CA1186056A - Automated, door-to-door, demand-responsive public transportation system - Google Patents
Automated, door-to-door, demand-responsive public transportation systemInfo
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- CA1186056A CA1186056A CA000412160A CA412160A CA1186056A CA 1186056 A CA1186056 A CA 1186056A CA 000412160 A CA000412160 A CA 000412160A CA 412160 A CA412160 A CA 412160A CA 1186056 A CA1186056 A CA 1186056A
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Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A flexible-route transportation system, primarily utilizing privately-owned vehicles to provide ridesharing transportation for the public, is described. Interactive communications terminals are provided through which drivers of the vehicles may rapidly transmit ride offers via a telecommunications network to a central operations coor-dinating station, equipped with a general purpose program-mable computer. Rider interactive communications terminals, located at public and private facilities, are also connected by the telecommunications network with the central coor-dinating station, permitting eligible members of the public to quickly request rides from one location to another. The central coordinating station matches the ride requests with the ride offers, on a trip-by-trip basis, comparing the driver's indicated origin, destination, seating requirements and time with the rider's requested origin, destination, seat availability and time. If a ride offer and ride request can be matched within reasonable limits of space and time, the central coordinating station transmits to the driver the rider's identity and location and transmits to the rider the description and identity of the vehicle, so that the driver can pick up and drop off the rider en route to his or her destination. The system includes security features for preventing unauthorized access to the system by either drivers or riders, accounting features for properly billing riders and reimbursing vehicle owners for transportation services, and special terminals for entering trip information quickly and accurately.
Description
~ ~ `~
~6~
AUTOMATED, DOOR~TO-DOOR, DEMAND--RESPONSIVE
PUBLIC TRANSPORATION SYSTEM ___ aack~round of the Inven~ion This in~ention relates to a door-to-door transit system which primari]y utilizes privately-owned v~hicles to provide high-volume, low-cost, energy-efficient and ecologi-cally-sound transportation services for the public, including the aged and the handicapped.
In view of the critical transportation, environmental and energy problems now facing the world, new approaches are constantly being sought to reduce the dependence upon single-passenger automobile trips for transportation. Unfortunately, attempts to eliminate the single-passenger auto have met with only limited success to date. Consequently, gasoline con-sumption, traffic congestion and air pollution levels remainhigh.
,~ Although great emphasis has been placed on mass transit systems to alleviate these problems, mass transit systems are extremely costly to build and operate. Bus systems require large outlays for vehicles and operating personnel, while fixed-guideway systems require capital expenditures many times greater than those required for bus systemsO Equally important, the fact that bo th high-volume bus systems and fixed-guideway systems must adhere ~o predeter-mlned routes, make~ it impossible for such systems to providedoor-to-door service for most citizens.
; Door-to-doc,r transportation service is a requirement ~or many aged and hanAicapped persons. Door-to-door service . iB a15Q desirable for other riders, since the time and energy re~uired to get riders to and from transit stations reduces both the convenience' and the energy efficiency of mass transit systems~ Although taxis, jitneys and dial~a-ride minibuses offer door-to~door convenience, the necessity of having a driver who makes hiq living providing such service to rela-S tively few riders renders it far too expensive for mos~ citizensto use on a xegular basis~ Hitchhiking i5 too dangerous to consider as a viable transportation system~
Although one of the least energy efficient forms of *xansportation is an automobile with a single occupant, one of the most enexgy efficient forms is an automobile with several oscupants. Cax pools, van pools and other ridesharing progr~ms have been encouraged to reduce petroleum consumption while providing riders with economical, door-to-door trans-portation service~. Th~ advantages of ridesharing are ~ell-known. By increasing the average number of passengers ineach vehicle, the nu,mber of vehicle-miles can be reduced while keepi~g the number o~ passenger-miles constant. By ~' sharing the opexating costs both the rider and the driver - save money, w~ile gasoline consumption, parking, traffic congestion and air pollution problems are all reduced~
Despite these benefits and an intensive advertising campaign, 7S~ of all workers who commute by automobile drive by the~selves~ One of the reasons for this is the absence of , ~ sui~ablq backup transportatio~ for commuters who rideshare, 2S su,ch bac~up transport~tion being needed whenever a driver's or a rider's i~inerary changes. Because noncommuter travel is less regular and repetitive than commuter travel, con ve~ al ridesharing techniques have been used even less fo~ this type of travel. ~oncommuter travel currently repre~
sen~s 60% of all automobile trips.
our existi.ng automobiles and roads constitute an effective door tQ-door transpor ation system for many citi-zens. Because of the low occupancy rate of the vehicles, however, it is a very inef ficient system. ~urthermore, the system is not always responsive to the needs of ~hose who either cannot affoxd an automobi:Le or cannot drive. What is xequired is a method ~or using the existing inventory of empty auto seats on our highways to xespond to the transportation demands of the general public, including the aged and the handicapped, on an individual trip basis. Voice systems, currently used by radio-dispatched taxi and dial-a~ride minibus services, are too slow and too la~or-intensive to be used for high-volume transportation systems. The volume of information ~ be processed and the time constraints mandate 1~ that such a doox-to-door, demand-responsive system be automated in all but ~hÇ smallest towns.
In recent years a num~er of automated, demand-~' responsive mass transit systems have been developed with a view toward increasing their efficiency and cutting their 2Q coSt of operation. Among these are the systems shown in the f~llowing U.S. patents:
3,2~8,72~ 4,023,~53 3,895,584 4,092,718 3,g53j714 4,181,945 2S 4,015,804 4,208,717.
Also of interest is Bennett et al, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Yolume 14, No~ 2, pages 438-440 ~July 1971)~ Most of these systems apply to fixed-guideway mass transit sys-tems~ although patent No. 4,092,718 and the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin pertain to bus systems. In every case, .. 'i ~, ` ` h i ~ ., I
~B~
however, the mass transit system involves vehicles tra~eling along predetermined routes between predetermined stations.
That is/ each vehicle in the system has respective origins and destinations which bear a predetermined route relationship S to one anotherO The route does not vary according to current rider needs~ Accordingly, these systems share the major disadvantages of other mass transit systems in their high capital costs and inability to provide door-to-door transporta-tion~
unfoxtunately such automated, demand-responsive transportation systerns of the fixed-route, station-to-station type are not easily adapted to a flexible-rou~e system because of the many Imique problems presented by door-to-door service. In order to be e~fective, a high-volume door-to-door system requires many more vehicles of smaller seating ~apacity than a statlon-to-station system. A door-to-door system must also be able to instantaneously match a large num~er o~ diferent ride requests with an equally large number of different ride offers. Common routing is not the only ~criterion for effective matching. Timing and seating needs of riders require match:Lng with timing and seating capacities of ' vehicles.
Because of the volume and complexity of the data Irequired in a trip-b~-trip scheduling system, special computer terminals should be used to permit both drivers and riders to enter trip inform;~tion quickly and accurately and txansmit this information to a computer for driver-rider matching This matching must be accomplished on a realtime basis in respons~ to current demands, and without the need for human intervention.
In ordex to minimize capital costs, most of the transit vehicle6 should be privately owned. In order to minimize operating costs, extensive use should be made of ' volunteer and part-tlme drivers, particularly during peak traffic periods. The security o private citizens who do not know each other but nonetheless share rides with each other must be ensured. The~ current suitability, from a point of view of safety and liability, of private vehicles and their drivers to transport riders must be monitored continuously~
Furthermore on~e a vehicle is assigned to a rider or group ~f riders, some method must be provided to ensure that vehicles and riders ~7ill make proper connections. The ability 'to deal with all of these variables on an instantaneous, real-time basis is far beyond the capability of known fixed~
route automated transportation systems.
