SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY ADJUSTING PRICES FOR SERVICES

• US 20130246207A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Novak, Kevin Mark, Kalanick, Travis Cordell
• Application Number:
  US13/828,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246207A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• 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 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method for adjusting prices for services is provided. One or more processors make a determination of an amount of requesters for a service at a given time and an amount of available service providers for providing the service at the given time. A price, relative to a default price, for using the service provided by one or more service providers is adjusted based on the determined amount of requesters and the determined amount of available service providers. Pricing data corresponding to the adjusted price is transmitted to one or more requesting devices or one or more provider devices so that the adjusted price can be displayed on at least one of the one or more requesting devices or the one or more provider devices and be indicative of an adjustment in price as compared to the default price.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting prices for services, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

making a determination of an amount of requesters for a service at a given time;

making a determination of an amount of available service providers for providing the service at the given time;

adjusting a price, relative to a default price, for using the service provided by one or more service providers based, at least in part, on the determined amount of requesters and the determined amount of available service providers; and

transmitting pricing data corresponding to the adjusted price to one or more requesting devices or one or more provider devices so that the adjusted price can be displayed on at least one of the one or more requesting devices or the one or more provider devices and be indicative of an adjustment in price as compared to the default price.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pricing data enables the adjusted price to be displayed on the at least one of the one or more requesting devices or the one or more provider devices as a multiplier of the default value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the price relative to the default price includes increasing the price as compared to the default price or decreasing the price as compared to the default price for a duration of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of requesters for the service is determined based on customer data received from the one or more requesting devices, the customer data including information about current conditions relating to a request for the service and corresponding to at least one of:

(i) a requesting device launching an application used for requesting the service, (ii) a requesting device requesting the service using the application, (iii) a requesting device closing the application, (iv) a current location of a requesting device, (v) a destination location requested by a requesting device, (vi) a route requested by a requesting device, (vii) a type or class of vehicle requested by a requesting device, or (viii) a profile associated with a requesting device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of available service providers is determined based on provider data that is received from the one or more provider devices, the provider data corresponding to at least one of:

(i) an availability of a service provider, (ii) a current state of a service provider, (iii) a current location of a provider device, (iv) a type or class of vehicle of a service provider, or (v) a profile associated with a provider device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the price is also adjusted based, at least in part, on historical data that is comparable to the given time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a first requesting device of the one or more requesting devices, an order for the service; and

in response to completion of the service, charging an account of a user of the first requesting device using the adjusted price for the service.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors to;

make a determination of an amount of requesters for a driver service at a given time;

make a determination of an amount of available vehicles for providing the driving service at the given time;

adjust a price, relative to a default price, for using the driver service provided by one or more drivers based, at least in part, on the determined amount of requesters and the determined amount of available vehicles; and

transmit pricing data corresponding to the adjusted price to at least one or more requesting devices or one or more driver devices so that the adjusted price can be displayed on at least one of the one or more requesting devices or the one or more driver devices and be indicative of an adjustment in price as compared to the default price.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the pricing data enables the adjusted price to be displayed on the at least one of the one or more requesting devices or the one or more driver devices as a multiplier of the normal price.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors adjust the price relative to the default price by increasing the price as compared to the default price or decreasing the price as compared to the default price for a duration of time.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors make a determination of the amount of requesters for the driver service based on customer data received from the one or more requesting devices, the customer data including information about current conditions relating to a request for the service and corresponding to at least one of:

(i) a requesting device launching an application used for requesting the driver service, (ii) a requesting device requesting the driver service using the application, (iii) a requesting device closing the application, (iv) a current location of a requesting device, (v) a destination location requested by a requesting device, (vi) a route requested by a requesting device, (vii) a type or class of vehicle requested by a requesting device, or (viii) a profile associated with a requesting device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors make a determination of the amount of available drivers based on driver data that is received from the one or more driver devices, the driver data corresponding to at least one of:

(i) an availability of a vehicle, (ii) a current state of a vehicle, (iii) a current location of a driver device, (iv) a type or class of vehicle, or (v) a profile associated with a driver device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors adjust the price based, at least in part, on historical data that is comparable to the given time.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors further:

receives, from a first requesting device of the one or more requesting devices, an order for the driver service; and

in response to completion of the service, charges an account of a user of the first requesting device using the adjusted price for the driver service.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

determining a current location of a computing device;

providing a user interface on a display of the computing device, the user interface including one or more selectable features to enable a user to request a driver service;

in response to a user input to request the driver service, receiving price adjustment information from one or more remote servers, the price adjustment information being based, at least in part, on an amount of customers requesting the driver service and the an amount of available vehicles for providing the driver service; and

providing a pricing user interface on the display using the price adjustment information, the pricing user interface indicating that a default price for using the driver service has been adjusted as compared to the default price.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the pricing user interface includes a multiplier that indicates an adjusted price relative to the default price.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the pricing user interface includes a selectable feature to request the driver service using an adjusted price relative to the default price.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the pricing user interface includes a notification identifying an expiration time for requesting the driver service using the adjusted price.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to transmit, to the one or more remote servers, information corresponding to at least one of:

(i) the determined current location of the computing device, (ii) the user or the user'"'"'s account, or (iii) a user-specified requirement.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to provide the user interface on the display by providing a map that includes (i) a graphic indicating the current location of the computing device, and (ii) one or more graphics indicating a current location of one or more available vehicles for providing the driver service.