System for procuring services

• US 20070198276A1
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wildschuette, Florian, Hinrichs, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A system for procuring services such as, in particular, rideshare opportunities and transportation services, has at least one stationary server and a multitude of subscribers including suppliers and interested parties. The system includes a communications arrangement which enable at least an information exchange between the stationary server and the subscribers. The system further includes a positioning arrangement for determining the current position of the subscribers, and a memory arrangement for at least temporary storage of data and positions of the subscribers.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A system for procuring a service, comprising:

at least one stationary server;

a plurality of subscribers including suppliers and interested parties;

a communications arrangement that enables at least an information exchange between the at least one stationary server and the subscribers;

a positioning arrangement for determining a current position of the subscribers; and

a memory for at least temporarily storing data corresponding to position and route information of the subscribers.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein:

transportation requests from interested parties received by the system are compared to transportation offerings registered by the suppliers in real time, and if matching offerings are found, the matching offerings are communicated to the interested parties.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein in the case of a match between supply and demand, a communication link is established between a supplier and an interested party.

19. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein:

the position arrangement determines the current position in real time.

20. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein supply and demand include not only starting point and destination point, but also route information.

21. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein offerings of multiple suppliers are combined to offer an interested party an uninterrupted route.

22. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein projected arrival times are determined for any positions of a route and communicated to the subscribers.

23. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein offerings are provided in the form of one of a list and a map display containing time information.

24. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein a subscriber is notified if a supplier has reached a certain position.

25. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein an interested party, when inputting at least one of a starting point and a destination point, defines at least one of a starting region and a destination region by inputting a radius value around at least one of the starting point and the destination point.

26. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein a supplier defines a corridor having a predefinable width along a travel route when announcing the travel route.

27. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the subscribers, when defining departure times and arrival times, define time windows to increase a probability of a match.

28. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein in the absence of a private offering to an interested party, a transportation option using a public means of transportation is offered.

29. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein, if multiple alternative offerings are available to the interested party, a selection list including the alternative offerings is offered.

30. The system as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a memory for storing parameters identifying the suppliers and the interested parties.

31. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the service includes one of a rideshare opportunity and a transportation service.