Summaxy~ the Present Invention The present invention is directed to an automated public transportation system adapted for high-volume usage
~6~
AUTOMATED, DOOR~TO-DOOR, DEMAND--RESPONSIVE
PUBLIC TRANSPORATION SYSTEM ___ aack~round of the Inven~ion This in~ention relates to a door-to-door transit system which primari]y utilizes privately-owned v~hicles to provide high-volume, low-cost, energy-efficient and ecologi-cally-sound transportation services for the public, including the aged and the handicapped.
In view of the critical transportation, environmental and energy problems now facing the world, new approaches are constantly being sought to reduce the dependence upon single-passenger automobile trips for transportation. Unfortunately, attempts to eliminate the single-passenger auto have met with only limited success to date. Consequently, gasoline con-sumption, traffic congestion and air pollution levels remainhigh.
,~ Although great emphasis has been placed on mass transit systems to alleviate these problems, mass transit systems are extremely costly to build and operate. Bus systems require large outlays for vehicles and operating personnel, while fixed-guideway systems require capital expenditures many times greater than those required for bus systemsO Equally important, the fact that bo th high-volume bus systems and fixed-guideway systems must adhere ~o predeter-mlned routes, make~ it impossible for such systems to providedoor-to-door service for most citizens.
; Door-to-doc,r transportation service is a requirement ~or many aged and hanAicapped persons. Door-to-door service . iB a15Q desirable for other riders, since the time and energy re~uired to get riders to and from transit stations reduces both the convenience' and the energy efficiency of mass transit systems~ Although taxis, jitneys and dial~a-ride minibuses offer door-to~door convenience, the necessity of having a driver who makes hiq living providing such service to rela-S tively few riders renders it far too expensive for mos~ citizensto use on a xegular basis~ Hitchhiking i5 too dangerous to consider as a viable transportation system~
Although one of the least energy efficient forms of *xansportation is an automobile with a single occupant, one of the most enexgy efficient forms is an automobile with several oscupants. Cax pools, van pools and other ridesharing progr~ms have been encouraged to reduce petroleum consumption while providing riders with economical, door-to-door trans-portation service~. Th~ advantages of ridesharing are ~ell-known. By increasing the average number of passengers ineach vehicle, the nu,mber of vehicle-miles can be reduced while keepi~g the number o~ passenger-miles constant. By ~' sharing the opexating costs both the rider and the driver - save money, w~ile gasoline consumption, parking, traffic congestion and air pollution problems are all reduced~
Despite these benefits and an intensive advertising campaign, 7S~ of all workers who commute by automobile drive by the~selves~ One of the reasons for this is the absence of , ~ sui~ablq backup transportatio~ for commuters who rideshare, 2S su,ch bac~up transport~tion being needed whenever a driver's or a rider's i~inerary changes. Because noncommuter travel is less regular and repetitive than commuter travel, con ve~ al ridesharing techniques have been used even less fo~ this type of travel. ~oncommuter travel currently repre~
sen~s 60% of all automobile trips.
our existi.ng automobiles and roads constitute an effective door tQ-door transpor ation system for many citi-zens. Because of the low occupancy rate of the vehicles, however, it is a very inef ficient system. ~urthermore, the system is not always responsive to the needs of ~hose who either cannot affoxd an automobi:Le or cannot drive. What is xequired is a method ~or using the existing inventory of empty auto seats on our highways to xespond to the transportation demands of the general public, including the aged and the handicapped, on an individual trip basis. Voice systems, currently used by radio-dispatched taxi and dial-a~ride minibus services, are too slow and too la~or-intensive to be used for high-volume transportation systems. The volume of information ~ be processed and the time constraints mandate 1~ that such a doox-to-door, demand-responsive system be automated in all but ~hÇ smallest towns.
In recent years a num~er of automated, demand-~' responsive mass transit systems have been developed with a view toward increasing their efficiency and cutting their 2Q coSt of operation. Among these are the systems shown in the f~llowing U.S. patents:
3,2~8,72~ 4,023,~53 3,895,584 4,092,718 3,g53j714 4,181,945 2S 4,015,804 4,208,717.
Also of interest is Bennett et al, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Yolume 14, No~ 2, pages 438-440 ~July 1971)~ Most of these systems apply to fixed-guideway mass transit sys-tems~ although patent No. 4,092,718 and the IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin pertain to bus systems. In every case, .. 'i ~, ` ` h i ~ ., I
~B~
however, the mass transit system involves vehicles tra~eling along predetermined routes between predetermined stations.
That is/ each vehicle in the system has respective origins and destinations which bear a predetermined route relationship S to one anotherO The route does not vary according to current rider needs~ Accordingly, these systems share the major disadvantages of other mass transit systems in their high capital costs and inability to provide door-to-door transporta-tion~
unfoxtunately such automated, demand-responsive transportation systerns of the fixed-route, station-to-station type are not easily adapted to a flexible-rou~e system because of the many Imique problems presented by door-to-door service. In order to be e~fective, a high-volume door-to-door system requires many more vehicles of smaller seating ~apacity than a statlon-to-station system. A door-to-door system must also be able to instantaneously match a large num~er o~ diferent ride requests with an equally large number of different ride offers. Common routing is not the only ~criterion for effective matching. Timing and seating needs of riders require match:Lng with timing and seating capacities of ' vehicles.
Because of the volume and complexity of the data Irequired in a trip-b~-trip scheduling system, special computer terminals should be used to permit both drivers and riders to enter trip inform;~tion quickly and accurately and txansmit this information to a computer for driver-rider matching This matching must be accomplished on a realtime basis in respons~ to current demands, and without the need for human intervention.
In ordex to minimize capital costs, most of the transit vehicle6 should be privately owned. In order to minimize operating costs, extensive use should be made of ' volunteer and part-tlme drivers, particularly during peak traffic periods. The security o private citizens who do not know each other but nonetheless share rides with each other must be ensured. The~ current suitability, from a point of view of safety and liability, of private vehicles and their drivers to transport riders must be monitored continuously~
Furthermore on~e a vehicle is assigned to a rider or group ~f riders, some method must be provided to ensure that vehicles and riders ~7ill make proper connections. The ability 'to deal with all of these variables on an instantaneous, real-time basis is far beyond the capability of known fixed~
route automated transportation systems.
Summaxy~ the Present Invention The present invention is directed to an automated public transportation system adapted for high-volume usage
2~ and capable of provicling doox~to-door transportation while re~uiring a much smaller cost to build and operate than ,fixed-route mass transit systems. I~ is basically a ride-sharing system which makes use of modern communications and computerized control techniques to provide public ridesharing in an organized manner with sufficient instantaneous, demand-responsive flexibility to eliminate the present drawbacks of other ridesharing systems such as carpools and the like Its extreme flexibility offers the potential of extending the ben~fits o ridesharing to nonco~uter travelO Xt should also stimulate the gxowth of carpools and van pools by 5~i `providing convenient backup transportation services, thereby eliminating a primary objection to conventional ridesharing , systems.
The high-cost characteristics of other mass transit syst~ms is eliminated in the present system by the use of existing roads and privately-owned vehicles whose drivers offer ridesharing services on a trip-by-trip basis to the public ~hrough a com~unications and automatic computerized coordinating network~ Interactive terminals are provided, at fixed locations and/or in vehicles, having registers of any su.itable type fox the entry of information~ through which drivers of the vehicles may transmit ride offers by tele-communications to a central coordinating station containing a general-purpose, programmable computer. Each ride offer indicates an origin and destination determined by the driver of the vehicle, such origin and destination therefore having no predetermined rou~e relationship to one anotherO Rider interactive communications terminals are provided at public and private locations connected by telecommunications net-works with the central coordinating station for permittinglicensed members of the public to reguest rides from any ; origin to any destination in the area served by the systemt such origin and dest.ination likewise having no predetermined xoute relationship to one another. The central coordinating station coordinates the ride requests with the ride offers, comparing the driver's indicated origin and destination with the rider's requested origin and des~lnat.ion. Variable times and seating for ride requests and ride offers are al~o compared.
