Taxi information system

• US 10,366,604 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Joseph Bermudez
• Original Assignee: Robert Joseph Bermudez
• Inventors: Bermudez, Robert Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castro, Paul A
• Application Number:
  US14/954,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20190228646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0137 for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A system for displaying information to drivers of taxis in an operating region that has a plurality of popular destinations includes a display device fixed within each taxi. The display device includes a plurality of selectable information screens that are each adapted to display information received by a transceiver of the display device. A dispatch information system is adapted to transmit dispatching data of the operating region to the display devices of each taxi. A queue information device associated with each of the popular destinations is adapted to transmit queue information to the dispatching information system. Preferably at least one of the selectable information screens includes a map of the operating region, which may be separated into different grids each having a queue length aggregate indicator that indicates the average load time of all of the taxi queues of the popular destinations within that grid.

Claims

1. A system for displaying information to drivers of taxis in an operating region that includes a plurality of destinations, comprising:

a display device fixed within each taxi, the display device having a plurality of selectable information screens each adapted to display information received by a transceiver of the display device;

a dispatch information system adapted to transmit dispatching data of the operating region to the display devices of each taxi;

a queue information device associated with each of the plurality of destinations and adapted to transmit the queue information to the dispatch information system, the queue information including at least a length of a taxi queue of each of the plurality of destinations;

wherein the dispatching data transmitted to each display device includes at least the length of the taxi queue at each of the plurality of destinations and an average load time for each taxi as calculated by an average time it takes for a taxi entering the taxi queue to get a load, and

wherein at least one of the selectable information screens of each display device includes a map of the operating region, the display showing the operating region separated into different grids each having an aggregate indicator that indicates an average of the average load time of the taxi queues of the plurality of destinations within the grid.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the length of the taxi queue at each of the plurality of destinations is periodically entered manually on an interface of the queue information device by a taxi stand doorman at each of the plurality of destinations.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the length of the taxi queue at each of the plurality of destinations is detected periodically with at least one sensor at the taxi queue.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one sensor is a camera.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the aggregate indicator is color coded, whereby the taxi drivers may quickly ascertain which grid areas of the operating region have a lowest average load times by finding on the map of the operating region the grid areas having the aggregate indicator that is the color associated with low average load times.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the aggregate indicator is numerically coded, whereby the taxi drivers may quickly ascertain which grid areas of the operating region have a lowest average load times by finding on the map of the operating region the grid areas having the aggregate indicator with the number associated with low average load times.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the display device further includes a GPS navigation system adapted to receive traffic information, whereby the map further includes traffic information superimposed thereon.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the display device further includes a GPS navigation system, whereby one of the selectable information screens shows routing information between a current location of the taxi and an entered destination.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the dispatch information system further includes a call center input wherein a ride request by a client within the operating region may be transmitted to the display devices of each taxi, the display device in each taxi further adapted to display the location of the ride request on the map information screen and a status of the ride request.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the display device in each taxi further includes a user interface that allows the driver to accept the ride request, wherein the transceiver of the display device of the taxi informs the dispatch information system of the acceptance of the ride request by the taxi and transmits the status of the ride request as being accepted to the display devices of the other taxis within the region.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the display device further includes a GPS navigation system adapted to show the current location of the taxi, and to only show those ride requests within a predetermined distance of the current location of the taxi.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the display device in each taxi further includes a user interface that allows the driver to accept the ride request only within the predetermined distance of the current location of the taxi, wherein the transceiver of the display device of the taxi informs the dispatch information system of the current location of the taxi and the acceptance of the ride request by the taxi driver, and wherein the dispatch information system transmits the status of the ride request as being accepted to the display devices of the other taxi drivers within the predetermined distance of the ride request.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the selectable information screens includes for each of the plurality of destinations a bar graph showing the length of the taxi queue at each of the plurality of destinations.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the selectable information screens is a bar graph showing the length of the taxi queue at each of the plurality of destinations within one of the selected grids.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the dispatching data transmitted to each display device includes relevant taxi queue affecting event information as entered by a taxi stand doorman at each of the plurality of destinations.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of destinations is an airport pickup location within an airport of the operating region, and wherein more than one of the plurality of selectable information screens includes the information relating to the at least one airport pickup location.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the information relating to the at least one airport pickup location includes any of average taxi loading times, open taxi queue lanes, taxi queue length, number of flights landing within a next predetermined period of time, and expected number of passengers landing within a next predetermined period of time.

18. The system of claim 9 wherein the status of the ride request includes a desirability indicator that includes as one of its inputs an estimated distance required for the ride request with longer distances indicating higher desirability, the display device in each taxi further adapted to display the desirability indicator associated with each ride request.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the display device in each taxi only indicates the desirability indicator for a ride request having a relatively high desirability and only after a predetermined time.