APPLICATION-BASED COMMERCIAL GROUND TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
A management system for a Permitting Authority (PA) or its appointed designee to monitor and track application-based commercial ground transportation (ABCT) Provider activity through the ABCT-Driver's mobile device, the ABCT-Provider's app, the ABCT-Provider's computer systems, and the PA's electronically-enabled geo-fence, all without the need for specialized hardware such as transponders or other tracking equipment. Each mobile communication device associated with an ABCT-Vehicle continually transmits information to an ABCT-Provider Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) System associated with an ABCT-Provider when an application on the mobile communication device is active. The information transmitted by the mobile communication device enables the ABCT-Provider ICT System to identify and monitor the ABCT-Driver's identity, the vehicle information, the geographic locus, and/or the ABCT-Vehicle's activity data.
A new mode of online enabled application-based commercial ground transportation (ABCT) has necessitated a new process for airports or other geographically-defined authorities, or “Permitting Authorities” (PA), to manage such transportation activity.
Commercial transportation plays an important role in carrying passengers to and from airports. Commercial transportation includes taxicabs, limousines, busses, and shuttle vans. Commercial transportation also includes ABCT—online enabled application-based platforms used to connect passengers with drivers using their commercial or personal non-commercial vehicles. ABCT-Providers include what is known in the State of California as Transportation Network Companies (TNCs). Commercial transportation to and from airports is a lucrative business, with drivers typically earning their highest fares overall on trips to and from airports.
State and local governments regulate the various modes of commercial transportation on public roads, whereas airports regulate their own roadways and commercial activity on their property. Airports must maintain a safe and efficient use of their roadways for the traveling public. Airports must also, as required by federal law, be self sustaining. Airports, therefore, typically issue Permits, leases, or other transactional instruments to commercial ground transportation providers and charge periodic fees, per-trip fees, or other charges to cover the costs to maintain and regulate their roadways.
Traditionally, airports and other PAs have monitored, charged, and managed commercial transportation providers and vehicles through manual systems or permanently-affixed transponder devices to track the movements of vehicles on airport roadways. ABCT has presented a new challenge for airports and other PAs because to place a transponder or other permanent tracking device in a vehicle that is not always used for commercial transportation would be impracticable. It may also be regarded as restrictive by drivers whose private trips to an airport maybe tracked by the transponder readers.
What is needed in the art is a way to regulate ABCT-Provider activities within a PA such as an airport. Specifically, PAs need a management system to monitor and track ABCT-Vehicles through a mobile communication device without the need for specialized hardware such as transponders and/or other tracking equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is related to a management system for a Permitting Authority or its appointed designee to monitor and track ABCT-Provider activity through the ABCT-Driver's mobile device, the ABCT-Provider's application (“app”), the ABCT-Provider's computer systems, and the PA's electronically-enabled geographic coordinates (“geo-fence”), all without the need for specialized hardware such as transponders or other tracking equipment. Each mobile communication device associated with an ABCT-Vehicle continually transmits information to an ABCT-Provider Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) System when an application on the mobile communication device is active. The information transmitted by the mobile communication device enables the ABCT-Provider ICT System to identify the ABCT-Driver's identity, the vehicle information, the geographic locus, and/or the ABCT-Vehicle's activity data.
Based on the data received from the mobile communication device, the ABCT-Provider ICT System determines if the mobile communication device is within a predefined geo-fenced perimeter. If the mobile communication device is within the geo-fenced perimeter, the ABCT-Provider ICT System generates a message comprising at least one unique code and transmits the message to a PA ICT System associated with a PA. The unique code includes at least one driver ID and at least one ABCT customer trip transaction code. The PA ICT System generates a report containing the unique code and a vehicle ID and transmits the report to a compliance officer. The PA ICT System may also, in some embodiments, transmit the message to a PA financial server, wherein the PA financial server generates an invoice for each ABCT-Provider activity taking place within the geo-fence.
The present invention discloses systems and methods for a PA to manage the activities of an ABCT-Provider.
OVERVIEWAn ABCT-Provider is a company that uses an online-enabled platform to connect passengers with ABCT-Drivers who are using their commercial or personal, non-commercial, vehicles to transport passengers. The ABCT-Drivers communicate with ABCT-Providers and passengers via mobile communication devices, such as a smart phone.
Each mobile communication device associates an ABCT-Driver with an ABCT-Vehicle and an ABCT-Provider though the use of an app within the ABCT-Driver's communication device. The ABCT-Driver's app communicates with the ABCT-Provider's ICT System. When active, the application within the ABCT-Driver's mobile communications device transmits the geographic location of the ABCT-Vehicle at regular intervals to the ABCT-Provider. The ABCT-Provider uses this information to show ABCT customers the location of nearby ABCT-Vehicles.
The ABCT-Provider uses the most recent geographic coordinates of the mobile communication device to determine whether the mobile communication device is inside a PA's geo-fence. The geo-fence may comprise one or more polygons whose vertices are geographic coordinates based on a standard coordinates system for the Earth such as WGS84. The ABCT-Provider ICT System transmits to the PA ICT System associated with the geo-fence an information message at regular intervals throughout the time that the ABCT-Vehicle is within the PA's geo-fence. The use of multiple geo-fence polygons provides the PA the ability to monitor and manage the movement of ABCT-Vehicles within the PA's property.
The PA ICT System receives the information messages from ABCT ICT System, which specifies ABCT-Provider activities on the PA's property. The PA ICT System stores the ABCT-Provider information messages. There are at least 5 different types of information message. The message type is identified within the body of each message:
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- 1. PR—a Presence information message signifies the vehicle is within a geo-fence.
