Transport system

• US 7,953,618 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John H. Pearce, Paul Minett
• Original Assignee: John H. Pearce, Paul Minett
• Inventors: Pearce, John H, Minett, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON BOYCE, AKIBA K
• Application Number:
  US11/517,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20070027825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 705/1, 705/5, 705/6, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters

Abstract

A transport system having

• • commuters with identification and/or vehicles with identification (“identifiers”) authorizing them to take part in the transport system,
  • at least one vehicle park in which authorized commuters may park vehicles and/or take on board authorized commuters who may or may not have parked vehicles and transport them to a specified destination and/or for set down near the specified destination,
  • a hub at which vehicles of authorized commuters or others may take on board authorized commuters and transport them to the or a said vehicle park,
  • optionally near the specified destination, at least one pickup point from which authorized commuters may be transported back to the hub, and
  • a benefit sharing system involving the use of the identifiers at the vehicle park(s) and/or said hub whereby an authorized commuter, when a driver of authorized commuter(s) leaving and/or returning to or arriving at the vehicle park(s) and/or hub, benefits at some detriment to each carried commuter.

Claims

1. A transport network including:

a vehicle park as a first hub at which authorized commuters, on a non pre-designated basis, may park vehicles or take on board authorized commuters, said vehicle park having at least one pickup zone or lane, each said pickup zone having a specified destination,

a computer implementing a record keeping system, said record keeping system;

having a record for each of a plurality of authorized commuters,

identifying and recording which of the authorized commuters is the driver and which are the passengers,

debiting each passengers authorized commuter record in relation to the pick up or set down, and

crediting the vehicle'"'"'s driver'"'"'s authorized commuter record, said credit related to said passenger'"'"'s debit.

2. A transport network as claimed in claim 1 further including a second hub at which authorized commuters are taken on board vehicles to travel to the first hub.

3. A transport network, as claimed in claim 2 further including at least one pick up point from which authorized commuters are transported to the second hub.

4. A transport network, as claimed in claim 1 further including at least one pick up point from which authorized commuters are transported to the vehicle park.

5. A transport network, as claimed in claim 3 further including at least one pick up point from which authorized commuters are transported to the vehicle park.

6. A transport network as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transport network further includes identifiers, which identify a commuter as an authorized commuter.

7. A transport network as claimed in claim 2 wherein the transport network further includes identifiers, which identify a commuter as an authorized commuter.

8. A transport network as claimed in claim 5 wherein the transport system further includes identifiers, which identify a commuter as an authorized commuter.

9. A transport network as claimed in claim 6 wherein the record keeping system relies at least in part on one or more of the identifier(s).

10. A transport network as claimed in claim 7 wherein the record keeping system relies at least in part on one or more of the identifier(s).

11. A transport network as claimed in claim 8 wherein the record keeping system relies at least in part on one or more of the identifier(s).

12. A transport network as claimed in claim 9 wherein the identifier is remotely detectable and/or remotely interrogable by the record keeping system directly or indirectly.

13. A transport network as claimed in claim 10 wherein the identifier is remotely detectable and/or remotely interrogable by the record keeping system directly or indirectly.

14. A transport network as claimed in claim 11 wherein the identifier is remotely detectable and/or remotely interrogable by the record keeping system directly or indirectly.

15. A transport network as claimed in claim 14 wherein the identifier of a passenger in the transport network is used as an identifier of a driver and/or vehicle, and wherein the identifier of a driver and/or vehicle is used as an identifier of a passenger and the record keeping system differentiates between the identifier of a passenger in a vehicle and the identifier of a driver and/or vehicle depending on circumstance thereby to benefit drivers at the expense of their passengers.

16. A transport network as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first hub further includes one or more “

drive through”

lanes from which a commuter picks up other commuters, the one or more drive through lanes being proximal or adjacent to the vehicle park.

17. A transport network as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first hub further includes one or more “

drive through”

lanes from which a commuter picks up other commuters, the one or more drive through lanes being proximal or adjacent to the vehicle park.

18. A transport network as claimed in claim 14 wherein the first hub further includes one or more “

drive through”

lanes from which a commuter picks up other commuters, the one or more drive through lanes being proximal or adjacent to the vehicle park.

19. A transport network as claimed in claim 2 wherein the specified destination of the first hub is at the second hub.

20. A transport network as claimed in claim 18 wherein the specified destination of the first hub is at the second hub.

21. A transport network as claimed in claim 20 wherein the first hub is in a suburban location and the second hub is in or proximal to a city.

22. A transport network as claimed in claim 21 wherein there is an arterial route between the first and second hubs.

23. A method of operating a transport network on a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying, by the computer, a vehicle park as a first hub at which authorized commuters, on a non pre-designated basis, may park vehicles or take on board authorized commuters, the vehicle park having a specified destination for at least one pick up zone or lane,

creating, by the computer, a record for a plurality of authorized commuters,

recording, by the computer, which of the authorized commuters is the driver and which are the passengers,

debiting, by the computer, each passenger'"'"'s authorized commuter record in relation to the pick up or set down, and

crediting, by the computer, the vehicle driver'"'"'s authorized commuter record, said credit related to said passenger'"'"'s debit.

24. A method of operating a transport network as claimed in claim 23 further including the step of identifying, by the computer, a second hub at which authorized commuters are taken on board vehicles to travel to the first hub.

25. A method of operating a transport network, as claimed in claim 24 further including the step of identifying, by the computer, at least one pick up point from which authorized commuters are transported to the second hub.

26. A method of operating a transport network, as claimed in claim 25 further including the step of identifying, by the computer, at least one pick up point from which authorized commuters are transported to the vehicle park.