Real-time ride share system

• US 8,688,532 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Khunger, Sanjay, Carr, Daryl L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US12/636,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method of organizing the sharing of vehicle trips includes receiving a ride request from one or more riders, wherein the ride request includes a rider location and a rider destination, identifying a beginning waypoint and an ending waypoint for vehicle travel, determining a vehicle route based on the beginning and ending waypoints, choosing a rider whose rider location or rider destination is geographically closest to the determined vehicle route, presenting the rider location and rider destination of the chosen rider to the driver, and if the driver accepts, sending a notification to the chosen rider alerting the chosen rider of the acceptance.

Claims

1. A method of organizing the sharing of vehicle trips, the steps comprising:

(a) receiving a ride request at a central facility via a communications network from one or more riders, wherein the ride request includes a rider location and a rider destination;

(b) identifying a beginning waypoint and an ending waypoint usable by global positioning system (GPS) receivers or GPS maps for vehicle travel, wherein at least one of the waypoints is obtained by a vehicle after the actuation of a vehicle device;

(c) determining a vehicle route based on the beginning and ending waypoints using a telematics unit or a computer having computing resources;

(d) choosing a rider whose rider location or rider destination is geographically closest to the determined vehicle route using the telematics unit or the computer;

(e) accessing the criminal history, credit history, or both for the driver, the rider, or both using databases accessible by the central facility;

(f) if the accessed history is acceptable, transmitting the beginning and ending waypoints, a rider location, and a rider destination from a call center to the vehicle telematics unit over a wireless carrier system;

(g) presenting the rider location and rider destination of the chosen rider to the driver via an in-vehicle display or a vehicle audio system; and

(h) if the driver accepts, sending a notification from a vehicle telematics unit via the communications network to the chosen rider alerting the chosen rider of the acceptance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of querying a driver for a threshold deviation from the determined route.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing the driver turn-by-turn directions to the rider location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more riders enter the ride request into a web portal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein waypoints further comprise latitude and longitude coordinates established in a vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rider location is presented to the personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone belonging to the driver that is wirelessly networked with the vehicle telematics unit.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the location of the identified rider is presented to the driver in a vehicle using turn-by-turn directions.

7. A method of organizing the sharing of vehicle trips, the steps comprising:

(a) obtaining a set of driver trip preferences at a central facility;

(b) accepting a set of trip preferences from one or more riders, wherein the preferences include a rider location;

(c) receiving a message from the driver sent from a vehicle indicating that a rider is invited;

(d) accessing the trip preferences of the driver;

(e) comparing the trip preferences of the driver with the trip preferences of the one or more riders using a computer having computing resources;

(f) identifying the rider whose set of trip preferences most closely match those of the driver using the computer;

(g) communicating the location of the identified rider to the driver;

(h) calculating a hypothetical trip duration for the vehicle trip;

(i) recording the time that elapses between the time at which the driver picks up the identified rider and the time at which the driver drops the identified rider off using a telematics unit; and

(j) if the calculated hypothetical trip duration differs from the recorded time that elapses by more than a predetermined amount, communicating an alert notification between the telematics unit and the central facility.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of querying the driver or the rider for a threshold deviation from the determined route.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein step (f) further comprises the step of identifying a rider whose rider location or rider destination is geographically closest to the vehicle location.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of receiving feedback from the driver or the rider based on a completed vehicle trip.

12. A method of organizing the sharing of vehicle trips, the steps comprising:

(a) obtaining a set of driver trip preferences at a central facility;

(b) uploading the driver trip preferences to a computer-based auction web portal;

(c) offering a trip to riders using the auction web portal based on the driver preferences;

(d) receiving a monetary offer or a location from one or more riders through the auction web portal;

(e) selecting a rider offering the highest monetary offer or the location nearest the driver;

(f) sending the location of the selected rider to a vehicle telematics unit;

(g) presenting the selected rider to the driver via an in-vehicle display or a vehicle audio system;

(h) receiving confirmation at the vehicle from the driver that the ride is accepted;

(i) transmitting the received confirmation to the central facility from the vehicle telematics unit;

(j) if the driver accepts the selected rider, transmitting the location of the selected rider to the driver; and

(k) paying the driver the monetary offer received from the selected rider.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of querying the driver or the rider for a threshold deviation from the determined route.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein step (g) further comprises presenting the rider to a personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone that is wirelessly networked with the vehicle telematics unit.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein driver trip preferences further comprise one or more latitude and longitude coordinates.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the location of the identified rider is presented to the driver in a vehicle using turn-by-turn directions.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of obtaining financial account information from the rider and the driver.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of debiting the financial account of the rider and crediting the financial account of the driver after the vehicle trip is completed.