Method for requesting transportation services

• US 10,362,445 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Inventors: Lubeck, Olaf Martin, Hall, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Congvan
• Application Number:
  US15/990,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20180279081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 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 for safely and efficiently requesting transportation services through the use of mobile communications devices capable of geographic location is described. Individual and package transportation may be provided. 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 non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computing device to:

receive, through a wireless communications network and from a first communications device associated with a transportation requester, a geographic location;

receive, through the wireless communications network, geographic location information of at least one transportation vehicle at selected time intervals from a wireless mobile communications device located on the at least one transportation vehicle;

analyze the geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle at the selected time intervals;

compare the analyzed geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle with a route of the at least one transportation vehicle; and

based on comparing the analyzed geographic location information with the route, calculate a time-of-arrival to the geographic location for the at least one transportation vehicle.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected time intervals comprise one or more sets of regular time intervals.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to receive the geographic location by receiving an indication of a user selection of the geographic location on a map.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to receive the geographic location by receiving a textual user entry of the geographic location into a text field displayed on the first communications device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to:

provide, to the first communications device, the time-of-arrival for the at least one transportation vehicle at the geographic location;

receive, from the first communications device, a selection of a transportation vehicle of the at least one transportation vehicle; and

transmit, to the selected transportation vehicle, a request for transportation services.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a transportation service route associated with one or more other transportation requesters.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the geographic location comprises a scheduled stop on a scheduled route driven by the at least one transportation vehicle.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to permit the transportation requester to track the at least one transportation vehicle on a map or textual display displayed on the first communications device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to receive a geographic location of the first communications device determined by one of:

global positioning;

signal triangulation;

or

a description of the geographic location provided by the transportation requester.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to provide, in real time, a current geographic location of each transportation vehicle of the at least one transportation vehicle to the first communications device.

11. A system for obtaining time-of-arrival information for at least one transportation vehicle at a location, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive, through a wireless communications network and from a first communications device associated with a transportation requester, a geographic location;

receive, through the wireless communications network, geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle at selected time intervals from a wireless mobile communications device located on the at least one transportation vehicle;

analyze the geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle at the selected time intervals;

compare the analyzed geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle with a route of the at least one transportation vehicle; and

based on comparing the analyzed geographic location information with the route, calculate a time-of-arrival to the geographic location for the at least one transportation vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the selected time intervals comprise one or more sets of regular time intervals.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to receive the geographic location by receiving an indication of a user selection of the geographic location on a map.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to receive the geographic location by receiving a textual user entry of the geographic location into a text field displayed on the first communications device.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

provide, to the first communications device, the time-of-arrival for each transportation vehicle at the geographic location;

receive, from the first communications device, a selection of a transportation vehicle of the at least one transportation vehicle; and

transmit, to the selected transportation vehicle, a request for transportation services.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the route comprises a transportation service route associated with one or more other transportation requesters.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to permit the transportation requester to track the at least one transportation vehicle on a map or textual display displayed on the first communications device.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to receive a geographic location of the first communications device determined by one of:

global positioning;

signal triangulation;

or

a description of the geographic location provided by the transportation requester.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to provide, in real time, a current geographic location of each transportation vehicle of the at least one transportation vehicle to the first communications device.

20. A method for obtaining time-of-arrival information for at least one transportation vehicle at a location, the method comprising:

receiving, through a wireless communications network and from a first communications device associated with a transportation requester, a geographic location;

receiving, through the wireless communications network, geographic location information of at least one transportation vehicle at selected time intervals from a wireless mobile communications device located on the at least one transportation vehicle;

analyzing the geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle at the selected time intervals;

comparing the analyzed geographic location information of the at least one transportation vehicle with a route of the at least one transportation vehicle; and

based on comparing the analyzed geographic location information with the route, calculating a time-of-arrival to the geographic location for the at least one transportation vehicle.