System for preemptively navigating drivers to an event created through a social network system

• US 10,055,995 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GT GetTaxi Limited
• Inventors: Marco, Talmon, Haparnas, Ziv, Agasi, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie
• Application Number:
  US14/876,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20170098377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 701400, 701537
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

In one embodiment an event likely to be attended by a plurality of users of a taxi service is identified. A location of the event is determined and an end time of the event is estimated. Prior to the end time of the event, a plurality of drivers associated with the taxi service are directed to drive to the location of the event to transport passengers from the location of the event.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by a server comprising a processing device, one or more user accounts on a social network system;

identifying, by the processing device based on information stored by the social network system that is accessible through the one or more user accounts, an event and a plurality of prospective passengers that indicated an intent to attend the event;

determining, based on the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event, an expected demand for drivers of a taxi service; and

responsive to determining that the expected demand exceeds an expected supply of drivers of the taxi service, transmitting, by the processing device to a plurality of driver computing devices corresponding to a plurality of drivers associated with the taxi service, navigational data to direct the plurality of drivers to drive to a location of the event to transport passengers from the location of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the expected demand for drivers of the taxi service to transport passengers from the location of the event is based on the information stored by the social network system, wherein the information stored by the social network system comprises the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising selecting the plurality of drivers based on the expected demand for drivers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information stored by the social network system upon which identification of the event is based comprises an event page created by a user of the social network system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating second information associated with the taxi service to the social network system for display in association with an event page of the social network system for the event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second information associated with the taxi service comprises a promotional offer for transportation from the location of the event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server accesses the social network system by using login credentials of a user registered with the taxi service.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, the processing device to execute instructions to;

access one or more user accounts on a social network system;

identify, based on information stored by the social network system that is accessible through the one or more user accounts, an event to be attended by a plurality of prospective passengers that indicated an intent to attend the event;

determine, based on the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event, an expected demand for drivers of a taxi service; and

responsive to determining that the expected demand exceeds an expected supply of drivers of the taxi service, transmit, to a plurality of driver computing devices corresponding to a plurality of drivers associated with the taxi service, navigational data to direct the plurality of drivers to drive to a location of the event to transport passengers from the location of the event.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining the expected demand for drivers of the taxi service to transport passengers from the location of the event is based on the information stored by the social network system, wherein the information stored by the social network system comprises the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing device is further to select the plurality of drivers based on the expected demand for drivers.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the information stored by the social network system upon which identification of the event is based comprises an event page created by a user of the social network system.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further to communicate second information associated with the taxi service to the social network system for display in association with an event page of the social network system for the event.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second information associated with the taxi service comprises a promotional offer for transportation from the location of the event.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing device is to access the social network system by using login credentials of a user registered with the taxi service.

15. At least one computer-readable non-transitory media storing one or more instructions which, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

access one or more user accounts on a social network system;

identify, based on information stored by the social network system that is accessible through the one or more user accounts, an event to be attended by a plurality of prospective passengers that indicated an intent to attend the event;

determine, based on the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event, an expected demand for drivers of a taxi service; and

responsive to determining that the expected demand exceeds an expected supply of drivers of the taxi service, transmit, to a plurality of driver computing devices corresponding to a plurality of drivers associated with the taxi service, navigational data to direct the plurality of drivers to drive to a location of the event to transport passengers from the location of the event.

16. The at least one computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein determining the expected demand for drivers of the taxi service to transport passengers from the location of the event is based on the information stored by the social network system, wherein the information stored by the social network system comprises the identified plurality of prospective passengers that indicated the intent to attend the event.

17. The at least one computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 16, wherein the processing device is to select the plurality of drivers based on the expected demand for drivers.

18. The at least one computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the information stored by the social network system upon which identification of the event is based comprises an event page created by a user of the social network system.

19. The at least one computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the processing device is further to communicate second information associated with the taxi service to the social network system for display in association with an event page of the social network system for the event.

20. The at least one computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 19, wherein the second information associated with the taxi service comprises a promotional offer for transportation from the location of the event.