Patent Document ID: 20020143464
Application ID: 10114839
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A route-finding method that automatically constructs an optimal route and one or more route alternatives to the least-cost route from Point A to Point B, each route composed of a sequence of route components with associated costs as follows: a) the first route is constructed using a method that identifies the route, for which the sum of the component costs is minimum, b) an initial cost inflation factor is applied to the costs associated with the components of the first route, after which an interim route is constructed by reapplying the method (a) in the presence of those inflated component costs, c) If an acceptably small fraction of the components of the interim route are re-used components of the first route, the interim route becomes the first alternate route, d) if an unacceptably large fraction of the components of the interim route are re-used components of the first route, the cost inflation factor is increased, the increase being proportional to the extent to which the interim route re-uses components of the first route; reapplying method 1 a with this larger cost inflation factor produces the first alternate route.