guidance information being calculated based on both the traffic information and the fulfilment information; and sending the route guidance information and fulfilment information to the mobile computing device.

“In another aspect, the disclosure provides a method of operating a navigation system including a computer system in communication with at least one mobile computing device, the computer system being configured to perform the steps of: (1) receiving traffic information from a traffic database; (2) receiving location information from the mobile computing device; (3) receiving a set of personal consumption needs information from the mobile computing device, the set of personal consumption needs information being generated by a user of the mobile computing device and being descriptive of the user’s need for two or more types of consumable resources; (4) retrieving supply information from at least one database, the supply information being descriptive of a location and amount available of each of two or more types of consumable resources; (5) calculating present fulfilment information by comparing the set of personal consumption needs information to the supply information; (6) calculating future fulfilment information by comparing the present fulfilment information with the traffic information to determine a draw-down rate over time at which one or more of types of consumable resources may be used up, so as to predict availability of the consumable resources at a future time; (7) preparing route guidance information based on the traffic information, the present fulfilment information, and the future fulfilment information; and (8) sending the route guidance information, and future fulfilment information, to the mobile computing device.

“In another aspect, the disclosure provides a mobile computing device configured to: (a) receive initiating event information, the initiating event information including geographic data regarding a danger region and a safety region; (b) generate location data based on a location of the mobile computing device; © receive traffic information from a traffic database; (d) receive inputs from a user of the mobile computing device relating to personal consumption needs information of the user; (e) retrieve information from the at least one database, wherein the at least one database includes information related to a location and availability of a consumable resource; (f) calculate whether the mobile computing device is located within the danger region by comparing the initiating event information with the location data; (g) calculate fulfilment information, the fulfilment information being information regarding whether and where a personal consumption need of the user matches the location and availability of the consumable resource, by comparing the information related to the consumable resource from the database with the location data and the personal consumption needs information; (h) prepare route guidance information, from a first geographic location within the danger region to a second geographic location within the safety region, the route guidance information being calculated based on both the traffic information and the fulfilment information; and (i) display the route guidance information and fulfilment information on the mobile computing device.

“In another aspect, this disclosure provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, carry out a method for preparing and sending route guidance information; the method comprising: (1) receiving traffic information from a traffic database; (2) receiving location information from a mobile computing device; (3) receiving personal consumption needs information from the mobile computing device; (4) retrieving information from the at least one database, wherein the at least one database includes information related to a location and availability of a consumable resource; (5) calculating fulfilment information, the fulfilment information being information regarding whether and where a personal consumption need matches the location and availability of the consumable resource, by comparing the information related to the consumable resource from the database with the location information and the personal consumption needs information received from the mobile computing device; (6) preparing route guidance information, from a first geographic location specified in the location information received from the mobile computing device to a second geographic location, the route guidance information being calculated based on both the traffic information and the fulfilment information; wherein the route guidance information is prepared by performing an optimization calculation across all possible routes between the first geographic location and the second geographic location, the optimization calculation seeking to both: minimize travel time from the first geographic location to the second geographic location based on the traffic information, and fulfil the personal consumption needs of the user based on the fulfilment information; and (8) sending the route guidance information and fulfilment information to the mobile computing device.

“Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the following claims.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system for preparing and sending route guidance information comprising: a server computer including a processor; the server computer being in communication with at least one consumption database; and the server also being in communication with at least one mobile computing device; wherein the server computer is configured to perform the steps of: receiving traffic information from a traffic database; receiving location information from the mobile computing device; receiving personal consumption needs information from the mobile computing device, the personal consumption needs information being inputted into the mobile computing device by a user; retrieving information from the at least one consumption database, wherein the at least one consumption database includes information related to a location and availability of a consumable resource; calculating fulfilment information, the fulfilment information being information regarding whether and where a personal consumption need of the user matches the location and availability of the consumable resource, by comparing the information related to the consumable resource from the consumption database with the location information and the personal consumption needs information received from the mobile computing device; preparing route guidance information, from a first geographic location specified in the location information received from the mobile computing device to a second geographic location, the route guidance information being calculated based on both the traffic information and the fulfilment information; wherein the second geographic location is automatically determined by the system so as to fulfil the personal consumption needs by matching the personal consumption needs with the fulfilment information; receiving a ranking of two or more consumption needs from the mobile computing device, the ranking having been inputted into the mobile computing device by the user, wherein the route guidance information is further prepared based on the ranking, such that the route guidance information prioritizes fulfilment of higher priority needs even if lower priority needs cannot also be fulfilled along a certain travel route described by the route guidance information; and sending the route guidance information and fulfilment information to the mobile computing device.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal consumption needs information and the information related to the consumable resource are information related to one or more of: vehicle fuel; food, water, medicine, pet needs, toileting, lodging, and high-speed internet access.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is configured to prepare the route guidance information by performing an optimization calculation that seeks to both: minimize travel time, based on the traffic information; and fulfil the personal consumption needs of the user, based on the fulfilment information.

