IP Library Granted Patent US 12,590,805
Granted Patent B2
US 12,590,805 · App. 17/939,358 · Granted Mar 31, 2026

Systems and methods for travel planning that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit

Inventors: Richard T. Lord (San Francisco, CA); Robert W. Lord (San Francisco, CA); Nathan P. Myhrvold (San Francisco, CA); Clarence T. Tegreene (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
G01C21/34G01C21/3423G01C21/3438G06Q10/025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,590,805
App. No.
17/939,358
Granted
Mar 31, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Computationally implemented methods and systems that are designed for receiving a request for transporting one or more end users towards a destination location; providing a travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg; and directing the at least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Claims (47)

1 . A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations that include:

transmitting a travel plan to an end user device to facilitate an end user in travelling to a destination location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying multiple route legs, including a first route leg in which an end user travels from the starting location to a first rendezvous location using a first transportation service, and a second route leg in which the end user travels from the first rendezvous location to the destination location using a second transport service, the travel plan specifying at least one of a departure time for the second transportation service or an arrival time for the end user to arrive at the destination location;

monitoring, during the first route leg, a location of the end user device relative to the first rendezvous location;

determining, based on monitoring the location of the end user device, whether the end user is late for either the departure time from the first rendezvous location or the arrival time for the destination location;

based on determining that the end user is late, adjusting the travel plan by changing the first rendezvous location to a second rendezvous location;

transmitting the adjusted travel plan to the end user device as the end user travels along the first route leg;

based on the adjusted travel plan, monitoring the location of the end user relative to the second rendezvous location to determine when the end user is within a predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location; and

based on determining that the end user device is within the predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location, directing a transportation vehicle unit to the second rendezvous location of the adjusted travel plan, to provide the second transport service upon the end user's arrival.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations include:

determining, based on the end user device being within the predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location, a time to direct the transportation vehicle unit to the second rendezvous location, to provide the second transport service to the end user.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operations include:

directing a robotic driver of the transportation vehicle unit to the second rendezvous location, to provide transport to the end user.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the travel plan includes driver information about a driver of the transportation vehicle unit.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operations include:

selecting the transportation vehicle unit at the determined time.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the travel plan indicates a mode of transport for each route leg of the travel plan.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein

adjusting the travel plan includes adjusting the arrival time at the destination location.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the travel plan includes transmitting routing information for multiple planned routes, each of the planned routes corresponding to one of the first route leg or second route leg.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein transmitting the routing information includes causing at least a portion of individual route legs to be displayed on the end user device in graphical form.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the travel plan includes the arrival time of the end user at the destination location, and wherein determining the adjustment to the remainder of the travel plan further includes determining an adjustment to the arrival time at the destination location.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first transportation service corresponds to one of an air conveyance service, ferry service, or train service.

12 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

transmitting a travel plan to an end user device to facilitate an end user in travelling to a destination location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying multiple route legs, including a first route leg in which an end user travels from the starting location to a first rendezvous location using a first transportation service, and a second route leg in which the end user travels from the first rendezvous location to the destination location using a second transport service, the travel plan specifying at least one of a departure time for the second transportation service or an arrival time for the end user to arrive at the destination location;

monitoring, during the first route leg, a location of the end user device relative to the first rendezvous location;

determining, based on monitoring the location of the end user device, whether the end user is late for either the departure time from the first rendezvous location or the arrival time for the destination location;

based on-determining that the end user is late, adjusting the travel plan by changing the first rendezvous location to a second rendezvous location;

transmitting the adjusted travel plan to the end user device as the end user travels along the first route leg;

based on the adjusted travel plan, monitoring the location of the end user relative to the second rendezvous location to determine when the end user is within a predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location; and

based on determining that the end user device is within the predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location, directing a transportation vehicle unit to the rendezvous location of the adjusted travel plan, to provide the second transport service upon the end user's arrival.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

determining, based on the end user device being within the predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location, a time to direct the transportation vehicle unit to the second rendezvous location of the adjusted travel plan, to provide transport the second transport service to the end user.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the travel plan includes driver information about a driver of the transportation vehicle unit.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the travel plan indicates a mode of transport for each of the multiple route legs.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the multiple route legs include one or more route legs in which the end user walks to a corresponding route leg of the multiple route legs.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first transportation service corresponds to one of an air conveyance service, ferry service, or train service.

18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, causes the computing system to perform operations that include:

transmitting a travel plan to an end user device to facilitate an end user in travelling to a destination location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying multiple route legs, including a first route leg in which an end user travels from the starting location to a first rendezvous location using a first transportation service, and a second route leg in which the end user travels from the first rendezvous location to the destination location using a second transport service, the travel plan specifying at least one of a departure time for the second transportation service or an arrival time for the end user to arrive at the destination location;

monitoring, during the first route leg, a location of the end user device relative to the first rendezvous location;

determining, based on monitoring the location of the end user device, whether the end user is late for either the departure time for the first rendezvous location or the arrival time for the destination location;

based on determining that the end user is late, adjusting the travel plan by changing the first rendezvous location to a second rendezvous location; and

transmitting the adjusted travel plan to the end user device as the end user travels along the first route leg;

based on the adjusted travel plan, monitoring the location of the end user relative to the second rendezvous location to determine when the end user is within a predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location; and

based on determining that the end user device is within the predetermined distance or travel time from the second rendezvous location directing a transportation vehicle unit to the rendezvous location of the adjusted travel plan, to provide the second transport service upon the end user's arrival.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the first transportation service corresponds to one of an air conveyance service, ferry service, or train service.

Continuity (5)
Continuation 16600370 · Oct 11, 2019
Continuation 14328002 · Jul 10, 2014
Continuation In Part 14318182 · Jun 27, 2014
Provisional Application 61989394 · May 6, 2014
Related Publication 20220412748A1 · Dec 29, 2022
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