The high-cost characteristics of other mass transit syst~ms is eliminated in the present system by the use of existing roads and privately-owned vehicles whose drivers offer ridesharing services on a trip-by-trip basis to the public ~hrough a com~unications and automatic computerized coordinating network~ Interactive terminals are provided, at fixed locations and/or in vehicles, having registers of any su.itable type fox the entry of information~ through which drivers of the vehicles may transmit ride offers by tele-communications to a central coordinating station containing a general-purpose, programmable computer. Each ride offer indicates an origin and destination determined by the driver of the vehicle, such origin and destination therefore having no predetermined rou~e relationship to one anotherO Rider interactive communications terminals are provided at public and private locations connected by telecommunications net-works with the central coordinating station for permittinglicensed members of the public to reguest rides from any ; origin to any destination in the area served by the systemt such origin and dest.ination likewise having no predetermined xoute relationship to one another. The central coordinating station coordinates the ride requests with the ride offers, comparing the driver's indicated origin and destination with the rider's requested origin and des~lnat.ion. Variable times and seating for ride requests and ride offers are al~o compared.
3~ If a ride of~er and ride request can be matched within predetermined geographical, time and seati.ng limits, th~ central coordinating station transmits to the driver the rider's location (and pre~erably transmits to the rider a description of the driver's vehicle or recognition purposes) ., thereby instantly matching the rider with a ridesharing 5 vehicle and enabling the driver to pick up the rider. The 'matching process is accomplished to enable the driver to pick up th~ rider eil:her s:lose to his own origirl or by stopping or detouring slightly along his route. According to the matching process, the rider's destination will be close to th~
lQ dxiver's destination or generally along the dr.i~er's route.
The system also includes security features for preventing unauthorized access to the system by drivers ox riders, continuous monitoring of the suitability or eligibility of currently authorized drivers and riders to participate in the system and ac~ounting features for billing riders and reimbursing vehicle owners for transportation servicesO
Accordingly, it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide low-cost, energy~efficient, door-to-door transportation services usable by the public on a high-volume basis.
It is a further principal objective o$ the present invention to provide public acce~s to transportation by privately-owned vehic~les on an instantaneous, trip by-trip '.
ridesharing basis, thereby increasing the utilization of ridesharing not only ~or con~uter travel but also enabling the .
use of ridesharing f~r noncommuter tra~elJ
It is a further principal objective of the inven-tion to give the pub~ic access o ridesharing yehicles by means of,a highly aut:omated system. This system links riders 3~ and drivexs by telecommu,nications to data proce~sing equip-ment whi~h automatically and instantly matches riders with l ~
ridesharihg vehicles according to origins and destinations indicated by riders and drivers.
It is a furth~r principal objective of the inv~n-~.tion to enable both riders and drivers to enter and receive trip information directly from a central computer system via easy-to-use elect:ronic terminals. These terminals are designed to permit users to enter trip in~ormation quickly, accurately and with minimum training. Furthermore, when . these terminals are not being used for transit applicati~ns~
1~ ~hey may also be used to store, retrieve and process other types of data.
The foregoi.ng and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consi.deration of the following etailed , description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings~
Brief Descri~ion of the Drawi~
FI~ 1 is a schematic diagram o the major com-po~ents of an exemplary system in accordance with thepresent inventionO
FIG. ~ deplcts an exemplary driver or rider terminal schematic by which ride offers and ride requests may be txans-mi~ted by users of the system a~d through which messages may bP received, FIG. 3 is a logic flow chart illustrating the exemplary function of a driver or rider terminal ha~ing an int~gral microco~puter controlg and illustrating in simplified ~orm the interaction of the terminal with a rentral coordinating 30, station computer.
FIG. 4 is a logic flow chaxt indicating an exemplary process by which the central coordinating station computer automatically limits use of the system to eligible drivers and ridersc 5 ~ FIGo 5 dep.icts an exemplary grid used by the ~entral coordinating station computer to geographically match ride ofers with ride request~.
FIG. 6 is a logic flow chart indicating an exemplary:
i pxocieiss by which the central coordinating station computer geographically matches ride of~ers with ride requestsO
referred Embodiment In FIG. l the majox components of a prefexred embodiment of a door-to-door public ridesharing system in accordance with the present invention are shown schematically. Prospective riders can request rides by utilizing electxonic terminals such as lO and 12 located in fixed locations such as tiheir homes~ offices~ shops ox public .boothsg These easy~:to use terminals are connected directly to a central coordinating station computer 14 by telephone lines and/or cableO Drivers of veihicles can offer rides by means of the same type of fixed ter~inals or, preerably, by ~eans of similar~mobile texminals such as 16 located in each privately owned vehicle in-wireless com~unication with the c~ntral coordinatin~ station computer l4. Some riders ' may also use wireless ~erm1nals such as 16 ~o communicatie , with the central coordinating station.
The central coordinating station pxeerably includes a general-purposeO programmable computer l4 capable of auto-matically processing ride offers and ride requests received from the respective terminals 10, 12 and 16 in the form ofelectromagnetic signals~ with no human assistance or inter-vention being requiredO tAs used herein, the term "electro-magnetic signals" includes signals confined to electrical circuits as well as signals in any type of wave form~) However, if desired for greater public convenience5 some telephone operators could be provided at the central coordinating station to accept conventional telephone ride requests and/or ride offers from persons not having access to terminals such as 10, 12 and 16.
, FIG. 2 illu~trates an exemplary terminal of the type ..
suitable for any oP the ,terminals 10, 12 ox 16. Each such termin~l contains a digital register, indicated generally as 200 by which the rider or driver can enter certain vaxiable information, to be d~scribed in detail hereafter, enabling the system to determi.ne and verify the rider or driver~s id ntityt eligibility to use the system, and the details of his ride offer or ride request~ The terminal also contains a display; usually a visual display indicated generally ja~ 22S by which the system can interrogate the rider or dri~er and also provide instructions and other messagesO
Each terminal is an interactive terminal that is connected by tw~-way telecommunications with the central coordinating ~tation computer 14.
While it is not-critical that the terminal itsel~ ;
~store any data or be programmed in any way, it is prePerable that each terminal contain some capacity in these regards in a data stoxage unit and micr~omputer cont~l unit indi cated generally as ~ and 26 resp~ctively to make the t~rminals ~30 ,~
, . , I
~8~
easier to use, to relieve some of the communications load ~etween the terminals and the central coordinating station computer 14 and to relieve some of the data storage and pro-cessing requirements of the central coordinating station computer. In this regard, the microcomputer control 26 preferably contains sequential user intexrogation programming and user identity-verification programming, to be explained hereafter~ The data storage unit 24 of each privately-owned termin~l may contain the terminal's serial number t coded names of regular users, their system enrollment or "license"
numbers, security "passwords" associated with the respective users, coded addresses commonly used in the area, coded addresses unique to the users, the identity o the vehicle owned by each driver~-user, and coded descriptions of trips habitually taken by the user. Publicly accessible terminals likewise contain similar programming in a microcomputer - control 26, and the storage of data unique to the users of the terminal could be oontained in or on individual insertable removable data stora~e units in the form of unique cards or ~, 2~. 'other devices carriecl by each respectiv~ user~
; Ele~tronic devices that could be used as interactive terminals in ~he pxesent system axe currently available on ~he market~ For example 9 a ~onvenient portable digital computer terminal with viæual display and interchangeable 'r ~5 plu~-in pro~rammable modules i~ marketed under the model designation LK-300~ by Nixdorf Comput~r AG of West Ge~many ~and Nixdorf Computer Personal Sys.tem, Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts~ The same companles also market an acoustic tel~phone coupler which permits the terminal to communiciaite over standard telephone lines with any compuiter sys em. A
i; .
