US-12620310-B2 - Systems and methods for delivery verification in a shared transport network

US12620310B2US 12620310 B2US12620310 B2US 12620310B2US-12620310-B2

Abstract

The network system triggers registration of the start of a transport journey in response to a communication of a transport user device and a transport provider device with each other, performs a continuous coordinated proximity monitoring to verify the identity of a transport user and a transport provider vehicle, and triggers registration of the end of the transport journey through communication of the transport user device and the transport provider device with each other.

Inventors

Sean O'Sullivan

Assignees

CARMA TECHNOLOGY LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20250923

Claims (15)

1 . A computer-implemented method for transporting a good using a shared transport system, the computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining, via the shared transport system, information regarding a transport request of a good, the information identifying a pick-up location and a drop-off location, and the transport request associated with a transport user and a transport provider; transmitting, via the shared transport system, transport instructions to a transport provider device associated with the transport provider; transmitting, via the shared transport system, a first Personal Identification Number (PIN) to a transport user device associated with the transport user, wherein the transmitting of the first PIN to the transport user device is performed in response to one or more of: verifying that the transport provider has accepted the transport request via the transport provider device; or determining an estimated time of arrival of the transport provider to the drop-off location; receiving, via the shared transport system, a second PIN from the transport provider device, wherein the second PIN is received by the transport provider device upon: the transport provider prompting the transport user to provide the first PIN; and the transport provider then providing the first PIN to the transport provider device; and verifying, via the shared transport system, that the good has been delivered to the drop-off location based on the second PIN matching the first PIN.
2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first PIN is generated automatically and communicated to the transport user device via SMS, e-mail, or a mobile application of the transport user device.
3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: verifying, via the shared transport system, that the transport provider arrived at the drop-off location based on determining a coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device.
4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the determining of the coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device is based on polling location information of each of the transport user device and the transport provider device.
5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: matching the transport provider to the transport request based on one or more of a physical proximity of the transport provider device to the pick-up location, a travel direction of the transport provider, or an estimated time of arrival for the transport provider at the pick-up location.
6 . A shared transport system for transporting a good, the shared transport system comprising: at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor operatively connected to the at least one memory and configured to execute the instructions to perform operations, including: obtaining, via the shared transport system, information regarding a transport request of a good, the information identifying a pick-up location and a drop-off location, and the transport request associated with a transport user and a transport provider; transmitting, via the shared transport system, transport instructions to a transport provider device associated with the transport provider; transmitting, via the shared transport system, a first Personal Identification Number (PIN) to a transport user device associated with the transport user, wherein the transmitting of the first PIN to the transport user device is performed in response to one or more of: verifying that the transport provider has accepted the transport request via the transport provider device; or determining an estimated time of arrival of the transport provider to the drop-off location; receiving, via the shared transport system, a second PIN from the transport provider device, wherein the second PIN is received by the transport provider device upon: the transport provider prompting the transport user to provide the first PIN; and the transport provider then providing the first PIN to the transport provider device; and verifying, via the shared transport system, that the good has been delivered to the drop-off location based on the second PIN matching the first PIN.
7 . The shared transport system of claim 6 , wherein the first PIN is generated automatically and communicated to the transport user device via SMS, e-mail, or a mobile application of the transport user device.
8 . The shared transport system of claim 6 , wherein the operations further include: verifying, via the shared transport system, that the transport provider arrived at the drop-off location based on determining a coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device.
9 . The shared transport system of claim 8 , wherein the determining of the coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device is based on polling location information of each of the transport user device and the transport provider device.
10 . The shared transport system of claim 6 , wherein the operations further include: matching the transport provider to the transport request based on one or more of a physical proximity of the transport provider device to the pick-up location, a travel direction of the transport provider, or an estimated time of arrival for the transport provider at the pick-up location.
