FLEXIBLE DEPARTURE TIME FOR TRIP REQUESTS

• US 20170308819A1
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Yifang
• Granted Patent: US 10,552,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A travel coordination system allows a rider to request a trip with a flexible departure time. The rider can specify a pick-up location, a trip destination, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe for the trip. The travel coordination system attempts to assign the rider to a provider at a point in time during the departure timeframe when the trip price would be less than or equal to the target trip price. The travel coordination system may also guarantee that the rider will pay no more than the target trip price if the travel coordination system determines that the trip price is likely to be lower than the target trip price at some point in time during the departure timeframe.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a rider device at a travel coordination system, a trip request comprising a pick-up location, a target trip price and a departure timeframe;

determining trip price estimation data that is based, at least in part, on trip demand data corresponding to a demand for trips from riders within a geographic region, the geographic region containing the pick-up location for the rider;

monitoring a trip price estimate of a trip from the pick-up location to a destination during the departure timeframe, wherein monitoring the trip price estimate comprises;

generating the trip price estimate based on the trip price estimation data; and

responsive to the trip price estimate being less than or equal to the target trip price at a point in time within the departure timeframe;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers based, at least in part, on the pick-up location and a geographic location of the provider, wherein the provider is selected within the departure timeframe; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the trip price estimate not being less than or equal to the target trip price within the departure timeframe;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers based on the geographic location of the rider and a geographic location of the provider, wherein the provider is selected at an end of the departure timeframe; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the trip price estimate not being less than or equal to the target trip price within the departure timeframe, prompting the rider to submit a new trip request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to the destination; and

processing payment from an account of the rider for the actual trip price.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip price estimation data is also based on provider supply data corresponding to a supply of providers within the geographic region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip demand data comprises a rate at which riders who open a client application operating on the rider device submit a trip request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip demand data comprises a number of riders viewing a client application operating on the rider device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip price estimation data is further based, at least in part, on one or more of:

a duration of the trip, a distance of the trip, an approximate departure time, an estimated time of arrival for the trip, or traffic data corresponding to traffic conditions within the geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the rider device to present a user interface through which the rider can submit the trip request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interface displays a set of suggested departure timeframes and a trip price estimate associated with each suggested departure timeframe.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip price estimate is generated based on a model of the trip price for the geographic region.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, from a rider device at a travel coordination system, a trip request comprising the pick-up location for the rider, a target trip price, and a departure timeframe;

determining trip price estimation data that is based, at least in part, on trip demand data corresponding to a demand for trips from riders within a geographic region, the geographic region containing the pick-up location;

generating a probability that the trip price will be less than or equal to the target trip price at some point in time during the departure timeframe, the probability being generated based on the trip price estimation data;

responsive to the generated probability being greater than a threshold;

selecting a provider from a plurality of providers, at least in part, based on the pick-up location and a geographic location of the provider; and

sending an assignment request to a provider device of the selected provider.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring a trip price estimate of a trip from the pick-up location to a destination during the departure timeframe, wherein monitoring the trip price comprises;

generating the trip price estimate based on the trip price estimation data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting a provider and sending an assignment request are performed responsive to the trip price estimate being less than the target trip price during the departure timeframe.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination; and

processing a payment from an account for the rider for a minimum of the actual trip price and the target trip price.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to the generated probability not meeting the threshold, prompting the rider to submit a new trip request.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the trip price estimation data further comprises provider supply data describing a supply of providers within the geographic region.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the trip demand data comprises a rate at which riders who open a client application operating on the rider device submit a trip request.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the trip price estimation data is further based, at least in part, on one or more of:

a duration of the trip, a distance of the trip, an approximate departure time, an estimated time of arrival for the trip, and traffic conditions within the geographic region.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining an actual trip price for the trip from the pick-up location to a destination;

determining a difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price; and

providing, to an account for the rider, an amount of credits to be used on future trips with the travel coordination system, the amount of credits equaling the difference between the actual trip price and the target trip price.