RIDE-SHARING USER PATH DISTURBANCES AND USER RE-ROUTING

• US 20160320194A1
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yang, Jinjing, Liu, Yimin, MacNeille, Perry Robinson
• Application Number:
  US14/699,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20160320194A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: 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

Abstract

A ride-sharing server may receive an indication of a disturbance of one or more paths within a multi-modal transportation system. The server may also identify a ride-sharing user as scheduled to travel, using a rented vehicle, along the one or more paths indicated as being disturbed; determine an alternate route for the ride-sharing user; and send an update to a mobile device of the ride-sharing user indicating the alternate route. A mobile device of a ride-sharing user may receive, from the ride-sharing server, the alternate route, and send, to the ride-sharing server, an acceptance or cancellation of the alternate route. A rental server may be informed of the change in status of the rented vehicle.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a ride-sharing server configured to

receive an indication of a path disturbance within a multi-modal transportation system;

identify a ride-sharing user scheduled to travel along the path having the disturbance before using a rented vehicle;

determine an alternate route for the ride-sharing user; and

send an update to a mobile device of the ride-sharing user indicating the alternate route.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to send an update to the mobile device of the ride-sharing user indicating number and location of available seats in the rented vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-modal transportation system further includes at least two of rail-based transportation paths, air-based transportation paths, water-based transportation paths, and road-based transportation paths, and the rented vehicle is a road-based transportation vehicle, and the path disturbance includes a disturbance of one of the rail-based transportation paths, air-based transportation paths, or water-based transportation paths.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to:

identify, from a rental server, the ride-sharing user as a driver of the rented vehicle;

propose an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

inform the rental server of a change in status of the rented vehicle with respect to the ride-sharing user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to:

identify the ride-sharing user as a ride-sharing passenger of a rented vehicle of a driver user;

propose an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

inform the driver user of the rented vehicle of a change in status of the ride-sharing passenger with respect to the rented vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to receive, from the mobile device of the ride-sharing user, location updates indicative of positioning of the ride-sharing user within the multi-modal transportation system, and the alternate route is based at least in part on the positioning of the ride-sharing user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to propose an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that includes a return trip to pick up the rented vehicle.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a ride-sharing server by a mobile device of a ride-sharing user, an alternate route for the user identified based on a path disturbance along a planned travel path of the user within a multi-modal transportation system affecting scheduling of a rented vehicle; and

informing a rental server of a change in status of the rented vehicle in response to acceptance of the alternate route.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multi-modal transportation system further includes at least two of rail-based transportation paths, air-based transportation paths, water-based transportation paths, and road-based transportation paths, the rented vehicle is a road-based transportation vehicle, and the path disturbance includes a disturbance of one of the rail-based transportation paths, air-based transportation paths, or water-based transportation paths.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the scheduling of the rented vehicle includes using the rented vehicle:

(i) before travel along the path disturbance or (ii) after travel along the path disturbance.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying, to a rental server, the ride-sharing user as a driver of the rented vehicle;

proposing an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

informing the rental server of a change in status of the rented vehicle with respect to the ride-sharing user.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying the ride-sharing user as a ride-sharing passenger of the rented vehicle of a driver user;

proposing an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

informing the driver user of the rented vehicle of a change in status of the ride-sharing passenger with respect to the rented vehicle.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending, from the mobile device of the ride-sharing user to the ride-sharing server, location updates indicative of positioning of the ride-sharing user within the multi-modal transportation system, wherein the alternate route is based at least in part on the positioning of the ride-sharing user.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising proposing an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that includes a return trip to pick up the rented vehicle.

15. A system comprising:

a mobile device of a ride-sharing user configured to

receive, from a ride-sharing server, an alternate route identified based on a disturbance of one or more paths within a multi-modal transportation system along which the user is scheduled to travel before using a rented vehicle;

send, to the ride-sharing server, an acceptance of the alternate route; and

inform a rental server of a change in status of the rented vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is further configured to:

identify, to a rental server, the ride-sharing user as a driver of the rented vehicle;

propose an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

inform the rental server of a change in status of the rented vehicle with respect to the ride-sharing user.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is further configured to:

identify the ride-sharing user as a ride-sharing passenger of the rented vehicle of a driver user;

propose an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that does not use the rented vehicle; and

inform the driver user of the rented vehicle of a change in status of the ride-sharing passenger with respect to the rented vehicle.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is further configured to send, to the ride-sharing server, location updates indicative of positioning of the ride-sharing user within the multi-modal transportation system, wherein the alternate route is based at least in part on the positioning of the ride-sharing user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is further configured to receive an alternate path for the ride-sharing user that includes a return trip to pick up the rented vehicle.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile device includes a smartphone executing a trip-planning application.