METHOD FOR REQUESTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

• US 20180268706A1
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Prosper Technology, LLC
• Inventors: LUBECK, Olaf Martin, HALL, John H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,547,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A method for safely and efficiently requesting transportation services through the use of mobile communications devices capable of geographic location is described. Individual and package transportation may be provided. New customers may be efficiently serviced, and the requester and transportation provider locations may be viewed in real time on the mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method for managing transportation services, the method comprising:

receiving, from a requester device associated with a requester, a transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a first location of the requester device;

providing, to one or more transporter devices, the transportation request information indicating the first location of the requester device;

receiving, from the requester device, an indication of a second location of the requester device;

based on the indication of the second location of the requester device, providing updated transportation request information comprising the second location of the requester device to the one or more transporter devices; and

providing, to the requester device, an acknowledgement message comprising identification of a transporter that will service the transportation request, the transporter being associated with a transportation device from the one or more transporter devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a confirmation from the transportation device indicating that the transporter will service the transportation request.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to receiving the confirmation from the transportation device, sending a status update to at least one additional transportation device from the one or more transportation devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the confirmation from the transportation device comprises a unique identifier associated with the transportation request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation request information further indicates one or more of a number of individuals to be transported, a number of packages to deliver, a package size, a package weight, or a type of material to be transported.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a second requester device associated with a second requester, a second transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a location of the second requester device;

determining that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request; and

in response to determining that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request, providing a notification to the second requester device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking movement of the requester device by periodically receiving location information from the requester device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second location of the requester device and providing the updated transportation request information comprising the second location to the one or more transporter devices in real time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising dispatching the transporter device to service the transportation request.

10. A system for managing transportation services, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive, from a requester device associated with a requester, a transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a first location of the requester device;

provide, to one or more transporter devices, the transportation request information indicating the first location of the requester device;

receive, from the requester device, an indication of a second location of the requester device;

based on receiving the indication of the second location of the requester device, providing updated transportation request information comprising the second location of the requester device to the one or more transporter devices; and

provide, to the requester device, an acknowledgement message comprising identification of a transporter that will service the transportation request, the transporter being associated with a transportation device from the one or more transporter devices.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

receive, from a second requester device associated with a second requester, a second transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a location of the second requester device;

determine that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request; and

in response to determining that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request, provide a notification to the second requester device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the system to determine that there is no transporter available to service the second transportation request by determining that no transporter device has provided a confirmation for the second transportation request within a time limit.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to track movement of the requester device by periodically receiving location information from the requester device.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to store, in a digital storage, the transportation request information indicating the transportation request and the first location of the requester device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to store, in the digital storage, transporter location information together with the transportation request information.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to, based on receiving the indication of the second location of the requester device, store, in the digital storage, location information indicating the second location of the requester device.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer device to:

receive, from a requester device associated with a requester, a transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a first location of the requester device;

provide, to one or more transporter devices, the transportation request information indicating the first location of the requester device;

receive, from the requester device, an indication of a second location of the requester device;

based on receiving the indication of the second location of the requester device, providing updated transportation request information comprising the second location of the requester device to the one or more transporter devices; and

provide, to the requester device, an acknowledgement message comprising identification of a transporter that will service the transportation request, the transporter being associated with a transportation device from the one or more transporter devices.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to track movement of the requester device by periodically receiving location information from the requester device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to store, in a digital storage, the transportation request information indicating the first location of the requester device.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to:

receive, from a second requester device associated with a second requester, a second transportation request comprising transportation request information that indicates a location of the second requester device;

determine that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request; and

in response to determining that no transporter is available to service the second transportation request, provide a notification to the second requester device.