Wireless beacon devices for use in managing transportation service terminals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016142964-A1
Application number	US-201414543440-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2014
Priority date	Nov 17, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for wireless beacon devices for use in managing transportation service terminals. A user may travel with a device, such as a communication device, that includes a communication module that may utilize specialized hardware features to establish short range wireless communications with nearby wireless beacons. The wireless beacons may be established at or nearby transportation service terminals, such as bus/train stops. The beacon may provide the aforementioned communication services with the communication device and be utilized to determine whether the user will utilize a transportation service for the terminal. If the user wishes to utilize the transportation service, a transportation service may be alerted. The user may also be alerted of an expected time of arrival for the transportation service, other transportation services available at the transportation terminal, and/or of nearby transportation terminals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a non-transitory memory storing first communication device identifier and transportation routing information comprising travel routes for a plurality of transportation services including a first transportation service; one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising: accessing the first communication device identifier for the first communication device connected to a wireless beacon associated with a first transportation terminal, wherein the wireless beacon determines that the first communication device is in proximity of the wireless beacon by monitoring short range communications frequencies and connects to the first communication device; determining the first transportation service associated with the first transportation terminal using transportation routing information; determining that a user wants to utilize the first transportation service; generating a first communication for the first transportation service, wherein the first communication alerts the first transportation service that the user wants to utilize the first transportation service; and communicating the first communication to a first device associated with the first transportation service.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first communication device is connected to the wireless beacon using one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, WiFi communication, and LTE Direct communication.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first transportation service comprises one of a bus, a train, a subway, a car service, a taxi service, a boat service, and a shuttle service, and wherein the first device comprises a first device attached to first transportation service for displaying the first communication to a second user associated with the first transportation service.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first communication device communicates personal information identifying the first user to the wireless beacon, and wherein the first communication comprises the personal information.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
receiving at least one second communication device identifier for at least one second communication device for at least one second user connected to the wireless beacon associated with the first transportation terminal; determining a first number of users at the first transportation terminal including the first user and the at least one second user, wherein the first communication comprises the first number of users.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the first communication further comprises a second number of users at a second transportation terminal.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the first device displays the first number of users and the second number of users on a map comprising the first transportation terminal and the second transportation terminal.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
determining the first user wants to utilize the first transportation service based on a length of time that the first communication device is connected to the wireless beacon.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
communicating a second communication comprising first information for the first transportation service to one of the first communication device and the wireless beacon for communication to the first communication device.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
determining a second transportation service serving the first transportation terminal using the transportation routing information; and communicating a third communication comprising second information for the second transportation service to one of the first communication device and the wireless beacon for communication to the first communication device.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
receiving a second communication from the first transportation service comprising a status that the first transportation service is at or approaching a maximum capacity determining a second transportation service serving the first transportation terminal using the transportation routing information; and communicating the first communication to a second device for the second transportation service.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
communicating a third communication comprising the status and information for the second transportation service to one of the first communication device and the wireless beacon for communication to the first communication device.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to read the instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform further operations comprising:
determining a second transportation terminal associated with the first transportation service; and communicating a second communication comprising information for the second transportation terminal to the first communication device.

14 . A method comprising:
receiving first connection information from a first wireless beacon, wherein the first wireless beacon determines that a communication device for a user is in proximity of the first wireless beacon by monitoring short range communications frequencies and connects to the communication device; accessing, by a transportation terminal information processing module executed by at least one hardware processor, the first connection information stored to a database in a non-transitory memory of a server device, wherein the first connection information comprises a first connection between the communication device for the user and the first wireless beacon at a first transportation terminal; accessing, by the transportation terminal information processing module, transportation services information for the first transportation terminal from the database determining, by the transportation terminal information processing module, a first transportation service for use by the user using the transportation services information; and communicating, via a communication module of the server device, an alert to the first transportation service that the user is located at the first transportation terminal.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising:
communicating, via the communication module, a notification to the user that the first transportation service is approaching the first transportation terminal.

Assignees

• Ebay Inc

Inventors

• Todasco Michael Charles
• Williams Megan Marie
• Hwang Michael
• Serrano Michelle

Classifications

• H04W76/021

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W40/244 Primary

  using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing · CPC title

• H04W4/008

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title