MOBILE TAXI DISPATCH SYSTEM

• US 20110099040A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: FELT, Michelle, GHARACHORLOO, Nader, MOSHREFI, Afshin
• Granted Patent: US 10,002,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• 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: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• 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: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A mobile taxi dispatch system may receive a request for a taxi vehicle from a user, select one or more taxi vehicles to contact in response to receiving the request and send the request to the selected one or more taxi vehicles. The mobile taxi dispatch system may further receive acceptances of the request from at least one of selected one or more taxi vehicles, select a particular taxi vehicle from the at least one of the selected one or more taxi vehicles that accepted the request. The selecting may be based on one or more criteria. The mobile taxi dispatch system may also send a confirmation to the user and to the particular taxi.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving, using a communication interface associated with the computer system, a request for a taxi vehicle from a user;

selecting, using a processor associated with the computer system, one or more taxi vehicles to contact in response to receiving the request;

sending, using a communication interface associated with the computer system, the request to the selected one or more taxi vehicles;

receiving, using a communication interface associated with the computer system, acceptances of the request from at least one of selected one or more taxi vehicles;

selecting, using a processor associated with the computer system, a particular taxi vehicle from the at least one of the selected one or more taxi vehicles that accepted the request, the selecting being based on one or more criteria; and

sending, using a communication interface associated with the computer system, a confirmation to the user and to the particular taxi vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, where the receiving a request includes:

providing at least one of an icon or a voice command function to the user; and

where receiving the request includes receiving an indication that the user has activated the at least one of an icon or a voice command function.

3. The method of claim 1, where the receiving a request includes:

receiving a location associated with the user.

4. The method of claim 1, where the selecting one or more taxi vehicles to contact includes:

searching a taxi database to identify taxi vehicles that are within a particular distance of the user; and

searching the taxi database to identify taxi vehicles that are available.

5. The method of claim 1, where the one or more criteria include at least one of:

a distance between a taxi vehicle and the user,

a driving direction of a taxi vehicle,

an amount of time between sending the request to a taxi vehicle and receiving an indication that the taxi vehicle accepted the request,

a quoted price received from the taxi vehicle,

one or more ratings associated with a taxi vehicle, or

preferences associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1, where sending a confirmation to the user comprises providing a visual indication to the user, where the visual indication includes at least one of:

a countdown timer indicating an amount of estimated time before the particular taxi vehicle arrives at the user'"'"'s location, or

an identification associated with the particular taxi vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the user for location information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the user for destination information;

providing the destination information to the one or more selected taxi vehicles to contact;

receiving, from at least one of the one or more selected taxi vehicles, a quoted price based on the provided destination information; and

selecting the particular taxi vehicle, from the at least one of the one or more selected taxi vehicles, based on the received quote price.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

querying the user for destination information;

querying the user whether the user would like to share a ride;

receiving an indication that the user would like to share the ride;

locating at least one other user with a substantially same associated location information and destination information; and

sending pickup instructions to the user and the at least one other user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the user for at least some of the one or more criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, where the at least some of the one or more criteria include at least one of an estimated time of arrival, a quoted price, ratings, or profiles of drivers associated with the selected one or more taxi vehicles.

12. A system, comprising:

a memory to store information associated with taxi vehicles; and

one or more processors to implement;

a customer interface to receive a request for a taxi from a user,

a taxi selection mechanism to;

access the information associated with the taxi vehicles, and

select taxi vehicles to contact in response to the request and bases on the accessed information,

a taxi interface to;

provide the request to the selected taxi vehicles,

receive acceptances of the request from at least one of the selected taxi vehicles, and

forward information associated with the received acceptances to the taxi selection mechanism,

where the taxi selection mechanism is to select a particular taxi vehicle based on the forwarded information and based on one or more selection criteria,

where the customer interface is to send a confirmation to the user, and

where the taxi interface is to send the confirmation to the particular taxi vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, where the information associated with the taxi vehicles is stored in the memory in a database, where the database includes at least one of:

a taxi identification field;

a driver name field that identifies a driver currently driving a taxi vehicle associated with the taxi identification field;

an availability field that indicates whether a taxi vehicle associated with the taxi identification field is available;

a location field that includes location information associated with a taxi vehicle associated with the taxi identification field;

a direction field that includes direction information associated with a taxi vehicle associated with the taxi identification field;

or

a ratings and comments field that includes ratings or comments provided by other users in association with a taxi vehicle associated with the taxi identification field.

14. The system of claim 12, where the customer interface is to:

provide at least one of an icon or a voice command function to the user, and

receive the request in response to the user activating the at least one of an icon or a voice command function.

15. The system of claim 12, where the customer interface is to:

receive a location associated with the user.

16. The system of claim 12, where the one or more criteria include at least one of:

a distance between a taxi vehicle and the user,

a driving direction of a taxi vehicle,

an amount of time between sending the request to a taxi vehicle and receiving an indication that the taxi vehicle accepted the request,

a quoted price received from the taxi vehicle,

one or more ratings associated with a taxi vehicle, or

preferences associated with the user.

17. The system of claim 12,

where the customer interface is to query the user for destination information,

where the taxi interface is to receive, from at least one of the one or more selected taxi vehicles, a quoted price based on the provided destination information, and

where the taxi selection mechanism is to select the particular taxi vehicle, from the at least one of the one or more selected taxi vehicles, based on the received quote price.

18. The system of claim 12, where the confirmation includes at least one of:

a countdown timer indicating an amount of estimated time before the particular taxi vehicle arrives at the user'"'"'s location, or

an identification associated with the particular taxi vehicle.

19. The system of claim 12, where the customer interface communicates with the user via a mobile communication device and where the taxi interface communicates with a driver of a taxi vehicle via at least one of a communication device mounted in the taxi vehicle or a mobile communication device associated with the driver.

20. A computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by one or more processors, comprising:

one or more instructions to receive a request for a taxi vehicle from a user;

one or more instructions to select one or more taxi vehicles to contact in response to receiving the request;

one or more instructions to send the request to the selected one or more taxi vehicles;

one or more instructions to receive indications, from at least one of the selected one or more taxi vehicles, accepting the request;

one or more instructions to select a particular taxi vehicle, from the at least one of the selected one or more taxi vehicles that accepted the request, the selecting being based on one or more criteria; and

one or more instructions to send a confirmation to the user and to the particular taxi.