Methods, devices, and systems for automatically detecting, tracking, and validating transit journeys

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016379141-A1
Application number	US-201615187049-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 20, 2016
Priority date	Jun 25, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, devices, and systems for automatically detecting, tracking, and validating transit journeys are provided. A transit data processing engine receives sensory data gathered by a plurality of sensors of a mobile device registered for automatic tracking of transit journeys and detects, based on transit data of one or more transit agencies and a first set of the sensory data, a potential transit event with the one or more transit agencies. Based on the transit data and a second set of the sensory data, received subsequently to the first set of the sensory data, the processing engine determines then whether the potential transit event defines a transit journey having a starting point with the one or more transit agencies. If the potential transit event defines the transit journey, the transit data processing engine continues to analyse the sensory data being received to detect an ending point of the transit journey.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer implemented method of automatically tracking transit journeys, the method comprising:
receiving, at a transit data processing engine, sensory data gathered by a plurality of sensors of a mobile device registered for automatic tracking of transit journeys; detecting, by the transit data processing engine, based on transit data of one or more transit agencies and a first set of the sensory data, a potential transit event with the one or more transit agencies; determining, by the transit data processing engine, based on the transit data of the one or more transit agencies and a second set of the sensory data, whether the potential transit event defines a transit journey having a starting point with the one or more transit agencies, wherein the second set of the sensory data is received subsequently to the first set of the sensory data; and analysing, by the transit data processing engine, the sensory data being received subsequently to the second set of the sensory data to detect an ending point of the transit journey, if the potential transit event defines the transit journey with the one or more transit agencies.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the potential transit event defines the transit journey, generating validation data confirming the transit journey, comprising one or more of: an e-ticket for displaying on the mobile device, a QR-code for displaying on the mobile device, a barcode for displaying on the mobile device, or a validation code for storing in NFC readable memory of the mobile device.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the sensory data comprises one or more of: a geo-location of the mobile device, geo-fencing data, a cell tower location of the mobile device, an identification of a Wi-Fi network available to the mobile device, a received signal strength indication (RSSI) associated with the available Wi-Fi network, an identification of a Bluetooth beacon, acceleration data, direction data, audio data, or motion data; and/or the transit data of the one or more transit agencies comprises at least one of: a mode of transportation, geo-locations of one or more transit stations, timetables for transit services, real-time transit updates regarding provided transit services, identification and location data of Wi-Fi networks supported by the one or more transit agencies, or identification and location data of Bluetooth networks supported by the one or more transit agencies.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting the potential transit event with the one or more transit agencies comprises one or more of:
determining that a geo-location of the mobile device is within a pre-defined distance to a geo-location of a transit station of the one or more transit agencies, determining that audio data of the first set of the sensory data has one or more pre-determined characteristics associated with the transit station of the one or more transit agencies, or determining that the mobile device is able to access a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth beacon accessible from an entry area of the transit station of the one or more transit agencies.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining that the potential transit event defines the transit journey with the one or more transit agencies comprises one or more of:
determining that the sensory data, subsequent to the second set of the sensory data, comprises one or more geo-locations of the mobile device that correspond to one or more geo-locations along one or more transit routes supported by the one or more transit agencies, wherein each of the one or more transit routes includes the starting point, determining that that the sensory data, subsequent to the second set of the sensory data, comprises one or more geo-locations of the mobile device that correspond to geo-locations along a transit route supported by the one or more transit agencies and were gathered at times in agreement with one or more of a timetable of the transit route or real-time transit updates for the one or more transit agencies in association with the transit route, determining that the mobile device is able to access a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth beacon accessible from a departure area of a transit station of the one or more transit agencies, determining that the mobile device is able to access a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth beacon accessible from a transit vehicle of the one or more transit agencies, determining that a speed of movement of the mobile device corresponds to an estimated speed of a transit vehicle on an estimated transit route with the one or more transit agencies, the estimated transit route including the starting point, or receiving an indication of the transit journey based on user input at the mobile device.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein analysing the sensory data to detect the ending point of the transit journey comprises:
correlating, based on the transit data, the sensory data being received to one or more transit routes of the one or more transit agencies comprising the starting point to detect the ending point of the transit journey on one of the one or more transit routes.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein analysing the sensory data to detect the ending point of the transit journey further comprises:
detecting, based on a third set of the sensory data, a potential ending point of the transit journey along the one or more transit routes in response to determining one or more of:
that the third set of the sensory data comprises a geo-location of the mobile device that corresponds to a geo-location of a transit station of the one or more transit agencies along the one or more transit routes,
that the third set of the sensory data indicates that the mobile device was able to access a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth beacon accessible from an arrival area of a transit station of the one or more transit agencies along the one or more transit routes, or
that the third set of the sensory data indicates that the mobile device stopped moving along the one or more transit routes of the one or more transit agencies; and
analysing the sensory data received subsequently to the third set of the sensory data to confirm whether the potential ending point is the ending point of the transit journey.

8 . The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the potential ending point is a transit station of the one or more transit agencies that corresponds to a geo-location of a mobile device included in the third set of the sensory data; and wherein confirming that the potential ending point is the ending point of the transit journey comprises one or more of:
determining that one or more geo-locations detected by the mobile device subsequently to the third set of the sensory data are outside of the one or more transit routes supported by the one or more transit agencies, or
determining that, the mobile device is able to access a Wi-Fi network or a Bluetooth beacon accessible from an exit area of the transit station defining the potential ending point.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating, by the transit data processing engine, a fare for the transit journey based at least on the starting point and the ending point of the transit journey,
wherein if it is determined that the transit journey falls within boundaries of a season ticket associated with the mobile device, the calculated fare is zero and if it is determined that the transit journey falls partially within the boundaries of the season ticket, the fare for the transit journey is calculated based on a part of the transit journey lying outside of th

Assignees

• Mastercard International Inc

Inventors

• Judge Edward William
• Noë James Christian

Classifications

• G06Q20/047

  using payment protocols involving electronic receipts · CPC title

• G06Q20/3274

  using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device · CPC title

• G07B15/02

  taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems (G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24) · CPC title

• G06Q10/02 Primary

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

• H04W4/80

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