Base station apparatus and method for monitoring travel of a mobile vehicle
DC
First Claim
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1. A method of doing business to be implemented by a telephone company for its telephone subscribers, comprising the steps of:
- (a) offering for sale an advance notification service to the telephone subscribers for a subscription fee, the advance notification service for causing a subscriber telephone interface associated with a subscriber to be contacted prior to arrival of a mobile vehicle at a predetermined location;
(b) providing a computer-based apparatus associated with the telephone company, said computer-based apparatus comprising a communications device and a processor electrically connected to said communications device, said processor programmed to perform the following steps;
(1) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on said vehicle using said communications device, said vehicle computer-based apparatus configured to determine locations of said vehicle as said vehicle travels; and
(2) transmitting a notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location; and
(c) billing said subscription fee in a telephone bill to one of said telephone subscribers that subscribe to said advance notification service;
(d) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels using said computer-based apparatus of said telephone company; and
(e) transmitting said notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location.
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Abstract
An automated computer-based apparatus includes a communications device and a base station manager located at a base station. The base station manager tracks locations of a vehicle traveling along a predetermined route by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on the vehicle. The vehicle computer-based apparatus determines the current location of the vehicle as the vehicle travels and transmits information pertaining to the vehicle'"'"'s location to the base station manager via the communications device. The base station manager determines when the vehicle is a predefined proximity relative to a predetermined location and transmits a notification message to a user so that the user is notified in advance of an impending arrival of the vehicle at the predetermined location. The predefined proximity can be a predefined time that the vehicle is from the predetermined location, can a predetermined distance from the predetermined location, or can be a specific location on earth.
268 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of doing business to be implemented by a telephone company for its telephone subscribers, comprising the steps of:
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(a) offering for sale an advance notification service to the telephone subscribers for a subscription fee, the advance notification service for causing a subscriber telephone interface associated with a subscriber to be contacted prior to arrival of a mobile vehicle at a predetermined location;
(b) providing a computer-based apparatus associated with the telephone company, said computer-based apparatus comprising a communications device and a processor electrically connected to said communications device, said processor programmed to perform the following steps;
(1) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on said vehicle using said communications device, said vehicle computer-based apparatus configured to determine locations of said vehicle as said vehicle travels; and
(2) transmitting a notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location; and
(c) billing said subscription fee in a telephone bill to one of said telephone subscribers that subscribe to said advance notification service;
(d) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels using said computer-based apparatus of said telephone company; and
(e) transmitting said notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
(3) storing location values corresponding with said locations before performing said tracking step;
(4) determining whether said mobile vehicle is off schedule; and
(5) transmitting a notification message to said subscriber telephone interface in response to a determination that said mobile vehicle is off schedule so that said subscriber is notified that said mobile vehicle is off schedule.
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3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of causing said subscriber telephone interface to exhibit a distinctive ring when called by said communications device.
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4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
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enabling said subscriber to call said telephone company to specify an advance notification parameter, said notification parameter being a time period, a distance, or a location; and
causing said communications device to call said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle meets said advance notification parameter as said vehicle approaches said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location.
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5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
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enabling said subscriber to call said telephone company to obtain a status report; and
indicating in said status report a current location of said vehicle to said subscriber.
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6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
communicating with said vehicle computer-based apparatus over a cellular control channel that utilizes a feature request function.
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7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
communicating with said vehicle computer-based apparatus over a cellular control channel that utilizes the electronic serial number (ESN).
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8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
communicating with said vehicle computer-based apparatus over a cellular control channel that utilizes the mobile identification number (MIN).
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9. The method of claim 1, wherein said communications device is connected via a land-line connection to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
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10. A computer-based apparatus for notifying users in advance of the impending arrival of a mobile vehicle at a predetermined location, comprising:
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(a) a plurality of communications devices; and
(b) a processor electrically connected to said communications devices, said processor programmed to performing the following steps;
(1) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on said vehicle using at least one of said communications devices, said vehicle computer-based apparatus configured to determine locations of said vehicle as said vehicle travels;
(2) causing one of said communications devices to call a user communications interface when said vehicle is a predefined proximity relative to said predetermined location, so that said user is notified in advance of an impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location, said predefined proximity being a predefined time period, a predefined distance, or a specific location on earth;
(3) assuming that said vehicle is on schedule, unless an indication otherwise is received from said vehicle computer-based apparatus, by transmitting a notification signal to said user when said vehicle is believed to be at said predefined proximity, without receiving information from said vehicle computer-based apparatus that indicates that said vehicle is at said predefined proximity; and
(4) modifying a time when said user communications interface is called by said communications device when said processor receives notice from said vehicle computer-based apparatus that said vehicle is off schedule.
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11. An apparatus for use in connection with an advance notification system, the advanced notification system for providing notice to a party of an impending arrival of a mobile vehicle at a stop along a predetermined route, comprising:
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a communications device;
a base station manager electrically coupled to said communications device, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said mobile vehicle based on a status message transmitted from said mobile vehicle and received by said communications device, said base station manager configured to automatically transmit a notification to said party in response to a determination that said mobile vehicle is a predetermined proximity from said stop, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said vehicle based on said predefined schedule, said base station manager being remotely located from said party; and
a storage device for storing a predefined schedule, said predefined schedule defining locations along said predetermined route and indicating when said vehicle is scheduled to pass each said location defined in said predefined schedule. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification
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Litigation Data
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Current AssigneeShipping & Transit, LLC
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Original AssigneeArrivalstar SA
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InventorsJones, Martin Kelly
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Primary Examiner(s)SWARTHOUT, BRENT
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Application NumberUS09/395,501Time in Patent Office1,169 DaysField of Search340/994, 340/992, 340/993, 340/988, 340/989, 455/411, 455/456, 701/200, 701/208, 701/209, 701/300, 701/213, 701/210US Class Current340/994CPC Class CodesG06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing...G08G 1/123 indicating the position of ...G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of ...
