Method and system for shared transport

• US 10,113,878 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Pan, Bin, Godil, Hasrat, Tolkin, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): El Chanti, Hussein A
• Application Number:
  US15/903,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20180180426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 249 Days
• 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

Abstract

A transport arrangement system operates to provide a service, which can receive a transport pool request from a rider. The transport pool request can specify a set of parameters, including a pickup location and a drop-off location. A candidate set of transport providers are identified that satisfy one or more criterion, including a criterion of proximity relative to the pickup location. One of the candidate set of drivers is selected to provide a transport pool for the rider. The selection can be based at least in part on determining which individual drivers of the candidate set satisfy one or more constraints, including a first constraint that relate to a predicted trip completion time for the rider.

Claims

1. A network computer system comprising:

one or more processors;

a set of memory resources to store a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, over one or more networks, a plurality of transport-related requests from a plurality of computing devices of requesters, each transport-related request specifying a set of parameters, including a pickup location and a drop-off location;

select a service provider to provide a transport pool for a set of transport-related requests from the plurality of transport-related requests by;

determining a number of service providers that satisfy criteria for providing the transport pool for each transport-related request of the set of transport-related requests, the criteria including (i) a distance proximity for each service provider of the number of service providers relative to the pickup locations of the set of transport-related requests, based on current location information provided by geo-aware components of a computing device of each service provider, and (ii) an availability state of each service provider of the number of service providers;

determining, based at least in part on the number of service providers, a range of trip completion times for the set of transport-related requests to be fulfilled by the transport pool;

determining an alternative trip completion time for a singular transport without transport pooling, based on the set of parameters;

determining a first constraint that sets a limit for the range of trip completion times, based on the alternative trip completion time; and

determining that the selected service provider from the number of service providers satisfies the first constraint.

2. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein determining the first constraint includes adding a predetermined extension to the alternative trip completion time.

3. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the range of trip completion times is based on an assumption that at least a portion of a trip provided by the selected service provider is shared with another requester.

4. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the range of trip completion times or the alternative trip completion time is based at least in part on historical information.

5. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the range of trip completion times is based on a likelihood that at least a portion of a trip provided by the selected service provider is shared with another requester.

6. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

for each transport-related request, utilize the range of trip completion times to display, before when the corresponding requester starts to receive the transport pool from the selected service provider, a value that is based on a latest estimated time or duration for the corresponding requester to arrive at the drop-off location using the transport-related request.

7. The network computer system of claim 6, wherein the value is displayed on an interface before the corresponding requester triggers the transport-related request for the transport pool.

8. The network computer system of claim 7, wherein the value is displayed on an interface after the corresponding requester triggers the transport-related request for the transport pool.

9. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein selecting the service provider further includes:

determining a set of service providers that are fulfilling an existing transport-related request and that also satisfy the first constraint and a second constraint, the second constraint relating to an extension of time that would be added to the existing transport-related request to deviate the selected service provider from a planned route of the existing transport-related request to the pickup location of a second transport-related request of a second requester.

10. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein selecting the service provider further includes:

determining a second constraint that is based on a maximum number of requesters permitted in a vehicle of a service provider.

11. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein determining that the selected service provider satisfies the first constraint includes determining a range of completion times for the selected service provider.

12. The network computer system of claim 11, wherein the range of trip completion times includes an earliest arrival time and a latest arrival time, each of the earliest arrival time and latest arrival time being based on a different prediction as to a portion of a trip provided by the selected service provider being shared with another requester.

13. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

provide a time value for receiving the transport pool to a computing device of the corresponding requester, based on at least on the first constraint or a determined range of trip completion times for the selected service provider.

14. The network computer system of claim 13, wherein the time value is provided at any time after selection of the service provider for each transport-related request of the set of transport-related requests.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a transport arrangement system, causes the transport arrangement system to:

receive, over one or more networks, a plurality of transport-related requests from a plurality of computing devices of requesters, each transport-related request specifying a set of parameters, including a pickup location;

select a service provider to provide a transport pool for a set of transport-related requests from the plurality of transport-related requests by;

determining a number of service providers that satisfy criteria for providing the transport pool for each transport-related request of the set of transport-related requests, the criteria including (i) a distance proximity for each service provider of the number of service providers relative to the pickup locations of the set of transport-related requests, based on current location information provided by geo-aware components of a computing device of each service provider, and (ii) an availability state of each service provider of the number of service providers;

determining, based at least in part on the number of service providers, a range of trip completion times for the set of transport-related requests to be fulfilled by the transport pool;

determining an alternative trip completion time for a singular transport without transport pooling, based on the set of parameters;

determining a first constraint that sets a limit for the range of trip completion times based on the alternative trip completion time; and

determining that the selected service provider from the number of service providers satisfies the first constraint.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining that the selected service provider satisfies the first constraint includes determining a range of completion times for the selected service provider.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the range of trip completion times includes an earliest arrival time and a latest arrival time, each of the earliest arrival time and latest arrival time being based on a different prediction as to a portion of a trip provided by the selected service provider being shared with another requester.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the transport arrangement system, further causes the transport arrangement system to:

provide a time value for receiving the transport pool to a computing device of the corresponding requester, based on at least on the first constraint or a determined range of trip completion times for the selected service provider.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining the first constraint includes adding a predetermined extension to the alternative trip completion time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the range of trip completion times is based on an assumption that at least a portion of a trip provided by the selected service provider is shared with another requester.