IP Library Granted Patent US 12,282,873
Granted Patent B2
US 12,282,873 · App. 18/522,063 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

On-demand transport selection process facilitating third-party autonomous vehicles

Inventors: Brent Justin Goldman (San Francisco, CA); Neil Stegall (Pittsburg, CA); Leigh Gray Hagestad (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
G06Q10/06311G01C21/28G01C21/3453G06Q30/0284
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,282,873
App. No.
18/522,063
Granted
Apr 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A network computing system can coordinate on-demand transport serviced by transport providers operating throughout a transport service region. The transport providers can comprise a set of internal autonomous vehicles (AVs) and a set of third-party AVs. The system can receive a transport request from a requesting user of the transport service region, where the transport request indicates a pick-up location and a destination. The system can determine a subset of the transport providers to service the respective transport request, and executing a selection process among the subset of the transport providers to select a transport provider to service the transport request. The system may then transmit a transport assignment to the selected transport provider to cause the selected transport provider to service the transport request.

Claims (55)

1. A transport service entity computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute operations comprising:

receiving a transport request from a computing device associated with a requesting user;

transmitting a capability query based on the transport request to a third-party computing system of a third-party entity;

receiving a response from the third-party computing system, the response indicating a capability of one or more third-party autonomous vehicles (AVs) to respond to the transport request received from the computing device;

selecting the third-party entity to service the transport request based at least in part on the response from the third-party computing system; and

causing a third-party autonomous vehicle (AV) of the third-party entity to begin servicing the transport request.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the response comprises a proposed cost for the third-party AV to complete the transport request.

3. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a confirmation query to the third-party A V to specifically determine whether the third-party AV can service the transportation request.

4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

compiling third-party capability data regarding a capability of a third-party fleet of the third-party entity including the one or more third-party AVs in servicing individual transport requests, wherein selecting the third-party entity comprises selecting the third-party fleet of the third-party entity.

5. The computing system of claim 4 , wherein:

the third-party capability data indicates a safety record for the third-party fleet; and

the operations further comprise, based on the safety record, determining whether the third-party fleet is qualified as a candidate for a further transport request.

6. The computing system of claim 4 , wherein:

the third-party capability data indicates autonomy road networks that the third-party fleet is capable of servicing; and

the operations further comprise determining whether the third-party fleet is qualified as a candidate for a further transport request based on whether the further transport request requires travel outside of the autonomy road networks.

7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

storing on-board routing information for a third-party fleet of the third-party entity in a database, the on-board routing information indicating routes, roads, or lanes upon which the third-party fleet may operate within a transport service region.

8. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the transport request comprises receiving the transport request via a communication interface communicating with computing devices of requesting users in a transport region, the transport request describing a pick-up location and a destination in the transport region associated with the transport request.

9. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a subset of transport providers to service the transport request, the subset of the transport providers including the third-party entity; and

generating a ranking of the subset of transport providers based at least in part on an optimization score associated with each respective transport provider, the selecting of the third-party entity to service the transport request being based on the ranking.

10. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein selecting the third-party entity is based at least in part on an estimated time of arrival to a pick-up location for the transport request or an estimated time of drop-off of at a destination for the transport request.

11. A computer-implemented method for managing transport providers, the method comprising:

receiving a transport request from a computing device associated with a requesting user;

transmitting a capability query based on the transport request to a third-party computing system of a third-party entity;

receiving a response from the third-party computing system, the response indicating a capability of one or more third-party autonomous vehicles (AVs) to respond to the transport request received from the computing device;

selecting the third-party entity to service the transport request based at least in part on the response from the third-party computing system; and

causing a third-party autonomous vehicle (AV) of the third-party entity to begin servicing the transport request.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the response comprises a proposed cost for the third-party AV to complete the transport request.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

transmitting a confirmation query to the third-party AV to specifically determine whether the third-party AV can service the transportation request.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

compiling third-party capability data regarding a capability of a third-party fleet of the third-party entity including the one or more third-party AVs in servicing individual transport requests, wherein selecting the third-party entity comprises selecting the third-party fleet of the third-party entity.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:

the third-party capability data indicates a safety record for the third-party fleet; and

the operations further comprise, based on the safety record, determining whether the third-party fleet is qualified as a candidate for a further transport request.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein:

the third-party capability data indicates autonomy road networks that the third-party fleet is capable of servicing; and

the operations further comprise determining whether the third-party fleet is qualified as a candidate for a further transport request based on whether the further transport request requires travel outside of the autonomy road networks.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

storing on-board routing information for a third-party fleet of the third-party entity in a database, the on-board routing information indicating routes, roads, or lanes upon which the third-party fleet may operate within a transport service region.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving the transport request comprises receiving the transport request via a communication interface communicating with computing devices of requesting users in a transport region, the transport request describing a pick-up location and a destination in the transport region associated with the transport request.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining a subset of transport providers to service the transport request, the subset of the transport providers including the third-party entity; and

generating a ranking of the subset of transport providers based at least in part on an optimization score associated with each respective transport provider, the selecting of the third-party entity to service the transport request being based on the ranking.

20. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a transport request from a computing device associated with a requesting user;

transmitting a capability query based on the transport request to a third-party computing system of a third-party entity;

receiving a response from the third-party computing system, the response indicating a capability of one or more third-party autonomous vehicles (AVs) to respond to the transport request received from the computing device;

selecting the third-party entity to service the transport request based at least in part on the response from the third-party computing system; and

causing a third-party autonomous vehicle (AV) of the third-party entity to begin servicing the transport request.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2024
From: GOLDMAN, BRENT; STEGALL, NEIL; HAGESTAD, LEIGH
To: UATC,LLC
Reel/Frame 066227/0605 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2024
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 066366/0654 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17817238 · Aug 3, 2022
Continuation 16665650 · Oct 28, 2019
Provisional Application 62751921 · Oct 29, 2018
Related Publication 20240104452A1 · Mar 28, 2024
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