Method for requesting transportation services

• US 9,997,076 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Prosper Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Lubeck, Olaf Martin, Hall, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Cong
• Application Number:
  US15/646,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 455407, 4554561, 4554563, 4554565-4566, 455457, 705 5, 705 6, 705 13
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A method is described for safely and efficiently requesting transportation services through the user of mobile communications devices capable of geographic location determination. New customers may be efficiently serviced, and the requester and transportation provider locations may be viewed in real time on the mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method for managing a transportation service, the method comprising performing, by the dispatch system, a management method comprising:

receiving from a wireless mobile device of a transportation requester a message initializing communication with the dispatch system;

receiving from a wireless mobile device of each of a plurality of transportation providers a message initializing communication with the dispatch system;

automatically and periodically receiving messages including the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester after receiving the message initializing communication with the dispatch system from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester;

storing, at the dispatch system, the messages including the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester;

transmitting the most recent geographic locations of the plurality of transportation providers to the wireless mobile device of the requester;

receiving, from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester, a request for transportation service, wherein the request includes a geographic location of the wireless mobile device that was determined by the wireless mobile device;

selecting as a selected transportation provider one of the plurality of transportation providers based on at least provider availability;

transmitting to the wireless mobile device of the selected transportation provider a message identifying the request for the transportation service, wherein the message includes (i) the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester and (ii) a time limit for confirming that the selected transportation provider will service the transportation request;

receiving a confirmation message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service;

after receiving the confirmation message from the selected transportation provider, automatically and periodically transmitting time-varying geographic location information with respect to the selected transportation provider to the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester; and

receiving from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester a message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the management method further comprises, after receiving the message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system, erasing from storage at least some of the geographic location information associated with the transportation requester.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the management method further comprises receiving from the wireless mobile device of at least one of the plurality of transportation providers a message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein once the dispatch system signals that the selected transportation provider is to service the request, the dispatch system is prevented from repeating such signaling for the transportation requester and for the selected transportation provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the management method further comprises transmitting periodically a message requesting identifying information from the plurality of transportation providers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the management method further comprises:

receiving a pickup message from the selected transportation provider; and

transmitting to the selected transportation provider a message enabling the sending of a drop off message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the management method further comprises storing the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the management method further comprises erasing from storage the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the management method further comprises, after receiving a dropoff message from the selected transportation provider, erasing from storage the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting as a selected transportation provider one of the plurality of transportation providers is further based on an estimated time it will take a transportation provider to reach the transportation requester.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for transportation service further includes a future time for the transportation service to be performed.

12. A dispatch system comprising a computer which comprises storage and software, the dispatch system being configured to perform a method comprising:

receiving from a wireless mobile device of a transportation requester a message initializing communication with the dispatch system;

receiving from a wireless mobile device of each of a plurality of transportation providers a message initializing communication with the dispatch system;

automatically and periodically receiving messages including the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester after receiving the message initializing communication with the dispatch system from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester;

storing, at the dispatch system, the messages including the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester;

transmitting the most recent geographic locations of the plurality of transportation providers to the wireless mobile device of the requester;

receiving, from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester, a request for transportation service, wherein the request includes a geographic location of the wireless mobile device that was determined by the wireless mobile device;

selecting as a selected transportation provider one of the plurality of transportation providers based on at least provider availability;

transmitting to the wireless mobile device of the selected transportation provider a message identifying the request for the transportation service, wherein the message includes (i) the geographic location of the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester and (ii) a time limit for confirming that the selected transportation provider will service the transportation request;

receiving a confirmation message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service;

after receiving the confirmation message from the selected transportation provider, automatically and periodically transmitting time-varying geographic location information with respect to the selected transportation provider to the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester; and

receiving from the wireless mobile device of the transportation requester a message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system.

13. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises, after receiving the message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system, erasing from storage at least some of the geographic location information associated with the transportation requester.

14. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises receiving from the wireless mobile device of at least one of the plurality of transportation providers a message signaling the end of communication with the dispatch system.

15. The dispatch system of claim 12 wherein in the method, once the dispatch system signals that the selected transportation provider is to service the request, the dispatch system is prevented from repeating such signaling for the transportation requester and for the selected transportation provider.

16. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises transmitting periodically a message requesting identifying information from the plurality of transportation providers.

17. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a pickup message from the selected transportation provider; and

transmitting to the selected transportation provider a message enabling the sending of a drop off message.

18. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises storing the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

19. The dispatch system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises erasing from storage the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

20. The dispatch system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises, after receiving a dropoff message from the selected transportation provider, erasing from storage the message from the selected transportation provider confirming that the selected transportation provider will provide the requested transportation service.

21. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein selecting as a selected transportation provider one of the plurality of transportation providers is further based on an estimated time it will take a transportation provider to reach the transportation requester.

22. The dispatch system of claim 12, wherein the request for transportation service further includes a future time for the transportation service to be performed.