Ride-sharing range contours

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016321771-A1
Application number	US-201514699226-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 29, 2015
Priority date	Apr 29, 2015
Publication date	Nov 3, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A ride-sharing server may identify a set of ride-sharing users within a range contour indicative of a threshold of at least one of cost, and time and the number of occupants surrounding a driver route; send a set of ride-sharing options to a driver device, the ride-sharing options indicating the ride-sharing users; send a set of ride-sharing options to a rider device; and receive, from the driver device, a selection of one of the ride-sharing options to pick up one of the ride-sharing users; receive, from the ride device, a selection of one of the ride-sharing options to reserve one of the ride-sharing drivers or cancellation of a selection. A mobile device may receive, from the ride-sharing server, the set of ride-sharing options; display a user interface including the ride-sharing options; receive a selection of one of the ride-sharing options to pick up one of the ride-sharing users; and send the selection to the ride-sharing server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a ride-sharing server configured to
identify a set of ride-sharing users as within a range contour indicative of a threshold maximum of at least one of cost and time surrounding a driver route;
send a set of ride-sharing options to a driver device, the ride-sharing options indicating the ride-sharing users; and
receive, from the device, a selection to pick up one of the ride-sharing users.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to
receive driver user locations from a vehicle traversing the driver route; and send the driver user locations to the driver device to the one of the ride-sharing users selected for pickup.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to send a pickup notification to the one of the ride-sharing users responsive to the selection.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the range contour is defined according to at least one of a predetermined rider cost threshold and a predetermined time cost threshold.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of ride-sharing options includes number of occupants, rider cost and time cost information for the ride-sharing users.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the rider cost and time cost information is specified in the set of ride-sharing options as cost and time offsets from a currently-selected set of ride-sharers.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the ride-sharing server is further configured to:
receive ride-sharing user locations from mobile devices of the ride-sharing users; and identify the set of ride-sharing users within the range contour according to the ride-sharing user locations.

8 . A system comprising:
a mobile device configured to
receive, from a ride-sharing server, a set of ride-sharing options indicating ride-sharing users within a range contour indicative of a threshold of at least one of cost and time surrounding a driver route;
display a user interface including the ride-sharing options;
receive a selection of one of the ride-sharing options to pick up one of the ride-sharing users; and
send the selection to the ride-sharing server.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the mobile device is further configured to display the driver route and the range contour overlaid on a map.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the mobile device is further configured to:
receive ride-sharing user locations from the ride-sharing server; and identify the ride-sharing users within the range contour according to the ride-sharing user locations.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the mobile device is further configured to send driver user locations of the mobile device to the ride-sharing server to be provided to ride-sharing users selected for pickup.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the range contour is defined according to at least one of a predetermined rider cost threshold and a predetermined time cost threshold.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of ride-sharing options includes number of occupants, rider, cost and time cost information for the ride-sharing users.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rider, cost and time cost information is specified in the set of ride-sharing options as cost differences from a currently-selected set of ride-sharers.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the mobile device is further configured to present at least two of the number of occupants, rider cost, and time cost information specified in the set of ride-sharing options in the user interface.

16 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving driver user locations from a driver mobile device associated with a vehicle traversing a driver route; receiving ride-sharing user locations from a passenger mobile device of a ride-sharing user; identifying pickup of the ride-sharing user according to commonality in the driver and ride-sharing user locations; and sending a request to at least one of the driver mobile device and the passenger mobile device to confirm the pickup.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising sending the driver user locations to the passenger mobile device to inform the ride-sharing user of progress of the vehicle alone the driver route.

18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
querying a rental server for vehicle information indicative of at least two of a make, a model, and a color of the vehicle; and sending the vehicle information to the passenger mobile device to aid the ride-sharing user in identifying the vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending a set of ride-sharing options to the driver mobile device, the ride-sharing options identifying a set of ride-sharing users within a range contour available for ride-sharing; and receive, from the device, a selection of one of the ride-sharing options to pick up one of the ride-sharing users.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising identifying the set of ride-sharing users within the range contour as being those users within a threshold of at least one of cost and time surrounding the driver route.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Liu Yimin
• Macneille Perry Robinson
• Yang Jinjing

Classifications

• G01C21/3438

  Rendezvous; Ride sharing · CPC title

• G06Q30/0613

  using intermediate agents · CPC title

• G06Q30/0283

  Price estimation or determination · CPC title

• G07B15/00

  Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points (handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00) · CPC title

• G06Q10/047 Primary

  Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem · CPC title