Enabling a user to verify a price change for an on-demand service

• US 9,305,310 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Mina, Amin, Shalin, Chambers, Curtis, McKillen, Ryan, Kalanick, Travis Cordell
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US13/830,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 705/400, 705/417, 705/26.1, 705/26.4, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method for enabling a user to verify a price change for an on-demand service is provided. One or more processors can determine a real-time price for providing the on-demand service to the user. The one or more processors can determine when the real-time price is equal to or exceeds a threshold price. In response to a request from the user for the on-demand service when the real-time price is equal to or exceeds the threshold price, an intermediate interface can be provided that the user is to correctly respond to before a service request can be transmitted to a service system.

Claims

1. A method for determining a price for an on-demand service, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

for providers and customers in a population of users, (A) executing instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual providers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that provider to send, to the on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more provider communications, the one or more provider communications including (i) position data obtained, as a result of executing the instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the provider, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the provider, (ii) data corresponding to a status of the provider; and

(B) executing instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual customers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that customer to send, to the on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more customer communications, the one or more customer communications including position data obtained, as a result of executing instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the customer, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the customer;

during a given time interval, identifying, from the position data included with the one or more customer communications, a plurality of customers who are present in a given geographic region, including a first set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device is in communication with the on-demand service without those customers having made service requests through their respective corresponding mobile computing device, and (ii) a second set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device has been used to make a corresponding service request;

during the given time interval, identifying, from the position data included with the one or more provider communications, a plurality of providers who are present in the given geographic region, including a first set of providers who are available to provide the on-demand service, the first set of providers being distinguished from at least a second set of providers who are each providing the service within the geographic region during at least a designated portion of the given time interval;

for at least one or more instances of the given time interval in the given geographic region, estimating each of (i) a demand for the on-demand service from customers, based at least in part on a number of customers of the first set and the second set; and

(ii) a supply of providers, based at least in part on a number of providers of the first set;

for the given geographic region and during at least one or more instances of the given time interval, making a comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply;

determining, based on the comparison, a price for providing the on-demand service to a given customer in the given geographic region and during at least the one or more instances of the given time interval;

wherein determining the price is performed in real-time for a service request from the given customer, and when the determined price exceeds a threshold, the method further comprises providing an intermediate interface for which the given customer is to perform one or more actions as confirmation of the service request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the price for the on-demand service includes determining a price per distance traveled and a price per time spent for performance of the on-demand service beginning at a location within the geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the price for providing the on-demand service includes making an adjustment to a default price based on the comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein determining the price includes increasing the price from a default price by a multiplier.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a user interface to enable the given customer to make the request for the on-demand service, the user interface including a graphic that identifies the multiplier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the intermediate interface includes a prompt that requests the given customer to confirm the multiplier and a text field to receive one or more characters that are inputted by the given customer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, in the text field of the intermediate interface, one or more characters that are inputted by the given customer; and

in response to receiving the one or more characters, making a determination as to whether the one or more characters are a correct response to the prompt.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the intermediate interface includes one or more questions pertaining to the multiplier that the given customer must provide one or more answers to as confirmation of the service request.

9. A computing system to provide an on-demand service, the computer system comprising:

a display;

one or more wireless communication interfaces;

one or more memory resources; and

one or more processors to;

for providers and customers in a population of users, (A) execute instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual providers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that provider to send, to an on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more provider communications, the one or more provider communications including (i) position data obtained, as a result of executing the instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the provider, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the provider, (ii) data corresponding to a status of the provider; and

(B) execute instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual customers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that customer to send, to the on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more customer communications, the one or more customer communications including position data obtained, as a result of executing instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the customer, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the customer;

during a given time interval, identify, from the position data included with the one or more customer communications, a plurality of customers who are present in a given geographic region, including a first set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device is in communication with the on-demand service without those customers having made service requests through their respective corresponding mobile computing device, and (ii) a second set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device has been used to make a corresponding service request;

during the given time interval, identify, from the position data included with the one or more provider communications, a plurality of providers who are present in the given geographic region, including a first set of providers who are available to provide the on-demand service, the first set of providers being distinguished from at least a second set of providers who are each providing the service within the geographic region during at least a designated portion of the given time interval;

for at least one or more instances of the given time interval in the given geographic region, estimate each of (i) a demand for the on-demand service from customers, based at least in part on a number of customers of the first set and the second set; and

