# US 11,112,255 B2 · Network computer system to arrange pooled transport services > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,112,255 B2 - Document ID: US11112255B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/884,283 - Filed: 2020-05-27 - Published: 2020-09-17 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-05 - Assignees: Uber Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Uber Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Miraj Rahematpura; John Mark Nickels; Eoin O'Mahony; Danhua Guo; Vishnu Sundaresan; Lior Seeman; Meisam Vosoughpour - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11112255B2 ## CPC - G01C 21/3407: {specially adapted for specific applications} - G01C 21/3423: {Multimodal routing} - G01C 21/28: with correlation of data from several navigational instruments - G01C 21/3438: {Rendezvous; Ride sharing} - G06Q 10/06: Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling - G08G 1/202: {Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching} - G08G 1/205: {Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A network computer system operates to receive service requests from multiple requesters. Based at least in part on a proximity between the current locations of a first and a second requester, the system can match the first service request and the second service request by (i) selecting a pickup location for the first and second requesters, (ii) transmitting rendezvous information to the computing devices of the first and second requesters, (iii) determining an estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester to arrive at the pickup location, and (iv) selecting a transport provider to service both the first transport request and the second transport request, based at least in part on the pickup location, a current location of the transport provider, and the estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network computer system comprising: a network communication interface to communicate, over one or more networks, with computing devices of requesters and transport providers of a pooled transport service; one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computer system to: receive, over the one or more networks, a first service request from a computing device of a first requester, the first service request indicating a first destination and a current location of the first requester; receive, over the one or more networks, a second service request from a computing device of a second requester, the second service request indicating a second destination and a current location of the second requester; based at least in part on a proximity between the current locations of the first and second requesters, match the first service request and the second service request by: selecting a pickup location for the first and second requesters; transmitting, over the one or more networks, rendezvous information to the computing devices of the first and second requesters to enable the first and second requesters to travel to the pickup location; determining an estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester to arrive at the pickup location; selecting a transport provider to service both the first service request and the second service request, based at least in part on the pickup location, a current location of the transport provider, and the estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester; and transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to a computing device of the transport provider to enable the transport provider to rendezvous with the first and second requesters at the pickup location and transport the first and second requesters to the first destination and the second destination respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to further select the pickup location by determining a heading of each of the first and second requesters. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The network computer system of claim 2, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to determine the heading of each of the first and second requesters based on the first destination and the second destination as compared to the pickup location. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to select the pickup location from multiple candidate pickup locations that are pre-selected for a region in which the first and second requesters are located. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to further select the transport provider based on a proximity between the first destination and the second destination. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The network computer system of claim 1, wherein the rendezvous information comprises navigation instructions that navigate the first and second requesters to the pickup location. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The network computer system of claim 6, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to transmit the navigation instructions to the computing devices of the first and second requesters before the transport provider is selected. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The network computer system of claim 6, wherein the navigation instructions comprise walking instructions. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a network computer system, cause the network computer system to: communicate, over one or more networks, with computing devices of requesters and transport providers of a pooled transport service; receive, over the one or more networks, a first service request from a computing device of a first requester, the first service request indicating a first destination and a current location of the first requester; receive, over the one or more networks, a second service request from a computing device of a second requester, the second service request indicating a second destination and a current location of the second requester; based at least in part on a proximity between the current locations of the first and second requesters, match the first service request and the second service request by: selecting a pickup location for the first and second requesters; transmitting, over the one or more networks, rendezvous information to the computing devices of the first and second requesters to enable the first and second requesters to travel to the pickup location; determining an estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester to arrive at the pickup location; selecting a transport provider to service both the first service request and the second service request, based at least in part on the pickup location, a current location of the transport provider, and the estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester; and transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to a computing device of the transport provider to enable the transport provider to rendezvous with the first and second requesters at the pickup location and transport the first and second requesters to the first destination and the second destination respectively. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to further select the pickup location by determining a heading of each of the first and second requesters. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to determine the heading of each of the first and second requesters based on the first destination and the second destination as compared to the pickup location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to select the pickup location from multiple candidate pickup locations that are pre-selected for a region in which the first and second requesters are located. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to further select the transport provider based on a proximity between the first destination and the second destination. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the rendezvous information comprises navigation instructions that navigate the first and second requesters to the pickup location. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the executed instructions cause the network computer system to transmit the navigation instructions to the computing devices of the first and second requesters before the transport provider is selected. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the navigation instructions comprise walking instructions. ### Claim 17 A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors and comprising: communicating, over one or more networks, with computing devices of requesters and transport providers of a pooled transport service; receiving, over the one or more networks, a first service request from a computing device of a first requester, the first service request indicating a first destination and a current location of the first requester; receiving, over the one or more networks, a second service request from a computing device of a second requester, the second service request indicating a second destination and a current location of the second requester; based at least in part on a proximity between the current locations of the first and second requesters, matching the first service request and the second service request by: selecting a pickup location for the first and second requesters; transmitting, over the one or more networks, rendezvous information to the computing devices of the first and second requesters to enable the first and second requesters to travel to the pickup location; determining an estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester to arrive at the pickup location; selecting a transport provider to service both the first service request and the second service request, based at least in part on the pickup location, a current location of the transport provider, and the estimated time interval for each of the first requester and the second requester; and transmitting, over the one or more networks, a transport invitation to a computing device of the transport provider to enable the transport provider to rendezvous with the first and second requesters at the pickup location and transport the first and second requesters to the first destination and the second destination respectively. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors further select the pickup location by determining a heading of each of the first and second requesters. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors determine the heading of each of the first and second requesters based on the first destination and the second destination as compared to the pickup location. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein one or more processors select the pickup location from multiple candidate pickup locations that are pre-selected for a region in which the first and second requesters are located.