Granted Patent B2

US 12,293,428 · App. 18/418,947 · Granted May 6, 2025

Inventors: Nuri Kim (San Francisco, CA); Christopher Haugli (San Francisco, CA); Rachel Lin (San Francisco, CA); Hasrat Godil (San Francisco, CA); Jeffrey Wolski (San Francisco, CA); Amos Barreto (San Francisco, CA)

Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.

G06Q50/40G06Q10/04

Abstract

Claims (46)

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory resources storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to:

receive, over one or more networks, a request for transport from a computing device of a user while the user is riding a transit vehicle of a transit service, the request specifying a start location and a destination for the user;

based at least in part on a location of the transit vehicle, determine an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the transit vehicle to an arrival location that corresponds to the start location;

receive, over the one or more networks, location data from a computing devices associated with a plurality of vehicles that is are available to transport the user from the start location to the destination;

for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, determine an ETA of the vehicle to the start location based on the location data of the vehicle;

initiate a request proxy module to optimize ETA matching between the plurality of vehicles and the transit vehicle by (i) determining that the ETA of a specified vehicle from the plurality of vehicles to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, and (ii)

based at least in part on determining that the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, automatically selecting the specified vehicle to service the request for the user; and

transmit, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation indicating the start location to the computing device associated with the specified vehicle.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the executed set of instructions further cause the computer system to:

receive a transit selection from the computing device of the user, the transit selection indicating a mode of transport for transporting the user to the arrival location that corresponds to the start location.

3. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein the executed set of instructions causes the computer system to further determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based on the transit selection.

4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the transit service comprises one of a train or a bus service, and wherein the arrival location comprises one of a train station or a bus station.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the executed set of instructions cause the computer system to repeatedly compare the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location with the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location based in part on a position of the specified vehicle relative to the start location.

6. The computer system of claim 5 , wherein the executed set of instructions causes the computer system to repeatedly compare the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location and the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location at decreasing time intervals, while a difference between the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location and the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location decreases as the transit vehicle travels towards the arrival location.

7. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the executed set of instructions causes the computer system to further determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based on a schedule corresponding to the transit service.

8. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the executed set of instructions causes the computer system to determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based, at least in part, on a route of the transit vehicle.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, over one or more networks, a request for transport from a computing device of a user while the user is riding a transit vehicle of a transit service, the request specifying a start location and a destination for the user;

based at least in part on a location of the transit vehicle, determine an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the transit vehicle to an arrival location that corresponds to the start location;

receive, over the one or more networks, location data from computing devices associated with a plurality of vehicles that are available to transport the user from the start location to the destination;

for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, determine an ETA of the vehicle to the start location based on the location data of the vehicle;

initiate a request proxy module to optimize ETA matching between the plurality of vehicles and the transit vehicle by (i) determining that the ETA of the vehicle to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, and (ii)

based at least in part on determining that the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, automatically selecting the specified vehicle to service the request for the user; and

transmit, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation indicating the start location to the computing device associated with the specified vehicle.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the executed instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a transit selection from the computing device of the user, the transit selection indicating a mode of transport for transporting the user to the arrival location that corresponds to the start location.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to further determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based on the transit selection.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the transit service comprises one of a train or a bus service, and wherein the arrival location comprises one of a train station or a bus station.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to repeatedly compare the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location with the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location based in part on a position of the specified vehicle relative to the start location.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to repeatedly compare the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location and the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location at decreasing time intervals, while a difference between the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location and the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location decreases as the transit vehicle travels towards the arrival location.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to further determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based on a schedule corresponding to the transit service.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based, at least in part, on a route of the transit vehicle.

17. A computer-implemented method of managing a transport service, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

receiving, over one or more networks, a request for transport from a computing device of a user while the user is riding a transit vehicle of a transit service, the request specifying a start location and a destination for the user;

based at least in part on a location of the transit vehicle, determining an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the transit vehicle to an arrival location that corresponds to the start location;

receiving, over the one or more networks, location data from a-computing devices associated with a plurality of vehicles that are available to transport the user from the start location to the destination;

for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, determining an ETA of the vehicle to the start location based on the location data of the vehicle;

initiating a request proxy module to optimize ETA matching between the plurality of vehicles and the transit vehicle by (i) determining that the ETA of a specified vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, and (ii);

based at least in part on determining that the ETA of the specified vehicle to the start location is within a threshold amount of time of the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location, automatically selecting the specified vehicle to service the request for the user; and

transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation indicating the start location to the computing device associated with the specified vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

receiving a transit selection from the computing device of the user, the transit selection indicating a mode of transport for transporting the user to the arrival location that corresponds to the start location.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors further determine the ETA of the transit vehicle to the arrival location based on the transit selection.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the transit service comprises one of a train or a bus service, and wherein the arrival location comprises one of a train station or a bus station.

Continuity (6)

References Cited (400)