- 2. EN—an Entry information message is transmitted once on geo-fence entry.
- 3. EX—an Exit information message is transmitted once on geo-fence exit.
- 4. DO—a Drop Off information message is transmitted once when an ABCT-Driver closes a transaction i.e. collects a fare, within the PA's geo-fence.
- 5. PU—a Pick Up information message is transmitted once when an ABCT-Driver initiates a transaction i.e. starts a trip, with an ABCT customer within the geo-fence.
Based on a predetermined set of business rules, a PA ICT System may generate a financial invoice for any of the activities listed above and performed by an ABCT-Provider within a geo-fenced perimeter.
In one embodiment, the active mobile communication device app transmits to an ABCT-Provider ICT System a unique code with the coordinates of the ABCT-Vehicle, which identifies to the ABCT-Provider ICT System, both the specific identity of the ABCT-Driver and the specific ABCT-Provider customer transaction.
The ABCT-Provider ICT System generates a message comprising the unique code, which ties both trip and driver, the ABCT ID, the message type, the vehicle identity, the date and time and the geographic coordinates to the PA ICT System. The PA Permit may specify the format of the message contents that ABCT-Providers are required to provide to the PA. The unique code allows the PA to both validate the ABCT-Driver's identity with the ABCT-Provider and authenticate the ABCT-Driver's trip at a curbside inspection.
The PA ICT System relays the vehicle identity and the ABCT-Provider's unique code to the PA's compliance officers who manage curbside enforcement of PA's ground transportation rules and regulations. The compliance officer can compare and verify the ABCT-Provider's unique code, provided by the ABCT-Provider's ICT System, with the code presented on the ABCT-Driver's communications device.
The PA ICT System also relays those information messages which trigger transaction charges to the PA's financial engine. The PA's financial engine collates individual ABCT-Provider transaction information, reconciles the information with a predetermined set of business rules for invoicing and issues invoices to the ABCT-Provider.
In another embodiment, a third party such as a national or regional clearinghouse may be used to manage transaction fee collection from ABCT-Providers because deploying app-based ground transportation management systems, as described above, in every PA can be costly and inefficient to PAs and ABCT-Providers. A PA provides geo-fence information to a third party which forwards those data to participating ABCT ICT Systems. The ABCT ICT Systems provide information messages to the third party ICT Systems relating to activities within the geo-fenced perimeter of a plurality of PAs. The third party aggregates all transaction data relating to specific ABCT-Providers and issues invoices to respective ABCT-Providers. The ABCT-Providers, in turn, provide transaction fee payments for the invoices to the third party.
DEFINITIONS“Mobile communication device”, as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to any electronic device capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data. A mobile communication device may have a processor, a memory, a transceiver, an input, and an output. Examples of such devices include cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, etc. The memory stores applications, software, or logic. Examples of processors are computer processors (processing units), microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers and microcontrollers, etc. Examples of device memories that may comprise logic include RAM (random access memory), flash memories, ROMS (read-only memories), EPROMS (erasable programmable read-only memories), and EEPROMS (electrically erasable programmable read-only memories). Mobile communications devices may be built into vehicles for the purpose of transmitting vehicle geo-locational and other data.
“Communication channel”, as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to a wireless network, a wireline network, or any network including a combination of wireless and wireline network elements. A communication channel can include broadband wide-area networks, local-area networks, and personal area networks. Communication across a communication channel is preferably packet-based; however, radio and frequency/amplitude modulations networks can enable communication between communication devices using appropriate analog-digital-analog converters and other elements. Examples of radio networks include cellular (GPRS, UMTS, TDMA, CDMA, etc.), Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH® networks, etc., with communication being enabled by hardware elements called “transceivers.” Some mobile communication devices may have more than one transceiver, capable of communicating over different networks. For example, a cellular telephone can include a GPRS transceiver for communicating with a cellular base station, a Wi-Fi transceiver for communicating with a Wi-Fi network, and a positioning satellite receiver for receiving a signal from a positioning satellite. A communication channel typically includes a plurality of elements that host logic for performing tasks on the telecommunication network. In modern packet-based wide-area networks, servers may be placed at several logical points on the telecommunication network. Servers may further be in communication with databases and can enable communication devices to access the contents of a database. A server can span several network elements, including other servers in the telecommunication network.
“Geo-fence”, as used herein and throughout this disclosure, refers to a virtual perimeter on a geographic area, as defined with standard geographic coordinates based on an standard coordinates system such as WGS84, defined by a Permitting Authority, a service provider, or a driver. A geo-fence is based on (Global Positioning Satellite) GPS coordinates defined on a specific coordinates system. A geo-fence can be any shape known in the art, such as for example, a polygon defined by four points. In a telecommunication network, a mobile communication device is location-aware in that it usually is capable of estimating its geo-location by communicating with local cell-sites and other network infrastructure. The mobile device can make its geo-location data available to applications running within the device. These applications can send/transmit these data to applications/systems elsewhere. The mobile communication device may respond with a notification, an application, or interaction with connected hardware such as a smart vehicle. For instance, geo-fences may be used to notify parents of children leaving designated areas, shut down a vehicle before entering a restricted area, etc.
An “activity” as used herein and throughout this disclosure, includes being within a geo-fence, entering a geo-fenced perimeter, exiting a geo-fenced perimeter, performing a pick-up service within a geo-fenced perimeter or performing a drop-off service within a geo-fenced perimeter.
The ABCT ICT System 100 comprises at least a geo-fence database 104, a driver account database 106 and an activity log database 108.
