SYSTEM FOR NAVIGATING DRIVERS TO SERVICE TRANSPORTATION REQUESTS SPECIFYING SIGHTSEEING ATTRACTIONS

• US 20170249847A1
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LYFT Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juno Lab, Inc.
• Inventors: Marueli, Sunny
• Granted Patent: US 10,229,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

In one embodiment a transportation request for a sightseeing trip is received from a computing device of a passenger, wherein the transportation request identifies a plurality of sightseeing attractions. One or more drivers are selected, based on availability data associated with a plurality of drivers, to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions. Navigational data is transmitted to the one or more drivers to enable the one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

compiling, by a server comprising at least one processor, a list of sightseeing attractions based on a location associated with a passenger;

transmitting the list of sightseeing attractions to a computing device of the passenger;

receiving, at the server, a transportation request for a sightseeing trip from the computing device of the passenger, wherein the transportation request identifies a plurality of sightseeing attractions, wherein the plurality of sightseeing attractions identified by the transportation request are selected from the list;

selecting, by the server, one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions based on availability data associated with a plurality of drivers; and

transmitting navigational data to the one or more drivers to enable the one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one time constraint and at least one relative priority for at least one sightseeing attraction from the computing device of the passenger; and

determining, based on the at least one time constraint and the at least one relative priority, a prospective schedule for the passenger.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, providing audio information associated with a sightseeing attraction to the passenger computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting a language for the audio information from a plurality of languages based on a language setting associated with the passenger.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the passenger is near a sightseeing attraction not identified in the transportation request; and

providing information about the sightseeing attraction to be presented to the passenger.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing to the computing device of the passenger an estimate of the total time required for a prospective schedule indicating a plurality of sightseeing attractions and updating the estimate in response to the passenger adding a sightseeing attraction to the prospective schedule.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the estimate is based on expected sightseeing viewing times at each sightseeing attraction indicated by the prospective schedule.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the expected sightseeing viewing times are based on average sightseeing viewing times of passengers associated with a transportation service.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the transportation request, purchasing a ticket for a sightseeing attraction identified by the transportation request on behalf of the passenger.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a sightseeing attraction identified by the transportation request is the same as a sightseeing attraction identified by a transportation request received from a second passenger; and

determining whether the passenger desires to share a ride with the second passenger to the sightseeing attraction.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating a handoff of the passenger from a first driver to a second driver while the passenger is at a sightseeing attraction of the plurality of sightseeing attractions.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in association with the transportation request, an identification of an additional sightseeing attraction from the computing device of the passenger;

determining an order for the transportation request that results in a minimum estimated time for the transportation request; and

communicating the order to the computing device of the passenger.

2. (canceled)

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, selecting the sightseeing attractions of the list from a data store of sightseeing attractions based on the location associated with the passenger and filtering criteria associated with the passenger.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting a sightseeing attraction of the list based on an opening time or a closing time of the sightseeing attraction.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface; and

at least one processor to;

compile a list of sightseeing attractions based on a location associated with a passenger;

transmit the list of sightseeing attractions to a computing device of the passenger;

receive a transportation request for a sightseeing trip from the computing device of the passenger, wherein the transportation request identifies a plurality of sightseeing attractions, wherein the plurality of sightseeing attractions identified by the transportation request are selected from the list;

select, based on availability data associated with a plurality of drivers, one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions; and

transmit navigational data to the one or more drivers to enable the one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further to:

receive at least one time constraint and at least one relative priority for at least one sightseeing attraction from the computing device of the passenger; and

determine, based on the at least one time constraint and the at least one relative priority, a prospective schedule for the passenger.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further to:

detect that the passenger is near a sightseeing attraction not identified in the transportation request; and

provide information about the sightseeing attraction to be presented to the passenger.

19. At least one computer-readable non-transitory media comprising one or more instructions that when executed by at least one processor configure the at least one processor to cause the performance of operations comprising:

compiling a list of sightseeing attractions based on a location associated with a passenger;

transmitting the list of sightseeing attractions to a computing device of the passenger;

receiving a transportation request for a sightseeing trip from the computing device of the passenger, wherein the transportation request identifies a plurality of sightseeing attractions, wherein the plurality of sightseeing attractions identified by the transportation request are selected from the list;

selecting, based on availability data received from a plurality of drivers, one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions; and

transmitting navigational data to the one or more drivers to enable the one or more drivers to transport the passenger to the plurality of sightseeing attractions.

20. The at least one media of claim 19, wherein the instructions when executed by the at least one processor configure the at least one processor to further cause the performance of operations comprising:

detecting that the passenger is near a sightseeing attraction not identified in the transportation request; and

providing information about the sightseeing attraction to be presented to the passenger.