Facilitating direct rider driver pairing for mass egress areas

• US 10,304,277 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Brinig, Kevin, Cirit, Fahrettin Olcay, Seger, Margaret-Ann Julia
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Amber A
• Application Number:
  US16/148,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20190035202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A computing system can receive a first transport request from a computing device of a respective user while a rider application is operating in the default mode, and transmit a confirmation indicating information about a paired driver that is assigned to the first transport request to the computing device of the respective user. The computing system may further receive a second transport request from the computing device of the respective user while the rider application is operating in the secondary mode, and transmit data comprising a unique match code to the computing device of the respective user, causing the rider application to generate and output digital signature.

Claims

1. A computing system implementing an on-demand transport service, comprising:

a network communication interface for communicating, over one or more networks, with a rider application executing on computing devices of users of the on-demand transport service, the rider application being operable in a default mode and a secondary mode;

one or more processors; and

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

receive, over the one or more networks, a first transport request from a computing device of a respective user while the rider application is operating in the default mode;

based on receiving the first transport request, transmit, over the one or more networks, a confirmation indicating information about a paired driver that is assigned to the first transport request to the computing device of the respective user;

receive, over the one or more networks, a second transport request from the computing device of the respective user while the rider application is operating in the secondary mode;

in response to the second transport request, transmit, over the one or more networks, data comprising a unique match code to the computing device of the respective user, causing the rider application to generate a digital signature and output the digital signature from an output device of the computing device of the respective user, wherein the outputted digital signature is detected by a corresponding computing device of an available driver, causing the available driver and the respective user to be paired; and

update a status of the respective user to indicate that transport is being provided by the available driver for the respective user.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the computing system to:

receive, over the one or more networks, location data indicating a current location of the computing device of the respective user;

determine, based on the location data, that the computing device of the respective user is within a mass egress area; and

in response to determining that the computing device of the respective user is within the mass egress area, initiate the secondary mode of the rider application on the computing device of the respective user; and

generate a late-binding notification for display on a display screen of the computing device of the respective user, the late-binding notification indicating that the rider application is operating in the secondary mode.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein a user interface of the rider application includes a state switching feature that enables the respective user to trigger the rider application to operate in either the default mode or the secondary mode.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the computing system to automatically receive, over the one or more networks, the second transport request when the secondary mode is executing on the computing device of the respective user.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an image code on a display screen of the computing device of the respective user, the image code being captured by a camera of the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an ultrasonic output from a speaker of the computing device of the respective user, the ultrasonic output being detectable by a microphone of the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an inductive signal generated by an inductive interface of the computing device of the respective user, the inductive signal being transmitted to the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the computing system to:

transmit, over the one or more networks, map data to the computing device of the respective user, the map data causing the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate map content that displays an indicator of a rendezvous point for the respective user to meet the available driver.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the computing system to:

transmit, over the one or more networks, map data to the computing device of the respective user, the map data causing the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate map content that displays a rendezvous area where the respective user can pair with any one of multiple available drivers.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the unique match code specifies a type of transport for the on-demand transport service.

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

communicate, over one or more networks, with a rider application executing on computing devices of users of an on-demand transport service, the rider application being operable in a default mode and a secondary mode;

receive, over the one or more networks, a first transport request from a computing device of a respective user while the rider application is operating in the default mode;

based on receiving the first transport request, transmit, over the one or more networks, a confirmation indicating information about a paired driver that is assigned to the first transport request to the computing device of the respective user;

receive, over the one or more networks, a second transport request from the computing device of the respective user while the rider application is operating in the secondary mode;

in response to the second transport request, transmit, over the one or more networks, data comprising a unique match code to the computing device of the respective user, causing the rider application to generate a digital signature and output the digital signature from an output device of the computing device of the respective user, wherein the outputted digital signature is detected by a corresponding computing device of an available driver, causing the available driver and the respective user to be paired; and

update a status of the respective user to indicate that transport is being provided by the available driver for the respective user.

12. The of claim 11, wherein the executed instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, over the one or more networks, location data indicating a current location of the computing device of the respective user;

determine, based on the location data, that the computing device of the respective user is within a mass egress area; and

in response to determining that the computing device of the respective user is within the mass egress area, initiate the secondary mode of the rider application on the computing device of the respective user; and

generate a late-binding notification for display on a display screen of the computing device of the respective user, the late-binding notification indicating that the rider application is operating in the secondary mode.

13. The of claim 11, wherein a user interface of the rider application includes a state switching feature that enables the respective user to trigger the rider application to operate in either the default mode or the secondary mode.

14. The of claim 11, wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to automatically receive, over the one or more networks, the second transport request when the secondary mode is executing on the computing device of the respective user.

15. The of claim 11, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an image code on a display screen of the computing device of the respective user, the image code being captured by a camera of the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

16. The of claim 11, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an ultrasonic output from a speaker of the computing device of the respective user, the ultrasonic output being detectable by a microphone of the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

17. The of claim 11, wherein the unique match code causes the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate the digital signature as an inductive signal generated by an inductive interface of the computing device of the respective user, the inductive signal being transmitted to the corresponding computing device of the available driver.

18. The of claim 11, wherein the executed instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit, over the one or more networks, map data to the computing device of the respective user, the map data causing the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate map content that displays an indicator of a rendezvous point for the respective user to meet the available driver.

19. The of claim 11, wherein the executed instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit, over the one or more networks, map data to the computing device of the respective user, the map data causing the rider application, operating in the secondary mode, to generate map content that displays a rendezvous area where the respective user can pair with any one of multiple available drivers.

20. A computer-implemented method of implementing an on-demand transport service, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

communicating, over one or more networks, with a rider application executing on computing devices of users of an on-demand transport service, the rider application being operable in a default mode and a secondary mode;

receiving, over the one or more networks, a first transport request from a computing device of a respective user while the rider application is operating in the default mode;

based on receiving the first transport request, transmitting, over the one or more networks, a confirmation indicating information about a paired driver that is assigned to the first transport request to the computing device of the respective user;

receiving, over the one or more networks, a second transport request from the computing device of the respective user while the rider application is operating in the secondary mode;

in response to the second transport request, transmitting, over the one or more networks, data comprising a unique match code to the computing device of the respective user, causing the rider application to generate a digital signature and output the digital signature from an output device of the computing device of the respective user, wherein the outputted digital signature is detected by a corresponding computing device of an available driver, causing the available driver and the respective user to be paired; and

updating a status of the respective user to indicate that transport is being provided by the available driver for the respective user.