METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING AND REPARTITIONING VEHICLES

• US 20110010300A1
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mautech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mathieu Audet
• Inventors: Audet, Mathieu
• Granted Patent: US 9,684,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/307
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Described herein is, inter alia, a method and a device for providing a number of rental vehicles at a station, determining at least one of a number of rental vehicles available at the station and a number of vehicle-receiving spaces available at the station, and sending the at least one of a number of rental vehicles available at the station and a number of vehicle-receiving space available at the station to a user. A distance and historical use of stations are also considered to suggest preferred stations and provide incentives associated therewith. A graphical user interface and a systems adapted to carry the method are also provided hereby.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions thereon, that, when executed, cause a computer to:

provide a number of rental vehicles at a station;

determine at least one of rental vehicles available at the station and vehicle-receiving space available at the station; and

send the at least one of rental vehicles available at the station and vehicle-receiving space available at the station to a user.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the station is determined in function of the geographical location of the user.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein to send the at least one of rental vehicles available at the station and vehicle-receiving space available at the station to a user is made through a mobile computing device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the station is a plurality of stations.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one of rental vehicles available at the station and vehicle-receiving space available at the station is adapted to be shown on a display in association with a geographical location of the station.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

to recommend a station for returning a rented vehicle based, at least in part, on the at least one of rental vehicles available at the station and vehicle-receiving space available at the station.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising:

to provide an incentive to the user for returning the rented vehicle to the recommended station.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the incentive is a point-based reward mechanism.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the reward mechanism is adapted to provide rewards in function of the selected arrival station used to return a rented vehicle.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the recommended station is based, at least in part, on a predetermined number of vehicles-left-at-the-station threshold.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the predetermined number of vehicles-left-at-the-station threshold can be different for at least some stations of a plurality of stations.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the predetermined number of vehicles-left-at-the-station threshold varies over time to distribute vehicles in accordance with a vehicle demand that varies over time among stations.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a bike and the station has a plurality of bike-receiving docks.

14. A user graphical interface comprising:

a plurality of stations disposed on a map; and

an indication of one of a number of available vehicles and a number of available vehicle-receiving spaces associated with at least one respective station.

15. The user graphical interface of claim 14, comprising:

an identification of a geographical position of a user; and

an indication of a distance between a geographical position of a station and the geographical position of the user.

16. The user graphical interface of claim 14, comprising an indication of a reward associated with at least one station.

17. The user graphical interface of claim 14, comprising an identification of merchants nearby at least one station.

18. A system for managing a fleet of rental vehicles, the system comprising:

a network configured to exchange data between a server and a plurality of vehicle rental stations;

a vehicle availability module adapted to monitor a number of vehicles at a plurality of vehicle rental stations; and

a rental incentive module adapted to establish a vehicle rental incentive based, at least in part, on the number of vehicle at a vehicle rental station.

19. The system for renting a fleet of rental vehicles of claim 18, wherein the vehicle rental incentive is lower for vehicle rental stations having a few vehicles associated therewith and wherein the vehicle rental incentive is higher for vehicle rental stations having many vehicles associated therewith.

20. The system for renting a fleet of rental vehicles of claim 18, wherein the vehicle rental incentive is based, at least in part, on a geographical location of at least one of a rented vehicle and the at least one vehicle rental station.