Network system to compute and transmit data based on predictive information

• US 10,571,286 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2017
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Nickels, John Mark, O'Mahony, Eoin
• Primary Examiner(s): MacIlwinen, John M
• Application Number:
  US15/707,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

A method and system for arranging service provider selection are described. A network computer system can establish a set of criteria to determine whether to display, before actually receiving an acceptance from a service provider, an assumed acceptance or a likely service provider to provide on-demand services in response to data corresponding to a request for service sent from a computing device of a user. For example, the network computer system can predetermine a likely service provider or number of matching service providers and display this information to the user in lieu of a “requesting” screen.

Claims

1. A method for providing data for a network service, the method being performed by one or more processors of a server and comprising:

upon detecting activation of a service application on a computing device of a user, determining a likelihood of the user requesting service through the service application;

in response to determining that the likelihood of the user requesting service exceeds a confidence threshold, determining, from a database, a plurality of identifiers of providers that are available to provide service for the user;

determining, for each of the plurality of identifiers, a location of the corresponding provider;

based on a distance or estimated travel time of at least some of the providers from their respective locations to a service location for the user, determining an estimated time to arrival to the service location; and

transmitting, to the computing device of the user, data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and data corresponding to an indication that a provider will provide service for the user in advance of the user making a request for service from the service application, wherein the service application displays the indication in response to the user making the request without waiting for a response from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the likelihood of the user requesting service is periodically determined while the service application executing on the computing device is active.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the likelihood of the user requesting service exceeds a confidence threshold includes:

retrieving a profile for the user;

analyzing data from the profile, the data including one or more of dates and times when the user requested service, locations where the user requested service, and usage patterns associated with the service application; and

comparing the data to a current date, time, and location of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the confidence threshold is determined based on service provider liquidity for an area proximate to the service location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and the data corresponding to the indication are transmitted to the computing device at a time prior to selecting which of the providers will provide service for the user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

subsequent to transmitting the data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and the data corresponding to the indication, selecting a first identifier associated with a first provider from the plurality of identifiers to assign the first provider to provide service for the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein information regarding the first provider is not displayed on the computing device until the first identifier is selected.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein information regarding one of the providers is displayed on the computing device of the user prior to selecting the first identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information indicates which of the providers is most likely to be selected.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a cancellation option in the service application for the user to cancel the service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to the indication is transmitted to the computing device upon determining that one of the providers is likely to accept an invitation message to provide service and arrive within a threshold time from the estimated time to arrival at the service location.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated time to arrival to the service location includes determining that one or more new providers are predicted, based on historical data for an area proximate to the service location, to activate a service provider application and make themselves available to provide service for the user.

13. A network computer system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

upon detecting activation of a service application on a computing device of a user, determine a likelihood of the user requesting service through the service application;

in response to determining that the likelihood of the user requesting service exceeds a confidence threshold, determine, from a database, a plurality of identifiers of providers that are available to provide service for the user;

determine, for each of the plurality of identifiers, a location of the corresponding provider;

based on a distance or estimated travel time of at least some of the providers from their respective locations to a service location for the user, determine an estimated time to arrival to the service location; and

transmit, to the computing device of the user, data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and data corresponding to an indication that a provider will provide service for the user in advance of the user making a request for service from the service application, wherein the service application displays the indication in response to the user making the request without waiting for a response from the network computer system.

14. The network computer system of claim 13, wherein the likelihood of the user requesting service is periodically determined while the service application executing on the computing device is active.

15. The network computer system of claim 13, wherein determining that the likelihood of the user requesting service exceeds a confidence threshold includes:

retrieving a profile for the user;

analyzing data from the profile, the data including one or more of dates and times when the user requested service, locations where the user requested service, and usage patterns associated with the service application; and

comparing the data to a current date, time, and location of the user.

16. The network computer system of claim 13, wherein the confidence threshold is determined based on service provider liquidity for an area proximate to the service location.

17. The network computer system of claim 13, wherein the data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and the data corresponding to the indication are transmitted to the computing device at a time prior to selecting which of the providers will provide service for the user.

18. The network computer system of claim 17, further comprising instructions to:

subsequent to transmitting the data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and the data corresponding to the indication, select a first identifier associated with a first provider from the plurality of identifiers to assign the first provider to provide service for the user.

19. The network computer system of claim 18, wherein information regarding the provider is not displayed on the computing device until the first identifier is selected.

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

upon detecting activation of a service application on a computing device of a user, determine a likelihood of the user requesting service through the service application;

in response to determining that the likelihood of the user requesting service exceeds a confidence threshold, determine, from a database, a plurality of identifiers of providers that are available to provide service for the user;

determine, for each of the plurality of identifiers, a location of the corresponding provider;

based on a distance or estimated travel time of at least some of the providers from their respective locations to a service location for the user, determine an estimated time to arrival to the service location; and

transmit, to the computing device of the user, data corresponding to the estimated time to arrival and data corresponding to an indication that a provider will provide service for the user in advance of the user making a request for service from the service application, wherein the service application displays the indication in response to the user making the request without waiting for a response from the server.