Base station apparatus and method for monitoring travel of a mobile vehicle

Claim 1

A method of doing business to be implemented by a telephone company for its telephone subscribers, comprising the steps of: (a) offering for sale an advance notification service to the telephone subscribers for a subscription fee, the advance notification service for causing a subscriber telephone interface associated with a subscriber to be contacted prior to arrival of a mobile vehicle at a predetermined location; (b) providing a computer-based apparatus associated with the telephone company, said computer-based apparatus comprising a communications device and a processor electrically connected to said communications device, said processor programmed to perform the following steps: (1) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on said vehicle using said communications device, said vehicle computer-based apparatus configured to determine locations of said vehicle as said vehicle travels; and (2) transmitting a notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location; and (c) billing said subscription fee in a telephone bill to one of said telephone subscribers that subscribe to said advance notification service; (d) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels using said computer-based apparatus of said telephone company; and (e) transmitting said notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location.

Claim 2

A method of doing business to be implemented by a telephone company for its telephone subscribers, comprising the steps of: (a) offering for sale an advance notification service to the telephone subscribers for a subscription fee, the advance notification service for causing a subscriber telephone interface associated with a subscriber to be contacted prior to arrival of a mobile vehicle at a predetermined location; (b) providing a computer-based apparatus associated with the telephone company, said computer-based apparatus comprising a communications device and a processor electrically connected to said communications device, said processor programmed to perform the following steps: (1) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels by communicating with a vehicle computer-based apparatus on said vehicle using said communications device, said vehicle computer-based apparatus configured to determine locations of said vehicle as said vehicle travels; and (2) transmitting a notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location; and (c) billing said subscription fee in a telephone bill to one of said telephone subscribers that subscribe to said advance notification service; (d) tracking locations of said mobile vehicle as said vehicle travels using said computer-based apparatus of said telephone company; and (e) transmitting said notification message to said subscriber telephone interface when said vehicle is en route to and approaching, but not yet at, said predetermined location, so that said subscriber is notified in advance of the impending arrival of said vehicle at said predetermined location.

Claim 13

An apparatus for use in connection with an advance notification system, the advanced notification system for providing notice to a party of an impending arrival of a mobile vehicle at a stop along a predetermined route, comprising: a communications device; a base station manager electrically coupled to said communications device, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said mobile vehicle based on a status message transmitted from said mobile vehicle and received by said communications device, said base station manager configured to automatically transmit a notification to said party in response to a determination that said mobile vehicle is a predetermined proximity from said stop, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said vehicle based on said predefined schedule, said base station manager being remotely located from said party; and a storage device for storing a predefined schedule, said predefined schedule defining locations along said predetermined route and indicating when said vehicle is scheduled to pass each said location defined in said predefined schedule.

Claim 14

An apparatus for use in connection with an advance notification system, the advanced notification system for providing notice to a party of an impending arrival of a mobile vehicle at a stop along a predetermined route, comprising: a communications device; a base station manager electrically coupled to said communications device, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said mobile vehicle based on a status message transmitted from said mobile vehicle and received by said communications device, said base station manager configured to automatically transmit a notification to said party in response to a determination that said mobile vehicle is a predetermined proximity from said stop, said base station manager configured to determine a proximity of said vehicle based on said predefined schedule, said base station manager being remotely located from said party; and a storage device for storing a predefined schedule, said predefined schedule defining locations along said predetermined route and indicating when said vehicle is scheduled to pass each said location defined in said predefined schedule.