The geo-fence database 104 stores a plurality of geo-fences. Each geo-fence defines a perimeter, entry to which is monitored and controlled by a PA, and inside of which an ABCT-Provider pays a fee for conducting business. In one embodiment, a plurality of geo-fences can define a perimeter which is monitored and controlled by a PA.
The driver account database 106 stores a plurality of driver account information, which may include a unique ID associated with the driver, driver's name, driver's social security number, and driver's license number. Each driver account is linked to at least one mobile communication device and at least one vehicle. In one embodiment, the driver account database 106 can be invoked to determine which driver is conducting business within the geo-fence perimeter.
The activity log database 108 stores a log of the location of the ABCT-Vehicle. In one embodiment, each activity performed by a driver may also be stored in the activity log database. Such activities may include: presence within a geo-fence, entry into the geo-fenced perimeter, exit out of the geo-fenced perimeter, a pick-up activity and a drop-off activity.
Each element in
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the ABCT ICT System 100 receives a plurality of location information from each mobile communication device 120. The location information is sent from each mobile communication device on a periodic basis. For example, a mobile communication device may send location information to the ABCT-Provider ICT System every 5 seconds. In one embodiment, activity information is also sent along with the location information. The location information, information associated with the mobile communication device, and/or the activity information is stored in the activity log database 108.
The location information is determined at a GPS chip on mobile communication device 120, by methods known in the art, such as performing a signal strength triangulation from antennas nearby mobile communication device 120. Logical elements on network such as an LCS client, a GMLC server, SUPL server, are not shown, but can be used to determine a precise location of device 120, by methods known in the art. PAs may provide local Wi-Fi services to enhance the accuracy of the geo-location data.
As each location information is received by the ABCT ICT System 100, the monitoring logic means 102 determines if the location of the mobile communication device is within a predefined geo-fenced area. To that end, the monitoring logic means 102 references the stored geo-fence coordinates stored in the geo-fence database 104 and compares them to the location information received by each mobile communication device.
A messaging module 112 of the ABCT ICT System 100 generates a message, in real-time, once the monitoring logic module 102 determines that the location of a mobile communication device is within a geo-fence. According to an embodiment, the message comprises a header including a driver ID, trip ID, ABCT ID, vehicle license plate ID, activity time stamp, activity data, number of users using the ABCT service associated with the activity data, and geographic locus associated with the mobile communication device within the geo-fence. To generate the message, the messaging module 112 may access the geo-fence database 104, the driver account database 106 and/or the activity log database in 108 in order to generate the message. In an embodiment, the message format is provided in a format that adheres to the format defined in a PA Permit.
In one embodiment, the messaging module uses the HTTPS protocol to POST data associated with a permitted activity. The activity data may be posted to a URL with the following URL encoding employed: https://216.9.96.29:8443/ABCT/services/audit?uid=“<value>”&ABCT_id=“<value>”&licence_plate=“<value>”×tamp=“<value>”&txn_type=“<value>”&ride_count=“<value>”&lon=“<value>”&lat=“<value>”.
The ABCT monitoring server 100 transmits the message, in real-time, to a PA ICT System 114 for monitoring activities of the drivers associated with the mobile communication device and for billing via a communication connection 111. The PA ICT System 114, in turn, generates an invoice for all the fees associated with the activities provided by the ABCT-Provider within the geo-fenced perimeter, and provides it to the ABCT-Provider for payment.
In another embodiment, the ABCT ICT System 100 transmits the message, in real-time, to a third party such as a national or regional clearinghouse, for invoicing. The third party, in turn, generates an invoice for all the ABCT-Provider permitted activities occurring within the geo-fence perimeter by the ABCT-Driver.
The PA ICT System 200 includes a data storage means 204 operatively connected to an analytic engine 210. Other components of the PA ICT System 201 may include a real-time map module 206, a compliance manager module 207, a management dashboard module 208, and a reconciliation report module 209. Each module may generate queries that involve retrieving data from the data storage 204 or may automatically receive specified data from the data storage 204.
The PA ICT System 200 also includes a network interface 211 enabling each of a plurality of ABCT-Providers 202 to communicate with the PA ICT System 200 through a communication connection known in the art. Each time an ABCT-Provider 202 transmits a message to the PA ICT System 200, via the network interface 211, the messages may be stored in the data storage means 204. In one embodiment, the messages are logged. In another embodiment, data from the messages is extracted and segregated into functional areas for analytic purposes. For example, data identifying the ABCT-Vehicle and the activity may be collected and stored as tables that the PA ICT System 200 maintains to describe each ABCT-Provider 202 activity within the geo-fenced area.
The real-time map module 206 may automatically receive data relating to the location of an ABCT-Driver each time a message is received by the PA ICT System 200. In one embodiment, each time a message is received from an ABCT-Provider 202 and stored in the data storage means 204, the license plate, longitude and latitude information contained in the message is transmitted to the real-time map module 206. In a preferred embodiment, the real-time map module 206 has a map of the geo-fence perimeter and is overlaid with icons representing the real-time location of the ABCT-Drivers. The real-time map module 206 updates a map with the received information. In one embodiment, the icons are color coded based on which ABCT-Provider 202 they are associated with. Additionally, a user may be able to click or select the icon, such that additional information is displayed, such as driver ID, license plate number, or an associated ABCT-Provider.