~8~5q~
somewhat similar interactiYe terminal is sold under the trademark RDX 1000 by Motorola Communications and Electronics IncO of Schaumburg, Illinois and is adaptable for two-way communication with a computer either through an FM radio link or a landline communications link~ The latter terminal with an FM radio link would, for example, be suitable for mobile vehicle-mounted terminals in the present system. Both of the fore~oing ex~mplary units feature a one-line visual display; however, it would be preferable for use in the present system to modify such units to provide a three-line display or to display the information on the screen of a television ~et connected to the terminal? It would also be desirable to modify such units to be able to store and retrieY~ trip information unique to each geographical area and to each user in order to make them easiex and faster to use~ `
Some of ~he texminals (particularl~ puhlic-acce~s terminals) may include special security devices to permit operation by licensed users o~ly. One such security device~ a magnetic~stripe ~redit card reader, is now used by banks to permit credit card holders with the proper pa~sword to obtain cash f~om automa~ic teller devices. Other security devices might include equipme~t ~or recording and transmitting voice printst finge~printsf or o~he~ identifying information.
Other optional terminal fa~ilities might include special input and output eq~ipment or devices. For example, ~egister inputs can b~ by keyboard, voice, pointer, or dial; display ou~puts can be by alphanumeri.c display, video tub~ printer~
voice ~r braille~
.~ ' ~6 The other primary component of the present system, the central coordinating station computer 14, may be vir-tually any standard large-scale general purpose programmable computer of sufficient capacity to process ride offers ~and ride requests in the manner to be described hereafter and ..
in the volume to be expected for a particular transportation area. General purpose computers o~ this type are manufactured by companies such as IBM, Control Data Corporation and Digital , ~quipment Corporation and are commonly used for hotel or 10~ airlines reservation systemsO
OPERATION
FIG. 3 depi.cts schematically the interaction between an ex~mplary terminal 10~ 12 or 16 and the central coordinating station computex 14. The central coordinating station , processes only ride offers or xide requests from authorized ;'' users of the sys~em. Th~se are persons who have applied for and been grant~d ind~.vidual licenses to use the sy~tem either as drivers or riders or both. Persons who have applied .
to be licensed only as rider~ will have been required to provide adequate creclit and personal references in order to obtain their license~. Persons who wish also to be author-ized as driver~ will have additionally been requixed to satis~y predetermined xequirements with respect to vehicle operator licensing, proper liability insurance and vehicle safety inspection.
~ ecause of the importance, for purposes of security, of limiting access to the system to licensed usexs only~
the user's identity and ~ unique coded indicia or ~Ipassword~
3~ a~sociated with such user are the irst two items which he user must enter on the ter~inal~ The texminal will display ~ v "IDENTITY?" and the ~ser will usually enter a single char~
acter which th~ termlnal~storage unit 24 automatically trans-lates into a full user license number. Alternatively, if he user is at a publi~ t:erminal or at a friend's house, he may have to enter his full license number or use a special data input device if the terminal is so equippedO
After the user's identity has been entered, the ~erminal displays "PASSWORD?"~ The user then enters this inormationp usually less than eight characters~ The password ,will often be a relativs's bixthdate or maiden name that is easy for the user to remember. If the terminal is a private one, the terminal's clata storage unit 24 contains security data matching the identity of each person normally using the privately-owned terminal with a respective unique password corres~ondin~ to such person, and the microcomputer control '~6 compare~ the identity and password entered by the user with the correspondirlg identity and password stored in the data storage unit 24 to determine if the two match. If the match is satisfactory, the terminal thPn displays "S2ATS?n,~
asking for additional information~ Alternatively, if the password entered does not properly match the identity entered, the texminal continues to display the word '~PASSWORD~" until a Yalid password i5 entered. I~ the user's failure to enter ~he proper password con~inues ~or a predetermined number of tries~ the termina.l takes corrective action, for example, by sounding an alarm buzzer or visually displaying a message ,such as "PASSWORD INV:AhIDI' or by transmitting an alarm message to the central computer., No ride req~est or ride offer is processed u~til a sat.isfac~ory match of identity and password 30 i5 made, thexeby verifying that the usex is licensed to use the system. For public terminals not adapted for the inser-tion o~ individual data storage units, such verification could be carriQd out at the ~entral coordinating station computer 14 rather than by the te~minal.
Once a user's identity and passwo.rd have been satis- , factorily matched, the terminal then requests information conc~rning the details of the user's ride offer or ride reques~
in the sequence indicated in FIG. 3 by thP displayed inquiries "SEATS?", "FROMI', "i'o?" and "WHEN?I'. In xesponse to the 10 . inquiry "SEATS?", the ~ser enters the number of seat~ avail-able fox rider~ in hi.s vehicle if he is transmitting a ride ~ffex, or the number of seats r~quired for his trip i~ he is transmitting a ride request.
The next inquiry "F~OM~" is optional for terminals in fixed locations since, in m~st cases, the driver or rider'~
origin will be the same as such fixed location and ther~fore stored in the terminalDs data storage unit 24 so that it can ~e automatic lly transmitted to the central coordinating stati~
computer 14. However, for mobile terminals such as 16, in radio communica~ion with the central coordinating station, the inquiry "F~OM?" would be utilized to permit the terminal user to register his pre~ent variable location. The preferred way ' to entar and process geographic locations corresponding to origins and destinations is to pxestore commonly used addresses,' such as a person's home~ place of employment, school and other locations, in the storage unit of the terminal o the control computex. For such commonly used locations, the user is simply required to register a single coded character such as "H" for home or "W" for work, which the terminal au~o~
3~ matically converts to anladdress to be transmitted to the central coordinating station. The preferred way to enter and process variable geographic locations corresponding to driver and rider origins and destinations that have not been prestored in the terminal or computer is by telephone numbers corresponding to the locations~ OI' by neighborhood codes although the capability for entering narrative location descriptions should not necessarily be foreclosed. The central coordinatin~ station computer 14 contains stored data matching telephone numbers with theix addresses and is therefore automatically able to convert such numbers into neighborhood code or detailed addresses without xequiring the entxy of a lar~e number of characters by the users.
, After entry of the "FROM?" information, the terminal then displays the word "TO?", to which the user responds by entering his intended destination by means of coded indicia or telephone numbex~
The next inquiry displayed by the terminal~ "WH2N?", is optional since the system can altern~ltively interpret all ride offers and ride requests to be effective immediately upon entry. However, affording the user the opportunity to enter variable time information adds flexibility to the system by enabling him to offer or request rides in advance~
' All of the foregoing ride offer or ride request information is transmitted from the terminal to the central coordinating station oomputer 14 which first checks ~he ~urrent eligibility of a particular licensed rider or driver to use ~he systemO Because the system contemplates the involvement of large numbers of citizens authorized as drivers and/ox riders to use the system, the security and safety of these persons and the Einancial stability o~ the system require 6~
, that current i~formation be stored and constantly updated with respect to each user to ensure that he remains eligible ~o use the system after his initial applicatio~ for licensing has been approved. The l~gic flow chart of FIG. 4 illustxates exemplary checks of current, updated information pertaining to each licensed user which the central computer 14 makes w1th respect to each user who transmits a ride request or ride offer. ~s indicated in FIGo 4, to determine whether a rider is curxently eligible, the ~tatus of such ridex's account with the system is checked to determine whether his payment for fares is cur~ent and whether he is within his authoriæed credit limit. If his account is unsatisfactory, the computer 14 takes corrective action,by transmitting an appropriate display to the rider's terminal, such as "PLEASE P~Y ACCOUNTI' as shown in FIG~ 4. Similarly, a check is made to determine whether there is any indication o~ recent criminal activity ~, which might render the rider an unsafe passenger for a driver.
