System and method for hailing vehicles

• US 9,488,494 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Martin Heikel
• Original Assignee: Flatiron Apps, LLC
• Inventors: Millspaugh, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US14/879,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20160033299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• 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 that are associated with at least one of a person and a plurality of vehicles, each respectively providing accurate location-based information representing a respective location of each of the plurality of computing devices, to enable the person to send a substantially anonymous hail on a communication network to the plurality of vehicles within a geographic area relative to a location of the person, the system comprising:

at least one processor that is configured to execute instructions provided on non-transitory computer-readable media, in order to perform operations that include;

configuring a computing device that is associated with the person with a hailing application, wherein the computing device that is associated with the person is configured using the hailing application to present a graphical user interface, to obtain location-based information associated with a location of the computing device that is associated with the person, and to transmit, to the at least one processor on the communication network, the substantially anonymous hail comprising the location-based information associated with the computing device that is associated with the person;

receiving, on the communication network and from the computing device that is associated with the person, the substantially anonymous hail;

receiving on the communication network, from each of the plurality of computing devices associated with the plurality of vehicles and configured with a vehicle application, location-based information associated with each of the plurality of vehicles;

processing the received substantially anonymous hail and the location-based information associated with the plurality of vehicles to determine that at least one of the plurality of the vehicles is within a geographic vicinity of the person; and

transmitting over the communication network to the computing device that is associated with the person, information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

wherein the at least one processor ceases transmitting over the communication network the information associated with the respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles after the computing device that is associated with the person travels above a predetermined speed.

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

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the identified icon represents at least one of a doorman, a bellhop, a number of people, and special needs.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive and process information associated with the identified icon to determine the at least one of the plurality of the vehicles.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person provides at least one option for a vehicle request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is usable by the graphical user interface to identify in a map where the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is located.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person provides for zooming in and out of the map to locate fewer or more vehicles.

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

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the updated representation is illustrated in the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with person, and represents a respective vehicle'"'"'s location substantially in real time.

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

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person provides an alert.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display an updated representation of a new respective location of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles as the at least one of the plurality of vehicles moves.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein information associated with a location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is provided via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person provides for selecting a different location, and wherein the computing device that is associated with the person is further configured using the hailing application to transmit, to the at least one processor on the communication network, different location-based information associated with the selected different location.

15. A method that uses information received from a plurality of computing devices that are associated with at least one of a person and a plurality of vehicles, each respectively providing accurate location-based information representing a respective location of each of the plurality of computing devices, to enable the person to send a substantially anonymous hail on a communication network to the plurality of vehicles within a geographic area relative to a location of the person, the method comprising:

providing, on a computing device that is associated with the person, a hailing application, wherein the computing device that is associated with the person is configured using the hailing application to present a graphical user interface, to obtain location-based information associated with a location of the computing device that is associated with the person, and to transmit, to at least one processor on the communication network, the substantially anonymous hail comprising the location-based information associated with the computing device that is associated with the person;

receiving, by the at least one processor on the communication network and from the computing device that is associated with the person, the substantially anonymous hail;

receiving, by the at least one processor on the communication network, from each of the plurality of computing devices that are associated with the plurality of vehicles and configured with a vehicle application, location-based information associated with each of the plurality of vehicles;

processing, by the at least one processor, the received substantially anonymous hail and the location-based information associated with the plurality of vehicles to determine that at least one of the plurality of the vehicles is within a geographic vicinity of the person; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor over the communication network to the computing device that is associated with the person, information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles;

wherein the at least one processor ceases transmitting over the communication network the information associated with the respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles after the computing device that is associated with the person travels above a predetermined speed.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, selectable options for the person to identify an icon that represents information that is associated with the person.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identified icon represents at least one of a doorman, a bellhop, a number of people, and special needs.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving and processing, by the at least one processor, information associated with the identified icon to determine the at least one of the plurality of the vehicles.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, at least one option for a vehicle request.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the information associated with a respective location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is usable by the graphical user interface to identify in a map where the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is located.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, functionality for zooming in and out of the map to locate fewer or more vehicles.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, updated information automatically that represents a change in at least one vehicle'"'"'s status.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the updated representation is illustrated in the graphical user interface operating on the computing device associated with person, and represents a respective vehicle'"'"'s location substantially in real time.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, information representing a vehicle or at least one person associated with a vehicle.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, an alert.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying, via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person, an updated representation of a new respective location of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles as the at least one of the plurality of vehicles moves.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein information associated with a location of each of the at least one of the plurality of vehicles is provided via the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface operating on the computing device that is associated with the person provides for selecting a different location, and wherein the computing device that is associated with the person is further configured using the hailing application to transmit, to the at least one processor on the communication network, different location-based information associated with the selected different location.