Dynamic real-time carpool matching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197410-B2
Application number	US-201414543949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2014
Priority date	Nov 18, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for real-time carpool matching is provided. The method may include receiving a plurality of carpool requests having a plurality of carpool route segments. The method may include determining at least one carpool match in real-time based on the plurality of carpool route segments. The method may include assigning each carpool match a viability value. The method may then include assigning a selected carpool match automatically for a user associated with the determined at least one carpool match, based on the assigned viability value associated with each carpool match within the at least one carpool match. The method may further include choosing a driver from a plurality of carpool participants, whereby the plurality of carpool participants is based on the selected carpool match. The method may also include sending the selected carpool match to the plurality of carpool participants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for real-time carpool matching, the method comprising:
receiving, by a carpool server, a plurality of carpool requests from a plurality of participant devices via a communication network, wherein each carpool request comprises a plurality of route segments and a participant;
identifying, in real-time, a plurality of overlapping segments based on the received plurality of carpool requests;
generating at least one carpool route in real time for a user by combining the identified plurality of overlapping segments, wherein the generated at least one carpool route has a route destination that matches a requested destination associated with a carpool request made by the user, and wherein the user is traveling in a user vehicle;
assigning each carpool route within the at least one carpool route a viability value;
assigning a selected carpool match automatically for the user associated with the generated at least one carpool route, based on the assigned viability value associated with each carpool route within the at least one carpool route;
choosing a segment driver from a plurality of carpool participants for each overlapping segment within the generated carpool route, wherein the plurality of carpool participants includes the participants associated with the plurality of overlapping segments;
sending, by the carpool server, the selected carpool match and a plurality of segment drivers to the plurality of carpool participant devices over the communication network, wherein the sent carpool match has a route;
tracking geolocations of the plurality of carpool participants via a global positioning system (GPS), wherein the tracked geolocations comprise a carpool participant geolocation of each carpool participant within the plurality of carpool participants, a segment driver geolocation of each segment driver within the plurality of segment drivers and a user geolocation of the user;
determining that a segment driver within the plurality of segment drivers has deviated from the route based on comparing a distance from the segment driver geolocation to the route and determining that the distance exceeds a threshold;
in response to determining that the segment driver has deviated from the route, generating an alert for the segment driver;
sending the generated alert to an electronic device associated with the segment driver;
determining that the segment driver is not participating in response to the sent alert;
in response to determining that the segment driver that has deviated is not participating, identifying a neighboring vehicle of a carpool participant in proximity to the user vehicle based on a vehicle distance between the carpool participant geolocation corresponding with the neighboring vehicle and the user geolocation corresponding with the user vehicle;
assigning a substitute carpool match, based on the identified neighboring vehicle; and
sending, via a cellular network, the assigned substitute carpool match to the user vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the user associated with the determined at least one carpool route has opted out of automatic carpool matching;
sending the at least one carpool route to the user based on determining that the user has opted out of automatic carpool matching; and
receiving a new carpool route from the user based on the sent at least one carpool route.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each carpool request within the plurality of carpool requests has a plurality of passenger acceptability criteria.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein generating the at least one carpool route comprises comparing the plurality of route segments based on a route overlap value and the plurality of passenger acceptability criteria.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein choosing the segment driver from the plurality of carpool participants comprises randomly choosing the driver or allowing the plurality of carpool participants to consent to choose the driver from the plurality of carpool participants.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring a geolocation associated with the plurality of carpool participants;
determining if a distance between the geolocation and a carpool route associated with the selected carpool match is outside of a predefined threshold value; and
generating an alert based on determining that the distance is outside of the predefined threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each carpool request within the plurality of carpool requests has a distance flexibility preference and a time flexibility preference.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein generating the at least one carpool route comprises considering an alternate route that fits within the time flexibility preference and the distance flexibility preference.

9. A computer system for real-time carpool matching, comprising:
one or more processors, one or more non-transitory computer-readable memories, one or more non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising:
receiving, by a carpool server, a plurality of carpool requests from a plurality of participant devices via a communication network, wherein each carpool request comprises a plurality of route segments and a participant;
identifying, in real-time, a plurality of overlapping segments based on the received plurality of carpool requests;
generating at least one carpool route in real time for a user by combining the identified plurality of overlapping segments, wherein the generated at least one carpool route has a route destination that matches a requested destination associated with a carpool request made by the user, and wherein the user is traveling in a user vehicle;
assigning each carpool route within the at least one carpool route a viability value;
assigning a selected carpool match automatically for the user associated with the generated at least one carpool route, based on the assigned viability value associated with each carpool route within the at least one carpool route;
choosing a segment driver from a plurality of carpool participants for each overlapping segment within the generated carpool route, wherein the plurality of carpool participants includes the participants associated with the plurality of overlapping segments;
sending, by the carpool server, the selected carpool match and a plurality of segment drivers to the plurality of carpool participant devices over the communication network, wherein the sent carpool match has a route;
tracking geolocations of the plurality of carpool participants via a global positioning system (GPS), wherein the tracked geolocations comprise a carpool participant geolocation of each carpool participant within the plurality of carpool participants, a segment driver geolocation of each segment driver within the plurality of segment drivers and a user geolocation of the user;
determining that a segment driver within the plurality of segment drivers has deviated from the route based on comparing a distance from the segment driver geolocation to the route and determining that the distance exceeds a threshold;
in response to determining that the segment driver has deviated from the route generating an alert for the segment driver;
sending the generated alert to an electronic device associated with the segment driver;
determining that the segment driver is not participating in response to the sent alert;
in response to determining that the segment driver th

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Guo Shang Q
• Isci Canturk
• Lenchner Jonathan
• Mukherjee Maharaj

Classifications

• G01C21/3438 Primary

  Rendezvous; Ride sharing · CPC title

• G06Q10/02

  Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events · CPC title

• G06Q10/063114

  Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group · CPC title

• G06F17/30864

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06Q50/30

  Physics · mapped topic