Police authorities would be notified if a criminal was detected so they could take appropriate actionr With respect to ride offers, the computer 14 stores current eligibility data regaxding such n~atters as liability in~iurance coverage, st~tus of vehicle safety inspections, operator's license status and criminal activity relative to respective drivers and their vehicles as depi~ted in FI5~ 4 to determine whether the driver and/or his vehicle xemain ~urrently eliyible to ~i~rticipate in the system. Such eligibility requirements must all be sat.isfied prior to the computer's ~orwarding a ride offer or ride request to the next proce~sing step, iOe~
~hat of matching ride offers with ride requests.
"
' 17 j, , 1, .
6~
The matching process ic~, carried out automatically by the central coordinating stati.on computer 14 by receiving . and storing all eligible ride request and ride o~fer data in an acti.ve transactio~ file and comparing currently active ride offers (within a predetermined ti.~e boundary~ with currently active ride requests. Terminals in homes, offices, auto-mobiles etcO are continuously monitored by the central coor-dinating station computer 14 to determine if any ride requests , or ride offers can be added. If a u~er's message is ready, lo and the central computer 14 is ready, the terminal will automatically transm:it the message to the computer 14. Each user may also cancel any ride request or ride offer if he so desires by registering appropriate cancellati~n indicia on his keyboard, in which case the comp~er 14 removes the ride offer or ride request from its active transaction file and, f necessary, advises concerned parties of the changes~ .
The logica]. process by which the c~mpu~er 14 matches ride offers with ride requests will be explained with respect to FIG50 5 and 6~ In FIG. 5, a rectangular grid has been applied to an exemplary geogr~phical area served by a trans-portation system in a.ccordance with the present invention.
Each block defined by the grid represents a "neighborhood"~
and each neighborhood is assigned a "neighborhood code" such as l'D~" or "~5".. Each address stored in the central coor-dinating station computer 14 or data s~orage unit 24 isassigned the "n~ighborhood code" designating the ne.ighborhood in which such address is located. The "neighborhood" and "neighborhood code" could alternatively be based on postal zip code areas, telephone prefix numbers areas~ or other appropriate geographical neighborhood arrangements.
' 18 Each ride re~uest and ride offer as stored in the active transac ion fi.le is coded with respect to its origin neighborhood code and destination neighborhood code~ This enables each current ride offer to be compared with the current ride request~ in the active transaction file by means of such codes cmd to be matched to a respective ~ride request in accordance with a predetermined matching pro- ..
cedure. As can be seen from the flow chart of FIG. 6, the matching p~ocedure opera*es on the principle that the only 1~ riders which should be matched with a particular driver ` , are those whose indicated origins and destinations do not require the driver to detour far from a dir~ct route between his own intended ori~in and destination. Moreover, of those potential riders whose origins and desti~ations satisfy this test, the rider to be given priority is generally the one who will travel the furthest distance with the particular driver~ Accordingly, pursuant to FIG. 6, the computer ,first attempts to find a rider whose origin neighborhood code and destination neighborhood code are the same as the driver ' s origin and destination codes . If such a ridex can be found, he is matched with the driver unless he requires more seats than the d.river has indicated to be available. In some cases it may be nec:essary to assign a lasge r.ider group to more than one. vehi.cle. Since a rider may request multiple 25 seats or his party, the term rid~r should not be viewed only as an individual but alternatively as a group. If no such rid~x is available, the computer next checks to detexmine whether any rider, having the same origin neighborhood code as the driver, has a destination code correspondin~ to the next farthest neighborhood code along the intended route of the driver~ If an appropriate rider can still not be found, i9 . ~ ~
the computer systematically checks for rider destination codes along the driver's intended route which are gradually closer to the driver's'origin code~ If an appropriate rider cannot be foun~ by means of this procedure, the computer considers riders whose origin is in the neighborhood closest to the driver's ori~in along the driver's routeO The com~
puter then begins checking for riders having ~he same destin-ation code as that of the driver~ and if necessary such checking continues sequentially with respect to rider origin codes which are gradually closer to the driver' 8 destination ;code.
In FIG. 5, for example, assuming that the driver's origin code i~ B5 and his destin tion code is D2, if the comp~ter cannot ~ind a rider having the same origin and defitination codes, i.t might assign a rider having an origin code of B5 and a destination code o ~3 or, failing this~ a xider h~ving ~n origin code of B5 and a destination code of C4 or, failin~ this, a rider having an origin code of C4 and ~ destination code of D2.
Either the central computer or the rider could ,divide a trip into two or more segments for faster service, For ex~mple, if the txip between neighborhoods B5 and D2 in FIGo 5 is not hea~ily traveled during holidays~ the rider or the comp.uter might request a ride from B5 to C3 and then a rlde from C3 to.D2~ The central computer 14 can also be programmed to collect detailed statistical data on trips between each neighborhood during commuting hours, weekends, holidays etc~ This origin-destination data can then be , used by the central computer to adapt the rider-driver assign-ment strategy to provide improved service for users of the system~
~
Comparable computer programs for matching riders and drivexs according to origins and destinations in a flexible- ~, route system are w211 known in the f ield of ~omputer-based carpooling systems, but such systems use computers only for pla~ning and design o~ the systemr and not for raal-time, txip-by-trip demand-responsive matching. Nor do suoh systems employ terminals ~y ~hich current ride-requests or ride offers can be entered on a trip-by-trip basis directly by users of ~he system.
As soon as a rider has been matc~ed with a driver 9 the computer transmi1:s confirmation messages to the driver and, pre~erably, als~ to the rider. Since this is a point-to-point system, the dri,ver should be informed at least as to ~he rider ' s loca~ion ~, and preferably also as ts:> the rider ' s identification. The computer l4 therefore transmits this information to the driYer ' s terminal which presents it visuall~
on the display 22.
Simi~arly, for the rider ' s security and to ensure that a proper connertion is made, the ridex should be in~ormed 20 as to the vehicleis ;.dentity and estimated time of arrival.
The computer 14 therefoxe likewise transmits this information ~o the rider's ter~mirlal or di~play thereon.
If the computer i5 unable to match a particular driver' with a rider within cl predetermined perivd of time~ it trans~
mits the display ~'NO RIDERS" to the dri~er a~d cancels the ride of~er, thereby permitting the driver to proceed on his wayO Unma~ched ride .requests remain in the active trans-action file until they are canceled by the rider ~r until a pred~termined period of time has expired. The rider would then have to re-enter the re~uest.
".. . .~ . .
If a rider and driver are matched, the computer 14 automatically charges the rider'~ account for a fare appro-priate to the rider 7 S indicated origin and destination, and bills the rider periodically for his accumulated charges.
The computer may also enter credit to the drivergs account and send him periodic payments for his accumulated fares. Si~ilar computer accounting, billing and payment procedures are con- :
ventionally used at present by utilities and financial insti~
tutions. Since only a small portion of current transportation fares are needed to support this transit system, the remainder of the fares can ~e used to reimburse drivers~ subsidize taxi, bus or rail operations, repair roads, etc.
EXAMPLE ,;
30hn Smith resides with his parents a~ 21 Kaiholu Place, Kailua, Hawai.i. He works at the HonoLulu Inter-national Center (HIC) at Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward ~v~nue and attends the ~niversity of Hawaii at night. ~ohn uses his mother's maiden namey ~ones, as his pe~sonal security password in order to request a ride. He is licensed to use '~
the f2mily car to offer rides on Mondays~ The re~t of the week, John requests rides to commute to work and night school..
Mary Tamura lives at 71 Kalaheo Place, a few blocks erom ~he 5mith residence. She requires a car for her employ-ment as a visiting nurse, Because o~ her job requirements~
drivin~ record and willingness to provide transportatio~
~servicesS Mary Tamura is licensed to use her vehiGle to offer ri~es every day. Today, her first call i5 in Waikiki. Tc get there) she could drive down Kapiolani Boulevard, past the HIC~ She has already agreed to drive a neighbor to the s~
Ala Moana Center en route. Maxy Tamura uses her ~ather's birthdate as her password to communicate with the central coordinating station. Her auto is a blue 1976 Ford-Sedan, license number 3Q-47G.
