Geohash-related location predictions

• US 10,091,618 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2018
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Inventors: Pao, Yuanyuan, Kodesh, Snir, Chopra, Jatin, Fan, Kevin, Lin, Charlie, Shen, Limin, Levi, Dor, Haque, Asif, Baz, Zeynep Erkin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Application Number:
  US15/880,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20180288568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563, 4554141, 4554042, 4554561, 370352, 370468, 705 51, 705 58
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

Embodiments provide techniques, including systems and methods, for determining an estimated target pickup location for a corresponding transport request at a particular location, such as associated with a particular geohash. A requestor may send a request that is associated with a location that does not reflect the requestor'"'"'s intent regarding where they would like to be met by the provider (i.e., “picked up”). GPS inaccuracies may cause the request location to inaccurately indicate where the requestor will be; for example, the request location may be inside a building while the requestor is waiting on a curb around a far side of the building. The target pickup location allows for a requestor and a provider to meet more efficiently, reducing delay for the provider and improving the efficiency of the system by preventing provider system resources from being taken from other service areas and decreasing provider downtime upon matching.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a dynamic transportation matching system, transport request information including a request location associated with a requestor computing device;

determining prior transport data corresponding to the transport request information, the prior transport data including at least one prior pickup location associated with the request location and prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location;

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current time data associated with the transport request information;

determining a target pickup location based on the weighting of the at least one prior pickup location; and

sending, by the dynamic transportation matching system, transport request information including the target pickup location to the requestor computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on a distance from the at least one prior pickup location to the request location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior weather data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

the method further comprising;

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior weather data associated with the least one prior pickup location and current weather data associated with the transport request information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior traffic data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

the method further comprising;

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on traffic data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current traffic data associated with the request location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior construction data associated with the at least one prior pickup location associated with the request location; and

the method further comprising;

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior construction data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current construction data associated with the request location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising weighting the at least one prior pickup location based on safety data associated with the at least one prior pickup location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, a prior target pickup location and a prior request location;

determining, for each prior target pickup location, whether the prior target pickup location is within a threshold distance of the target pickup location;

determining, for each of the at least one prior target pickup location within the threshold distance, whether the prior target pickup location was moved; and

weighting prior target pickup locations that were moved more heavily than prior pickup locations that were not moved.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, a prior Wi-Fi network associated with the at least one prior pickup location;

determining, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, whether the prior Wi-Fi network matches a current Wi-Fi network associated with the requestor computing device; and

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on whether the prior Wi-Fi network matches the current Wi-Fi network associated with the requestor computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, prior authentication credentials associated with a prior requestor computing device;

determining, for each prior requestor computing device, whether the prior authentication credentials match current authentication credentials associated with the requestor computing device; and

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on whether the prior authentication credentials match the current authentication credentials associated with the requestor computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, a prior stored address associated with a prior requestor computing device;

determining, for each prior requestor computing device, whether the prior stored address matches a current stored address associated with the requestor computing device; and

weighting each of the at least one prior pickup location based on whether the prior stored address matches the current stored address associated with the requestor computing device.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive transport request information including a request location associated with a requestor computing device;

determine prior transport data corresponding to the transport request information, the prior transport data including at least one prior pickup location associated with the request location and prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current time data associated with the transport request information;

determine a target pickup location based on the weighting of the at least one prior pickup location; and

send transport request information including the target pickup location to the requestor computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on distance from the at least one prior pickup location to the request location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior weather data and prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior weather data and prior time data associated with the least one prior pickup location and current weather data and current time data associated with the transport request information.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

identify, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, a prior target pickup location and a prior request location;

determine, for each prior target pickup location, whether the prior target pickup location is within a threshold distance of the target pickup location;

determine, for each prior target pickup location within the threshold distance, whether the prior target pickup location was moved; and

weight prior target pickup locations that were moved more heavily than prior pickup locations that were not moved.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer device to:

receive transport request information including a request location associated with a requestor computing device;

determine prior transport data corresponding to the transport request information, the prior transport data including at least one prior pickup location associated with the request location and prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current time data associated with the transport request information;

determine a target pickup location based on the weighting of the at least one prior pickup location; and

send transport request information including the target pickup location to the requestor computing device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer device to:

identify, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, a prior Wi-Fi network associated with the at least one prior pickup location;

determine, for each of the at least one prior pickup location, whether the prior Wi-Fi network matches a current Wi-Fi network associated with the requestor computing device; and

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on whether he prior Wi-Fi network matches the current Wi-Fi network associated with the requestor computing device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior weather data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer device to;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior weather data associated with the least one prior pickup location and current weather data associated with the transport request information.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer device to;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on the prior time data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current time data associated with the transport request information.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

the prior transport data further includes prior traffic data associated with the at least one prior pickup location; and

further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the computer device to;

weight each of the at least one prior pickup location based on traffic data associated with the at least one prior pickup location and current traffic data associated with the request location.