Ride share contact system

• US 7,080,019 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2001
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ducktrip LLC
• Original Assignee: Ducktrip LLC
• Inventors: Hurzeler, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fisher, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/681,241
• Time in Patent Office: 1,962 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A method is disclosed which enables travelers to discover other travelers with similar and compatible travel plans, for purposes of contacting them and negotiating shared travel agreements. Travel plans are characterized quantitatively, enabling numerical measurement of the match between a pair of plans. Dependence upon similarity of place names is eliminated. The temporal difference between plans is converted to an equivalent distance difference and summed with the origin and destination differences to yield a single number ranking the match. Plans are ordered by this ranking against a search specification. The method is more compatible than the prior art with computer automation, and is accessible via the Internet.

Claims

1. A method for enabling contact among travelers with similar travel plans, comprising:

soliciting available travel plans from a multitude of Posting travelers,

quantitatively characterizing each of said available travel plans'"'"' origins and destinations by their numerical latitudes and longitudes,

posting said quantitatively characterized available plans to a data base,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database, sufficient contact information to establish communications with said Posting traveler,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database in predefined coded and Boolean formats such further compatibility criteria characterizing said Posting traveler and further travel plans as said Posting traveler desires,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database such descriptive information characterizing said Posting traveler and further travel plans as said Posting traveler desires,

soliciting a desired travel plan from a Browsing traveler, quantitatively characterizing the origin and destination, of said desired travel plan by their numerical latitudes and longitudes,

further soliciting from said Browsing traveler, in said predefined coded and Boolean formats, such further compatibility criteria characterizing the Browsing traveler and further travel plans as said Browsing traveler desires,

preselecting from said database those of said available plans that are logically compatible with said Browsing traveler'"'"'s compatibility criteria and said Posting traveler'"'"'s compatibility criteria,

calculating a scalar origin difference as the absolute magnitude of the distance between said desired origin and each said available origin in said database,

calculating a scalar destination difference as the absolute magnitude of the distance between said desired destination and each said available destination in said database,

calculating a rank of the similarity between said desired plan and each of said preselected plans as a mathematical combination selected from the group consisting of the sum and the root mean square of said origin difference and said destination difference

ordering said preselected plans according to said rank,

presenting said ordered plans together with said respective descriptions to said Browsing traveler,

enabling said Browsing traveler to choose a plan from said presented plans, and

presenting to said Browsing traveler said contact information sufficient to establish communication with said Posting traveler associated with said chosen plan,

whereby travelers with similar travel plans can discover each other, and whereby the amount of information required to characterize said travel plans is reduced to a bare minimum, and

whereby said quantitative characterizations of said origins and said destinations can be obtained from external sources including published data and Global Positioning Satellite Systems, and

whereby said Browsing travelers can automatically and quickly scan a multitude of travel plans, and

whereby said Browsing travelers can spontaneously consider ad-hoc choice criteria while reviewing said descriptive information as part of said presentation, and

whereby said Browsing travelers can exercise explicit control over said final choice process, and are not constrained to accept the putative optimal choice of said ordering according to said rank.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

one or both of said origins and said destinations, of said available travel plans and said desired travel plan, are quantitatively approximated by the numerical latitudes and longitudes of their associated postal codes,

whereby said Posting travelers and said Browsing travelers can conveniently and easily specify said quantitative characterizations of said origins and said destinations.

3. The method of claim 1 further including:

quantitatively characterizing the time of occurrence of each of said preselected travel plans,

quantitatively characterizing the time of occurrence of said desired travel plan,

calculating a scalar time difference as the absolute magnitude of the difference between said desired travel plan time of occurrence and each said preselected travel plan time of occurrence,

predetermining a plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types,

predetermining a numerical conversion factor equal to an estimate of the average speed of each of said plurality of travel modes and vehicle types,

further soliciting within said solicitation of each of said available travel plans from said multitude of said Posting travelers, a selection of travel method or vehicle type from said plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types,

converting each said scalar time difference into an equivalent scalar meeting distance by multiplying with said predetermined numerical conversion factor associated with said selected travel method or vehicle type, and

calculating said rank of the similarity between said desired plan and each of said available plans as a mathematical combination selected from the group consisting of the sum and the root mean square of said origin difference, said destination difference, and said meeting distance respectively,

whereby said ordering of said presented plans further accounts for said scalar time differences and reflects the relative merits of said presented plans as perceived by said Browsing traveler.

