Selecting a messaging protocol for transmitting data in connection with a location-based service

• US 10,492,032 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2019
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chheda, Deepti, Cobb, Nicholas, Noffsinger, Adam, Aggarwal, Nikunj, Fong, Vincent, Narducci, IV, Domenic Anthony, Haque, Osman, Neurgaonkar, Ashwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Moreau, Austin J
• Application Number:
  US16/249,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20190149945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system can receive a request for a transport service from a first device. The request can include a user identifier associated with a first user of the first device, contact information associated with a second user, and a pickup location information. The system can make a determination whether a user account associated with the second user is stored in a user database using the contact information in the request. Based on the determination, the system can select a messaging protocol to transmit data to a second device associated with the contact information. The system can transmit a message corresponding to the transport service to the second device using the selected messaging protocol.

Claims

1. A method of operating a transport service, the method being performed by one or more processors of a computing device and comprising:

receiving, from a first user on a user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a request for the transport service and a pickup location;

determining a current location of the first user using a geo-aware resource of the computing device;

based on comparing the current location of the first user and the pickup location, displaying an option on the user interface for the first user to provide input indicating a second user to receive the transport service;

determining contact information for the second user based on the input received from the first user on the user interface; and

transmitting the request for the transport service, the pickup location, and the contact information for the second user to a network service to arrange for the transport service for the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user on the user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a destination location for the transport service; and

transmitting the destination location to the network service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network service arranges for the transportation service to be provided by a vehicle to pick up the second user at the pickup location and transport the second user to the destination location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the option on the user interface includes a contacts list, and the contact information is a phone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service uses the contact information to transmit text messages to a device of the second user, the text messages including information corresponding to the transport service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the text messages also include (i) textual content that identifies a driver and a vehicle of the driver, and (ii) a link to a web page to view a status of the transport service.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the text messages also include textual content that identifies the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network service transmits updates corresponding to the transport service to the first user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the option on the user interface is displayed based on the computing device determining that a distance between the current location of the first user and the pickup location exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

receiving, from a first user on a user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a request for a transport service and a pickup location;

determining a current location of the first user using a geo-aware resource of the computing device;

based on comparing the current location of the first user and the pickup location, displaying an option on the user interface for the first user to provide input indicating a second user to receive the transport service;

determining contact information for the second user based on the input received from the first user on the user interface; and

transmitting the request for the transport service, the pickup location, and the contact information for the second user to a network service to arrange for the transport service for the second user.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user on the user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a destination location for the transport service; and

transmitting the destination location to the network service.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the network service arranges for the transportation service to be provided by a vehicle to pick up the second user at the pickup location and transport the second user to the destination location.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the option on the user interface includes a contacts list, and the contact information is a phone number.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the network service uses the contact information to transmit text messages to a device of the second user, the text messages including information corresponding to the transport service.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the text messages also include (i) textual content that identifies a driver and a vehicle of the driver, and (ii) a link to a web page to view a status of the transport service.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the text messages also include textual content that identifies the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the network service transmits updates corresponding to the transport service to the first user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the option on the user interface is displayed based on the computing device determining that a distance between the current location of the first user and the pickup location exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. A computing device, comprising:

one or more communication interfaces;

one or more processors coupled to the one or more communication interfaces; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including;

receiving, from a first user on a user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a request for a transport service and a pickup location;

determining a current location of the first user using a geo-aware resource of the computing device;

based on comparing the current location of the first user and the pickup location, displaying an option on the user interface for the first user to provide input indicating a second user to receive the transport service;

determining contact information for the second user based on the input received from the first user on the user interface; and

transmitting the request for the transport service, the pickup location, and the contact information for the second user to a network service to arrange for the transport service for the second user.

20. The computing device of claim 19, further comprising instructions for:

receiving, from the first user on the user interface of the computing device, user input indicating a destination location for the transport service; and

transmitting the destination location to the network service.