Method and system for automated transportation use tracking and billing

• US 8,660,867 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Krivopaltsev, Eugene, Tripathi, Ajay, Ran, Alexander S.
• Primary Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/352,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A user registers with an automated transportation use and billing system. The user'"'"'s geographical location/position is monitored and periodically compared with the geographical location/position of one or more public transportation systems. When a determination is made that the user'"'"'s geographical location/position is the same as the geographical location/position of a public transportation system, an assumption is made that the user is making use of the public transportation system and once the user'"'"'s geographical location/position data differs from the public transportation system'"'"'s geographical location/position data, it is further assumed that the user is no longer making use of the public transportation system. Data indicating the users assumed use of the public transportation system, calculated as described above, is then recorded and credited to the user'"'"'s account.

Claims

1. A system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system comprising:

one or more computing processors; and

one or memories coupled to the one or more computing processors, the one or more memories having instructions stored therein which, when executed by the one or more processors, perform;

monitoring the geographical location of a user mobile computing system associated with a user and obtain user geographical location/position data;

obtaining transportation geographical location/position data associated with a public transportation system element;

analyzing the user geographical location/position data, geographical locations of transportation infrastructure, and the transportation geographical location/position data to determine that the user and the public transportation element are at a location only available to be used by the transportation element, thus determining when the user makes use of the public transportation system element, the analyzed geographical locations of transportation infrastructure at least including the geographical locations of train tracks; and

charging, as a direct result of determining that the user and the public transportation element are at a location only used by the transportation element, the user for the determined use of the public transportation system element.

2. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

the user mobile computing system is a mobile phone.

3. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained in relative real time from a computing system associated with the public transportation system element.

4. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained in relative real time from a tracking signal associated with the public transportation system element.

5. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained from a database indicating the estimated position of the public transportation system element at a given time.

6. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

as long the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error, the one or more processors determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

7. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

when the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error for a defined threshold period of time, the one or more processors determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

8. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

when the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error a defined threshold number of times that are temporally separated, the one or more processors determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

9. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

the user is automatically charged for all determined uses of public transportation system elements on periodic basis.

10. The system for providing an automated transportation use and billing system of claim 1, wherein;

a record of all charges for all determined uses of public transportation system elements is made available to the user.

11. An automated transportation use and billing system comprising:

a user mobile computing system associated with a user;

a public transportation system including one or more public transportation system elements; and

one or more processors associated with one or more computing systems, the one or more processors associated with one or more computing systems configured to execute, and executing a process for providing an automated transportation use and billing system, the process for providing an automated transportation use and billing system including;

monitoring the geographical location of the user mobile computing system associated with a user and obtain user geographical location/position data;

obtaining transportation geographical location/position data associated with a public transportation system element of the public transportation system;

analyzing the user geographical location/position data, geographical locations of transportation infrastructure, and the transportation geographical location/position data to determine that the user and the public transportation element are at a location only available to be used by the transportation element, thus determining when the user makes use of the public transportation system element, the analyzed geographical locations of transportation infrastructure at least including the geographical locations of train tracks; and

charging, as a direct result of determining that the user and the public transportation element are at a location only used by the transportation element, the user for the determined use of the public transportation system element.

12. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

the user mobile computing system is a mobile phone.

13. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained in relative real time from a computing system associated with the public transportation system element.

14. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained in relative real time from a tracking signal associated with the public transportation system element.

15. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

the transportation geographical location/position data is obtained from a database indicating the estimated position of the public transportation system element at a given time.

16. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

as long the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error, the one or more processors associated with one or more computing systems determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

17. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

when the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error for a defined threshold period of time, the one or more processors associated with one or more computing systems determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

18. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

when the user geographical location/position data matches the transportation geographical location/position data of the public transportation system element within a defined margin of error a defined threshold number of times that are temporally separated, the one or more processors associated with one or more computing systems determine that the user is making use of the public transportation system element.

19. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

the user is automatically charged for all determined uses of public transportation system elements on periodic basis.

20. The automated transportation use and billing system of claim 11, wherein;

a record of all charges for all determined uses of public transportation system elements is made available to the user.