Providing route information to devices during a shared transport service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10212556-B2
Application number	US-201715612737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2017
Priority date	Sep 5, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A system and method of providing information about a transport service to user devices are described. The system arranges a transport service for a first user and a second user. The system determines first data corresponding to a first route from a location of a driver device of the driver to a first pickup location of the first user and second data corresponding to a second route from the first pickup location to a second pickup location of the second user. A combined route is determined based on the first data and the second data. The system transmits data associated with the first data without transmitting the data corresponding to the combined route to a first user device of the first user, and transmits data corresponding to the combined route to a second user device of the second user.

First claim

What is being claimed is:

1. A method of providing information about a transport service to user devices, the method being performed by a computing device and comprising:
arranging a transport service for a first user and a second user by selecting a driver to concurrently provide transport for the first user and the second user for at least a portion of the transport service;
tracking a location of a driver device of the driver using a location detection mechanism of the driver device;
during a first duration of time:
(i) determining first data corresponding to a first route from a first location of the driver device to a first pickup location of the first user;
(ii) determining second data corresponding to a second route from the first pickup location to a second pickup location of the second user;
(iii) determining a first combined route corresponding to the first route and the second route based on the first data and the second data; and
(iv) transmitting (a) the first data corresponding to the first route without transmitting data corresponding to the first combined route to a first user device of the first user, and (b) the data corresponding to the first combined route to a second user device of the second user; and

during a second duration of time after the first duration of time:
(i) determining third data corresponding to a third route from a second location of the driver device to the second pickup location;
(ii) determining fourth data corresponding to a fourth route from the second pickup location to a first destination location of the first user;
(iii) determining a second combined route corresponding to the third route and the fourth route based on the third data and the fourth data; and
(iv) transmitting (a) data corresponding to the second combined route to the first user device, and (b) the third data corresponding to the third route without transmitting the data corresponding to the second combined route to the second user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes receiving a first transport request from the first user device and receiving a second transport request from the second user device, the first transport request including information about the first pickup location and the second transport request including information about the second pickup location.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first transport request includes information about the first destination location and the second transport request includes information about a second destination location, and wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes determining that the driver is to pick up the first user before picking up the second user based on the first pickup location, the second pickup location, the first destination location, and the second destination location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes (i) transmitting a first invitation to the driver device along with information about the first pickup location, (ii) receiving an acceptance from the driver device, the acceptance being received in response to the driver providing input on the driver device, and (iii) transmitting a second invitation to the driver device along with information about the second pickup location to the driver device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first data includes receiving the first data from the driver device, and wherein the driver device receives the first data from a first mapping service.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining the second data includes using a second mapping service that operates independently from the first mapping service, and wherein the computing device operates the second mapping service or has access to the second mapping service.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first duration of time corresponds to a time when the driver is traveling to the first pickup location, and wherein the second duration of time corresponds to a time after the driver has traveled to the first pickup location.

8. A system for providing information about a transport service, the system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
arrange a transport service for a first user and a second user by selecting a driver to concurrently provide transport for the first user and the second user for at least a portion of the transport service;
track a location of a driver device of the driver using a location detection mechanism of the driver device;
during a first duration of time:
(i) determine first data corresponding to a first route from a first location of the driver device to a first pickup location of the first user;
(ii) determine second data corresponding to a second route from the first pickup location to a second pickup location of the second user;
(iii) determine a first combined route corresponding to the first route and the second route based on the first data and the second data; and
(iv) transmit (a) the first data corresponding to the first route without transmitting data corresponding to the first combined route to a first user device of the first user, and (b) the data corresponding to the first combined route to a second user device of the second user; and

during a second duration of time after the first duration of time:
(i) determine third data corresponding to a third route from a second location of the driver device to the second pickup location;
(ii) determine fourth data corresponding to a fourth route from the second pickup location to a first destination location of the first user;
(iii) determine a second combined route corresponding to the third route and the fourth route based on the third data and the fourth data; and
(iv) transmit (a) data corresponding to the second combined route to the first user device, and (b) the third data corresponding to the third route without transmitting the data corresponding to the second combined route to the second user device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes receiving a first transport request from the first user device and receiving a second transport request from the second user device, the first transport request including information about the first pickup location and the second transport request including information about the second pickup location.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first transport request includes information about the first destination location and the second transport request includes information about a second destination location, and wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes determining that the driver is to pick up the first user before picking up the second user based on the first pickup location, the second pickup location, the first destination location, and the second destination location.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein arranging the transport service for the first user and the second user includes (i) transmitting a first invitation to the driver device along with information about the first pickup location, (ii) receiving an acceptance from the driver device, the acceptance being received in response to the driver providing input on the driver device, and (iii) transmitting a second invitation to the driver device along with information about the second pickup location to the driver device.

12. The syst

Assignees

• Uber Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Tao Christine
• Jacobs Michael

Classifications

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G01C21/3438 Primary

  Rendezvous; Ride sharing · CPC title

• H04W4/44 Primary

  for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H] · CPC title

• G01C21/343

  Calculating itineraries (travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047) · CPC title