METHOD FOR REQUESTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

• US 20180268708A1
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Prosper Technology, LLC
• Inventors: LUBECK, Olaf Martin, HALL, John H.
• Application Number:
  US15/985,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268708A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

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 an indication of a location of the requester device;

storing, in a digital storage, the transportation request and location information indicating the location of the requester device;

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

detecting a cancellation event associated with the transportation request; and

based on the cancellation event;

removing the transportation request from the digital storage; and

providing, to the one or more transporter devices, a cancellation message indicating cancellation of the transportation request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital storage is part of a computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the computer system comprises a central server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the location information from the digital storage based on the cancellation event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically receiving the location information from the requester device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising periodically updating the location information in the digital storage based on the periodically-received location information of the requester device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically receiving transporter location information from the one or more transporter devices;

storing, in the digital storage, the transporter location information for the one or more transporter devices; and

periodically updating the transporter location information for the one or more transporter devices based on the periodically-received transporter location information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the cancellation event comprises receiving one or more of:

a cancellation message from the requester device or a cancellation message from a transporter device of the one or more transporter devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the cancellation event comprises determining that the transportation request has timed out before assignment to a transporter device of the one or more transporter devices.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium for managing transportation services, the 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 an indication of a location of the requester device;

store, in a digital storage, the transportation request and location information indicating the location of the requester device;

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

detect a cancellation event associated with the transportation request; and

based on the cancellation event;

remove the transportation request from the digital storage; and

provide, to the one or more transporter devices, a cancellation message indicating cancellation of the transportation request.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the digital storage is part of a computer system.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer system comprises a central server.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to remove the location information from the digital storage based on the cancellation event.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to periodically receive the location information from the requester device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to periodically update the location information in the digital storage based on the periodically-received location information of the requester device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to:

periodically receive transporter location information from the one or more transporter devices;

store, in the digital storage, the transporter location information for the one or more transporter devices; and

periodically update the transporter location information for the one or more transporter devices based on the periodically-received transporter location information.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to detect the cancellation event by determining that the transportation request has timed out before assignment to a transporter device of the one or more transporter devices.

18. 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 an indication of a location of the requester device;

store, in a digital storage, the transportation request and location information indicating the location of the requester device;

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

detect a cancellation event associated with the transportation request; and

based on the cancellation event;

remove the transportation request from the digital storage; and

provide, to the one or more transporter devices, a cancellation message indicating cancellation of the transportation request.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to periodically receive the location information from the requester device.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to periodically update the location information in the digital storage based on the periodically-received location information of the requester device.