Method for efficient vehicle allocation in vehicle sharing system
First Claim
1. A method for efficient use of vehicles in a vehicle sharing system for sharing a fleet of vehicles pooled in a plurality of ports among a plurality of users with the aid of a computer control system including a central computer system and a plurality of computer subsystems associated with said ports, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) identifying vehicles that should be relocated;
b) identifying requests for use of vehicles by users, wherein a user requests a trip from a port from which a vehicle should be relocated to a port to which the vehicle should be relocated and states a number of passengers traveling with the user;
c) determining whether a passenger in the trip identified in step b) above is available to relocate a vehicle identified as a vehicle that should be relocated; and
d) offering the vehicle to be relocated to the available passenger for relocation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for sharing a fleet of vehicles among a plurality of users, where in preferred embodiments the shared vehicles are electrically powered, the system comprising a system control computer that assigns vehicles in response to requests by users, and monitors system performance, a computer subsystem through which users request vehicles for trips, and a vehicle subsystem within each vehicle that is in communication with the system control computer allowing the system control computer to monitor the location and status of each vehicle in the vehicle sharing fleet.
217 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method for efficient use of vehicles in a vehicle sharing system for sharing a fleet of vehicles pooled in a plurality of ports among a plurality of users with the aid of a computer control system including a central computer system and a plurality of computer subsystems associated with said ports, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) identifying vehicles that should be relocated;
b) identifying requests for use of vehicles by users, wherein a user requests a trip from a port from which a vehicle should be relocated to a port to which the vehicle should be relocated and states a number of passengers traveling with the user;
c) determining whether a passenger in the trip identified in step b) above is available to relocate a vehicle identified as a vehicle that should be relocated; and
d) offering the vehicle to be relocated to the available passenger for relocation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification