SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR VERIFYING THAT ONE OR MORE DIRECTIVES THAT DIRECT TRANSPORT OF A SECOND END USER DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH ONE OR MORE OBLIGATIONS TO TRANSPORT A FIRST END USER

• US 20150323336A1
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Computationally implemented methods and systems that are designed for receiving one or more first directives that direct a transportation vehicle unit to transport a first end user; receiving, while the transportation vehicle unit is en route to or is transporting the first end user, one or more second directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user; and verifying that compliance with the one or more second directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Claims

1-161. -161. (canceled)

162. A system, comprising:

circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with a first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user; and

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit.

164. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving, while the transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with a first end user or is transporting the first end user, the one or more second directives by receiving the one or more second directives when the transportation vehicle unit is spatially moving towards a first end user rendezvous location in order to rendezvous with the first end user.

165. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving, while the transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with a first end user or is transporting the first end user, the one or more second directives by receiving the one or more second directives when the transportation vehicle unit has already secured the first end user.

166. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving, while the transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with a first end user or is transporting the first end user, the one or more directives by receiving the one or more directives when the transportation vehicle unit is within 15 minutes or less from rendezvousing with the first end user.

172. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user.

173. The system of claim 172, wherein said circuitry for receiving one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user that indicates maximum number of end user drop-offs permitted prior to the second end user being dropped-off.

174. The system of claim 172, wherein said circuitry for receiving one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user that indicates maximum amount of time delay permitted in transporting the second end user to a second end user destination location and as a result of the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the first end user.

175. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a transport rate for transporting the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit.

178. The system of claim 175, wherein said circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a transport rate for transporting the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a discounted transport rate for the second end user, the discount transport rate for the second end user being based, at least in part, on the number of planned end user drop-offs to be made by the transportation vehicle unit prior to the second end user being dropped-off at a second end user destination location.

179. The system of claim 175, wherein said circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a transport rate for transporting the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a premium transport rate for the second end user, the premium transport rate for the second end user being a higher transport rate than a transport rate for the first end user for being transported by the transportation vehicle unit.

180. The system of claim 175, wherein said circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a transport rate for transporting the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a discounted transport rate for the first end user, the discounted transport rate being based on the second end user being assigned to be transported by the transportation vehicle unit, the discounted transport rate for the first end user being less than a transport rate for the first end user that was provided prior to assignment of the second end user to the transportation vehicle unit.

181. The system of claim 175, wherein said circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a transport rate for transporting the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for receiving transport rate data that indicates a discounted transport rate for the first end user, the discounted transport rate being as a result of the transportation vehicle unit making an additional passenger drop-off prior to the first end user being dropped-off at a first end user destination location and as a result of the second end user being assigned to be transported by the transportation vehicle unit.

185. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for receiving, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to rendezvousing with first end user or is transporting the first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for receiving the one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined, when the one or more second directives are received, scheduled for traveling near to a second end user destination location of the second end user when transporting one or more other end users including the first end user.

188. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized.

189. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if transport of the one or more other end users including the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit does not cause a delay in transporting the first end user to a first end destination location that is greater than a predefined amount of maximum permitted delay.

191. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if transport of the one or more other end users including the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit does not cause the transportation vehicle unit to have a number of end user drop-offs prior to the first end user being dropped-off that is greater than a predefined amount of maximum permitted end user drop-offs permitted before the first end user is dropped-off.

192. The system of claim 191, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if transport of the one or more other end users including the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit does not cause the transportation vehicle unit to have a number of end user drop-offs prior to the first end user being dropped-off that is greater than a predefined amount of maximum permitted end user drop-offs permitted before the first end user is dropped-off comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if transport of the one or more other end users including the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit does not cause the transportation vehicle unit to have a number of end user drop-offs prior to the first end user being dropped-off that is greater than a maximum of three end user drop-offs permitted before the first end user is dropped-off.

193. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the one or more other end users while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if transport of the one or more other end users by the transportation vehicle unit does not cause any end user drop-off to occur prior to drop of the first end user.

196. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if the one or more other end users including the second end user will be rendezvousing with the transportation vehicle unit at a rendezvous location that is the designating location for the first end user to rendezvousing with the transportation vehicle unit.

197. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if the one or more other end users including the second end user are to be transported to a destination location that is the same as the destination location for the first end user.

198. The system of claim 188, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit the transportation vehicle unit to transport one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if one or more specified conditions can be or have already been realized comprises:

circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit, the one or more obligations defining one or more conditional directives that permit transport, by the transportation vehicle unit, of the one or more other end users including the second end user while the transportation vehicle unit is transporting the first end user only if the one or more other end users including the second end user have at least one specified common interest with the first end user.

199. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for confirming that the transportation vehicle unit is in the proximate vicinity of a second end user rendezvous location for rendezvousing with the second end user.

201. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for confirming that the transportation vehicle unit is scheduled for traveling near to a second end user destination location of the second end user when transporting one or more other end users including the first end user.

202. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for confirming that transport of the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit while transporting the first end user will not violate one or more carpooling preferences of the first end user.

203. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for confirming that transport of the second end user by the transportation vehicle unit while transporting the first end user will not violate one or more carpooling preferences of the second end user.

204. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the first end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the second end user while transporting the first end user.

205. The system of claim 204, wherein said circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the first end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the first end user that is based, at least in part, on the number of other end users that the transportation vehicle unit will be transporting while transporting the first end user, the other end users not being affiliated with the first end user.

207. The system of claim 204, wherein said circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the first end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a discounted transport rate for the first end user, the discounted transport rate being as a result of the second end user being assigned to be transported by the transportation vehicle unit, the discounted transport rate for the first end user being less than a transport rate for the first end user that was provided prior to assignment of the second end user to the transportation vehicle unit.

208. The system of claim 204, wherein said circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the first end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the second end user while transporting the first end user comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a discounted transport rate for the first end user, the discounted transport rate being as a result of the transportation vehicle unit making an additional passenger drop-off prior to the first end user being dropped-off at a first end user destination location and as a result of the second end user being assigned to be transported by the transportation vehicle unit.

209. The system of claim 162, wherein said circuitry for confirming that compliance with the one or more directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the second end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the first end user while transporting the second end user.

211. The system of claim 209, wherein said circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the second end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a discounted transport rate for the second end user, the discount transport rate for the second end user being based, at least in part, on the number of planned end user drop-offs to be made by the transportation vehicle unit prior to the second end user being dropped off at a second end user destination location.

212. The system of claim 209, wherein said circuitry for ascertaining a transport rate for the second end user that is based, at least in part, on the transportation vehicle unit transporting one or more other end users including the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:

circuitry for ascertaining a premium transport rate for the second end user, the premium transport rate for the second end user being a higher transport rate than a transport rate for the first end user for being transported by the transportation vehicle unit.

213. The system of claim 162, further comprising:

circuitry for transmitting one or more confirmations that the one or more directives have been accepted for execution by the transportation vehicle unit.

214. The system of claim 213, wherein said circuitry for transmitting one or more confirmations that the one or more directives have been accepted for execution by the transportation vehicle unit comprises:

circuitry for transmitting the one or more confirmations in response to verification that compliance with the one or more second directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit.

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215. A computing device, comprising:

a directive receiving module configured to receive, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to or is transporting a first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user;

a non-conflict confirming module configured to confirm that compliance with the one or more second directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit;

a memory; and

one or more processors.

216. A robotic driver system, comprising:

a directive receiving module configured to receive, while a transportation vehicle unit is en route to or is transporting a first end user, one or more directives that direct the transportation vehicle unit to transport a second end user while transporting the first end user, the transportation vehicle unit having been determined to be able to accommodate transport of the second end user while transporting the first end user;

a non-conflict confirming module configured to confirm that compliance with the one or more second directives will not conflict with one or more obligations to transport the first end user by the transportation vehicle unit;

a navigation system; and

a transportation vehicle control system.