Taxi trip meter system with indication of fare and distance violations
First Claim
1. A taxi trip meter system for a taxi, comprising:
- a computer;
a trip meter connected to said computer, said trip meter for measuring an actual trip distance traveled by said taxi between a starting point and a destination point;
a location sensor providing geographical location information about said taxi to said computer; and
instructions loaded in said computer instructing said computer to calculate an estimated shortest trip distance between said starting point and said destination point, to compare said estimated shortest trip distance with said actual trip distance, and to indicate a distance violation when said estimated shortest trip distance is exceeded by said actual trip distance by a predetermined distance margin.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A taxi trip meter system includes a taximeter and a location sensor connected to a computer loaded with street information and driver evaluation software. In a first embodiment, the estimated shortest route and distance between the starting and ending points of a trip are determined. If the estimated shortest trip distance is exceeded by an actual trip distance by a permissible margin, a distance violation is indicated. An actual average speed is calculated based on an actual trip duration and the actually traveled distance. If an estimated average speed limit for the actual route is exceeded by the actual average speed, a speed violation is indicated. In a second embodiment, an estimated taxi fare is calculated based on the estimated shortest route. If the estimated taxi fare is exceeded by an actual taxi fare calculated by the taximeter by a permissible margin, a fare violation is indicated.
52 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A taxi trip meter system for a taxi, comprising:
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a computer; a trip meter connected to said computer, said trip meter for measuring an actual trip distance traveled by said taxi between a starting point and a destination point; a location sensor providing geographical location information about said taxi to said computer; and instructions loaded in said computer instructing said computer to calculate an estimated shortest trip distance between said starting point and said destination point, to compare said estimated shortest trip distance with said actual trip distance, and to indicate a distance violation when said estimated shortest trip distance is exceeded by said actual trip distance by a predetermined distance margin. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A taxi trip distance violation detection method, comprising:
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determining a starting point for a trip; determining a destination point for said trip; determining an estimated shortest trip distance between said starting point and said destination point; determining an actual trip distance traveled by a vehicle after said trip is completed; comparing said estimated shortest trip distance with said actual trip distance; and indicating a distance violation when said estimated shortest trip distance is exceeded by said actual trip distance by a predetermined distance margin. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A taxi fare estimating method, comprising:
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determining a starting point for a trip; determining a destination point for said trip; determining an estimated shortest trip distance between said starting point and said destination point; determining an estimated waiting time encountered in traffic during said trip; and determining an estimated taxi fare based on said estimated shortest trip distance and said estimated waiting time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification