Patents by Inventor Vinodh K. Swaminathan

Vinodh K. Swaminathan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8055534
    Abstract: Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are provided for charging travel fees or awarding benefits as a function of vehicle occupancy. Variable travel fee schedules include a plurality of different rate values, each rate value associated with ride-sharing service points of a vehicle infrastructure and vehicle occupancy counts. Occupants within a vehicle traveling via a vehicle infrastructure are counted, the counting generating discrete occupant counts correlated with the ride-sharing service points. Subsets of variable travel fee schedule rate values are selected as a function of association with discrete occupant counts and correlated ride-sharing service points. Owners, occupants or other parties associated with the vehicle are accordingly charged a travel fee or awarded a benefit as a function of the rate value subset and an amount of the vehicle traveling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Duncan Ashby, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Naveen Lamba, Colin Fung Wan Lim, James W. Seaman, Vinodh K. Swaminathan
  • Patent number: 7969325
    Abstract: Variable thoroughfare toll rates are applied in anticipation of an event impacting traffic flow. An event occurrence is identified and determined to cause a change in a normal traffic flow amount on an impacted section of a thoroughfare. A traveler is notified of the impacted section of the thoroughfare in association with an impacted section-choice toll rate, a bypass choice in association with a bypass-choice toll rate, and a future time period duration for an application of the bypass-choice and impacted section-choice rates. A notified traveler is charged a toll for using the thoroughfare as a function of the bypass-choice rate in response to choosing to travel upon the presented bypass choice, or as a function of an impacted section-choice toll rate in response choosing to travel upon the presented impacted section choice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rick A. Hamilton, II, Naveen Lamba, Colin Fung Wan Lim, Benjamin G. Morris, James W. Seaman, Vinodh K. Swaminathan
  • Publication number: 20100156670
    Abstract: Variable thoroughfare toll rates are applied in anticipation of an event impacting traffic flow. An event occurrence is identified and determined to cause a change in a normal traffic flow amount on an impacted section of a thoroughfare. A traveler is notified of the impacted section of the thoroughfare in association with an impacted section-choice toll rate, a bypass choice in association with a bypass-choice toll rate, and a future time period duration for an application of the bypass-choice and impacted section-choice rates. A notified traveler is charged a toll for using the thoroughfare as a function of the bypass-choice rate in response to choosing to travel upon the presented bypass choice, or as a function of an impacted section-choice toll rate in response choosing to travel upon the presented impacted section choice.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rick A. Hamilton, II, Naveen Lamba, Colin Fung Wan Lim, Benjamin G. Morris, James W. Seaman, Vinodh K. Swaminathan
  • Publication number: 20100161392
    Abstract: Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are provided for charging travel fees or awarding benefits as a function of vehicle occupancy. Variable travel fee schedules include a plurality of different rate values, each rate value associated with ride-sharing service points of a vehicle infrastructure and vehicle occupancy counts. Occupants within a vehicle traveling via a vehicle infrastructure are counted, the counting generating discrete occupant counts correlated with the ride-sharing service points. Subsets of variable travel fee schedule rate values are selected as a function of association with discrete occupant counts and correlated ride-sharing service points. Owners, occupants or other parties associated with the vehicle are accordingly charged a travel fee or awarded a benefit as a function of the rate value subset and an amount of the vehicle traveling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Duncan Ashby, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Naveen Lamba, Colin Fung Wan Lim, James W. Seaman, Vinodh K Swaminathan
  • Publication number: 20100153193
    Abstract: A system and method are responsive to actual or anticipated weather changes that are likely to have an adverse effect on roadway driving conditions in a given vehicle use area. Based on the anticipated severity of the weather condition, transport-related road and/or parking tolls and fees are increased in order to discourage unnecessary vehicle travel. Using a communication system such as a transponder network, changes in the tolls and fees can be transmitted to toll collection agencies, public parking facilities and other governmental and private enterprises responsible for the collection of vehicle transport fees. Rate change information and details of weather changes can also be transmitted to vehicles likely to be affected by the adverse condition and the consequent change in these fees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Corporation
    Inventors: Duncan Ashby, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Naveen Lamba, James W. Seaman, Vinodh K. Swaminathan