Determining an amount for a toll based on location data points provided by a computing device

• US 10,854,018 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Novak, Kevin Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeroual, Omar
• Application Number:
  US15/647,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A method for calculating a fare for a transport service is provided. One or more processors receive a plurality of location data points from a computing device associated with a vehicle providing the transport service. The plurality of location data points correspond to a route of travel during performance of the transport service. A determination is made, based on a set of location data points of the plurality of location data points, that the vehicle has potentially driven along a roadway in which a toll is to be assessed as part of the fare. The roadway in which the toll is to be assessed is identified. The amount for the toll is determined for the identified roadway.

Claims

1. A method for remotely determining a route of a vehicle driven by a driver in connection with a transport service, the method being performed by a network-side computing system and comprising:

arranging a transport service that is provided by the driver for a customer, the driver associated with a driver computing device that includes wireless signal capabilities;

receiving a plurality of location data points from the driver computing device as the transport service is being provided;

while the transport service is being provided and the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device are not diminished, determining a route of the vehicle from the plurality of location data points;

determining, for each of the plurality of location data points, an error amount that is indicative of a degree of accuracy of the location data point;

determining that one or more of the plurality of location data points received from the driver computing device includes an error amount which exceeds an error threshold;

detecting that the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device are diminished responsive to determining that the one or more of the plurality of location data points includes an error amount that exceeds the error threshold;

responsive to the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device being diminished;

A) automatically extrapolating a portion of the route of the vehicle that corresponds to the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device being diminished using (i) one or more of the plurality of location data points having error amounts below the error threshold that is indicative of a high confidence ranking of the one or more of the plurality of location data points that were received before the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device were diminished; and

(ii) at least one of a bearing or time stamp which was obtained, by the network-side computing system, with or from the one or more of the plurality of location data points of the high confidence ranking; and

B) determining a path from a plurality of possible paths the driver is taking during the route based on the extrapolated portion of the route; and

C) calculating a fare for the customer based on the determined path, the fare including a toll associated with the extrapolated portion of the route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of possible paths is associated with a different toll and calculating the fare comprises:

calculating the fare based at least in part on the toll associated with the determined path.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the path comprises:

determining one or more of the plurality of location data points that are within a predetermined distance of a corresponding roadway; and

selecting the corresponding roadway as the path taken during the route.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the toll includes a tolling amount for at least one of a bridge, a turnpike, or a tunnel.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating the fare comprises:

identifying an amount for an entry point taken by the vehicle on the determined route.

6. A system for remotely determining a route of a vehicle driven by a driver in connection with a transport service, the system comprising:

one or more network resources to communicate with devices over one or more networks;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors, the instructions, when executed, causing the system to perform operations comprising;

arranging a transport service that is provided by the driver for a customer, the driver associated with a driver computing device that includes wireless signal capabilities;

receiving a plurality of location data points from the driver computing device as the transport service is being provided;

while the transport service is being provided and the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device are not diminished, determining a route of the vehicle from the plurality of location data points;

determining, for each of the plurality of location data points, an error amount that is indicative of a degree of accuracy of the location data point;

determining that one or more of the plurality of location data points received from the driver computing device includes an error amount which exceeds an error threshold;

detecting that the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device are diminished responsive to determining that the one or more of the plurality of location data points includes an error amount that exceeds the error threshold;

responsive to the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device being diminished;

A) automatically extrapolating a portion of the route of the vehicle that corresponds to the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device being diminished using (i) one or more of the plurality of location data points having error amounts below the error threshold that is indicative of a high confidence ranking of the one or more of the plurality of location data points that were received before the wireless signal capabilities of the driver computing device were diminished; and

(ii) at least one of a bearing or time stamp which was obtained with or from the one or more of the plurality of location data points of the high confidence ranking; and

B) determining a path from a plurality of possible paths the driver is taking during the route based on the extrapolated portion of the route; and

C) calculating a fare for the customer based on the determined path, the fare including a toll associated with the extrapolated portion of the route.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of possible paths is associated with a different toll and calculating the fare comprises:

calculating the fare based at least in part on the toll associated with the determined path.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein determining the path comprises:

determining one or more of the plurality of location data points that are within a predetermined distance of a corresponding roadway; and

selecting the corresponding roadway as the path taken during the route.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the toll includes a tolling amount for at least one of a bridge, a turnpike, or a tunnel.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein calculating the fare comprises:

identifying an amount for an entry point taken by the vehicle on the determined route.