Method and device for calling a taxi

• US 9,712,643 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Wang, Xin, Yang, Zhenyu, Liu, Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Karikari, Kwasi
• Application Number:
  US15/221,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for calling a taxi. A method may include determining whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or schedule data. The method may further include, when it is determined that the user should call a taxi, generating and outputting a taxi calling order. In the present disclosure, a terminal device can automatically generate and output a taxi calling order when it determines that the user should call a taxi. The method or terminal can thereby initiate a taxi calling service as early as possible, and thus avoid delaying the user'"'"'s schedule. Moreover, a process may require no user initiation and little or no intervention from the user. Thus, the method or terminal can simplify user operation and save the user'"'"'s time.

Claims

1. A method for calling a taxi, which is applied in a terminal, the method comprising:

determining, with the terminal, whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data; and

when the terminal determines that the user should call a taxi, generating and outputting, with the terminal, a taxi calling order;

wherein determining whether the user should call a taxi, based on the at least one of schedule data or historical data, comprises;

acquiring at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user, wherein schedule data of the user contains a time and a location at which the user plans to be present during the time, and wherein historical behavior data of the user contains a particular time and a location at which the user has been present during the particular time for a plurality of different instances of the particular time within a predetermined cycle;

determining a next location at which the user should be present, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user;

determining a next time at which the user should arrive at the next location, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user;

identifying the determined next location as a target location and the determined next time as a target time; and

determining whether the user should call a taxi, based on the identified target location and the identified target time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user comprises at least one of:

acquiring historical behavior data of the user from a memory of the terminal or from a server;

or

acquiring schedule data of the user from a schedule, a memorandum, or an alarm clock, of the terminal or of a server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user should call a taxi, based on the identified target location and the identified target time, comprises:

determining a departure location and a departure time;

deciding whether the user can arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within a time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time; and

determining that the user should call a taxi when the decision is that the user cannot arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within the time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the departure location and the departure time comprises:

detecting variation data of a location of the user;

determining whether the user is in a state of remaining in place or in a state of taking public transportation, based on the detected variation data of the location of the user; and

at least one of;

when the user is determined to be in the state of remaining in place, identifying a current location of the user as the departure location;

or

when the user is determined to be in the state of taking public transportation, identifying a public transportation station as the departure location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the departure location and the departure time further comprises at least one of:

when the user is determined to be in the state of taking public transportation, identifying a time at which a public transportation device will arrive at the public transportation station as the departure time;

when the user is determined to be in the state of remaining in place, identifying a current time as the departure time;

or

when the user is determined to be in the state of remaining in place, identifying a time equaling the current time plus a time period for the user to prepare to depart as the departure time.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein deciding whether the user can arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within the time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time, comprises:

using an off-line map or an on-line map to determine an amount of time needed to arrive at the identified target location using public transportation or on foot; and

when the determined amount of time is larger than a difference between the determined departure time and the identified target time, deciding that the user cannot arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within the time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the taxi calling order contains the determined departure location and the identified target location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the taxi calling order further contains the determined departure time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

generating the historical behavior data of the user, the historical behavior data of the user containing a recognized location and a time at which the user arrives at the recognized location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the historical behavior data of the user comprises:

determining a location at which the user has been present during a particular time for a plurality of different instances of the particular time within a predetermined cycle, and recording the determined location as the recognized location; and

recording a time at which the user arrives at the recognized location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating and outputting the taxi calling order comprises:

outputting taxi calling options for the user to select from, the taxi calling options containing an order confirmation option, an order modification option, and an order cancellation option.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a selection operation of the user; and

at least one of;

when the selection operation of the user selects the order confirmation option, sending the taxi calling order;

when the selection operation of the user selects the order modification option, receiving a departure location, a target option, or a departure time, input by the user through the order modification option;

or

when the selection operation of the user selects the order cancellation option, deleting the taxi calling order.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

acquiring historical operation data of the user, the historical operation data of the user being data generated based on one or more operations previously performed by the user to generate a taxi calling order; and

processing a taxi calling order based on the acquired historical operation data.

16. The device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a departure location and a departure time;

decide whether the user can arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within a time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time; and

determine that the user should call a taxi when the decision is that the user cannot arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within the time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect variation data of a location of the user;

determine whether the user is in a state of remaining in place or in a state of taking public transportation, based on the detected variation data of the location of the user; and

at least one of;

when the user is determined to be in a state of remaining in place, identify a location of the user as the departure location;

or

when the user is determined to be in a state of taking public transportation, identify a public transportation station as the departure location.

14. A device for calling a taxi, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to;

determine whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data; and

when the processor determines that the user should call a taxi, generate and output a taxi calling order; and

wherein to determine whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data, the processor is configured to;

acquire at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user, wherein schedule data contains a time and a location at which the user plans to be present during the time, and wherein historical behavior data contains a particular time and location at which the user has been present during the particular time for a plurality of different instances of the particular time within a predetermined cycle;

determine a next location at which the user should be present, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data;

determine a next time at which the user should arrive at the next location, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data;

identify the determined next location as a target location and the determined next time as a target time; and

determine whether the user should call a taxi, based on the identified target location and the identified target time.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to at least one of:

acquire historical behavior data of the user from a memory of the device or from a server;

or

acquire schedule data of the user from a schedule, a memorandum, or an alarm clock, of the device or of a server.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions configured to, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to:

determine whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data; and

when the device determines that the user should call a taxi, generate and output a taxi calling order;

wherein to cause the device to determine whether a user should call a taxi, based on at least one of schedule data or historical data, the instructions are configured to, when executed by the processor of a device, cause the device to;

acquire at least one of schedule data of the user or historical behavior data of the user, wherein schedule data contains a time and a location at which the user plans to be present during the time, and wherein historical behavior data contains a particular time and location at which the user has been present during the particular time for a plurality of different instances of the particular time within a predetermined cycle;

determine a next location at which the user should be present, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data;

determine a next time at which the user should arrive at the next location, according to the acquired at least one of schedule data or historical behavior data;

identify the determined next location as a target location and the determined next time as a target time; and

determine whether the user should call a taxi, based on the identified target location and the identified target time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processor of a device, cause the device to:

determine a departure location and a departure time;

decide whether the user can arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within a time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time; and

determine that the user should call a taxi when the decision is that the user cannot arrive at the identified target location, using public transportation or on foot, within the time period from the determined departure time to the identified target time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further configured to, when executed by the processor of a device, cause the device to:

detect variation data of a location of the user;

determine whether the user is in a state of remaining in place or in a state of taking public transportation, based on the detected variation data of the location of the user; and

at least one of;

when the user is determined to be in a state of remaining in place, identify a location of the user as the departure location;

or

when the user is determined to be in a state of taking public transportation, identify a public transportation station as the departure location.