IP Library Granted Patent US 11,663,919
Granted Patent B2
US 11,663,919 · App. 16/745,818 · Granted May 30, 2023

Autonomous presentation of a self-driving vehicle

Inventors: Jeremy Adam Greenberger (Raleigh, NC); James Robert Kozloski (New Fairfield, CT); Clifford A. Pickover (Yorktown Heights, NY)
Assignee: Maplebear Inc.
G08G1/202G06Q50/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,663,919
App. No.
16/745,818
Granted
May 30, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for facilitating the autonomous presentation of a self-driving vehicle are provided. In one example, a method can include a system operatively coupled to a processor, where the system: determines a feature of a self-driving vehicle based on information regarding an entity in a pending transaction; determines a task to be performed by the self-driving vehicle based on the feature; and generates an instruction for the self-driving vehicle to perform the task.

Claims (46)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from an entity by a server, a request for initiating a for-hire transaction for hiring at least one self-driving vehicle to complete a delivery service the for-hire transaction associated with a sales transaction that is set to be conducted by a person at an event location at a predetermined date and time interval, the event location being within a geofence system;

receiving geographical data regarding a plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles that are within the geofence system corresponding to the event location, the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles being geographically separate from the server, each of the plurality of self-driving vehicles having a seating capacity;

hiring one of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles based on the geographical data of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles, wherein a hired self-driving vehicle comprises:

a feature component that identifies a feature of the hired self-driving vehicle based on an input captured by an interface of a reception component communicatively coupled to the feature component and regarding a potential consumer of the self-driving vehicle, wherein the self-driving vehicle is available for the potential consumer to complete an event associated with the self-driving vehicle, and

a task component that identifies and performs a task based on the feature, wherein the task demonstrates the feature to the potential consumer, and wherein the task comprises a test drive incorporating turns, accelerations or decelerations moving the self-driving vehicle from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

providing instructions to the hired self-driving vehicle, the instructions including one or more navigational tasks to be performed by the hired self-driving vehicle when driving to the event location;

determining that the person who has conducted the sales transaction is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, wherein the person is detected via visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the person is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, causing the hired self-driving vehicle to perform a delivery task, the delivery task including verifying a requirement of the delivery task using the visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle and moving the hired self-driving vehicle from the event location where the person is detected to a geographical location associated with entity that requested for the for-hire transaction.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hired self-driving vehicle comprises a processor that is electrically coupled to the hired self-driving vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein verifying the requirement comprises using video data, audio data, or geographical data to verify the requirement.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising instructing a second self-driving vehicle to perform a second delivery task associated with the sales transaction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising causing the hired self-driving vehicle to share information between the hired self-driving vehicle and the second self-driving vehicle to facilitate performing the second delivery task.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein software is provided as a service in a cloud environment to facilitate the performing the for-hire transaction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the event location is selected from a group consisting of a residential address of the entity and a business address of the entity.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

receive, from an entity by a server, a request for initiating a for-hire transaction for hiring at least one self-driving vehicle to complete a delivery service the for-hire transaction associated with a sales transaction that is set to be conducted by a person at an event location at a predetermined date and time interval, the event location being within a geofence system;

receive geographical data regarding a plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles that are within the geofence system corresponding to the event location, the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles being geographically separate from the server, each of the plurality of self-driving vehicles having a seating capacity;

hire one of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles based on the geographical data of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles, wherein a hired self-driving vehicle comprises:

a feature component that identifies a feature of the hired self-driving vehicle based on an input captured by an interface of a reception component communicatively coupled to the feature component and regarding a potential consumer of the self-driving vehicle, wherein the self-driving vehicle is available for the potential consumer to complete an event associated with the self-driving vehicle, and

a task component that identifies and performs a task based on the feature, wherein the task demonstrates the feature to the potential consumer, and wherein the task comprises a test drive incorporating turns, accelerations or decelerations moving the self-driving vehicle from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

provide instructions to the hired self-driving vehicle, the instructions including one or more navigational tasks to be performed by the hired self-driving vehicle when driving to the event location;

determine that the person who has conducted the sales transaction is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, wherein the person is detected via visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the person is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, cause the hired self-driving vehicle to perform a delivery task, the delivery task including verifying a requirement of the delivery task using the visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle and moving the hired self-driving vehicle from the event location where the person is detected to a geographical location associated with entity that requested for the for-hire transaction.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the hired self-driving vehicle comprises a processor that is electrically coupled to the hired self-driving vehicle.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to cause the hired self-driving vehicle to share information between the hired self-driving vehicle and a second self-driving vehicle to facilitate performing the delivery task.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to instruct a second self-driving vehicle to perform a second delivery task associated with the sales transaction.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to cause the hired self-driving vehicle to share information between the hired self-driving vehicle and the second self-driving vehicle to facilitate performing the second delivery task.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein software is provided as a service in a cloud environment to facilitate the performing the for-hire transaction.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the event location is selected from a group consisting of a residential address of the entity and a business address of the entity.

15. A self-driving vehicle system, comprising:

a plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles; and

a server comprising a memory that stores computer executable instructions and a processor, operably coupled to the memory, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive, from an entity, a request for initiating a for-hire transaction for hiring at least one self-driving vehicle to complete a delivery service the for-hire transaction associated with a sales transaction that is set to be conducted by a person at an event location at a predetermined date and time interval, the event location being within a geofence system;

receive geographical data regarding a plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles that are within the geofence system corresponding to the event location, the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles being geographically separate from the server, each of the plurality of self-driving vehicles having a seating capacity;

hire one of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles based on the geographical data of the plurality of candidate self-driving vehicles, wherein a hired self-driving vehicle comprises:

a feature component that identifies a feature of the hired self-driving vehicle based on an input captured by an interface of a reception component communicatively coupled to the feature component and regarding a potential consumer of the self-driving vehicle, wherein the self-driving vehicle is available for the potential consumer to complete an event associated with the self-driving vehicle, and

a task component that identifies and performs a task based on the feature, wherein the task demonstrates the feature to the potential consumer, and wherein the task comprises a test drive incorporating turns, accelerations or decelerations moving the self-driving vehicle from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

provide instructions to the hired self-driving vehicle, the instructions including one or more navigational tasks to be performed by the hired self-driving vehicle when driving to the event location;

determine that the person who has conducted the sales transaction is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, wherein the person is detected via visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the person is detected by the hired self-driving vehicle at the event location, cause the hired self-driving vehicle to perform a delivery task, the delivery task including verifying a requirement of the delivery task using the visual observation data captured by the hired self-driving vehicle and moving the hired self-driving vehicle from the event location where the person is detected to a geographical location associated with entity that requested for the for-hire transaction.

16. The self-driving vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to cause the hired self-driving vehicle to share information between the hired self-driving vehicle and a second self-driving vehicle to facilitate performing the delivery task.

17. The self-driving vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to instruct a second self-driving vehicle to perform a second delivery task associated with the sales transaction.

18. The self-driving vehicle system of claim 17 , wherein the computer executable instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to cause the hired self-driving vehicle to share information between the hired self-driving vehicle and the second self-driving vehicle to facilitate performing the second delivery task.

19. The self-driving vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein software is provided as a service in a cloud environment to facilitate the performing the for-hire transaction.

20. The self-driving vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein the event location is selected from a group consisting of a residential address of the entity and a business address of the entity.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 28, 2021
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: MAPLEBEAR INC.
Reel/Frame 055155/0943 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 17, 2020
From: GREENBERGER, JEREMY ADAM; KOZLOSKI, JAMES ROBERT; PICKOVER, CLIFFORD A.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 051545/0702 →