The compliance module 207 may generate a report comprising the transaction history of all ABCT-Provide r202 activities within a geo-fenced perimeter. The report may be generated in real-time, and may also comprise transaction history of ABCT-Provider 202 activity within a specified time period. For example, the report may include transaction histories of ABCT-Provider 202 activities within the last hour or within the last day. In one embodiment, the report may include the date and time range each ABCT-Provider 202 vehicle has been within the geo-fenced perimeter, the ABCT ID, the license plate number of the ABCT-Vehicle, and the activity the ABCT-Vehicle is engaged in. For example, one entry in the report may indicate the following information for a vehicle associated with the ABCT-Provider 202 that was in the geo-fenced perimeter: the vehicle was in the geo-fenced perimeter for 20 minutes, has dropped off a passenger, the vehicle's license plate number being, for example, SDXZ268, and the ABCT-Provider name.
In one embodiment, the compliance module 207, via the analytic engine 210, may compare the information contained in each message with a set of business rules to determine ABCT-Provider violations. For example, the compliance module may determine that an ABCT-Vehicle has been within a geo-fenced perimeter for more than an allotted time period as specified by a set of business rules. This information may be transmitted, in real time, to a mobile communication device associated with a compliance officer.
In another embodiment, the compliance module 207, via the analytic engine 210, may, for each incoming message from the plurality of ABCT-Providers, transmit the ABCT-Vehicle identity associated with the incoming message and the ABCT-Provider unique code to a mobile communication device associated with a compliance officer.
The report generated by the compliance module 207 may be transmitted and displayed on a computing device, such as a smart phone, laptop or computer. The display may comprise dynamic list views and detail pages. The list view may comprise of various combinations of information included in the messages received by the ABCT-Providers. For example, the list view may include the time the mobile communication device entered the geo-fence, the duration of time in the geo-fence, the license plate number associated with the mobile communication device, and the ABCT-Provider. The list may be updated or a particular field in a list may be updated. In one embodiment, a system user can select to subscribe to updates of fields in data records, thereby ensuring that the user receives only the updates that the user selected to receive and when the user selects to view the updates.
In a preferred embodiment, the compliance module 207 will send the report to an application on a mobile computing device associated with compliance manager. The report may be in the form of a GUI, wherein the compliance manager may interact with the information contained in the report, as illustrated in
Each list within the GUI display may some of the following information: ABCT Name; License Plate; Ride Count; Time on PA property; Customer Transaction Type; and Time of Last Message. This information may be extracted by the analytic engine 210 from each message received by the PA ICT System 200 from each ABCT-Provider 202 and transmitted to the compliance module 207 to generate or update a report. In one embodiment, the report is a virtual list view in a web application that is dynamically updated such that a compliance manager can seamlessly access and manage the presented information.
The GUI displaying the report may provide functionality to query each report for specific information contained in the report, as illustrated in
The GUI display also provides a view of a list of ABCT-Vehicles currently reported to be on PA property. The officer can use this information to identify ABCT-Vehicles that are operating without proper visual identifiers (ABCT-Provider trade dress and placard), which may be a potential violation of a set of business rules associated with the ABCT-Provider's operating permit.
The GUI display provides a view of a list of ABCT-Vehicles that are on PA property and that have exceeded the allowable dwell time. The officer may use this information to identify ABCT-Vehicles that are staging at the PA property which may be a potential violation of a set of business rules associated with the ABCT-Provider's operating permit.
The GUI display provides a view the transaction history of a specific ABCT-Vehicle. The officer can use this information to identify potential violations. For example, recurring entry and exit transactions without associated pick-up or drop-off transactions by an ABCT-Vehicle may indicate recirculation on PA roadways which may be a potential violation of a set of business rules associated with the ABCT-Provider's operating permit.
Each potential violation of a set of business rules associated with the ABCT-Provider's operating permit, may be highlighted in the report using a warning color scheme, as illustrated in
The PA ICT System 200 may also transmit to the mobile computing device associated with compliance manager the map generated by the real-time map module. The map may display the real-time locations of all ABCT-Vehicles and/or ABCT-Provider transactions within geo-fence perimeter. Such feature will allow the compliance managers to quickly locate ABCT-Vehicles during operations.
The management dashboard module 208 may access data from the data storage 204 to generate a report summarizing of all ABCT activity for a given time period for each ABCT-Provider 202. For example, the report may indicate the number of entries, exits, pickups and drop-offs performed by each of the ABCT-Providers during a specified time period. The generated report may be displayed on a computing device. The information may be displayed in various formats, including but not limited to graphs, tables, logs, and the like, as illustrated in
The reconciliation report module 209 may generate a query for all the activity data of the drivers associated with an ABCT-Provider 202 during a specified time period and create a reconciliation report, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, an invoice module 214 may generate a query for activity data associated with services provided within the perimeter of the geo-fence for all drivers associated with an ABCT-Provider 202 during a specified time period. For example, the invoice module 214 may query the data storage 204 for all passenger pick-up services and drop-off services rendered within a PA geo-fence provided by ABCT-Provider for the month of January. The invoice module 214 will then generate an invoice for the fees associated with services rendered within the perimeter of the geo-fence based on a set of business rules as described in the PA's Permit. The PA ICT System 200 may then transmit the invoice to the ABCT-Provider 202.
In another embodiment, a financial system (not shown) may be operably connected to the PA ICT System 200. The financial server may access the data storage 204 to query the data stored for activities of an ABCT-Provider within a geo-fenced area during a particular time period. Based on a set of business rules stored on the financial server, the financial server may create an invoice for the ABCT-Provider.
Additionally, the PA ICT System 200 includes requisite software interfaces for different types of communication such as an email interface, short message service (SMS) interface, or a network interface. These are merely examples of the types of communication protocol interfaces (not shown) used by the PA ICT System 200 to communicate with various devices used by a compliance officer 212 and a ground transportation unit 213. Moreover, these interfaces can include various sub-components (not shown) such as message servers, protocol stacks, associated databases, and the like.
