Transport facilitation system for configuring a service vehicle for a user

• US 10,093,252 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Zych, Noah
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US15/089,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20170282821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 701 25, 4554563, 455 89, 235384
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A transport facilitation system can receive a pick-up request from a user device running a designated application of a transportation arrangement service managed by the transport facilitation system, where the pick-up request comprising a unique identifier and a pick-up location. Using the unique identifier, the transport facilitation system can perform a lookup in the database for a comfort profile indicating vehicle setup preferences for a user of the user device, and based on the pick-up location, select a service vehicle to service the pick-up request. Based on the vehicle setup preferences indicated in the comfort profile, the transport facilitation system can transmit a set of configuration instructions to the selected service vehicle, where the set of configuration instructions to configure a number of adjustable components of the selected service vehicle for the user prior to the selected service vehicle arriving at the pick-up location.

Claims

1. A transport facilitation system comprising:

a database storing profiles indicating setup preferences for a plurality of components of a service vehicle for users of a transportation arrangement service;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the transport facilitation system to;

receive a pick-up request from a user device running a designated application of the transportation arrangement service, the pick-up request comprising a unique identifier and a pick-up location;

using the unique identifier, perform a lookup in the database for a comfort profile indicating vehicle setup preferences for a user of the user device;

based on the pick-up location, select a service vehicle to service the pick-up request;

determine a seat assignment within the selected service vehicle for the user based at least in part on the comfort profile of the user, and communicate the seat assignment to the user device; and

based on the vehicle setup preferences indicated in the comfort profile, transmit a set of configuration instructions to the selected service vehicle, the set of configuration instructions to configure a number of adjustable components of the selected service vehicle for the user prior to the selected service vehicle arriving at the pick-up location.

2. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to adjust, through automation, one or more components of the selected service vehicle in accordance with the vehicle setup preferences while the selected service vehicle is traveling to the pick-up location.

3. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to communicate instructions to the selected service vehicle, to extend or delay a route taken by the selected service vehicle to reach the pick-up location in order to operate at least one vehicle setup preference in accordance with the comfort profile.

4. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to provide a preference menu for the designated application to enable the user to input at least some of the vehicle setup preferences.

5. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to select a route for the selected service vehicle to the pick-up location based on the seat assignment of the user.

6. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to communicate to the user that one or more features for implementing the user'"'"'s comfort profile is not available on the selected service vehicle.

7. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the selected service vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

8. The transport facilitation system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle setup preferences in the comfort profile indicate at least one of a seat positioning preference, a temperature preference, a home page display preference, a language preference, a radio station preference, or an interior lighting preference.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a transport facilitation system, cause the transport facilitation system to:

receive a pick-up request from a user device running a designated application of a transportation arrangement service managed by the transport facilitation system, the pick-up request comprising a unique identifier and a pick-up location;

using the unique identifier, perform a lookup in the database for a comfort profile indicating vehicle setup preferences for a user of the user device;

based on the pick-up location, select a service vehicle to service the pick-up request;

determine a seat assignment within the selected service vehicle for the user based at least in part on the comfort profile of the user;

select a route for the selected service vehicle to the pick-up location based on the seat assignment of the user; and

based on the vehicle setup preferences indicated in the comfort profile, transmit a set of configuration instructions to the selected service vehicle, the set of configuration instructions to configure a number of adjustable components of the selected service vehicle for the user prior to the selected service vehicle arriving at the pick-up location.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to adjust, through automation, one or more components of the selected service vehicle in accordance with the vehicle setup preferences while the selected service vehicle is traveling to the pick-up location.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to communicate instructions to the selected service vehicle, to extend or delay a route taken by the selected service vehicle to reach the pick-up location in order to operate at least one vehicle setup preference in accordance with the comfort profile.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to provide a preference menu for the designated application to enable the user to input at least some of the vehicle setup preferences.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to communicate the seat assignment to the user device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions further cause the transport facilitation system to communicate to the user that one or more features for implementing the user'"'"'s comfort profile is not available on the selected service vehicle.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the selected service vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

16. A computer-implemented method of facilitating transport, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

storing, in a database, profiles indicating setup preferences for a plurality of components of a service vehicle for users of a transportation arrangement service;

receiving a pick-up request from a user device running a designated application of the transportation arrangement service, the pick-up request comprising a unique identifier and a pick-up location;

using the unique identifier, performing a lookup in the database for a comfort profile indicating vehicle setup preferences for a user of the user device;

based on the pick-up location, selecting a service vehicle to service the pick-up request;

determining a seat assignment within the selected service vehicle for the user based at least in part on the comfort profile of the user, and communicating the seat assignment to the user device; and

based on the vehicle setup preferences indicated in the comfort profile, transmitting a set of configuration instructions to the selected service vehicle, the set of configuration instructions to configure a number of adjustable components of the selected service vehicle for the user prior to the selected service vehicle arriving at the pick-up location.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

adjusting, through automation, one or more components of the selected service vehicle in accordance with the vehicle setup preferences while the selected service vehicle is traveling to the pick-up location.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

communicating instructions to the selected service vehicle, to extend or delay a route taken by the selected service vehicle to reach the pick-up location in order to operate at least one vehicle setup preference in accordance with the comfort profile.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing a preference menu for the designated application to enable the user to input at least some of the vehicle setup preferences.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a route for the selected service vehicle to the pick-up location based on the seat assignment of the user.