IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,480,778
Granted Patent B2
US 12,480,778 · App. 17/828,902 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

Presenting transit alight notifications

Inventors: Brian J Andrich (San Francisco, CA); Sara E Marcus (Brooklyn, NY); Thomas Pajor (Sunnyvale, CA); Nick Provenzano (San Francisco, CA); Tim A Aerts (San Jose, CA); Alex Benevento (Sunbury, AU); Leo Emile Jean Pierre Vallet (Culver City, CA); Samantha J Bennett (San Francisco, CA); Sara A Bergquist (Sacramento, CA); Nathan L Fillhardt (Scotts Valley, CA); Yun Jae Kim (San Francisco, CA); Scott G Jackson (San Francisco, CA); Jan F Sanchez Dudus (Campbell, CA); Ishan Bhutani (Sunnyvale, CA); Ray R Chen (San Jose, CA); Christopher Y Tremblay (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G01C21/3655G01C21/3407G01C21/3423G01C21/3644G01C21/3661H04M1/72457G01C21/3885
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,480,778
App. No.
17/828,902
Granted
Nov 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

In some implementations, a computing device can present alight notifications to a user when the user (e.g., user device) is approaching a public transit stop where the user should depart the public transit vehicle the user is currently occupying. For example, a user may use a user device to generate a public transit route that includes a starting location, a sequence of public transit stops, and a destination location. While traversing the transit route, the user may need to exit public transit vehicle (e.g., to reach the destination location, to switch transit lines, etc.). The user device can identify transit stops along the route where the user should exit a transit vehicle and present notifications prompting the user to exit the transit vehicle at the upcoming stop as the user device approaches the identified transit stops.

Claims (68)

1 . A method comprising:

obtaining, by a navigation application executing on a computing device, a transit route from a start location to a destination location, the transit route including a plurality of transit stops along the transit route;

determining, by the navigation application, a first transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a first exit from a first transit vehicle;

determining, by the navigation application, that the first transit stop is in a low signal environment corresponding to a geofence;

presenting, by the navigation application, a navigation presentation of the transit route from the start location to the destination location; and

while presenting the navigation presentation, and responsive to determining (a) that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment corresponding to the geofence, and (b) that the computing device has entered the geofence and/or is within a threshold distance from the first transit stop: presenting, by the navigation application, a first notification warning that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment and that the computing device may not present any notification on the display of the computing device indicating that the user should exit the first transit vehicle at the first transit stop.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence; and

presenting, by the computing device, a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first exit from the first transit vehicle corresponds to a transit vehicle transfer.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second exit from the second transit vehicle corresponds to an exit from a transit station.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a background process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a background process, presenting, by the computing device, a second notification on the display of the computing device when the computing device enters the second geofence.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence;

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a foreground process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a foreground process, refraining, by the computing device, from presenting a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop when the computing device has entered the second geofence.

7 . A non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by a navigation application executing on a computing device, a transit route from a start location to a destination location, the transit route including a plurality of transit stops along the transit route;

determining, by the navigation application, a first transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a first exit from a first transit vehicle;

determining, by the navigation application, that the first transit stop is in a low signal environment corresponding to a geofence;

presenting, by the navigation application, a navigation presentation of the transit route from the start location to the destination location; and

while presenting the navigation presentation, and responsive to determining (a) that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment corresponding to the geofence, and (b) that the computing device has entered the geofence and/or is within a threshold distance from the first transit stop: presenting, by the navigation application, a first notification warning that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment and that the computing device may not present any notification on the display of the computing device indicating that the user should exit the first transit vehicle at the first transit stop.

8 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence; and

presenting, by the computing device, a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop.

9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first exit from the first transit vehicle corresponds to a transit vehicle transfer.

10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the second exit from the second transit vehicle corresponds to an exit from a transit station.

11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a background process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a background process, presenting, by the computing device, a third notification on the display of the computing device when the computing device enters the second geofence.

12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence;

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a foreground process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a foreground process, refraining, by the computing device, from presenting a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop when the computing device has entered the second geofence.

13 . A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

obtaining, by a navigation application executing on the computing device, a transit route from a start location to a destination location, the transit route including a plurality of transit stops along the transit route;

determining, by the navigation application, a first transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a first exit from a first transit vehicle;

determining, by the navigation application, that the first transit stop is in a low signal environment corresponding to a geofence;

presenting, by the navigation application, a navigation presentation of the transit route from the start location to the destination location; and

while presenting the navigation presentation, and responsive to determining (a) that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment corresponding to the geofence, and (b) that the computing device has entered the geofence and/or is within a threshold distance from the first transit stop: presenting, by the navigation application, a first notification warning that the first transit stop is in the low signal environment and that the computing device may not present any notification on the display of the computing device indicating that the user should exit the first transit vehicle at the first transit stop.

14 . The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence; and

presenting, by the computing device, a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop.

15 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the first exit from the first transit vehicle corresponds to a transit vehicle transfer.

16 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the second exit from the second transit vehicle corresponds to an exit from a transit station.

17 . The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a background process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a background process, presenting, by the computing device, a second notification on the display of the computing device when the computing device enters the second geofence.

18 . The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a second transit stop included in the transit route corresponding to a second exit from a second transit vehicle;

generating, by the computing device, a second geofence around the second transit stop;

detecting, by the computing device, that the computing device has entered the second geofence;

determining, by the computing device, that the navigation application is running as a foreground process on the computing device; and

in response to determining that the navigation application is running as a foreground process, refraining, by the computing device, from presenting a second notification on a display of the computing device indicating that a user of the computing device should exit the second transit vehicle at the second transit stop when the computing device has entered the second geofence.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2022
From: AERTS, TIM A
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 060198/0062 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 8, 2022
From: ANDRICH, BRIAN J; MARCUS, SARA E; PAJOR, THOMAS; PROVENZANO, NICK; BENEVENTO, ALEX; VALLET, LEO EMILE JEAN PIERRE; BERGQUIST, SARAH A; FILLHARDT, NATHAN L; KIM, YUN JAE; JACKSON, SCOTT G; SANCHEZ DUDUS, JAN F; BHUTANI, ISHAN; CHEN, RAY R; TREMBLAY, CHRISTOPHER Y; BENNETT, SAMANTHA J
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 060133/0534 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63202314 · Jun 6, 2021
Related Publication 20220390242A1 · Dec 8, 2022
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