System and methods for facilitating real-time carpooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689694-B2
Application number	US-201414564358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	May 6, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

Computationally implemented methods and systems that are designed for receiving a request for transport of a first end user; selecting, in response to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user for transporting the first end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit being based, at least in part, on ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user; and transmitting one or more directives that direct the selected transportation vehicle unit to transport the first end user. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
circuitry for receiving a request for transport of a first end user;
circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user;
circuitry for transmitting one or more directives for the selected transportation vehicle unit to transport the first end user; and
circuitry for transmitting one or more notifications that the selected transportation vehicle unit has been selected to transport the first end user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said-circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:
circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one satellite-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while for transporting the second end user.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, in (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:
circuitry for selecting a transportation vehicle unit that is currently transporting a second end user for transporting the first end user, the selection being based, at least in part, on ascertainment that the transportation vehicle unit is currently transporting the second end user and that is ascertained to be currently located within at least one of a predefined maximum distance or a predetermined maximum amount of time from a first end user rendezvous location for rendezvousing with the first end user.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:
circuitry for selecting the transportation vehicle unit that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user for transporting the first end user, the selection being based, at least in part on ascertainment that the transportation vehicle unit is currently transporting the second end user and that is ascertained to be currently located at a location that is same as a first end user rendezvous location for rendezvousing with the first end user.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:
circuitry for selecting the transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user based, at least in part, on ascertainment that the transportation vehicle unit is to rendezvous with the second end user at a rendezvous location that is ascertained to be the same as the rendezvous location for the first end user.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein circuitry for selecting the transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user based, at least in part, on ascertainment that the transportation vehicle unit is to rendezvous with the second end user at a rendezvous location that is ascertained to be the same as the rendezvous location for the first end user comprises:
circuitry for selecting the transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user based on ascertainment that the first end user and the second end user are to be transported to a single destination location.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while transporting the second end user comprises:
circuitry for ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit will be transporting the second end user to a second end user destination location that is near to a first end user destination location of the first end user.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein circuitry for selecting, responsive to the received request, a transportation vehicle unit for transporting the first end user that is currently en route to or is currently transporting a second end user, the selection of the transportation vehicle unit based, at least in part, on (i) a location of the transportation vehicle unit sensed at least in part via at least one hardware-based positioning sensor of a transport computing device within the transportation vehicle unit and (ii) ascertaining that the transportation vehicle unit is able to accommodate transport of the first end user while trans

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Lord Richard T
• Lord Robert W
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Tegreene Clarence T

Classifications

• G01C21/3438

  Rendezvous; Ride sharing · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06Q10/06311

  Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group · CPC title

• G01C21/343 Primary

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

• G06Q50/30

  Physics · mapped topic