The PA ICT System 200 may also include a license plate recognition module 212. The license plate recognition module 212 is operatively connected to one or more cameras adapted to independently capture and recognize a license plate image. A camera includes a processor for managing image data and executing a license plate recognition program device. The license plate recognition program device includes a memory is included for storing the license plate recognition program and the license plate images taken by an image capture device of the camera. The license plate recognition module 212 may compare the license plate numbers captured by the camera with license plate ID's stored in the data storage 204.
In a preferred embodiment, the license plate recognition involves capturing photographic video or images of license plates, whereby they are processed by a series of algorithms that are able to provide an alpha numeric conversion of the captured license plate images into a text entry. There are seven primary algorithms that the software requires for identifying a license plate: plate localization, which is responsible for finding and isolating the plate on the picture; plate orientation and sizing, which compensates for the skew of the plate and adjusts the dimensions to the required size; normalization, which adjusts the brightness and contrast of the image; character segmentation which finds the individual characters on the plates; optical character recognition; and syntactical/geometrical analysis, which check characters and positions against country-specific rules.
The complexity of each of these algorithms determines the accuracy of the system. During the third phase (normalization), some systems use edge detection techniques to increase the picture difference between the letters and the plate backing. A median filter may also be used to reduce the visual noise on the image. In one embodiment, auxiliary data is also extracted from the at least one vehicle image, wherein the auxiliary data comprises information related to physical details of the vehicle.
As the license plate recognition system may also record time and location data in addition to license plate data, license plate image data, and image data of a vehicle. In one embodiment, the data may be collected over an extended period of time and stored for later searching. In another embodiment, the data may be correlated, indexed and/or categorized in the data storage. The collected data may be compared to various existing or other data, such as the messages transmitted to the PA server by the ABCT-Provider ICT System, and correlated and/or indexed to such data. That collected data may be processed, searched, and/or analyzed for a variety of purposes.
License plate recognition data may be correlated with ABCT provided data to verify ABCT-Provider message accuracy. The data may also be used to generate volumetric forecasts and other operational and management information. License plate recognition system may be able to obtain further information from an internal or external network about the vehicle based on the license plate number captured by the license plate recognition system. So, for example, the PA ICT System may be able to determine the make, model, and year of every ABCT vehicle within its geo-fenced area. Alternatively, the PA ICT System may also identify the owner of the car associated with the license plate if it was an ABCT driver and whether the registration fees are currently paid on the car, and a vast variety of other information.
License plate recognition system may also comprise various features, such as a timer to which keeps track of the length of time each vehicle passes two points of interest. If there is a time limit for which the ABCT-Vehicle cannot exceed, the system can send a red flag or warning to a compliance manager to indicate that the ABCT-Vehicle has overstated the time limit. The warning or red flag may be transmitted as a ping or message from the PA server to the mobile computing device application associated with the compliance manager. There are a great many other operations that can be performed by the PA ICT System, such as keeping daily logs of all vehicles that have entered or exited the perimeter of the geo-fenced area, which may be useful for law enforcement and other applications.
The PA ICT System, associated with the license plate recognition system, in one embodiment, may automatically generate violation citations for ABCT-Vehicles that have been circling the roadways of the PA for too long, or for cars that are no longer permitted by the ABCT-Provider to conduct transactions within the perimeter of a geo-fence, or issue alerts to police or security personnel if the system determines that a particular car is stolen (in which case the central computer system would have access to a database of information to identify stolen cars) or is a car for which authorities are looking for some other reason (in which case the PA would have access to a database identifying cars for which authorities are looking).
At any time, a PA compliance manager may conduct an inspection of ABCT-Driver operations at a PA to confirm that such operations comply with the requirements set forth in a set of business rules associated with the ABCT Permit. To perform an inspection, compliance manager will require a real time web-based application that displays information about each ABCT-Provider trip being performed at the PA. The compliance manager will be the primary users of the compliance manager application. They will be responsible for regulating all ABCT-Provider activity within the geo-fence. In one embodiment, the compliance manager application will receive real-time messages of the all ABCT-Provider transactions dynamically.
Due to the high volume of messages received from the ABCT-Providers, each component of the PA ICT System layers has a redundancy in order to provide high availability. High availability provides the protection from application failures that may arise from power failures, server hardware faults, network hardware faults, configuration errors, application bugs, compatibility or performance issues and other causes. In a preferred embodiment, the PA ICT System 600 is designed to handle a peak load of over 3,000 messages per minute.
According to an embodiment of an invention, as part of the permitting process with a PA, an ABCT-Provider receives a digital certificate from the PA. The digital certificate is used to authenticate all transmissions between the ABCT-Provider ICT System and the PA ICT System. The ABCT-Providers use an HTTPS to transmit secured messages via the communication medium to a PA ICT System 600. The reserve proxy server 601 associated with the PA ICT System 600 is used to take in internet traffic in the HTTPS protocol received from the various ABCT-Providers. In one embodiment, an SSL reverse proxy cluster shall be the first point of entry of the ABCT-Provider's messages.
The reverse proxy server 601 inspects the incoming HTTPS requests from an ABCT-Provider and authenticates the ABCT-Provider's ICT System with additional authentication methods known in the art. Once authenticated and any local processing is completed, the HTTP requests are forwarded to a load balancer 602. The reverse proxy server 601 transmits a response to the request back to the ABCT-Providers' ICT Systems containing the proper host names.
In one embodiment, the reverse proxy server 601 is configured with a public DNS host name and publicly routable IP address. Thus, any links that are made available to users will resolve to the public IP address or DNS hostname of the reverse proxy server 601. The reverse proxy server 601 then performs mapping of the external HTTP request to the proper internal server.
Firewalls will enable certain network traffic from the public internet to the internal data service for the application. Only relevant and necessary ports and protocols shall be allowed through the firewall.
Once the HTTP requests are received by the load balancer 602, they will be forwarded to different web-service nodes. The load balancer will be used in order to provide load balancing 602 between web-service nodes. The load balancer 602 distributes the incoming HTTP requests to various nodes in the web application server cluster 603 and to provide the SSL protocol for encryption and decryption of the HTTP stream.
The load balancer 602 acts upon data found in the application layer protocol such as the HTTP. The request are received by the load balancer 602 and are distributed to a particular server based on a configuration algorithm, such as a round robin, a weighted round robin, a least connection, or at least response time.
Web service clusters 603 comprise a plurality of web application servers or nodes. The nodes are be deployed in a cluster that can be expanded by adding more nodes into the cluster for horizontal scalability. In one embodiment, there is a three node cluster comprising Tomcat web application containers that host the VTS web service API and the compliance manager web service API.
The Database layer 604 shall be configured as an active/passive pair of database nodes. This configuration will provide just in time recovery and redo logs. Active/passive database nodes process on one node, making it the active node for that configuration. The IP address of the active node is mapped to a virtual “node address”. If the active node fails, a failure safe module takes care of fail-over: it starts the process on a passive database, making it the active node, and remaps the node address to the new active node's IP address. In most circumstances of a failure, the fail-over will occur quickly.
In a typical example, network 720 includes the internet and a local area network used by the PAs 702-1 to 702-3 and the ABCT-Providers 703-1 to 703-3 to connect to the internet. Both the PAs 702-1 to 702-3 and the ABCT-Providers 703-1 to 703-3 can communicate with clearinghouse ICT System 701 over network 720 using any number and combination of various protocols as known in the art.
The clearinghouse ICT System 701 includes data storage 705-1 to 705-3 for storing data related to a plurality of PAs 702-1 to 702-3. As the data is received from each of the PAs 702-1 to 702-3, the data may be processed by a geo-fence module 710, a permit management module 711, and/or a trip management module 712.
The geo-fence module 710 validates and stores multiple geo-fence locations, referenced to specific PAs. It maintains a record of changes and provides the ability to verify whether a specific geographic coordinate is inside or outside of a specific geo-fence. The permit management module 711 links ABCT-Providers and PAs, and serves as a repository of all active, suspended, terminated, pending and expired Permits. The permit management module 711 is the source of business rules such as a the prevailing trip fee for a drop-off within a specific PA's geo-fence and it provides the capability to calculate fees and charges, to record and alert Permit expiration and renewal dates and to process and store a record of Permit violations. The trip management module 712 validates trip data formats and verifies that each trip associates with a valid Permit, an active ABCT-Provider and a participating PA. The module records all valid trips and provides data feeds to business processes such as billing, compliance and auditing.
For each PA, the data storage 705-1 to 705-3 may store geo-fence coordinates, business rules, and a list of ABCT-Providers servicing the PA. The clearinghouse ICT System 701 also may store in the data storage 705-1 to 705-3, messages and payment information from each of the ABCT-Providers.
In one embodiment, the clearing house ICT System 701 receives payment information from an ABCT-Provider ICT System 703-1 to 703-3. The payment information relates to a payment from an ABCT-Provider for an invoice of transactions occurring within the geo-fenced area associated with a PA. The clearing house ICT System 701 may verify at least a portion of the payment information and store at least a portion of the payment information in a database. The clearing house ICT System 701 then may transmit a first electronic file comprising at least a portion of the payment information to a PA associated with the invoice. In one embodiment, the clearing house ICT System 701 may transmit a second electronic file comprises at least a confirmation of the payment to the PA to the ABCT-Provider ICT System 703-1 to 703-3. Furthermore, the clearing house ICT System 701 may also generate and transmit, to both the PA and the ABCT-Provider, and accounting of all invoices and payments by the PA and the ABCT-Provider in response to a request for the accounting.
The clearinghouse ICT System 701 includes an analytic engine 706 operatively connected to the data storage 705-1 to 705-3. The analytic engine 706 may access the data storage 705-1 to 705-3 and provide data to the financial module 713. The financial module 713 may calculate fees, generate invoices and process payments for each of the ABCT-Providers servicing each of the PAs. The invoices and/or payments information may be stored in the data storage 705-1 to 705-3.
At step 804, the ABCT-Provider ICT System determines if the mobile device is within a predefined geo-fence perimeter based on the location information received from the mobile device.
At step 805, when a determination is made that the location of the mobile device is within a predefined geo-fence perimeter, the ABCT-Provider ICT System transmits a message to a PA ICT System. The message includes information related to location of the mobile device, identification of the driver and activity data. In one embodiment, the ABCT ICT System generates a message comprising a header which includes geographic locus, trip ID, ABCT ID, vehicle license plate ID, activity time stamp, activity data, and number of users using the ABCT service associated with the activity data along with the location information.
Though this embodiment of the method is performed by a PA ICT System, other servers or network elements may work in tandem with the PA ICT System to accomplish the method. Furthermore each task of the method may be assigned to a different network element, each network element being suited to perform the task assigned. For instance, a database server may be more suited to referencing the geo-fence database, and a location server may be more suited to making a location determination before forwarding it to the PA ICT System. When connections traverse geo-fences, such as in a moving vehicle, an algorithm may be employed to split the charge of the connection between fee rates based on the amount of time within each geo-fence, amount of data transferred within each geo-fence and the like.
