System for automatically dispatching taxis to client locations

• US 6,756,913 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hailo Technologies, LLC (2S Ventures, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mourad Ben Ayed
• Inventors: Ayed, Mourad Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C.
• Application Number:
  US09/431,123
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 340/991, 340/993, 340/994, 340/434, 340/825.47, 340/825.49, 235/384, 705/5, 705/13
• US Class Current: 340/992
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 13/00 Taximeters measuring distance travelled G01C; measuring time G04
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A system and method for dispatcher free vehicle allocation. A client requesting taxi service calls a taxi dispatch center using a cellular phone equipped with a location identification device. The location identification device provides the current location information to the dispatch center. The taxi dispatch center keeps track of available taxis and their locations and stores them in a database. After determining the client location data, a processor searches the available taxis database for a taxi whose location matches the client'"'"'s location. The client location data is converted to an address and sent to the assigned taxi. The address is displayed on a mobile data terminal in the taxi.

Claims

1. A method for sending notifications to a server, comprising:

periodically sensing if a meter on a taxi is active to determine if the taxi is available for customer service;

on sensing that the vehicle is available, periodically;

determining the vehicle'"'"'s current position coordinates information using a position coordinates determination device;

sending said current position coordinates information to said server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said server is a telephone exchange.

3. A system for location in a taxi for sending notifications to a server, comprising:

a position coordinates determination device for obtaining location information;

a transmitter for sending location information obtained from said determination device; and

a sensor for sensing if a taxi meter is active or not, thereby indicating availability status,

wherein upon sensing of the availability status of the taxi meter, said transmitter sends location information.

4. The system of claim 3 comprising:

a server for receiving requests for taxi service from mobile wireless handsets, said requests containing GPS coordinates of the user requesting taxi service, and for receiving notifications from taxis, said notifications containing GPS coordinates of the taxi, said server comprising;

a database system to maintain a list of available taxis and their corresponding position coordinates information; and

a processor to search said database for a vehicle that can service the client request.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said server is a telephone exchange.