Apple looking to improve GPS route-planning estimates

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
A new patent application from Apple suggests the company could be working on proprietary global positioning system software that would calculate road trip times and recommend routes, based on real-time data collected from numerous users, and uploaded to a centralized server.



In the recently revealed U.S. patent filing, Apple describes a system for obtaining drivers' personal travel data and using it to estimate driving times. Such a system could take into account speed, time of day, location, driving patterns, season, route type and features, traffic information, road conditions and location data.



Originally filed for in 2008, the patent could save drive times and other data on the local system, and also upload it to a centralized database where the data would be shared with others.



"These features provide customized travel time estimates that take into account a user's driving habits, the characteristics of the vehicle being navigated, road conditions, seasonal conditions, traffic congestion and other factors," the patent application reads, "which cannot be accounted for by conventional statistical calculations based on data samples obtained from a test vehicle or device traveling the route."



The described system would take into consideration a plethora of factors, like stoplights and railroad crossings, and store the data on a server, time-stamped and indexed for easy access.



"The average speeds and/or average travel times for a particular route segment can be collected over a period of time," the document reads, "to provide a historical view of how the average speeds and/or travel times change for different seasons, days of the week, times of day, etc."







Since the iPhone 3G added GPS capabilities, the iPhone platform has become a viable option for those looking for map assistance. Some developers, such as AT&T and Navigon, have developed their own software to take advantage of the phone's hardware.



In June, AT&T released its GPS software solution. Developed by TeleNav and branded as AT&T Navigator, the free application requires a $9.95 monthly service subscription.



Also in June, Navigon released its own MobileNavigator for European residents. The software fetches £54.99 and includes built-in 2D and 3D maps of Europe, allowing it to function without a wireless connection.



Both are bound to face off against an upcoming offering from GPS device maker TomTom, the software for which is being developed with the help of Apple engineers. It will be sold alongside a TomTom car kit accessory, which enhances the iPhone's GPS signal through its dock connector thanks to third-party accessory support built into the iPhone SDK 3.0.



It is unclear whether a potential Apple GPS system would work in tandem with or compete against any of those systems.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    skaagskaag Posts: 9member
    Waze.co.il has already been doing this for a while, I wonder how they can apply for a patent when there's prior art?



    The way this works in Waze is that while the app is running, location data is sent to a central server, which calculates speed. It can even tell when a specific route is congested, just by the sheer number of vehicles driving very slowly. It takes this into account while it calculates an alternative route. I've been enjoying this for almost a year now! :-)
  • Reply 2 of 30
    Not to mention Tomtom's Live Traffic and Dash Navigation's Driver Network (now owned by RIM).
  • Reply 3 of 30
    jpellinojpellino Posts: 697member
    I wish in-car GPS had not only a "fastest" and "shortest" button but also a "safest". After a week in a major metro area using one, it often produced a route that no local would choose to take given an alternate, literally going through the worst crime-ridden parts of a city. I know what parts of familiar cities to avoid - we all do. Shouldn't the GPS know the same? This is a lawsuit (maybe not a very good one) waiting to happen - when someone gets car-jacked on a route determined by Garmin or TomTom or Apple.
  • Reply 4 of 30
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Things that appear to be similar can be very different in implementation. It's not the outward functions that always matter, but how they are done.You know the expression "There are ten ways to skin a cat."?



    Well, they are all patentable.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    I wish in-car GPS had not only a "fastest" and "shortest" button but also a "safest". After a week in a major metro area using one, it often produced a route that no local would choose to take given an alternate, literally going through the worst crime-ridden parts of a city. I know what parts of familiar cities to avoid - we all do. Shouldn't the GPS know the same? This is a lawsuit (maybe not a very good one) waiting to happen - when someone gets car-jacked on a route determined by Garmin or TomTom or Apple.



    I would doubt that's easily done. There would have to be millions of bits of information for that.



    And then communities would sue over being called dangerous. Sometimes this is in the eye of the beholder. Who decides what is dangerous? What standards are applied? Who makes up those standards? How were those people selected? How often do they update the data and conclusions? What about the many errors that will be made? Who is liable for it? Who pays for all of that?
  • Reply 6 of 30
    floccusfloccus Posts: 138member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    I wish in-car GPS had not only a "fastest" and "shortest" button but also a "safest". After a week in a major metro area using one, it often produced a route that no local would choose to take given an alternate, literally going through the worst crime-ridden parts of a city. I know what parts of familiar cities to avoid - we all do. Shouldn't the GPS know the same? This is a lawsuit (maybe not a very good one) waiting to happen - when someone gets car-jacked on a route determined by Garmin or TomTom or Apple.



    And then Apple and any other company that tried that would immediately get sued for being racist for avoiding low-income areas that have large minority populations where crime is unfortunately higher than in the WASPy areas. Besides, if the area doesn't feel safe, then don't go that way, nearly all GPS devices now recalculate your route if you deviate from the given course.



    As for the patent... Apple better seriously secure all that data, because that's a big brother law suit just waiting to happen. Even if you have to opt-in to submitting such data, having it possibly tied to a very unique set of identifiers is very disconcerting. If they do it right though, I hope they charge a decent fee so any developer can access that data. Just as long as it isn't used to improve non-iPhone navigation apps (unless Apple decides to charge a hefty license for such uses).
  • Reply 7 of 30
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    This is a lawsuit (maybe not a very good one) waiting to happen - when someone gets car-jacked on a route determined by Garmin or TomTom or Apple.



    And just think of the lawsuit that would happen if they did come out with this and some one got carjacked/shot while driving the "safest" route.
  • Reply 8 of 30
    icebikeicebike Posts: 14member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    I would doubt that's easily done. There would have to be millions of bits of information for that.



    And then communities would sue over being called dangerous. Sometimes this is in the eye of the beholder. Who decides what is dangerous? What standards are applied? Who makes up those standards? How were those people selected? How often do they update the data and conclusions? What about the many errors that will be made? Who is liable for it? Who pays for all of that?





    Actually this is done by some Garmins. All you have to do is create and store a route to some known safe place along the way, and it will route around trouble. Can also be used for avoiding construction.



    I wish they would just allow you to touch a part of the route and have a VETO button to block that segment.
  • Reply 9 of 30
    kt0157kt0157 Posts: 5member
    The industry even has a term for this. It's called "Floating Car Data" (Google it).



    The new TomTom products include "IQ routes" which does exactly what's claimed.



    Of course, nothing stops anyone from applying for a patent on something that already exists. What's supposed to stop it being granted is the patent examiner. In the US, the examiner does nothing and leaves it to the courts to slug it out. In the district of East Texas, usually.
  • Reply 10 of 30
    ctmike78ctmike78 Posts: 22member
    Thanks Hailstorm, I had already forgotten the Dash name... But this is exactly what their platform aspired to be. Apple actually has the sufficient installed base to make it work though. (And so does RIM, for that matter, now that it owns Dash)
  • Reply 11 of 30
    eric42eric42 Posts: 5member
    I'd be interested in reading the actual filing to see if anything differentiates it from existing technology. Anyone have the patent number? I tried doing a search but couldn't find it.



    Thanks.
  • Reply 12 of 30
    coffeetimecoffeetime Posts: 116member
    What we need is to merge turn-by-turn GPS with such iPhone apps as Trapster. That would be truly useful - real-time speed trap and photo-enforced-stoplight alerts while you drive.
  • Reply 13 of 30
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by icebike View Post


    Actually this is done by some Garmins. All you have to do is create and store a route to some known safe place along the way, and it will route around trouble. Can also be used for avoiding construction.



    I wish they would just allow you to touch a part of the route and have a VETO button to block that segment.



    That's different. The various authorities publish that info for drivers, just the way the NYC Transit Authority publishes advisories about train and bus service.



    You're actually saying that Garmin determines which neighborhoods are safe and which are dangerous, meaning crime? I haven't heard of that one. If so, that feature is a well kept secret.
  • Reply 14 of 30
    ctmike78ctmike78 Posts: 22member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eric42 View Post


    I'd be interested in reading the actual filing to see if anything differentiates it from existing technology. Anyone have the patent number? I tried doing a search but couldn't find it.



    Thanks.



    Think I found it here :



    http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...RS=20090005964
  • Reply 15 of 30
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ctmike78 View Post


    Think I found it here :



    http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...RS=20090005964



    I looked at it briefly. It's pretty specific.



    But we need to have all the patents from all other companies who produce products that claim to do anything like this, in whole, or in part.



    I'm not asking you to get all that. It would take a patent attorney days or more.
  • Reply 16 of 30
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    I wish in-car GPS had not only a "fastest" and "shortest" button but also a "safest". After a week in a major metro area using one, it often produced a route that no local would choose to take given an alternate, literally going through the worst crime-ridden parts of a city. I know what parts of familiar cities to avoid - we all do. Shouldn't the GPS know the same? This is a lawsuit (maybe not a very good one) waiting to happen - when someone gets car-jacked on a route determined by Garmin or TomTom or Apple.



    That would be the most frivolous lawsuit and waste of court time ever.



    Look, I am gearing up for a MS in geography but what ever happened to knowing where the hell you were going, I mean at last having an idea? If you're in a city, you figure out where not to go. I mean come on. You don't just cruise around in cities. You find out what's up first. Unless, of course, you want to be carjacked. I guess you'll think about that detour through Newark or Dorchester or whatever next time! Plus like someone said, define" safe". It's different for everyone.
  • Reply 17 of 30
    Yawnnnnn...........
  • Reply 18 of 30
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sofabutt View Post


    Yawnnnnn...........



    Yawn all you like. I'd love the ability for people to be able to "tag" where cops are sitting on the interstate using GPS and/or mile markers. That way fellow iPhone users... get a push notification if and when they're approaching an officer.



    Yeah... where's the app for that? Developer community??
  • Reply 19 of 30
    oc4theooc4theo Posts: 294member
    Sounds helpful, may be everywhere, definitely not in LA. The traffic here is so unpredictable, that not even a super-computer can calculate and predict time of travel.



    But then again, if Apple makes it, we will buy it. Yes, we always buy Apple,even when we don't need it. Who cares about need?
  • Reply 20 of 30
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OC4Theo View Post


    Sounds helpful, may be everywhere, definitely not in LA. The traffic here is so unpredictable, that not even a super-computer can calculate and predict time of travel.



    But then again, if Apple makes it, we will buy it. Yes, we always buy Apple,even when we don't need it. Who cares about need?



    My wife.
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