The following show~ how John Smith would enter hi.
ride request data in response to questions presented by the terminal in his home. It also shows how he would get a description of Mary Tamura's vehicle after the computer matched themO
TYPICAL RIDE REQUEST
.
STEP COMPUTER USER EXPL~NATION
NUMBER DISPLAYS ENTERS CGMMENTS
__ __ __ __ 1 IDENTITY? ~ John's family member aode 2 PASSWORD? JONES He uses his motherls maiden name as sec~rity password.
3 SEATS? 1 Traveling alone today.
lQ dxiver's destination or generally along the dr.i~er's route.
The system also includes security features for preventing unauthorized access to the system by drivers ox riders, continuous monitoring of the suitability or eligibility of currently authorized drivers and riders to participate in the system and ac~ounting features for billing riders and reimbursing vehicle owners for transportation servicesO
Accordingly, it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide low-cost, energy~efficient, door-to-door transportation services usable by the public on a high-volume basis.
It is a further principal objective o$ the present invention to provide public acce~s to transportation by privately-owned vehic~les on an instantaneous, trip by-trip '.
ridesharing basis, thereby increasing the utilization of ridesharing not only ~or con~uter travel but also enabling the .
use of ridesharing f~r noncommuter tra~elJ
It is a further principal objective of the inven-tion to give the pub~ic access o ridesharing yehicles by means of,a highly aut:omated system. This system links riders 3~ and drivexs by telecommu,nications to data proce~sing equip-ment whi~h automatically and instantly matches riders with l ~
ridesharihg vehicles according to origins and destinations indicated by riders and drivers.
It is a furth~r principal objective of the inv~n-~.tion to enable both riders and drivers to enter and receive trip information directly from a central computer system via easy-to-use elect:ronic terminals. These terminals are designed to permit users to enter trip in~ormation quickly, accurately and with minimum training. Furthermore, when . these terminals are not being used for transit applicati~ns~
1~ ~hey may also be used to store, retrieve and process other types of data.
The foregoi.ng and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consi.deration of the following etailed , description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings~
Brief Descri~ion of the Drawi~
FI~ 1 is a schematic diagram o the major com-po~ents of an exemplary system in accordance with thepresent inventionO
FIG. ~ deplcts an exemplary driver or rider terminal schematic by which ride offers and ride requests may be txans-mi~ted by users of the system a~d through which messages may bP received, FIG. 3 is a logic flow chart illustrating the exemplary function of a driver or rider terminal ha~ing an int~gral microco~puter controlg and illustrating in simplified ~orm the interaction of the terminal with a rentral coordinating 30, station computer.
FIG. 4 is a logic flow chaxt indicating an exemplary process by which the central coordinating station computer automatically limits use of the system to eligible drivers and ridersc 5 ~ FIGo 5 dep.icts an exemplary grid used by the ~entral coordinating station computer to geographically match ride ofers with ride request~.
FIG. 6 is a logic flow chart indicating an exemplary:
i pxocieiss by which the central coordinating station computer geographically matches ride of~ers with ride requestsO
referred Embodiment In FIG. l the majox components of a prefexred embodiment of a door-to-door public ridesharing system in accordance with the present invention are shown schematically. Prospective riders can request rides by utilizing electxonic terminals such as lO and 12 located in fixed locations such as tiheir homes~ offices~ shops ox public .boothsg These easy~:to use terminals are connected directly to a central coordinating station computer 14 by telephone lines and/or cableO Drivers of veihicles can offer rides by means of the same type of fixed ter~inals or, preerably, by ~eans of similar~mobile texminals such as 16 located in each privately owned vehicle in-wireless com~unication with the c~ntral coordinatin~ station computer l4. Some riders ' may also use wireless ~erm1nals such as 16 ~o communicatie , with the central coordinating station.
The central coordinating station pxeerably includes a general-purposeO programmable computer l4 capable of auto-matically processing ride offers and ride requests received from the respective terminals 10, 12 and 16 in the form ofelectromagnetic signals~ with no human assistance or inter-vention being requiredO tAs used herein, the term "electro-magnetic signals" includes signals confined to electrical circuits as well as signals in any type of wave form~) However, if desired for greater public convenience5 some telephone operators could be provided at the central coordinating station to accept conventional telephone ride requests and/or ride offers from persons not having access to terminals such as 10, 12 and 16.
, FIG. 2 illu~trates an exemplary terminal of the type ..
suitable for any oP the ,terminals 10, 12 ox 16. Each such termin~l contains a digital register, indicated generally as 200 by which the rider or driver can enter certain vaxiable information, to be d~scribed in detail hereafter, enabling the system to determi.ne and verify the rider or driver~s id ntityt eligibility to use the system, and the details of his ride offer or ride request~ The terminal also contains a display; usually a visual display indicated generally ja~ 22S by which the system can interrogate the rider or dri~er and also provide instructions and other messagesO
Each terminal is an interactive terminal that is connected by tw~-way telecommunications with the central coordinating ~tation computer 14.
While it is not-critical that the terminal itsel~ ;
~store any data or be programmed in any way, it is prePerable that each terminal contain some capacity in these regards in a data stoxage unit and micr~omputer cont~l unit indi cated generally as ~ and 26 resp~ctively to make the t~rminals ~30 ,~
, . , I
~8~
easier to use, to relieve some of the communications load ~etween the terminals and the central coordinating station computer 14 and to relieve some of the data storage and pro-cessing requirements of the central coordinating station computer. In this regard, the microcomputer control 26 preferably contains sequential user intexrogation programming and user identity-verification programming, to be explained hereafter~ The data storage unit 24 of each privately-owned termin~l may contain the terminal's serial number t coded names of regular users, their system enrollment or "license"
numbers, security "passwords" associated with the respective users, coded addresses commonly used in the area, coded addresses unique to the users, the identity o the vehicle owned by each driver~-user, and coded descriptions of trips habitually taken by the user. Publicly accessible terminals likewise contain similar programming in a microcomputer - control 26, and the storage of data unique to the users of the terminal could be oontained in or on individual insertable removable data stora~e units in the form of unique cards or ~, 2~. 'other devices carriecl by each respectiv~ user~
; Ele~tronic devices that could be used as interactive terminals in ~he pxesent system axe currently available on ~he market~ For example 9 a ~onvenient portable digital computer terminal with viæual display and interchangeable 'r ~5 plu~-in pro~rammable modules i~ marketed under the model designation LK-300~ by Nixdorf Comput~r AG of West Ge~many ~and Nixdorf Computer Personal Sys.tem, Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts~ The same companles also market an acoustic tel~phone coupler which permits the terminal to communiciaite over standard telephone lines with any compuiter sys em. A
i; .
~8~5q~
somewhat similar interactiYe terminal is sold under the trademark RDX 1000 by Motorola Communications and Electronics IncO of Schaumburg, Illinois and is adaptable for two-way communication with a computer either through an FM radio link or a landline communications link~ The latter terminal with an FM radio link would, for example, be suitable for mobile vehicle-mounted terminals in the present system. Both of the fore~oing ex~mplary units feature a one-line visual display; however, it would be preferable for use in the present system to modify such units to provide a three-line display or to display the information on the screen of a television ~et connected to the terminal? It would also be desirable to modify such units to be able to store and retrieY~ trip information unique to each geographical area and to each user in order to make them easiex and faster to use~ `
Some of ~he texminals (particularl~ puhlic-acce~s terminals) may include special security devices to permit operation by licensed users o~ly. One such security device~ a magnetic~stripe ~redit card reader, is now used by banks to permit credit card holders with the proper pa~sword to obtain cash f~om automa~ic teller devices. Other security devices might include equipme~t ~or recording and transmitting voice printst finge~printsf or o~he~ identifying information.