“4. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal consumption needs information includes information regarding two or more different types of personal consumption needs of the user, the two or more different types of personal consumption needs each having been entered into the mobile computing device by the user; the server computer is configured to retrieve information from one or more consumption databases, the one or more consumption databases collectively including information related to two or more different types of consumable resources; the server computer is configured to calculate the fulfilment information by comparing the two or more different types of personal consumption needs information with the two or more different types of consumable resources information; and the server computer is configured to prepare the route guidance information by performing an optimization calculation that seeks to fulfil the two or more different types of personal consumption needs, based on the fulfilment information.

“5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is further configured to: calculate fulfilment information based on location and availability of a consumable resource at a future time; wherein the location and availability of the consumable resource at the future time is calculated by comparing the received traffic information with received information related to a location and availability of the consumable resource at a first time, and then calculating a draw down rate over time to predict the availability of the consumable resource at a second and wherein the system automatically determines an alternative set of route guidance information when the fulfilment information based on location and availability of a consumable resource at a future time indicates that the consumable resource would no longer be available by the time the user travelled to the location of the consumable resource.

“6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server computer is further configured to, at periodic time intervals: receive additional traffic information from the traffic database; retrieve additional information related to a new location and availability of the consumable resource; calculate new fulfilment information based on the additional information related to the new location and availability of the consumable resource; and prepare new route guidance information if the new fulfilment information is different from the fulfilment information, the new route guidance information being based on the new fulfilment information and the additional traffic information.

“7. A method of operating a navigation system including a computer system in communication with at least one mobile computing device, the computer system being configured to perform the steps of: receiving traffic information from a traffic database; receiving location information from the mobile computing device; receiving a set of two or more personal consumption needs information from the mobile computing device, the set of personal consumption needs information being entered into the mobile computing device by a user of the mobile computing device and being descriptive of the user’s need for two or more types of consumable resources; retrieving supply information from at least two separate consumption databases, the supply information being descriptive of a location and amount available of each of two or more types of consumable resources that correspond to each of the two or more types of personal consumption needs; calculating present fulfilment information by comparing the set of personal consumption needs information to the supply information; calculating future fulfilment information by comparing the present fulfilment information with the traffic information to determine a draw-down rate over time at which each of the two or more of types of consumable resources will be used up, so as to predict availability of each of the two or more consumable resources at a future time; preparing route guidance information based on the traffic information, the present fulfilment information, and the future fulfilment information such that the route guidance information is automatically determined so as to allow the user to fulfil each of the two or more personal consumption needs by travelling to the location of each of the two or more consumable resources at the future time calculated in the future fulfillment information; receiving a ranking of two or more consumption needs from the mobile computing device, the ranking having been inputted into the mobile computing device by the user, wherein the route guidance information is further prepared based on the ranking, such that the route guidance information prioritizes fulfilment of higher priority needs even if lower priority needs cannot also be fulfilled along a certain travel route described by the route guidance information; and sending the route guidance information, and future fulfilment information, to the mobile computing device.

“8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of preparing the route guidance information includes performing an optimization calculation that seeks to both: minimize travel time, based on the traffic information; and fulfil the personal consumption needs of the user, based on the present fulfilment information and future fulfilment information.

“9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least two separate consumption databases each contain information that is selected from the group consisting of: highway rest stops and toileting facilities; automobile gasoline stations; hotel lodging; hospitals and other medical facilities; commercial stores; public wi-fi and other high-speed internet access points; and pet related food and medical needs.

“10. The method of claim 7, wherein the navigation system is further configured to perform the steps of: determining whether the route guidance information prepared at a first time is still valid at a second later time; by comparing traffic information, location information, and supply information received at the first time with traffic information, location information, and supply information received at the second time; and communicating a new set of route guidance information, present fulfilment information, or future fulfilment information if any change in the route guidance information, present fulfilment information, or future fulfilment information is calculated at the second time.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Smith, Arthur Quentin. Navigational system for meeting real-time user needs. U.S. Patent Number 11530929, filed October 8, 2019, and published online on December 20, 2022. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11530929)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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