Transportation Information Systems and Methods Associated With Generating Multiple User Routes

• US 20120239289A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gontmakher, Alex, Brewin, Frederick Peter, Ben Haim, Noam
• Application Number:
  US13/228,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239289A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/420
• 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: 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: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

Transportation information systems and methods are disclosed, which facilitate the use of transportation, including trip planning. An exemplary method includes generating first scheduling information for a first user based on first user data, public transportation data, a first starting location, and a first destination location. The exemplary method also includes determining that a second user starting from a second starting location different from the first starting location would like to join the first user. The exemplary method further includes generating second scheduling information for the second user to meet the first user based on second user data, public transportation data, the second starting location, real-time location information for the first user, and a second destination location.

Claims

1. A method for providing transportation information, comprising:

generating first scheduling information for a first user based on first user data, public transportation data, a first starting location, and a first destination location;

determining that a second user starting from a second starting location different from the first starting location would like to join the first user; and

generating second scheduling information for the second user to meet the first user based on second user data, public transportation data, the second starting location, real-time location information for the first user, and a second destination location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating second scheduling information for the second user comprises:

identifying a vehicle the first user is on that travels along a path of the generated first scheduling information; and

including the identified vehicle and the path in the generated second scheduling information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a distance of the route of the second scheduling information that includes the path of the generated first scheduling information is longer than a distance of another route from the second starting location to the second destination location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting at least one of the first user scheduling information and the second user scheduling information to increase a portion of the trip that the first user and the second user spend together.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the first scheduling information for the first user and the second scheduling information for the second user based on different forms of travel used by the first user and the second user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first destination location is different from the second destination location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first destination location is the same as the second destination location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting the second user when real-time transportation data of the first user deviates from the first scheduling information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an alert for the second user following the second scheduling information to depart from the second starting location at a specified time to meet the first user following the first scheduling information.

10. A system for providing transportation information, comprising:

a routing engine implemented on a computing device and configured;

(i) to generate first scheduling information for a first user based on first user data, public transportation data, a first starting location, and a first destination location,

(ii) to determine that a second user starting from a second starting location different from the first starting location would like to join the first user, and

(iii) to generate second scheduling information for a second user to meet the first user based on second user data, public transportation data, the second starting location, real-time location information for the first user, and a second destination location when it is determined that the second user would like to join the first user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing engine is further configured:

(i) to identify a vehicle that travels along a path of the generated first scheduling information, and (ii) to include the identified vehicle and the path in the generated second scheduling information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing engine is further configured to adjust at least one of the first user scheduling information and the second user scheduling information to increase a portion of the trip that the first user and the second user spend together.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing engine is further configured to generate the first scheduling information for the first user and the second scheduling information for the second user based on different forms of travel used by the first user and the second user.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing engine is further configured to update the generated second scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the first user.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing engine is further configured to update the generated first scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the second user.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising an alert generator configured to generate an alert for the second user following the second scheduling information to depart from the second starting location at a specified time to meet the first user following the first scheduling information.

17. An apparatus comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoding instructions thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

generating first scheduling information for a first user based on first user data, public transportation data, a first starting location, and a first destination location;

determining that a second user starting from a second starting location different from the first starting location would like to join the first user; and

generating second scheduling information for the second user to meet the first user based on second user data, public transportation data, the second starting location, real-time location information, for the first user, and a second destination location.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying a vehicle that travels along a path of the generated first scheduling, information; and

including the identified vehicle and the path in the generated second scheduling information.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first user scheduling information and the second user scheduling information is adjusted to increase a portion of the trip that the first user and the second user spend together.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

updating the generated second scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the first user; and

updating the generated first scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the second user.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising updating the generated second scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the first user.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, the operations further comprising updating the generated first scheduling information based on real-time transportation data of the second user.