Patent ID: 8805639

Claim:
A data processing system, comprising: a first sensor adapted to provide indications relating to a vehicle's engine operational mode; a second sensor adapted to provide indications related tote vehicle movement; a processor adapted to identify whether the vehicle's engine has undergone one or more idling periods, based on at least: one indication that relates to the vehicle's engine operational mode and at least one indication that relates to the vehicle movement; wherein the indication that relates to the vehicle's engine operational mode is derived from at least one of: an engine computer module (ECM), a vehicle ignition switch, or a measurement of the voltage output from the vehicle; and wherein the processor is further configured to classify one or more idling periods based upon a driving session occurring before or after the idling periods and to distinguish between four types of idling periods as follows: a first type of idling period defined as an idling period completely outside the driving session, wherein a driver started the vehicle's engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and turned off the engine without moving the vehicle at all, and without triggering start of another driving session, wherein the first type of idling period is not associated with the driving session, but is reported in an idling report; a second type of idling period defined as an idling period immediately prior to a beginning of a driving session, wherein the driver started the vehicle's engine, left it running for longer than an idling threshold duration, and then moved the vehicle before turning off the engine and thus began a driving session, wherein the second type of idling period is associated with the driving session that begins immediately following the end of the idling period; a third type of idling period defined as an idling period that overlaps/immediately follows an end of the driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle, left the engine running for longer than an idling threshold duration value, and did not move the vehicle again before turning off the engine, wherein the third type of idling period is associated with the driving session that immediately precedes it; and a fourth type of idling period defined as an idling period entirely within a driving session, wherein the driver stopped the vehicle during a driving session and left the engine running for a period shorter than a time duration value by which the termination of a driving session is defined, but longer than the idling threshold duration, wherein the fourth type of idling period is associated with the driving session in which it is embedded.