Method and system for providing a carpool service using a telematics system

• US 7,062,376 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/650,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20050049781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701/207, 701213-214, 705/5, 705/9, 705/14
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for providing car-pooling assistance using a wireless communication system. The method includes steps for receiving a user carpool enrollment request, obtaining the positional information of the user'"'"'s moving vehicle, storing the positional information as a route in a call center database and sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first user carpool enrollment request

obtaining the positional information of the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

storing the positional information as a route in a call center database;

linking the first user'"'"'s stored route to the received first user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request to create a first user profile; and

sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recording the positional information obtained for the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle; and

transmitting the recorded positional information from the first user'"'"'s vehicle to the call center.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the positional information further comprises time information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing the first user profile to at least one subscriber profile to determine the at least one available match, the subscriber profile including at least a subscriber carpool enrollment request.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating a list of at least one subscriber profile that matches the first user profile.

7. A computer usable medium including a program for providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the computer usable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a first user carpool enrollment request

computer program code for obtaining the positional information of the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

computer program code for storing the positional information as a route in a call center database;

computer program coda for linking the first user'"'"'s stored route to the received user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request to create a first user profile; and

computer program code for sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the user.

8. The computer usable medium of claim 7 wherein the computer program code for obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises computer program code for obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

9. The computer usable medium of claim 7 further comprising:

computer program code for recording the positional information obtained for the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle; and

computer program code for transmitting the recorded positional information from the first user'"'"'s vehicle to the call center.

10. The computer usable medium of claim 7 wherein the positional information further comprises time information.

11. The computer usable medium of claim 7 further comprising computer program code for comparing the first user profile to at least one subscriber profile to determine the at least one available match, the subscriber profile including at least a subscriber carpool enrollment request.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 11 further comprising computer program code for generating a list of at least one subscriber profile that matches the first user profile.

13. A system of providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the system comprising:

means for receiving a first user carpool enrollment request

means for obtaining the positional information of the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle;

means for storing the positional information as a route in a call center database;

linking the first user'"'"'s stored route to the received first user'"'"'s carpool enrollment request to create a first user profile; and

means for sending at least one available match based on the carpool enrollment request to the first user.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the means for obtaining the positional information of the moving vehicle comprises means for obtaining the positional information through a global positioning system.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

means for recording the positional information obtained for the first user'"'"'s moving vehicle; and

means for transmitting the recorded positional information from the first user'"'"'s vehicle to the call center.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for comparing the first user profile to at least one subscriber profile to determine the at least one available match, the subscriber profile including at least a subscriber carpool enrollment request.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for generating a list of at least one subscriber profile that matches the first user profile.

18. A method for providing car pooling assistance through a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first user carpool enrollment request;

obtaining a positional information for a first user moving vehicle;

associating the positional information of the first user moving vehicle with the first user carpool enrollment request;

receiving a plurality of additional user carpool enrollment requests

comparing the positional information associated with the first user carpool enrollment request wit the plurality of additional user carpool enrollment requests to determine a match; and

sending at least one match responsive to the first user carpool enrollment request based on the comparison.