4. The method of claim 3 further including:

predetermining a default travel method and vehicle type selected from the group consisting of said plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types, as the one estimated most likely to be used, and

substituting said predetermined numerical conversion factor associated with said default travel method and vehicle type, for any unavailable numerical conversion factor due to lack of response to said solicitation of said selection of travel method or vehicle type,

whereby said calculation of said rank is not obstructed by said lack of response.

5. A method for enabling contact among travelers with similar travel plans, comprising:

soliciting available travel plans from a multitude of Posting travelers,

determining the coordinates of the origins and destinations of each of said plans on a geographical map,

posting said available plans including said coordinates to a database,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database, sufficient contact information to establish communications with said Posting traveler,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database in predefined coded and Boolean formats such further compatibility criteria characterizing said Posting traveler and further travel plans as said Posting traveler desires,

further soliciting from each said Posting traveler and posting to said database such descriptive information characterizing said Posting traveler and further travel plans as said Posting traveler desires,

soliciting a desired travel plan from a Browsing traveler,

further soliciting from said Browsing traveler, in said predefined coded and Boolean formats, such further compatibility criteria characterizing the Browsing traveler and further travel plans as said Browsing traveler desires,

preselecting from said database those of said available plans that are logically compatible with said Browsing traveler'"'"'s compatibility criteria and said Posting traveler'"'"'s compatibility criteria,

determining the coordinates of the origins and destinations of said desired plan on a map

calculating a scalar origin difference as the absolute magnitude of the distance measured on said map between said desired origin and each said preselected origin,

calculating a scalar destination difference as the absolute magnitude of the distance measured on said map between said desired destination and each said preselected destination,

calculating a rank of the similarity between said desired plan and each of said preselected plans as a combination selected from the group consisting of the sum and the root mean square of said origin difference and said destination difference,

ordering said preselected plans from said database according to said rank,

presenting said ordered plans together with said respective descriptions to said Browsing traveler,

enabling said Browsing traveler to choose a plan from said presented plans, and

presenting to said Browsing traveler said contact information sufficient to establish communication with said Posting traveler associated with said chosen plan.

6. The method of claim 5 further including:

quantitatively characterizing the time of occurrence of each of said preselected travel plans,

quantitatively characterizing the time of occurrence of said desired travel plan,

calculating a scalar time difference as the absolute magnitude of the difference between said desired travel plan time of occurrence and each said preselected travel plan time of occurrence,

predetermining a plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types,

predetermining a numerical conversion factor equal to an estimate of the average speed of each of said travel modes and vehicle types,

further soliciting within said solicitation of each of said available travel plans from said multitude of said Posting travelers, a selection of travel method or vehicle type from said plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types,

converting each said scalar time difference into an equivalent scalar meeting distance by multiplying with said predetermined numerical conversion factor associated with said selected travel method or vehicle type, and

calculating said rank of the similarity between said desired plan and each of said available plans as a mathematical combination selected from the group consisting of the sum and the root mean square of said origin difference, said destination difference, and said meeting distance respectively.

7. The method of claim 6 further including:

predetermining a default travel method and vehicle type selected from the group consisting of said plurality of anticipated travel modes and vehicle types, as the one estimated most likely to be used, and

substituting said predetermined numerical conversion factor associated with said default travel method and vehicle type, for any unavailable numerical conversion factor due to lack of response to said solicitation of said selection of travel method or vehicle type.