Automated route determination
AssigneeAmerica Online, Inc., a Virginia corporation
InventorDavid W. Nesbitt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A preferred route may be determined from an origin location to a destination location. The determination is made by processing directed links (e.g., one-way edges) in a graph that includes one or more links and two or more nodes. The determination of a preferred route may include an estimate of the time required at one or more intersections along alternative. Individual routing preferences, such as a preference of a rural over an urban route, also may be considered. Techniques are described that may help reduce the time required to identify a preferred route, including the identification and removal of no outlet routes before processing the directed links and techniques using particular data formats.
Claims36
A method for determining a preferred route using a computer-implemented routing system, the method comprising:
- using a routing system to access an origin and a destination in a routing graph representing a network of roads including two or more nodes and one or more directed links, each directed link being associated with a direction of travel from a starting node to an ending node and representing a road and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road;
- using the routing system to determine a preferred route from the origin to the destination by using at least one directed link;
- and
- communicating the preferred route from the routing system to a user system.
A computer-readable medium or propagated signal having embodied thereon a computer program configured to determine a preferred route using a computer-implemented routing system, the medium or signal comprising one or more code segments configured to:
- use a routing system to access an origin and a destination in a routing graph representing a network of roads including two or more nodes and one or more directed links, each directed link being associated with a direction of travel from a starting node to an ending node and representing a road and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road;
- use the routing system to determine a preferred route from the origin to the destination by using at least one directed link;
- and
- communicate the preferred route from the routing system to a user system.
A system for determining a preferred route using a computer-implemented routing system, the system configured to:
- access an origin and a destination in a routing graph representing a network of roads including two or more nodes and one or more directed links, each directed link being associated with a direction of travel from a starting node to an ending node and representing a road and each node representing an intersection that includes at least one road;
- determine a preferred route from the origin to the destination by using at least one directed link;
- and
- communicate the preferred route from the routing system to a user system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.