System and method for operating a service to arrange transport between a customer and a transport party

• US 20110307282A1
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ubercab, Inc.
• Inventors: Camp, Garrett, Salazar, Oscar, Kalanick, Travis
• Application Number:
  US12/928,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307282A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• 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 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A system and method are described for enabling transportation to be arranged for individuals carrying handsets or mobile devices. In some embodiments, a customer can transmit a request for transport from a given customer geographic location. A service may handle the request by selecting a driver for the customer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for operating a service to arrange transport between a customer and a transport party, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

(a) associating an account with each of the customer and the transport party;

(b) determining when the customer is provided transport by the transport party;

(c) determining a fare for the transport; and

(d) directing funds corresponding to the fare to be transferred from the account of the customer to another account as compensation for the transport.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) includes transferring the funds from the account of the customer to one or more intermediary accounts that are associated with either the service or the transport party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) is performed automatically.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising programmatically determining that the transport has been completed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (d) is performed automatically in response to detecting that the transport has been completed.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein programmatically determining that the transport has been completed includes determining that the customer has left the of the transport party.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein programmatically determining that the transport has been completed includes detecting a designated action performed by at least one of the customer or the transport party.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a mobile device with at least one of the customer or a vehicle of the transport party, and wherein step (c) is performed in response to the user or the transport party performing a designated action on the respective mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the designated action corresponds to the customer using the associated computing device to enter an input or feedback for the transport party.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a mobile device with at least one of the customer or a vehicle of the transport party, and wherein step (c) is performed by monitoring at least one of the mobile device of the customer or the mobile device of the driver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) is performed programmatically and automatically, by monitoring a computing device of at least one of the transport party or the customer within a vehicle carrying the customer from a pickup location to a destination location.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the customer, so that step (d) includes identifying the account of the identified customer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein monitoring the computing device includes receiving global positioning system (GPS) information from the computing device within the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (c) includes determining the fare based in part on one or more of the pickup location, the destination location, and/or a path taken by the vehicle between the pickup location and the destination location.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising defining one or more pre-determined geographic regions, and wherein step (c) includes using the GPS information to determine that at least one of the pickup location or the destination location is in one of the one or more pre-determined geographic regions.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising defining a plurality of pre-determined geographic regions, and wherein step (c) includes (i) using the GPS information to determine that each of the pickup location and the destination location is in a corresponding one of the plurality of pre-determined geographic regions, and (ii) determining a pre-determined fee associated with the predefined geographic regions that contain the pickup and destination locations.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a mobile device with at least one of the customer or a vehicle of the transport party, and wherein step (c) includes programmatically determining the fare based, at least in part, by monitoring a global positioning system (GPS) information communicated from the mobile device of at least one of the customer or the transport party.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (c) includes programmatically determining the fare based, at least in part, by monitoring a duration of time for the vehicle to carry the customer from the pickup location to the destination location.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein step (c) includes programmatically determining the fare based at least in part on a time of day in which the customer requests transport or is provided transport.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein step (c) includes programmatically determining an availability of vehicles to provide transport at a time when the customer requests transport.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the availability includes determining (i) a status of individual vehicles that are in service at a time that the customer requests transport, and (ii) a number of the vehicles that are engaged to provide transport to other customers at the time the customer requests transport.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein step (c) includes programmatically predicting, based on historical information, an availability of vehicles to provide transport at a time when the customer requests transport.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein programmatically determining the fare is based on one or more of (i) a rating of the customer using the service in the past, (ii) a rating of the transport party as provided by other customers for part transports, or (iii) a type of vehicle or transport provided to the customer.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

performing an evaluation of the transport party to either the customer or to one or more past customers, and

determining a metric associated with the evaluation; and

wherein step (c) includes programmatically determining the fare based at least on the metric.

25. A computer-implemented method for transacting fares between customers and drivers, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

associating an account with each of multiple customers and a transport party;

determining when the multiple customers are provided transport in a vehicle of the transport party at the same time;

automatically determining a fare for the transport; and

directing transfer of funds from the account of each of the multiple customers to another account for compensation to the transport party, wherein the transferred funds from the account of each of the multiple customers collectively amount to at least the fare.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining when the multiple customers are provided transport includes determining at least one of a pickup location and a destination location for each of the multiple customer.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein automatically determining a fare for the transport includes determining a pickup location and a destination location for each of the multiple customers, then allocating a portion of the fare to each of the multiple customers based on the pickup location and the destination location of each of the multiple customers.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein transferring funds from the account of each of the multiple customers to the other account is performed after at least one of the multiple customers performs an action that designates that customer'"'"'s consent to sharing the fare.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the action corresponds to the at least one of the multiple customers bumping their respective handsets to the handsets of another one of the multiple customers.

30. A system to arrange transport between a customer and a transport party, the system comprising:

one or more network interfaces, wherein each network interface communicates with a mobile device of a customer or a driver; and

one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

track a position of each of a vehicle of the transport party and the customer during a transport of the customer by the driver;

determine one or more payment parameters from the position of each of the vehicle and the customer;

calculate a fare for the transport; and

direct transfer funds from an account associated with the customer to another account for compensation for the transport.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the one or more payment parameters include a pickup location and a destination location.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the one or more payment parameters include a duration of the transport.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect a completion of the transport, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to automatically transfer funds from the account associated with the customer to the other account upon the completion of the transport.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect a completion of the transport by detecting a departure of the customer from a vehicle of the driver or a vicinity of the vehicle of the driver.