Vehicle dispatching system and management server for the same

• US 7,263,437 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), Tokyo MK Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), Tokyo MK Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Aoki, Masaaki, Hirose, Masahito, Ogiso, Yoshihiro, Souma, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/803,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/25, 701/208, 701/209, 701/214, 701/300, 340/988, 340/902, 340/904, 340/905, 342/357.01, 342/357.09
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

The invention provides a useful vehicle dispatching system. Server 60 estimates an approximate location of a passenger on the basis of the area code transmitted from server 40. Server 60 transmits a list of landmarks located in the area corresponding to the area code, and the list is thereby provided to the passenger carrying mobile station 10. The passenger selects a desired landmark to which a vehicle should be dispatched. Server 60 determines the location of the landmark by referring to the landmark database; and determines which vehicles 20 are located proximate to the landmark by referring to the vehicle database. Server 60 transmits the information on the determined vehicles 20 to mobile station 10, and the information is thereby provided to the passenger. The passenger selects a desired vehicle 20 to make a telephone call to the driver of vehicle 20. Thus, the passenger may directly talk to the driver.

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatch system using a wireless network comprising:

a location database which stores a list of geographical points to which vehicles are dispatchable;

a receiver configured to receive a dispatch request from a mobile terminal via the wireless network, wherein the request includes information indicative of a geographical area identified by the wireless network in which the mobile terminal is situated; and

a dispatch location finder configured to determine at least one candidate geographical point, using the location database, based on the geographical area identified by the wireless network and present the at least one candidate geographical point to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have a user of the mobile terminal select one of the at least one candidate geographical point to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched.

2. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein the dispatch location finder comprises an area finder and a location finder,

the area finder being configured to determine at least one candidate geographical area based on the geographical area identified by the wireless network and present the at least one candidate geographical area to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have the user select one of the at least one candidate geographical area to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched, and

the location finder being configured to determine, using the location database, the at least one candidate geographical point found in the selected one of the at least one geographical area and present the at least one candidate geographical point to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have the user select one of the at least one candidate geographical point to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched.

3. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 2, wherein in determining the at least one candidate geographical area, the area finder determines a first geographical area that at least partially overlaps the geographical area identified by the wireless network and a number of secondary geographical areas neighboring on the first geographical area.

4. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle database which stores locations of vehicles; and

a vehicle finder configured to determine, using the vehicle database, at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point.

5. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point is determined, based on a distance between a location of the at least one vehicle stored in the vehicle database and the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point.

6. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle finder notifies the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a communication address of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

7. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 6, wherein the communication address is a telephone number of a telephone equipped with the at least one dispatchable vehicle.

8. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle finder notifies the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a vehicle type of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

9. A vehicle dispatch method using a wireless network comprising:

providing a location database which stores a list of geographical points to which vehicles are dispatchable;

receiving a dispatch request from a mobile terminal via the wireless network, wherein the request includes information indicative of a geographical area identified by the wireless network in which the mobile terminal is situated;

determining at least one candidate geographical point, using the location database, based on the geographical area identified by the wireless network; and

presenting the at least one candidate geographical point to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have a user of the mobile terminal select one of the at least one candidate geographical point to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched.

10. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 9, wherein determining at least one candidate geographical point comprises:

determining at least one candidate geographical area based on the geographical area identified by the wireless network;

presenting the at least one candidate geographical area to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have the user select one of the at least one candidate geographical area to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched; and

determining, using the location database, the at least one candidate geographical point found in selected one of the at least one candidate geographical area.

11. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 10, wherein determining at least one candidate geographical area comprises determining a first geographical area that at least partially overlaps the geographical area identified by the wireless network and a number of secondary geographical areas neighboring on the first geographical area.

12. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 9, further comprising:

providing a vehicle database which stores locations of vehicles; and

determining, using the vehicle database, at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point.

13. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point is determined, based on a distance between a location of the at least one vehicle stored in the vehicle database and the selected one of the at least one candidate geographical point.

14. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 12, further comprising notifying the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a communication address of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

15. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 14, wherein the communication address is a telephone number of a telephone equipped with the at least one dispatchable vehicle.

16. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 12, further comprising notifying the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a vehicle type of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

17. A vehicle dispatch system using a wireless network comprising:

a user database which stores for each user a list of at least one geographical point to which a respective user wishes a vehicle dispatched;

a receiver configured to receive a dispatch request from a mobile terminal via the wireless network and authenticate a user of the mobile terminal, wherein the request includes information indicative of a geographical area identified by the wireless network in which the mobile terminal is situated; and

a dispatch location finder configured to present the list of at least one geographical point stored for the user to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have the user select one of the at least one geographical point to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched.

18. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a vehicle database which stores locations of vehicles; and

a vehicle finder configured to determine, using the vehicle database, at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one geographical point.

19. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one geographical point is determined, based on a distance between a location of the at least one vehicle stored in the vehicle database and the selected one of the at least one geographical point.

20. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle finder notifies the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a communication address of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

21. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 20, wherein the communication address is a telephone number of a telephone equipped with the at least one dispatchable vehicle.

22. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle finder notifies the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a vehicle type of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

23. A vehicle dispatch method using a wireless network comprising:

providing a user database which stores for each user a list of at least one geographical point to which a respective user wishes a vehicle dispatched;

receiving a dispatch request from a mobile terminal via the wireless network and authenticating a user of the mobile terminal, wherein the request includes information indicative of a geographical area identified by the wireless in which the mobile terminal is situated; and

presenting the list of at least one geographical point stored for the user to the mobile terminal via the wireless network in order to have the user select one of the at least one geographical point to which the user wishes a vehicle dispatched.

24. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 23, further comprising:

providing a vehicle database which stores locations of vehicles; and

determining, using the vehicle database, at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one geographical point.

25. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 24, wherein the at least one vehicle dispatchable to the selected one of the at least one geographical point is determined, based on a distance between a location of the at least one vehicle stored in the vehicle database and the selected one of the at least one geographical point.

26. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 24, further comprising notifying the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a communication address of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.

27. A vehicle dispatch method according to claim 26, wherein the communication address is a telephone number of a telephone equipped with the at least one dispatchable vehicle.

28. A vehicle dispatch system according to claim 24, wherein the vehicle finder notifies the mobile terminal via the wireless network of a vehicle type of the at least one dispatchable vehicle which is reachable from the mobile terminal.