At step 904, the PA ICT System determines if the activity data contained in the message relates to a service being rendered within the geo-fenced perimeter by an ABCT-Driver. If the activity data relates to a service being rendered within the geo-fenced perimeter, the PA server creates a log of the activity and associates a fee to the activity. For example, if a driver of a driver associated with an ABCT picks-up a passenger within a geo-fenced area of a PA, the PA ICT System will create a log of the activity and associate a fee with the pick-up service rendered.
In one embodiment, the PA ICT System periodically query the data storage for activity data relating to services rendered within the geo-fenced perimeter. For example, the PA ICT System may query the data storage for all ABCT-Provider activity within a geo-fenced perimeter comprising a pick-up service, drop-off service, entry into the geo-fence and exit from the geo-fence. The PA may charge fees according to a set of business rules for at least one of these activities or all the activities. Additionally, the PA ICT System may periodically query the data storage for violations of the set of business rules. For example, the PA ICT System may generate a list of ABCT-Vehicles that have been within the geo-fence for a period of time that exceeds an allotted period of time as set forth in the set of business rules. The PA may also charge a fee for any of the violations of the set of business rules.
At step 906, the PA ICT System generates an invoice for the ABCT-Provider comprising the fees for each activity in which a service was rendered within the geo-fenced perimeter. In one embodiment, the PA ICT System compares the activities of an ABCT-Provider within a specified period with a set of business rules. Based on the correlation and the business rules, a set of fees are determined for the ABCT-Provider.
At step 1004, the clearinghouse ICT System transmits the geo-fence perimeters to a set of ABCT-Providers servicing each PA. For example, drivers of an ABCT-Provider may be providing pick-up and drop-off services to customers at the San Francisco International Airport and the Oakland International Airport. The clearinghouse ICT System will send to the ABCT-Provider the geo-fence perimeter information for both the San Francisco International Airport and the Oakland International Airport.
At step 1006, the clearinghouse ICT System receives a message each time the ABCT-Driver performs an activity defined in any of the Permits to which the ABCT-Provider is a party. Each message is stored within a data storage and is associated with its respective PA.
In one embodiment, the clearinghouse ICT System transmits the received messages, in real-time, to the PA ICT System for monitoring by the PA of ABCT-Provider activities within a PA's geo-fenced area. In another embodiment, the clearinghouse server queries the received messages and compares them to a set of business rules. If there is a violation of the business rules, a notification is sent to the PA ICT System.
At step 1008, the clearinghouse server queries the messages for activities associated with services rendered within the geo-fenced perimeter. For example, the clearinghouse may query pick-up services or drop-off services that have taken place within the geo-fenced perimeter. The query may be done periodically, such as daily, weekly or monthly.
At step 1010, the clearinghouse ICT System generates an invoice for each ABCT-Provider of fees associated with each Permit, and transmits the invoices to the ABCT-Providers.
At step 1012, the clearinghouse server receives payments from the ABCT-Providers associated with the invoices.
At step 1014, the clearinghouse server sends payments received from the ABCT-Providers to their respective PAs.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the present invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. For example, aspects of the present invention may be implemented in hardware or software or in a combination of hardware and software. One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system. The program(s) of the program product define functions of the embodiments (including the methods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of computer-readable storage media. An example of a suitable computing system environment in which the invention may be implemented, although as made clear above, the computing system environment is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to anyone nor combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment.
Computing device typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise tangible computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CDROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computer. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. While communication media includes non-ephemeral buffers and other temporary digital storage used for communications, it does not include transient signals in as far as they are ephemeral over a physical medium (wired or wireless) during transmission between devices. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. The system memory includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The processing unit and bus allow for transfer of information between elements within computer, such as during start-up, typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit.
The computer may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, Blu-Ray disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive is typically connected to the system bus through a non-removable memory interface such as interface, or removably connected to the system bus by a removable memory interface, such as interface.
The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer. For example, disk drive is illustrated as storing operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data. Operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer through input devices such as a keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, depth or motion sensor, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit through the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port, or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus via an interface, such as a video interface. In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers and printer, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface.
One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that a computer or other client device can be deployed as part of a computer network. In this regard, the present invention pertains to any computer system having any number of memory or storage units, and any number of applications and processes occurring across any number of storage units or volumes. The present invention may apply to an environment with server computers and client computers deployed in a network environment, having remote or local storage. The present invention may also apply to a standalone computing device, having programming language functionality, interpretation and execution capabilities.
In view of the foregoing, the scope of the present invention is determined by the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system location information and transaction information;
- accessing a data storage on which coordinates of a geographical boundary have been stored;
- determining if the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary; and
- transmitting a message to a second information system when the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the message comprises at least one of the following: a vehicle identification, a driver identification, a trip identification, a transportation company identification, a license plate identification, and a timestamp.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted periodically.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted upon request.
5. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method, the method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system location information and transaction information;
- accessing a data storage on which coordinates of a geographical boundary have been stored;
- determining if the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary; and
- transmitting a message to a second information system when the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary.
6. A system comprising a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer, will cause the processor to:
- receive from a mobile device at a first information system location information and transaction information;
- access a data storage on which coordinates of a geographical boundary have been stored;
- determine if the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary; and
- transmit a message to a second information system when the location of the mobile device is within the geographical boundary.
