Paratransit fare computation and dispatching method

• US 4,212,069 A
• Filed: 06/06/1978
• Issued: 07/08/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dwight M. Baumann
• Original Assignee: Dwight M. Baumann
• Inventors: Baumann, Dwight M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wise, Edward J.
• Application Number:
  US05/913,248
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 364/467, 364/466, 364/436
• US Class Current: 705/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 13/00 Taximeters measuring distance travelled G01C; measuring time G04

Abstract

This disclosure is concerned with rendering more flexible and useful the fare computations and dispatching services in the taxi industry and the like, by a novel type of centralized computed control of and cooperating and interfacing with, vehicular meters, enabling overlapping multiple-location pick-up and delivery for a plurality of customers and with automatic route, time, traffic condition and related information and/or corrections remotely introduced into the meter calculations and display.

Claims

1. A method of paratransit fare computation and dispatching, that comprises, storing at a station information in a computer relating to routes and distances between street addresses and historical data as to time for normal transit therebetween under different times of day and traffic conditions;

peripherally interfacing with the station through communication links with moving vehicles;

communicating pick-up and deposit addresses along such links to the station from each vehicle for each hire thereof;

calculating fares and estimating times of transit using said stored information;

transmitting along said links, said calculated fares and estimated times of transit selectively addressed to the corresponding vehicle; and

receiving and automatically displaying said transmitted fares and times at the respective vehicles.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 and in which the calculating step includes calculating pluralities of fare and corresponding time data for overlapping hires, and the displaying step includes simultaneously displaying pluralities of fare and corresponding time data at the vehicles transmitted for overlapping hires.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 and in which the fare and time transmissions are corrected during the calculating at the station by introducing corrections for different traffic and related conditions.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 and in which said calculating is modified by up-dated changes in addresses communicated from said vehicles.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 and in which the calculating includes selecting optimum routes between said addresses.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2 and in which the stored time data is corrected from time to time by comparison with real-time data obtained at said vehicles.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2 and in which data as to conditions in the vehicle is also communicated along said links for monitoring at the station.

8. A method as claimed in claim 2 and in which said displaying step includes disconnecting communication and control from said station and controlling the same locally from the vehicle.