System and Method for Transportation

• US 20170300848A1
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Via Transportation Inc.
• Original Assignee: Via Transportation Inc.
• Inventors: Shoval, Oren, Ramot, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 11,574,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A computer-implemented method that, in an embodiment, includes receiving a travel request from a traveler that includes a pickup and destination location and a number of travelers and analyzing the travel request and calculating routes for vehicles that are partially based on the pickup and destination location, the number of travelers, destination locations of travelers located in the vehicles, traffic conditions, minimizing a waiting time for the traveler, minimizing a travel time for the traveler, minimizing a travel time for the travelers located in the vehicles, and optimizing an aggregation of travelers on each of the plurality vehicles. In an embodiment, the plurality of vehicles includes 5 vehicles or more and based on the calculating, the method includes supplying a selected route to a selected vehicle and supplying to the traveler, identification information related to the selected vehicle thereby resulting in transportation of the traveler to the destination location.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A system for providing multiple transportation proposals to a user, the system comprising:

a communication interface configured to;

receive a travel request from a first user via a wireless mobile processor-based device, the travel request including a starting location and a desired destination; and

receive, from a plurality of wireless communication devices associated with a plurality of transportation vehicles, indications of current locations of the plurality of transportation vehicles; and

at least one processor configured to;

identify a first vehicle that can pick up the first user and drop the first user at a location within approximately two blocks of the desired destination but other than the first user'"'"'s desired destination;

calculate a first estimated pick-up time based on a first current location of the first vehicle and the starting location of the first user;

determine a first proposal associated with the first vehicle, wherein the first proposal includes the first pick-up time and a first pick-up location other than the first user'"'"'s starting location;

identify a second vehicle that can pick up the first user and drop the first user at a location within approximately two blocks of the desired destination but other than the first user'"'"'s desired destination;

calculate a second estimated pick-up time based on a second current location of the second vehicle and the starting location of the first user;

determine a second proposal associated with the second vehicle, wherein the second proposal includes the second estimated pick-up time being different from the first pick-up time and a second pick-up location other than the first user'"'"'s starting location;

provide the first user information associated with the first proposal and the second proposal;

receive from the first user via the wireless mobile processor-based device a proposal selection reflective of a selected pick-up vehicle;

assign, based on the received proposal selection, the selected vehicle to pick-up the first user at a pick-up location associated with the selected vehicle; and

provide to the wireless mobile processor-based device information to cause walking directions to be displayed to the first user to direct the first user to the pick-up location associated with the selected vehicle.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second pick-up location is the same as the first pick-up location.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the second pick-up location differs from the first pick-up location.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the information provided to the first user includes a first time range associated with the first estimated pick-up time and a second time range associated with the second estimated pick-up time.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the information provided to the first user includes a first indication of an estimated travel time in the first vehicle and a second indication of an estimated travel time in the second vehicle.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the information provided to the first user includes a first proposed price associated with the first vehicle and a second proposed price associated with the second vehicle.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to assign, after the selected vehicle picked up the first user, the selected vehicle to pick up a second user at another pick-up location while the first user is still riding in the selected vehicle, and a desired destination of the second user is other than the desired destination of the first user.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine at least one more proposal and to provide the first user information about the first proposal, the second proposal, and the at least one more proposal.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to invalidate the first and second proposals if the first user does not make a proposal selection within a predefined period of time.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide to the wireless mobile processor-based device a summary of the selected proposal and an estimated time of arrival of the selected vehicle.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

continuously update the estimated time of arrival of the selected vehicle; and

notify the first user before the selected vehicle arrives.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide to the wireless mobile processor-based device information to cause walking directions to be displayed to the first user to direct the first user from a drop-off location other than the desired destination to the desired destination.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify a vehicle that can pick up the first user based on:

the starting location of the first user, a current location of the vehicle, a current number of passengers in the vehicle, and a current route associated with the vehicle.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate a route for the selected vehicle based on a current number of passengers in the selected vehicle and each of their corresponding destination locations.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate a route for the selected vehicle based on historic traffic conditions.

36. A method for providing multiple transportation proposals to a user, the method comprising:

receiving a travel request from a first user via a wireless mobile processor-based device, the travel request including a starting location and a desired destination;

receiving, from a plurality of wireless communication devices associated with a plurality of transportation vehicles, indications of current locations of the plurality of transportation vehicles;

identifying a first vehicle that can pick up the first user and drop the first user at a location within approximately two blocks of the desired destination but other than the first user'"'"'s desired destination;

calculating a first estimated pick-up time based on a first current location of the first vehicle and the starting location of the first user;

determining a first proposal associated with the first vehicle, wherein the first proposal includes the first pick-up time and a first pick-up location other than the first user'"'"'s starting location;

identifying a second vehicle that can pick up the first user and drop the first user at a location within approximately two blocks of the desired destination but other than the first user'"'"'s desired destination;

calculating a second estimated pick-up time based on a second current location of the second vehicle and the starting location of the first user;

determining a second proposal associated with the second vehicle, wherein the second proposal includes the second estimated pick-up time being different from the first pick-up time and a second pick-up location other than the first user'"'"'s starting location;

providing the first user information associated with the first proposal and the second proposal;

receiving from the first user via the wireless mobile processor-based device a proposal selection reflective of a selected pick-up vehicle; and

assigning, based on the received proposal selection, the selected vehicle to pick up the first user at a pick-up location associated with the selected vehicle.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the information provided to the first user includes at least one of:

(i) a first time range associated with the first estimated pick-up time and a second time range associated with the second estimated pick-up time;

(ii) a first indication of an estimated travel time in the first vehicle and a second indication of an estimated travel time in the second vehicle, or (iii) a first proposed price associated with the first vehicle and a second proposed price associated with the second vehicle.

38. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

assigning, after the selected vehicle picked up the first user, the selected vehicle to pick up a second user at another pick-up location while the first user is still riding the selected vehicle, wherein a desired destination of the second user is other than the desired destination of the first user.

39. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

calculating a route for the selected vehicle based the desired destination of the first user and the desired destination of the second user.

40. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

providing to the wireless mobile processor-based device information to cause walking directions to be displayed to the first user to direct the first user to the pick-up location associated with the selected vehicle; and

providing to the wireless mobile processor-based device information to cause walking directions to be displayed to the first user to direct the first user from a drop-off location other than the desired destination to the desired destination.