# US 8,788,186 B2 · Cellular-based live traffic service > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,788,186 B2 - Document ID: US8788186B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/166,199 - Filed: 2014-01-28 - Published: 2014-05-22 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2009-12-08 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Gustavo de los Reyes; Gang Xu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788186B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/012: {from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks} - G01C 21/3492: {employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)} - G08G 1/0968: Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract A cellular-based live traffic service that does not require pre-deployment of infrastructure or GPS-enabled devices uses signals provided by cellular devices to determine course resolution localization and tracking information of the cellular devices. Specialized statistical analysis is performed on the course resolution data to infer the fine resolution positions of the cellular devices. In an example embodiment, the localization and tracking information is provided on a map, or the like, to show relative position and/or trajectory of cellular devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: determining a plurality of geographic regions, each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions being indicative of a location of a device; determining social information pertaining to a user of the device; based at least on the determined social information, determining at least one route that intersects all the geographic regions of the plurality of geographic regions; determining, for each of the at least one route, a shortest distance between a centroid of each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions and the at least one route; aggregating the determined shortest distances; and determining traffic information based on the aggregated shortest distances. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising formulating an accuracy statistic pertaining to the traffic information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions is a function of geographical coordinates, an error associated with an accuracy of the geographical coordinates, and time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a plurality of estimated locations for the device; and determining a route of the device based upon the plurality of estimated locations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising rendering a representation of the estimated locations. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising visually rendering a representation of the estimated locations overlaid on a map. ### Claim 7 An apparatus comprising: a processor; and memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising at least one executable instruction that when executed by the processor causes the processor to effectuate operations comprising: determining a plurality of geographic regions, each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions being indicative of a location of a device; determining social information pertaining to a user of the device; based at least on the determined social information, determining at least one route that intersects all the geographic regions of the plurality of geographic regions; determining, for each of the at least one route, a shortest distance between a centroid of each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions and the at least one route; aggregating the determined shortest distances; and determining traffic information based on the aggregated shortest distances. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising formulating an accuracy statistic pertaining to the traffic information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions is a function of geographical coordinates, an error associated with an accuracy of the geographical coordinates, and time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising: determining a plurality of estimated locations for the device; and determining a route of the device based upon the plurality of estimated locations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising rendering the estimated locations. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising visually rendering the estimated locations overlaid on a map. ### Claim 13 A computer-readable storage medium that is not a propagating signal, the computer-readable storage comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor causes the processor to effectuate operations comprising: determining a plurality of geographic regions, each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions being indicative of a location of a device; determining social information pertaining to a user of the device; based at least on the determined social information, determining at least one route that intersects all the geographic regions of the plurality of geographic regions; determining, for each of the at least one route, a shortest distance between a centroid of each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions and the at least one route; aggregating the determined shortest distances; and determining traffic information based on the aggregated shortest distances. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising formulating an accuracy statistic pertaining to the traffic information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions is a function of geographical coordinates, an error associated with an accuracy of the geographical coordinates, and time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising: determining a plurality of estimated locations for the device; and determining a route of the device based upon the plurality of estimated locations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising rendering a representation of a representation of the estimated locations. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising visually rendering a representation of a representation of the estimated locations overlaid on a map.