Method and system for providing a carpool service using a telematics system

• US 20050049781A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for providing car-pooling assistance using a wireless communication system. The method includes steps for receiving a user carpool enrollment request, obtaining the positional information of the user'"'"'s moving vehicle, storing the positional information as a route in a call center database and sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system;

the method comprising;

receiving a user carpool enrollment request

obtaining the positional information of the user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

storing the positional information as a route in a call center database; and

sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording the positional information obtained for the moving vehicle; and

transmitting the recorded positional information from the vehicle to the call center.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the positional information further comprises time information.

5. The method of claim 1 er comprising linking The user'"'"'s stored route to the received user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request to create a user profile.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising comparing the user profile to at least one subscriber profile, the subscriber profile including at leas a carpool enrollment request.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating a list of at least one subscriber profile that matches the user profile.

8. A computer usable medium including a program for providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the computer usable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a user carpool enrollment request computer program code for obtaining the positional information of the user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

computer program code for storing the positional information as a route in a call center data; and

computer program code for sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the user.

9. The computer usable medium of claim 8 wherein the computer program code for obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises computer program code for obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

10. The computer usable medium of claim 8 further comprising:

computer program code for recording the positional information obtained for the moving vehicle; and

computer program code for transmitting the recorded positional information from the vehicle to the call center.

11. The computer usable medium of claim 8 wherein the positional information further comprises time information.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 8 further comprising computer program code for linking the user'"'"'s stored route to the received user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request To create a user profile.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 12 fibre comprising computer program code for coming the user profile to at least one subscriber profile, the subscriber profile including at least a carpool enrollment request.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer program code for generating a list of at least one subscriber profile t matches the user profile.

15. A system of providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the system comprising:

means for receiving a user carpool enrollment request

means for obtaining the positional information of the user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

means for storing the positional information as a route in a call center database; and

means for sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the user.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises means for obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

means for recording the positional information obtained for the moving vehicle; and

means for transmitting the recorded positional information from the vehicle to the call center.

18. The system of claim 15 further comprising linking the user'"'"'s stored route to the received user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request to create a user profile.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for comparing the user profile to at least one subscriber profile, the subscriber profile including at least a carpool enrollment request.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for generating a list of at least one subscriber profile ta matches the user profile.

21. A method for providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first user carpool enrollment request;

obtaining a positional information for a first user moving vehicle;

associating the positional information of the first user moving vehicle with the first user carpool enrollment request;

receiving a plurality of additional use carpool enrollment requests

comparing the positional information associated with the first user carpool enrollment request with the plurality of additional user carpool enrollment requests to determine a march; and

sending at least one march responsive to the first user carpool enrollment request based on the comparison.