# US 2017/0286884 A1 · System and Method for Transportation

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2017/0286884 A1
- Document ID: US20170286884A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/629,986
- Filed: 2017-06-22
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15
- Assignees: Via Transportation, Inc.
- Applicants: Via Transportation, Inc.
- Inventors: Oren Shoval; DANIEL RAMOT
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170286884A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/063114: {Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group}
- G01C 21/3438: {Rendezvous; Ride sharing}
- G01C 21/3492: {employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)}
- G01C 21/3626: {Details of the output of route guidance instructions (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)}
- G06Q 10/063118: {Staff planning in a project environment}
- G06Q 10/06315: {Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis}
- G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes}
- G06Q 50/40: Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083)
- 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
- 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)

## Abstract

A computer-implemented method that, in an embodiment, includes receiving a travel request from a traveler that includes a pickup and destination location and a number of travelers and analyzing the travel request and calculating routes for vehicles that are partially based on the pickup and destination location, the number of travelers, destination locations of travelers located in the vehicles, traffic conditions, minimizing a waiting time for the traveler, minimizing a travel time for the traveler, minimizing a travel time for the travelers located in the vehicles, and optimizing an aggregation of travelers on each of the plurality vehicles. In an embodiment, the plurality of vehicles includes 5 vehicles or more and based on the calculating, the method includes supplying a selected route to a selected vehicle and supplying to the traveler, identification information related to the selected vehicle thereby resulting in transportation of the traveler to the destination location.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-20. (canceled)

### Claim 21

A transportation system for aggregating customers traveling along similar routes into a single vehicle, the system comprising:
a communications interface configured to:
receive first travel requests from a plurality of first users during a first time period, wherein each travel request includes a current location and a desired destination;
receive second travel requests from a plurality of second users during a second time period; and
receive, from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of transportation vehicles, data indicative of current locations of each of the plurality of transportation vehicles; and
a processor configured to:
assign to each of the plurality of first users, a pick-up location that differs from each of the plurality of first users current location, wherein the pick-up location for each user is at least one block away from each user's current location;
select a first transportation vehicle from the plurality of transportation vehicles to pick up the plurality of first users;
determine a route of the first transportation vehicle to pick up the plurality of first users at the assigned pick-up locations;
calculate an expected delay that would occur to at least some of the first users if the first transportation vehicle were to be redirected to pick up at least one of the second users;
before pick up of all of the plurality of first users, redirect the first transportation vehicle to pick up the at least one second user when (1) the first transportation vehicle is generally traveling in a same direction as a desired destination of the at least one second user, and (2) the calculated expected delay is less than 30% of the overall travel time of the at least some first users;
dynamically calculate an updated route of the first transportation vehicle in order to pick up a remainder of the plurality of first users and the at least one second user, wherein calculating the updated route is based at least in part on real-time traffic data received via the communication interface; and
forward the updated route to the first transportation vehicle.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein selecting the first transportation vehicle from the plurality of transportation vehicles to pick up the plurality of first users is based on a vehicle-routing algorithm that aggregates and assigns the plurality of first users and the plurality of second users to plurality of first transportation vehicles.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The transportation system of claim 22, wherein selecting the first transportation vehicle from the plurality of transportation vehicles to pick up the plurality of first users is based on the vehicle-routing algorithm that further takes into account a current route associated with each of the transportation vehicles.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The transportation system of claim 23, wherein the communications interface is further configured to support real-time communication between the plurality of first users and the plurality of transportation vehicles transportation vehicles, and the processor is further configured to apply the vehicle-routing algorithm for aggregating thousands of passengers using hundreds of transportation vehicles.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The transportation system of claim 24, wherein the vehicle-routing algorithm is configure to support 50,000 daily trips of passengers using 450 vehicles and to target a duration of all pick-up delays experienced by each passenger at less than 12 minutes.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the at least one second user with a proposal including at least one of: a determined pick-up location, an estimated pick-up time, and an estimated travel time.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The transportation system of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured to receive proposal acceptance confirmation from the at least one second user.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the drop-off location of each user is at least a block away from each user's desired destination.

### Claim 29 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust a drop-off location for a first user already in the first vehicle when the at least one second user is assigned to the first transportation vehicle.

### Claim 30 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate an expected impact on an waiting time of at least some of the remainder of the plurality of first users until the first transportation vehicle would arrive to their corresponding pick-up locations, and wherein a decision for redirecting is based at least in part on the expected impact on the waiting time.

### Claim 31 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a pick-up location for the at least one second user based at least in part on a side of a street on which the at least one second user is located.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The transportation system of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to cause a display of a map and walking directions on a display of a mobile communications device of the at least one second user in order to guide the at least one second user to the pick-up location at least one block away from the current location of the at least one second user.

### Claim 33 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to cause a display of the updated route to a driver of the first transportation vehicle.

### Claim 34 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to direct the first transportation vehicle to drop-off the at least one second user at a location at least one block from the second user's desired destination.

### Claim 35 (depends on 21)

The transportation system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of first users includes at least five people.

### Claim 36

A method for aggregating customers traveling along similar routes into a single vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving first travel requests from a plurality of first users during a first time period, wherein each travel request includes a current location and a desired destination;
receiving second travel requests from a plurality of second users during a second time period;
receiving, from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of transportation vehicles, data indicative of current locations of each of the plurality of transportation vehicles;
assigning to each of the plurality of first users, a pick-up location that differs from each of the plurality of first users current location, wherein the pick-up location for each user is at least one block away from each user's current location;
selecting a first transportation vehicle from the plurality of transportation vehicles to pick up the plurality of first users;
determining a route of the first transportation vehicle to pick up the plurality of first users at the assigned pick-up locations;
calculating an expected delay that would occur to at least some of the first users if the first transportation vehicle were to be redirected to pick up at least one of the second users;
before picking up of all of the plurality of first users, redirecting the first transportation vehicle to pick up the at least one second user when (1) the first transportation vehicle is generally traveling in a same direction as a desired destination of the at least one second user, and (2) the calculated expected delay is less than 30% of the overall travel time of the at least some first users;
dynamically calculating an updated route of the first transportation vehicle in order to pick up a remainder of the plurality of first users and the at least one second user, wherein calculating the updated route is based at least in part on real-time traffic data received via the communication interface; and
forwarding the updated route to the first transportation vehicle.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36, wherein selecting the first transportation vehicle from the plurality of transportation vehicles to pick up the plurality of first users is based on a vehicle-routing algorithm that aggregates and assigns the plurality of first users and the plurality of second users to plurality of first transportation vehicles.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36 further comprising:
identifying a second transportation vehicle that can pick up the second user based on: a current location of the second user, a current location of the second transportation vehicle, a current number of passengers in the second transportation vehicle, and a current route associated with the second transportation vehicle.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The method of claim 38 further comprising:
providing the second user a first proposal associated with the first transportation vehicle and a second proposal associated with the second transportation vehicle, each proposal includes at least one of: a determined pick-up location, an estimated pick-up time, and an estimated travel time;
receiving a confirmation reflective of a selected proposal; and
providing the second user, after receiving the confirmation, information about the booked ride.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The method of claim 39 further comprising:
wherein the information about the booked ride includes at least one of: (1) identifying information about a selected vehicle, (2) a map displaying the second user's current location, the determined pick-up location, and the selected vehicle's current location, and (3) a continuously updated estimated time of arrival to the determined pick-up location.