7. A method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system information sufficient to identify an activity occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- retrieving a set of business rules from a business rule database;
- determining if the business rules apply to the activity;
- calculating a fee based on the business rule and the activity; and
- transmitting the calculated fee information to a second information system.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the calculated fee information comprises an invoice.
9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the activity comprises an entry into the predefined geographical boundary, an exit out of the predefined geographical boundary, a passenger pick up or a passenger drop off.
10. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method, the method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system information sufficient to identify an activity occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- retrieving a set of business rules from a business rule database;
- determining if the business rules apply to the activity;
- calculating a fee based on the business rule and the activity; and
- transmitting the calculated fee information to a second information system.
11. A system comprising a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer, will cause the processor to:
- receive from a mobile device at a first information system information sufficient to identify an activity occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- retrieve a set of business rules from a business rule database;
- determine if the business rules apply to the activity;
- calculate a fee based on the business rule and the activity; and
- transmit the calculated fee information to a second information system.
12. A method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system a plurality of messages, wherein each message includes at least a timestamp;
- comparing the timestamp of a first message with a timestamp of a second message;
- generating an alert when the difference between the timestamp of the first message and the timestamp of the second message exceeds a threshold time limit.
13. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method, the method comprising:
- receiving from a mobile device at a first information system a plurality of messages, wherein each message includes at least a timestamp;
- comparing the timestamp of a first message with a timestamp of a second message;
- generating an alert when the difference between the timestamp of the first message and the timestamp of the second message exceeds a threshold time limit.
14. A system comprising a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer, will cause the processor to:
- receive from a mobile device at a first information system a plurality of messages, wherein each message includes at least a timestamp;
- compare the timestamp of a first message with a timestamp of a second message;
- generate an alert when the difference between the timestamp of the first message and the timestamp of the second message exceeds a threshold time limit.
15. A method comprising
- receiving at a first information system a vehicle identification;
- comparing said vehicle identification with vehicle identification information received by the first information system from a second information system, wherein said vehicle identification information includes at least a license plate number associated with a vehicle and a company associated with the vehicle;
- generating a report if said vehicle identification matches said vehicle identification information;
- transmitting the report to a third information system.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
17. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method, the method comprising:
- receiving at a first information system a vehicle identification;
- comparing said vehicle identification with vehicle identification information received by the first information system from a second information system, wherein said vehicle identification information includes at least a license plate number associated with a vehicle and a company associated with the vehicle;
- generating a report if said vehicle identification matches said vehicle identification information;
- transmitting the report to a third information system.
18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
19. A system comprising a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer, will cause the processor to:
- receiving at a first information system a vehicle identification;
- comparing said vehicle identification with vehicle identification information received by the first information system from a second information system, wherein said vehicle identification information includes at least a license plate number associated with a vehicle and a company associated with the vehicle;
- generating a report if said vehicle identification matches said vehicle identification information;
- transmitting the report to a third information system.
20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
21. A method comprising
- receiving at a first information system a plurality of messages from a second information system, wherein each message is associated with an activity of a vehicle occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- storing the plurality of messages in a database associated with a first information system;
- generating a list of one or more of the activities; and
- transmitting the list to a third information system.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the list is dynamically updated when a message is received at a first information system.
24. The method of claim 21, further comprising identifying vehicle locations based on information contained in the plurality of messages.
25. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing a map of vehicle locations.
26. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method, the method comprising:
- receiving at a first information system a plurality of messages from a second information system, wherein each message is associated with an activity of a vehicle occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- storing the plurality of messages in a database associated with a first information system;
- generating a list of one or more of the activities; and
- transmitting the list to a third information system.
27. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein the list is dynamically updated when a message is received at a first information system.
29. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising identifying vehicle locations based on information contained in the plurality of messages.
30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising providing a map of vehicle locations.
31. A system comprising a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer, will cause the processor to:
- receive at a first information system a plurality of messages from a second information system, wherein each message is associated with an activity of a vehicle occurring within a predefined geographical boundary;
- store the plurality of messages in a database associated with a first information system;
- generate a list of one or more of the activities; and
- transmit the list to a third information system.
32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the third information system comprises a mobile device.
33. The system of claim 31, wherein the list is dynamically updated when a message is received at a first information system.
34. The system of claim 31, further comprising identifying vehicle locations based on information contained in the plurality of messages.
35. The system of claim 34, further comprising providing a map of vehicle locations.
36. The system of claim 31, wherein the list includes at least one of a list of vehicles currently within the predefined geographical boundary; a list of all activities within the last hour; or a list of all activities within the last day.
37. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one list of one or more activities is displayed on a graphical user interface.
38. The system of claim 37, wherein the graphical user interface includes a query pane for receiving user input and a results pane for displaying the results of the query.
39. A method comprising:
- receiving at a first information system a message from a second information system wherein the message includes information sufficient to identify an activity;
- retrieving a set of business rules from a database;
- determining if the business rules apply to the activity identified in the message;
- calculating a fee based on the business rules and the activity;
- transmitting the calculated fee information to the second information system;
- receiving at the first information system payment information from the second information system; and
- transmitting the payment information to a third information system.
40. A method according to claim 39, wherein the calculated fee information comprises an invoice.
41. A method according to claim 39, wherein the activity comprises an entry into the predefined geographical boundary, an exit out of the predefined geographical boundary, a passenger pick up or a passenger drop off.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 31, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2016
Inventors: Ian Law (San Francisco, CA), Humphrey Loe (San Francisco, CA), Eva Cheong (San Francisco, CA), Angus Davol (San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 14/587,257
