At&t Laboratories Cambridge Limited

Cotares Limited

At+t Corp.

Olivetti Research Limited

Alan Henry Jones

Andrew Martin Robert Ward

Matthew David Leask

Anthony Paul Osborn

David Julian Clarke

Douglas Terence Todd

Frazer David Bennett

A method of providing data to an external application is provided. The location and time of an object are periodically recorded to form a record of sightings. The record of sightings is then analysed in accordance with at least one criterion specified by the external application to which the data is to be provided. Lists of sightings from the record meeting the at least one criterion are supplied for use by the external application.

Apparatus for and method of providing data to an external application

A method is provided of generating a plurality of diverse routes from a source to a destination in a weighted directed graph. Such a method may be used for route planning or navigation with the weighted directed graph representing a road network, but may also be used in other applications. A source routing tree is generated from the source to a first set of points of the graph, which may comprise some or all of the points. A destination routing tree is generated from some or all of the points of the graph to the destination. The trees are then combined to form the routes. For example, the sub-routes common to and transverses in the same direction by the source and destination trees may be selected. The sub routes may then be formed into the routes by extending each sub-route as necessary to the source and destination along the source and destination trees.

Method of and apparatus for generating routes

An apparatus is provided for predicting the future behavior of an object such as a vehicle. A location and time determining system, such as a GPS receiver (), determines the geographical location of the vehicle and the current time and supplies this to a processor, such as a computer () with a program memory (). The processor periodically records the location and time to form a record of sightings of the vehicle. The processor () compares a sequence of recent sightings with earlier recorded sightings from the record to find matching sequences which represent journey segments which match over a predetermined minimum distance. The processor () retrieves some of the sightings which follow the matching sequences and derives from these a prediction of the future behavior, for example possible future routes and destinations of the vehicle.

Apparatus for and method of predicting a future behaviour of an object

A mobile radio network comprises a plurality of communication points, each of which are capable of communicating with any other communication point. Each communication point has a proximity sensor, a transmitter/receiver (), which is able to send signals to and receive signals from the other communication points. Elements for controlling the transmitter/receiver and elements for storing data to identify the communication points is also described.

Peer-to-peer communication in a radio network

In a vehicle occupant response system, a vehicle navigation system supplies a vehicle location information to a computer which formulates messages for SMS transmission by a cellular telephone device. The messages are relayed by a GSM network to an Internet server. The server identifies a user account, for example from the telephone number of the device embedded in each message. The server then runs an application which is specific to a user which may comprise sending messages containing desired information to the vehicle and making available the current location of the vehicle to a user of a personal computer.

Vehicle occupant response system

A system which enables the orientation of a device in a specified environment to be determined in relation to a plurality of sensing receivers positioned at known points in or around the specified environment. A directional transmission from a directional transmitter which forms part of a known face of the device is initiated by a trigger signal from a timing transmitter located so as to cause transmitted bursts of energy to enter the environment. Associated with the directional transmitter having is a timing receiver adapted to respond to any such trigger signals, to thereby initiate the directional transmission. At the beginning of a timeslot, the sensing receivers are reset, and the trigger signal is transmitted, to render the receivers ready to receive the directional transmission. A control system determines the direction in which the directional transmitter is facing as a function of an identification of those of the sensing receivers on which the directional transmission was incident within the timeslot.

Detection system for determining orientation information about objects

A vehicle navigation system comprises a processor connected to a wireless message receiver, such as a cellular telephone. The system includes an application which checks each message received by the telephone. If the message is recognised as being intended for navigation, the application identifies the action which the message requires and an associated location in the message. The application then performs the appropriate action, for example to plan a route passing through the location. A messaging device sends messages via a network to the receiver. The network provides a messaging service having a message store which stores messages when the receiver is inactive and sends stored messages when the receiver becomes active.

Vehicle navigation system

A system which enables the position of each plurality of mobile labelled objects in a specified environment to be determined from the transit times to fixed receivers of ultrasound energy transmitted by object mounted transponders which are triggered by radio energy, wherein the specified environment is divided into cells each have a radio transmitter transmitting the radio triggered signals, these radio transmissions being multiplexed in accordance with identifying characteristics of the respective cells, no two cells with the same identifying characteristics overlapping one another.

Detection system for determining positional information about objects

A system for determining the position of each of a plurality of objects in a specified environment by determining the transit times of slowly propagating measurement energy transmitted from a measurement energy transmitter on each object to a plurality of fixed measurement energy receivers in the specified environment, the transmission of the measurement energy being triggered by a burst of high speed propagating trigger energy into the specified environment from a trigger energy transmitter, the measurement energy transmitter on each object being triggered by an object-mounted trigger energy receiver, each burst of trigger energy being encoded so as to trigger one only of the measurement energy transmitters, wherein a coordinating control system determines the order in which the measurement energy transmitters are triggered, in response to updatable information relating to service demands of the trigger energy transmitter and/or objects.

Detection system for determining positional and other information about objects

A system which enables the position of each of a plurality of movable labelled objects to be determined in an environment having two or more isolated zones, wherein the objects carry transponders which, in response to encoded radio signals, transmit ultrasonic signals of which the transit times to a plurality of fixed receivers are determined, the transponders in the different zones being triggered in a common timeslot but in staggered relationship for one zone as compared to another, and an algorithm is applied to verify the consistency of the transit times having regard to the possible movements of objects from one zone to another.

A system for determining the position of a labelled object within an environment containing a plurality of detectors sensitive to energy of a first type and located at known positions therearound, wherein the object has a transmitter for transmitting energy of the first type, and each object is labelled by means of a receiver forming part of a communication link with a remote controlling transmitter for triggering the object-mounted transmitter. The transit time between the transmitter and each detector is used to determine the straight line distances between the object and the receivers, to enable the position of the object relative to the receivers to be determined. The arrival and departure of an object into and from the environment is determined by a second communication link from a second transmitter on each object, to a remote receiver. The two communication links may be combined in a bi-directional radio communication system. Computing means is provided to associate the time information with the receivers from which the times have been obtained to generate a transit time to each receiver, and the high speed energy transmissions may be encoded so that a plurality of different transmitters, all located in the same specified environment, can be triggered in turn. Typically the slow speed signals are acoustic or ultrasonic signals and the high speed signals are electric currents, voltages, electromagnetic radiation such as IR, UV or radio signals.

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Histon, United Kingdom

Alan Henry Jones