Other optional terminal fa~ilities might include special input and output eq~ipment or devices. For example, ~egister inputs can b~ by keyboard, voice, pointer, or dial; display ou~puts can be by alphanumeri.c display, video tub~ printer~
voice ~r braille~
.~ ' ~6 The other primary component of the present system, the central coordinating station computer 14, may be vir-tually any standard large-scale general purpose programmable computer of sufficient capacity to process ride offers ~and ride requests in the manner to be described hereafter and ..
in the volume to be expected for a particular transportation area. General purpose computers o~ this type are manufactured by companies such as IBM, Control Data Corporation and Digital , ~quipment Corporation and are commonly used for hotel or 10~ airlines reservation systemsO
OPERATION
FIG. 3 depi.cts schematically the interaction between an ex~mplary terminal 10~ 12 or 16 and the central coordinating station computex 14. The central coordinating station , processes only ride offers or xide requests from authorized ;'' users of the sys~em. Th~se are persons who have applied for and been grant~d ind~.vidual licenses to use the sy~tem either as drivers or riders or both. Persons who have applied .
to be licensed only as rider~ will have been required to provide adequate creclit and personal references in order to obtain their license~. Persons who wish also to be author-ized as driver~ will have additionally been requixed to satis~y predetermined xequirements with respect to vehicle operator licensing, proper liability insurance and vehicle safety inspection.
~ ecause of the importance, for purposes of security, of limiting access to the system to licensed usexs only~
the user's identity and ~ unique coded indicia or ~Ipassword~
3~ a~sociated with such user are the irst two items which he user must enter on the ter~inal~ The texminal will display ~ v "IDENTITY?" and the ~ser will usually enter a single char~
acter which th~ termlnal~storage unit 24 automatically trans-lates into a full user license number. Alternatively, if he user is at a publi~ t:erminal or at a friend's house, he may have to enter his full license number or use a special data input device if the terminal is so equippedO
After the user's identity has been entered, the ~erminal displays "PASSWORD?"~ The user then enters this inormationp usually less than eight characters~ The password ,will often be a relativs's bixthdate or maiden name that is easy for the user to remember. If the terminal is a private one, the terminal's clata storage unit 24 contains security data matching the identity of each person normally using the privately-owned terminal with a respective unique password corres~ondin~ to such person, and the microcomputer control '~6 compare~ the identity and password entered by the user with the correspondirlg identity and password stored in the data storage unit 24 to determine if the two match. If the match is satisfactory, the terminal thPn displays "S2ATS?n,~
asking for additional information~ Alternatively, if the password entered does not properly match the identity entered, the texminal continues to display the word '~PASSWORD~" until a Yalid password i5 entered. I~ the user's failure to enter ~he proper password con~inues ~or a predetermined number of tries~ the termina.l takes corrective action, for example, by sounding an alarm buzzer or visually displaying a message ,such as "PASSWORD INV:AhIDI' or by transmitting an alarm message to the central computer., No ride req~est or ride offer is processed u~til a sat.isfac~ory match of identity and password 30 i5 made, thexeby verifying that the usex is licensed to use the system. For public terminals not adapted for the inser-tion o~ individual data storage units, such verification could be carriQd out at the ~entral coordinating station computer 14 rather than by the te~minal.
Once a user's identity and passwo.rd have been satis- , factorily matched, the terminal then requests information conc~rning the details of the user's ride offer or ride reques~
in the sequence indicated in FIG. 3 by thP displayed inquiries "SEATS?", "FROMI', "i'o?" and "WHEN?I'. In xesponse to the 10 . inquiry "SEATS?", the ~ser enters the number of seat~ avail-able fox rider~ in hi.s vehicle if he is transmitting a ride ~ffex, or the number of seats r~quired for his trip i~ he is transmitting a ride request.
The next inquiry "F~OM~" is optional for terminals in fixed locations since, in m~st cases, the driver or rider'~
origin will be the same as such fixed location and ther~fore stored in the terminalDs data storage unit 24 so that it can ~e automatic lly transmitted to the central coordinating stati~
computer 14. However, for mobile terminals such as 16, in radio communica~ion with the central coordinating station, the inquiry "F~OM?" would be utilized to permit the terminal user to register his pre~ent variable location. The preferred way ' to entar and process geographic locations corresponding to origins and destinations is to pxestore commonly used addresses,' such as a person's home~ place of employment, school and other locations, in the storage unit of the terminal o the control computex. For such commonly used locations, the user is simply required to register a single coded character such as "H" for home or "W" for work, which the terminal au~o~
3~ matically converts to anladdress to be transmitted to the central coordinating station. The preferred way to enter and process variable geographic locations corresponding to driver and rider origins and destinations that have not been prestored in the terminal or computer is by telephone numbers corresponding to the locations~ OI' by neighborhood codes although the capability for entering narrative location descriptions should not necessarily be foreclosed. The central coordinatin~ station computer 14 contains stored data matching telephone numbers with theix addresses and is therefore automatically able to convert such numbers into neighborhood code or detailed addresses without xequiring the entxy of a lar~e number of characters by the users.
, After entry of the "FROM?" information, the terminal then displays the word "TO?", to which the user responds by entering his intended destination by means of coded indicia or telephone numbex~
The next inquiry displayed by the terminal~ "WH2N?", is optional since the system can altern~ltively interpret all ride offers and ride requests to be effective immediately upon entry. However, affording the user the opportunity to enter variable time information adds flexibility to the system by enabling him to offer or request rides in advance~
' All of the foregoing ride offer or ride request information is transmitted from the terminal to the central coordinating station oomputer 14 which first checks ~he ~urrent eligibility of a particular licensed rider or driver to use ~he systemO Because the system contemplates the involvement of large numbers of citizens authorized as drivers and/ox riders to use the system, the security and safety of these persons and the Einancial stability o~ the system require 6~
, that current i~formation be stored and constantly updated with respect to each user to ensure that he remains eligible ~o use the system after his initial applicatio~ for licensing has been approved. The l~gic flow chart of FIG. 4 illustxates exemplary checks of current, updated information pertaining to each licensed user which the central computer 14 makes w1th respect to each user who transmits a ride request or ride offer. ~s indicated in FIGo 4, to determine whether a rider is curxently eligible, the ~tatus of such ridex's account with the system is checked to determine whether his payment for fares is cur~ent and whether he is within his authoriæed credit limit. If his account is unsatisfactory, the computer 14 takes corrective action,by transmitting an appropriate display to the rider's terminal, such as "PLEASE P~Y ACCOUNTI' as shown in FIG~ 4. Similarly, a check is made to determine whether there is any indication o~ recent criminal activity ~, which might render the rider an unsafe passenger for a driver.
Police authorities would be notified if a criminal was detected so they could take appropriate actionr With respect to ride offers, the computer 14 stores current eligibility data regaxding such n~atters as liability in~iurance coverage, st~tus of vehicle safety inspections, operator's license status and criminal activity relative to respective drivers and their vehicles as depi~ted in FI5~ 4 to determine whether the driver and/or his vehicle xemain ~urrently eliyible to ~i~rticipate in the system. Such eligibility requirements must all be sat.isfied prior to the computer's ~orwarding a ride offer or ride request to the next proce~sing step, iOe~
~hat of matching ride offers with ride requests.
"
' 17 j, , 1, .
