Network system for multi-leg transport

• US 10,788,329 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2018
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Bin, Tran, Khang, Xu, Yuehai, Zhou, Ruiyan, Gupta, Anurag, Sundaresan, Vishnu Srinivasan, Vosoughpour Yazdchi, Meisam, Wei, Yawen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/866,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20190212157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A multi-leg transport system receives a transport request and determines a number of transfer locations between the origin location and the destination. The system selects a first provider to transport the user from the origin location to a transfer location and remotely monitors the position of the user as the user travels to the transfer location. In response to determining that the travel time to the transfer location is within a threshold, the system selects a second provider to transport the user from the transfer location to either the next transfer location or the destination for the transport request.

Claims

1. A network computer system for managing an on-demand transport service, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computer system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, over one or more networks, data corresponding to a transport request from a device of a user, the transport request including an origin location in a first geographic region and a destination in a second geographic region;

scoring geographic regions or sub-regions, including the first geographic region and the second geographic region, between the origin location and the destination based on real-time data indicative of supply and demand for the on-demand transport service in each of the geographic regions or sub-regions;

determining one or more transfer locations for the transport request, including at least a first transfer location, between the origin location and the destination for the transport request;

selecting, from one or more candidate providers, a first provider to transport the user from the origin location to the first transfer location;

generating a first route from the origin location to the first transfer location;

remotely monitoring the position of the user as the user travels along the first route to the first transfer location;

querying one or more mapping resources to determine first travel time on the first route to the first transfer location, wherein the first travel time is based at least on one of a distance between the position of the user and the first transfer location, traffic conditions, or time to perform aspects of the on-demand transport service; and

in response to determining that the first travel time is within a first threshold amount of time, selecting a second provider to transport the user from the first transfer location to either a second transfer location or the destination for the transport request.

2. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computer system to perform operations comprising:

determining the second transfer location between the first transfer location and the destination;

remotely monitoring the position of the user as the user travels along a second route to the second transfer location;

querying the one or more mapping resources to determine second travel time on the second route to the second transfer location, wherein the second travel time is based at least on one of a distance between the position of the user and the second transfer location, traffic conditions, or time to perform aspects of the on-demand transport service; and

in response to determining that the second travel time is within a second threshold amount of time, selecting a third provider to transport the user from the second transfer location to either a third transfer location or the destination for the transport request.

3. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein a number of transfer locations is chosen by the user as part of the transport request.

4. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more transfer locations and a number of transfer locations are determined based on at least one of the distance between the origin location and the destination, an estimated travel time between the origin location and the destination, costs for the transport request, or supply provisioning data for the on-demand transport service for the first geographic region and the second geographic region.

5. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the device is equipped with a location-based resource, and the position of the user is remotely monitored through a service application running on the device that accesses the location-based resource.

6. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the position of the user is remotely monitored by monitoring the position of a vehicle of the respective provider transporting the user.

7. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein selecting the first provider includes communicating data corresponding to the user, the origin location, and the first transfer location to a computing device of the first provider.

8. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein selecting the second provider includes communicating data corresponding to the user, the first transfer location, and the second transfer location or destination to a computing device of the second provider.

9. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the transfer locations, including the first transfer location and the second transfer location, are selected based at least on the real-time data indicative of supply and demand for the on-demand transport service in each of the geographic regions or sub-regions.

10. A method of managing an on-demand transport service, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

receiving, over one or more networks, data corresponding to a transport request from a device of a user, the transport request including an origin location in a first geographic region and a destination in a second geographic region;

scoring geographic regions or sub-regions, including the first geographic region and the second geographic region, between the origin location and the destination based on real-time data indicative of supply and demand for the on-demand transport service in each of the geographic regions or sub-regions;

determining one or more transfer locations for the transport request, including at least a first transfer location, between the origin location and the destination for the transport request;

selecting, from one or more candidate providers, a first provider to transport the user from the origin location to the first transfer location;

generating a first route from the origin location to the first transfer location;

remotely monitoring the position of the user as the user travels along the first route to the first transfer location;

querying one or more mapping resources to determine first travel time on the first route to the first transfer location, wherein the first travel time is based at least on one of a distance between the position of the user and the first transfer location, traffic conditions, or time to perform aspects of the on-demand transport service; and

in response to determining that the first travel time is within a first threshold amount of time, selecting a second provider to transport the user from the first transfer location to either a second transfer location or the destination for the transport request.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining the second transfer location between the first transfer location and the destination;

remotely monitoring the position of the user as the user travels along a second route to the second transfer location;

querying the one or more mapping resources to determine second travel time on the second route to the second transfer location, wherein the second travel time is based at least on one of a distance between the position of the user and the second transfer location, traffic conditions, or time to perform aspects of the on-demand transport service; and

in response to determining that the second travel time is within a second threshold amount of time, selecting a third provider to transport the user from the second transfer location to either a third transfer location or the destination for the transport request.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a number of transfer locations is chosen by the user as part of the transport request.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more transfer locations and a number of transfer locations are determined based on at least one of the distance between the origin location and the destination, an estimated travel time between the origin location and the destination, costs for the transport request, or supply provisioning data for the on-demand transport service for the first geographic region and the second geographic region.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the device is equipped with a location-based resource, and the position of the user is remotely monitored through a service application running on the device that accesses the location-based resource.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the position of the user is remotely monitored by monitoring the position of a vehicle of the respective provider transporting the user.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the first provider includes communicating data corresponding to the user, the origin location, and the first transfer location to a computing device of the first provider.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the transfer locations, including the first transfer location and the second transfer location, are selected based at least on the real-time data indicative of supply and demand for the on-demand transport service in each of the geographic regions or sub-regions.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions, executable by one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations of an on-demand transport service that comprise:

receiving, over one or more networks, data corresponding to a transport request from a device of a user, the transport request including an origin location in a first geographic region and a destination in a second geographic region;

scoring geographic regions or sub-regions, including the first geographic region and the second geographic region, between the origin location and the destination based on real-time data indicative of supply and demand for the on-demand transport service in each of the geographic regions or sub-regions;

determining one or more transfer locations for the transport request, including at least a first transfer location, between the origin location and the destination for the transport request;

selecting, from one or more candidate providers, a first provider to transport the user from the origin location to the first transfer location;

generating a first route from the origin location to the first transfer location;

remotely monitoring the position of the user as the user travels along the first route to the first transfer location;

querying one or more mapping resources to determine first travel time on the first route to the first transfer location, wherein the first travel time is based at least on one of a distance between the position of the user and the first transfer location, traffic conditions, or time to perform aspects of the on-demand transport service; and

in response to determining that the first travel time is within a first threshold amount of time, selecting a second provider to transport the user from the first transfer location to either a second transfer location or the destination for the transport request.