System and method for hailing taxicabs

• US 9,157,748 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Martin Heikel
• Original Assignee: Flatiron Apps, LLC
• Inventors: Millspaugh, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US13/955,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/13 the indicator being in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

The present application provides a system and method for enabling a driver to locate a passenger. In one or more implementations, a graphical user interface is provided that is operable to send and receive information associated with passengers and vehicles. A location of a first vehicle, a location of a first passenger and a location of a second passenger are received. Information associated with the locations of the first and second passenger is transmitted and a representation of at least one of the first passenger and the second passenger and the respective location thereof is provided.

Claims

1. A system that uses information received from a plurality of computing devices, each respectively employing triangulation methods to provide accurate location-based information representing a respective location of each of the plurality of computing devices, to enable a driver to locate a plurality of passengers within a geographic area relative to a location of the driver, the system comprising:

a passenger application that is operable to execute on each of a plurality of passenger computing devices respectively associated with the plurality of passengers, wherein each of the plurality of passenger computing devices is configured using the passenger application to obtain the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers, the passenger application further configuring each of the plurality of passenger computing devices to transmit, to at least one processor on a communication network, the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers;

a driver application that is operable to execute on a driver computing device associated with the driver, wherein the driver computing device is configured using the driver application to present a graphical user interface, and to obtain and transmit the location-based information associated with a vehicle driven by the driver, the driver application further configuring the driver computing device to transmit, to the at least one processor on a communication network, the location-based information associated with the driver;

at least one processor that is configured to receive, on a communication network and from the driver computing device, the location-based information associated with the vehicle driven by the driver;

the at least one processor further configured to receive on a communication network, from each of the plurality of passenger computing devices, the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers;

the at least one processor further configured to process the received location-based information associated with the vehicle driven the driver and the location-based information associated with the plurality of passengers to determine that at least one of the plurality of passengers is within a geographic vicinity of the vehicle driven by the driver;

the at least one processor further configured to transmit over a data communication network to the computing device associated with the driver, information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of passengers;

the at least one processor further configured to display, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, a representation of each of the at least one of the plurality of passengers and respective location and to display an updated representation of a new respective location of the at least one of the plurality of passengers as the at least one of the plurality of passengers moves before being in the vehicle; and

the at least one processor further configured to provide an anonymous hailing transaction between the driver and at least one passenger of the plurality of passengers in the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver includes selectable options for a driver to identify an icon that represents the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the icon represents a status of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver displays other passenger information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the representation includes a map identifying where the at least one of the plurality of passengers is located.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver provides for zooming in and out of the map to enable the driver to locate fewer or more passengers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver provides information automatically that represents a change in at least one passenger'"'"'s status.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver application is configured to restrict the driver from interacting with the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver at unsafe times.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the updated representation is illustrated in the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, and represents the passenger'"'"'s location substantially in real time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver further provides information representing a passenger or at least one person associated with a passenger.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver provides an alert representing at least one available passenger.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the alert is provided at a safe and/or convenient time.

13. A method using information received from a plurality of computing devices, each respectively employing triangulation methods to provide accurate location-based information representing a respective location of each of the plurality of computing devices, to enable a driver to locate a plurality of passengers within a geographic area relative to a location of the driver, the method comprising:

providing a passenger application to execute on each of a plurality of passenger computing devices respectively associated with the plurality of passengers, wherein each of the plurality of passenger computing devices is configured using the passenger application to obtain the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers, the passenger application further configuring each of the plurality of passenger computing devices to transmit, to at least one processor on a communication network, the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers;

providing a driver application to execute on a driver computing device associated with the driver, wherein the driver computing device is configured using the driver application to obtain and transmit the location-based information associated with a vehicle driven by the driver, the driver application further configuring the driver computing device to transmit, to the at least one processor on a communication network, the location-based information associated with the driver;

receiving, by the at least one processor on a communication network and from the driver computing device the location-based information associated with the vehicle driven by the driver;

receiving, by the at least one processor on a communication network, from each of the plurality of passenger computing devices, the location-based information associated with each of the plurality of passengers;

processing, by the at least one processor, the received location-based information associated with the vehicle driven the driver and the location-based information associated with the plurality of passengers to determine that at least one of the plurality of passengers is within a geographic vicinity of the vehicle driven by the driver;

transmitting, by at least one processor and over a data communication network to the computing device associated with the driver, information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of passengers;

displaying, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, a representation of each of the at least one of the plurality of passengers and respective location, and an updated representation of a new respective location of the at least one of the plurality of passengers as the at least one of the plurality of passengers moves before being in the vehicle; and

providing, by the at least one processor, an anonymous hailing transaction between the driver and at least one passenger of the plurality of passengers in the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, selectable options for a driver to identify an icon that represents the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the icon represents a status of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, other passenger information.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the representation includes a map identifying where the at least one of the plurality of passengers is located.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, functionality for zooming in and out of the map to enable the driver to locate fewer or more passengers.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with the driver, information automatically that represents a change in at least one passenger'"'"'s status.