(ii) a supply of providers, based at least in part on a number of providers of the first set;

for the given geographic region and during at least one or more instances of the given time interval, make a comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply;

determine, based on the comparison, a price for providing the on-demand service to a given customer in the given geographic region and during at least the one or more instances of the given time interval;

wherein the one or more processors determine the price in real-time for a service request from the given customer, and when the determined price exceeds a threshold, the one or more processors provide an intermediate interface for which the given customer is to perform one or more actions as confirmation of the service request.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors determine the price for the on-demand service by determining a price per distance traveled and a price for time spent for performance of the on-demand service.

11. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising:

wherein the one or more processors determine the price for providing the on-demand service by making an adjustment to a default price based on the comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors determine the price increasing the price from a default price by a multiplier.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors provide a user interface, on the display, to enable the given customer to make the request for the on-demand service, the user interface including a graphic that identifies the multiplier.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the intermediate interface includes a prompt that requests the given customer to confirm the multiplier and a text field to receive one or more characters that are inputted by the given customer.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors:

receive, in the text field of the intermediate interface, one or more characters that are inputted by the given customer; and

in response to receiving the one or more characters, make a determination whether the one or more characters are a correct response to the prompt.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the intermediate interface includes one or more questions pertaining to the multiplier that the given must provide one or more answers to as confirmation of the service request.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

for providers and customers in a population of users, (A) execute instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual providers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that provider to send, to the on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more provider communications, the one or more provider communications including (i) position data obtained, as a result of executing the instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the provider, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the provider, (ii) data corresponding to a status of the provider; and

(B) execute instructions on a corresponding mobile computing device of individual customers in order to cause the corresponding mobile computing device of that customer to send, to the on-demand service over one or more networks, one or more customer communications, the one or more customer communications including position data obtained, as a result of the executing instructions on the corresponding mobile computing device of the customer, from a geo-aware resource of the corresponding mobile device of the customer;

during a given time interval, identify, from the position data included with the one or more customer communications, a plurality of customers who are present in a given geographic region, including a first set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device is in communication with the on-demand service without those customers having made service requests through their respective corresponding mobile computing device, and (ii) a second set of one or more customers for whom the corresponding mobile computing device has been used to make a corresponding service request;

during the given time interval, identify, from the position data included with the one or more provider communications, a plurality of providers who are present in the given geographic region, including a first set of providers who are available to provide the on-demand service, the first set of providers being distinguished from at least a second set of providers who are each providing the service within the geographic region during at least a designated portion of the given time interval;

for at least one or more instances of the given time interval in the given geographic region, estimate each of (i) a demand for the on-demand service from customers, based at least in part on a number of customers of the first set and the second set; and

(ii) a supply of providers, based at least in part on a number of providers of the first set;

for the given geographic region and during at least one or more instances of the given time interval, make a comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply;

determine, based on the comparison, a price for providing the on-demand service to a given customer in the given geographic region and during at least the one or more instances of the given time interval;

wherein determining the price is performed in real-time for a service request from the given customer, and when the determined price exceeds a threshold, the one or more processors execute the instructions to provide an intermediate interface for which the given customer is to perform one or more actions as confirmation of the service request.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining the price for the on-demand service includes determining a price per distance traveled and a price per time spent for performance of the on-demand service beginning at a location within the geographic region.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining the price for providing the on-demand service includes making an adjustment to a default price based on the comparison of the estimated demand and the estimated supply, the adjustment being in the form of a multiplier.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to provide a user interface to enable the given customer to request the on-demand service, the user interface including a graphic that identifies the multiplier.