Flexible departure time for trip requests

• US 10,552,768 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Yifang
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US15/139,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A travel coordination system allows a rider to request a trip with a flexible departure time. The rider can specify a pick-up location, a trip destination, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe for the trip. The travel coordination system attempts to assign the rider to a provider at a point in time during the departure timeframe when the trip price would be less than or equal to the target trip price. The travel coordination system may also guarantee that the rider will pay no more than the target trip price if the travel coordination system determines that the trip price is likely to be lower than the target trip price at some point in time during the departure timeframe.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a rider device at a travel coordination system, a trip request comprising the pick-up location for the rider, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe;

accessing a plurality of rider devices within a geographic region including the pick-up location;

monitoring a number of riders viewing a client application operating on a rider device of the plurality of rider devices;

accessing a plurality of provider devices within the geographic region;

determining trip price estimation data that is based, at least in part, on trip demand data corresponding to a demand for trips from riders within the geographic region, based on the monitoring the number of the riders viewing the client application, and a supply for trips from providers within the geographic region, based on the accessing the plurality of provider devices;

generating, by the travel coordination system, a probability that the trip price will be less than or equal to the target trip price at an instance in time during the departure timeframe, the probability being generated based on the trip price estimation data;

responsive to the generated probability being greater than a threshold;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers, at least in part, based on the pick-up location and a geographic location of the provider; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a trip price estimate of a trip from the pick-up location to a destination during the departure timeframe, wherein monitoring the trip price comprises;

generating the trip price estimate based on the trip price estimation data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting a provider and sending an assignment request are performed responsive to the trip price estimate being less than the target trip price during the departure timeframe.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination; and

processing a payment from an account for the rider for a minimum of the actual trip price and the target trip price.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the generated probability not meeting the threshold, prompting the rider to submit a new trip request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip price estimation data further comprises provider supply data describing a supply of providers within the geographic region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip demand data comprises a rate at which riders who open a client application operating on the rider device submit a trip request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip price estimation data is further based, at least in part, on one or more of:

a duration of the trip, a distance of the trip, an approximate departure time, an estimated time of arrival for the trip, and traffic conditions within the geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination;

determining a difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price; and

providing, to an account for the rider, an amount of credits to be used on future trips with the travel coordination system, the amount of credits equaling the difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a rider device at a travel coordination system, a trip request comprising the pick-up location for the rider, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe;

accessing a plurality of rider devices within a geographic region including the pick-up location;

monitoring a number of riders viewing a client application operating on a rider device of the plurality of rider devices;

accessing a plurality of provider devices within the geographic region;

determining trip price estimation data that is based, at least in part, on trip demand data corresponding to a demand for trips from riders within the geographic region, based on the monitoring the number of the riders viewing the client application, and a supply for trips from providers within the geographic region, based on the accessing the plurality of provider devices;

generating a probability that the trip price will be less than or equal to the target trip price at an instance in time during the departure timeframe, the probability being generated based on the trip price estimation data;

responsive to the generated probability being greater than a threshold;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers, at least in part, based on the pick-up location and a geographic location of the provider; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

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

monitoring a trip price estimate of a trip from the pick-up location to a destination during the departure timeframe, wherein monitoring the trip price comprises;

generating the trip price estimate based on the trip price estimation data.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein selecting a provider and sending an assignment request are performed responsive to the trip price estimate being less than the target trip price during the departure timeframe.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination; and

processing a payment from an account for the rider for a minimum of the actual trip price and the target trip price.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to the generated probability not meeting the threshold, prompting the rider to submit a new trip request.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the trip price estimation data further comprises provider supply data describing a supply of providers within the geographic region.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the trip demand data comprises a rate at which riders who open a client application operating on the rider device submit a trip request.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the trip price estimation data is further based, at least in part, on one or more of:

a duration of the trip, a distance of the trip, an approximate departure time, an estimated time of arrival for the trip, and traffic conditions within the geographic region.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination;

determining a difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price; and

providing, to an account for the rider, an amount of credits to be used on future trips with the travel coordination system, the amount of credits equaling the difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising;

receiving, from a rider device at a travel coordination system, a trip request comprising the pick-up location for the rider, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe;

accessing a plurality of rider devices within a geographic region including the pick-up location;

monitoring a number of riders viewing a client application operating on a rider device of the plurality of rider devices;

accessing a plurality of provider devices within the geographic region;

determining trip price estimation data that is based, at least in part, on trip demand data corresponding to a demand for trips from riders within the geographic region, based on the monitoring the number of the riders viewing the client application, and a supply for trips from providers within the geographic region, based on the accessing the plurality of provider devices;

generating a probability that the trip price will be less than or equal to the target trip price at an instance in time during the departure timeframe, the probability being generated based on the trip price estimation data;

responsive to the generated probability being greater than a threshold;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers, at least in part, based on the pick-up location and a geographic location of the provider; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

monitoring a trip price estimate of a trip from the pick-up location to a destination during the departure timeframe, wherein monitoring the trip price comprises;

generating the trip price estimate based on the trip price estimation data.