Shared transport system and service network

• US 20110059693A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carma Technology, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Carma Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 10,083,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

The network system triggers registration of the start of a transport journey in response to a communication of a transport user device and a transport provider device with each other, performs a continuous coordinated proximity monitoring to verify the identity of a transport user and a transport provider vehicle, and triggers registration of the end of the transport journey through communication of the transport user device and the transport provider device with each other.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of

providing a transport user device for identifying a transport user;

providing a transport provider device for identifying a transport provider;

triggering registration of the start of a transport journey in response to a communication of said transport user device and said transport provider device with each other,

performing a continuous coordinated proximity monitoring to verify the identity of a transport user and a transport provider vehicle, and

triggering registration of the end of said transport journey through communication of said transport user device and said transport provider device with each other.

33. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of polling each of said devices to determine their positions, calculating differences between the determined positions and determining that a journey has ended in response to said differences being outside of an acceptable range.

34. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of having said devices communicate with each other using a near-field communication means, and determining that a journey has ended in response to said devices being outside of a range.