Providing notifications to devices based on real-time conditions related to an on-demand service

• US 10,091,084 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Tao, Christine, Rehani, Navya, McConnell, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barker, Todd L
• Application Number:
  US15/908,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20180191595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 216 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A computing system can manage a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service. The computing system can interface with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event. For a given time interval, the system can selectively notify drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the event location and selecting, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the event location based on the utilization condition. The system can select a set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based at least in part on the current location of each driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the event location, and transmit the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to;

manage a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing a sub-region within a given region, and (ii) a utilization condition for distributing the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers in the sub-region;

generate a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receive, from each of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, positioning data indicating a current location of the driver device;

interface with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notify drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the event location;

B) selecting, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the event location based on the set of conditions associated with the selected notification, the selected notification including location data that corresponds to the event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based at least in part on the current location of each driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the event location; and

D) transmitting the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices comprises audio content that is outputted on the selected set of driver devices.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, and wherein the executed instructions cause the computing system to further select the set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based on the current status of each driver device in the set of driver devices.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices includes event information that indicates the given event.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the positioning data from the plurality of driver devices are received periodically.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein the executed instructions cause the computing system to transmit the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices based on the time condition being satisfied.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the selected notification causes service application for the transportation service to display content relating to the current location of the driver device and the event location on each of the selected set of driver devices.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of computing system, cause the computing system to:

manage a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing a sub-region within a given region, and (ii) a utilization condition for distributing the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers in the sub-region;

generate a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receive, from each of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, positioning data indicating a current location of the driver device;

interface with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notify drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the event location;

B) selecting, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the event location based on the set of conditions associated with the selected notification, the selected notification including location data that corresponds to the event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based at least in part on the current location of each driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the event location; and

D) transmitting the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices comprises audio content that is outputted on the selected set of driver devices.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, and wherein the executed instructions cause the computing system to further select the set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based on the current status of each driver device in the set of driver devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices includes event information that indicates the given event.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the positioning data from the plurality of driver devices are received periodically.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein the executed instructions cause the computing system to transmit the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices based on the time condition being satisfied.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the selected notification causes service application for the transportation service to display content relating to the current location of the driver device and the event location on each of the selected set of driver devices.

15. A computer-implemented method of implementing an on-demand transport service, the method being performed by one or more processors of a computing system and comprising:

managing a notification database that stores notifications for drivers of a transportation service, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with (i) a corresponding geo-fence representing a sub-region within a given region, and (ii) a utilization condition for distributing the notification, the utilization condition being indicative of a ratio between demand for the transportation service and a supply of available drivers in the sub-region;

generating a notification user interface enabling an administrator to configure, for each notification, the corresponding geo-fence and the utilization condition for the notification;

receiving, from each of a plurality of driver devices throughout the given region, positioning data indicating a current location of the driver device;

interfacing with at least one third party resource to receive event data corresponding to a given event, the at least one third party resource comprising at least one of a traffic system, an emergency system, or a venue schedule;

for a given time interval, selectively notifying drivers about the given event at a corresponding event location by;

A) determining a utilization condition for a sub-region of the event location;

B) selecting, from the set of notifications, a notification for the sub-region of the event location based on the set of conditions associated with the selected notification, the selected notification including location data that corresponds to the event location;

C) selecting, from the plurality of driver devices, a set of driver devices to receive the selected notification based at least in part on the current location of each driver device in the selected set of driver devices relative to the event location; and

D) transmitting the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices comprises audio content that is outputted on the selected set of driver devices.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the notification database associates each notification of a set of notifications with a current status of driver devices that are to receive the notification, and wherein selecting the set of driver devices to receive the selected notification is further based on the current status of each driver device in the set of driver devices.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the selected notification transmitted to the selected set of driver devices includes event information that indicates the given event.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the positioning data from the plurality of driver devices are received periodically.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the set of conditions of each notification in the set of notifications further comprises a time condition, and wherein transmitting the selected notification to the selected set of driver devices is further based on the time condition being satisfied.