11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for transporting a good, the instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations, including: obtaining, via the processor, information regarding a transport request of a good, the information identifying a pick-up location and a drop-off location, and the transport request associated with a transport user and a transport provider; transmitting, via the processor, transport instructions to a transport provider device associated with the transport provider; transmitting, via the processor, a first Personal Identification Number (PIN) to a transport user device associated with the transport user, wherein the transmitting of the first PIN to the transport user device is performed in response to one or more of: verifying that the transport provider has accepted the transport request via the transport provider device; or determining an estimated time of arrival of the transport provider to the drop-off location; receiving, via the processor, a second PIN from the transport provider device, wherein the second PIN is received by the transport provider device upon: the transport provider prompting the transport user to provide the first PIN; and the transport provider then providing the first PIN to the transport provider device; and verifying, via the processor, that the good has been delivered to the drop-off location based on the second PIN matching the first PIN.
12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the first PIN is generated automatically and communicated to the transport user device via SMS, e-mail, or a mobile application of the transport user device.
13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the operations further include verifying, via the processor, that the transport provider arrived at the drop-off location based on determining a coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device.
14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the determining of the coordinated proximity between the transport user device and the transport provider device is based on polling location information of each of the transport user device and the transport provider device.
15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the operations further include: matching, via the processor, the transport provider to the transport request based on one or more of a physical proximity of the transport provider device to the pick-up location, a travel direction of the transport provider, or an estimated time of arrival for the transport provider at the pick-up location.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 18/797,008, filed Aug. 7, 2024, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 18/164,816, filed Feb. 6, 2023, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,087,162, issued Sep. 10, 2024, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/305,553, filed Jul. 9, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,574,542, issued Feb. 7, 2023, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/019,674, filed Sep. 14, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,302,190, issued Apr. 12, 2022, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/670,015, filed Oct. 31, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,803,749, issued Oct. 13, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/564,819, filed Sep. 9, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,672,271, issued Jun. 2, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/197,953, filed Nov. 21, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,453,339, issued Oct. 22, 2019, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/998,864, filed Aug. 17, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,210,947, issued Dec. 28, 2021, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/924,487, filed Sep. 28, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,083,608, issued Sep. 25, 2018, which is a divisional of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/069,656, filed Feb. 12, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,840,427, issued Nov. 23, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/900,808, filed Feb. 12, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a ground transportation network. More particularly, this invention relates to a ground transportation network matching individuals with transport capacity on a supply and demand basis. BACKGROUND Transport capacity, for example cars, often travel long distances with minimal load (i.e., SUVs on daily commutes with only the driver occupying the vehicle). Such capacity is disused because of a number of reasons, including (a) an occasional need for greater capacity causes consumers to buy excess transportation capacity, (b) variations in schedule and destinations traveled create non-matched transportation needs compared with other household members, (c) lack of knowledge of trusted users who could conveniently use this excess capacity, and (d) difficulty in providing an economic benefit to incentivize the driver to share their excess capacity. Meanwhile, the driver of a vehicle often has no choice but to use a personal transport vehicle (despite the high costs involved) because of lack of accessibility, inconvenient scheduling, or multiple interchanges required if they were to rely on public transport systems. Proposals have been made, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730, to use a central assigning system and communications devices adapted to be associated with vehicles for transmitting information from the vehicles to the central assigning system, and for receiving information from the central assigning system. In the 1990s, the US Department of Transportation designated this “Dynamic Ridesharing” area a specific area of research interest, under the designation ATIS8 as part of the National ITS Architecture, and has proposed methods for transactions, interchange of billing data, and the like. Such systems, if implemented, would represent advances over methods in common practice, however, it is believed the invention described herein makes such systems more practical and useful because of the following significant innovations and claims: methods to reduce the workload/steps necessary on the driver and the rider to make this system more inconvenient; methods to improve the trustability of drivers and riders, increasing the likelihood people will use this system; a hardware device which would communicate visually to external riders; automatic determination and registration of transport capacity destination and capacity, increasing availability of shared transport vehicles; methods to characterize and publish information about “ad-hoc” transport capacity in manners similar to traditional, centrally controlled transit systems, in order to increase trust and ridership in the system; and an ad-hoc nature to the proposed system which enables casual use by registered users. The inefficient use of transport capacity results in approximately 3-4 times as many cars on the road as would be necessary if capacity were only 50% occupied. This has the additional implications created by the excess consumption of fuel in potential environment problems (CO2 pollution and global warming) as well as geopolitical problems (for exam