6~
The matching process ic~, carried out automatically by the central coordinating stati.on computer 14 by receiving . and storing all eligible ride request and ride o~fer data in an acti.ve transactio~ file and comparing currently active ride offers (within a predetermined ti.~e boundary~ with currently active ride requests. Terminals in homes, offices, auto-mobiles etcO are continuously monitored by the central coor-dinating station computer 14 to determine if any ride requests , or ride offers can be added. If a u~er's message is ready, lo and the central computer 14 is ready, the terminal will automatically transm:it the message to the computer 14. Each user may also cancel any ride request or ride offer if he so desires by registering appropriate cancellati~n indicia on his keyboard, in which case the comp~er 14 removes the ride offer or ride request from its active transaction file and, f necessary, advises concerned parties of the changes~ .
The logica]. process by which the c~mpu~er 14 matches ride offers with ride requests will be explained with respect to FIG50 5 and 6~ In FIG. 5, a rectangular grid has been applied to an exemplary geogr~phical area served by a trans-portation system in a.ccordance with the present invention.
Each block defined by the grid represents a "neighborhood"~
and each neighborhood is assigned a "neighborhood code" such as l'D~" or "~5".. Each address stored in the central coor-dinating station computer 14 or data s~orage unit 24 isassigned the "n~ighborhood code" designating the ne.ighborhood in which such address is located. The "neighborhood" and "neighborhood code" could alternatively be based on postal zip code areas, telephone prefix numbers areas~ or other appropriate geographical neighborhood arrangements.
' 18 Each ride re~uest and ride offer as stored in the active transac ion fi.le is coded with respect to its origin neighborhood code and destination neighborhood code~ This enables each current ride offer to be compared with the current ride request~ in the active transaction file by means of such codes cmd to be matched to a respective ~ride request in accordance with a predetermined matching pro- ..
cedure. As can be seen from the flow chart of FIG. 6, the matching p~ocedure opera*es on the principle that the only 1~ riders which should be matched with a particular driver ` , are those whose indicated origins and destinations do not require the driver to detour far from a dir~ct route between his own intended ori~in and destination. Moreover, of those potential riders whose origins and desti~ations satisfy this test, the rider to be given priority is generally the one who will travel the furthest distance with the particular driver~ Accordingly, pursuant to FIG. 6, the computer ,first attempts to find a rider whose origin neighborhood code and destination neighborhood code are the same as the driver ' s origin and destination codes . If such a ridex can be found, he is matched with the driver unless he requires more seats than the d.river has indicated to be available. In some cases it may be nec:essary to assign a lasge r.ider group to more than one. vehi.cle. Since a rider may request multiple 25 seats or his party, the term rid~r should not be viewed only as an individual but alternatively as a group. If no such rid~x is available, the computer next checks to detexmine whether any rider, having the same origin neighborhood code as the driver, has a destination code correspondin~ to the next farthest neighborhood code along the intended route of the driver~ If an appropriate rider can still not be found, i9 . ~ ~
the computer systematically checks for rider destination codes along the driver's intended route which are gradually closer to the driver's'origin code~ If an appropriate rider cannot be foun~ by means of this procedure, the computer considers riders whose origin is in the neighborhood closest to the driver's ori~in along the driver's routeO The com~
puter then begins checking for riders having ~he same destin-ation code as that of the driver~ and if necessary such checking continues sequentially with respect to rider origin codes which are gradually closer to the driver' 8 destination ;code.
In FIG. 5, for example, assuming that the driver's origin code i~ B5 and his destin tion code is D2, if the comp~ter cannot ~ind a rider having the same origin and defitination codes, i.t might assign a rider having an origin code of B5 and a destination code o ~3 or, failing this~ a xider h~ving ~n origin code of B5 and a destination code of C4 or, failin~ this, a rider having an origin code of C4 and ~ destination code of D2.
Either the central computer or the rider could ,divide a trip into two or more segments for faster service, For ex~mple, if the txip between neighborhoods B5 and D2 in FIGo 5 is not hea~ily traveled during holidays~ the rider or the comp.uter might request a ride from B5 to C3 and then a rlde from C3 to.D2~ The central computer 14 can also be programmed to collect detailed statistical data on trips between each neighborhood during commuting hours, weekends, holidays etc~ This origin-destination data can then be , used by the central computer to adapt the rider-driver assign-ment strategy to provide improved service for users of the system~
~
Comparable computer programs for matching riders and drivexs according to origins and destinations in a flexible- ~, route system are w211 known in the f ield of ~omputer-based carpooling systems, but such systems use computers only for pla~ning and design o~ the systemr and not for raal-time, txip-by-trip demand-responsive matching. Nor do suoh systems employ terminals ~y ~hich current ride-requests or ride offers can be entered on a trip-by-trip basis directly by users of ~he system.
As soon as a rider has been matc~ed with a driver 9 the computer transmi1:s confirmation messages to the driver and, pre~erably, als~ to the rider. Since this is a point-to-point system, the dri,ver should be informed at least as to ~he rider ' s loca~ion ~, and preferably also as ts:> the rider ' s identification. The computer l4 therefore transmits this information to the driYer ' s terminal which presents it visuall~
on the display 22.
Simi~arly, for the rider ' s security and to ensure that a proper connertion is made, the ridex should be in~ormed 20 as to the vehicleis ;.dentity and estimated time of arrival.
The computer 14 therefoxe likewise transmits this information ~o the rider's ter~mirlal or di~play thereon.
If the computer i5 unable to match a particular driver' with a rider within cl predetermined perivd of time~ it trans~
mits the display ~'NO RIDERS" to the dri~er a~d cancels the ride of~er, thereby permitting the driver to proceed on his wayO Unma~ched ride .requests remain in the active trans-action file until they are canceled by the rider ~r until a pred~termined period of time has expired. The rider would then have to re-enter the re~uest.
".. . .~ . .
If a rider and driver are matched, the computer 14 automatically charges the rider'~ account for a fare appro-priate to the rider 7 S indicated origin and destination, and bills the rider periodically for his accumulated charges.
The computer may also enter credit to the drivergs account and send him periodic payments for his accumulated fares. Si~ilar computer accounting, billing and payment procedures are con- :
ventionally used at present by utilities and financial insti~
tutions. Since only a small portion of current transportation fares are needed to support this transit system, the remainder of the fares can ~e used to reimburse drivers~ subsidize taxi, bus or rail operations, repair roads, etc.
EXAMPLE ,;
30hn Smith resides with his parents a~ 21 Kaiholu Place, Kailua, Hawai.i. He works at the HonoLulu Inter-national Center (HIC) at Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward ~v~nue and attends the ~niversity of Hawaii at night. ~ohn uses his mother's maiden namey ~ones, as his pe~sonal security password in order to request a ride. He is licensed to use '~
the f2mily car to offer rides on Mondays~ The re~t of the week, John requests rides to commute to work and night school..
Mary Tamura lives at 71 Kalaheo Place, a few blocks erom ~he 5mith residence. She requires a car for her employ-ment as a visiting nurse, Because o~ her job requirements~
drivin~ record and willingness to provide transportatio~
~servicesS Mary Tamura is licensed to use her vehiGle to offer ri~es every day. Today, her first call i5 in Waikiki. Tc get there) she could drive down Kapiolani Boulevard, past the HIC~ She has already agreed to drive a neighbor to the s~
Ala Moana Center en route. Maxy Tamura uses her ~ather's birthdate as her password to communicate with the central coordinating station. Her auto is a blue 1976 Ford-Sedan, license number 3Q-47G.
The following show~ how John Smith would enter hi.
ride request data in response to questions presented by the terminal in his home. It also shows how he would get a description of Mary Tamura's vehicle after the computer matched themO
TYPICAL RIDE REQUEST
.
STEP COMPUTER USER EXPL~NATION
NUMBER DISPLAYS ENTERS CGMMENTS
__ __ __ __ 1 IDENTITY? ~ John's family member aode 2 PASSWORD? JONES He uses his motherls maiden name as sec~rity password.
3 SEATS? 1 Traveling alone today.
4 FROM? H Home (21 Kaliholu Place, Kailua) TO? ~ Work (HIC, Honolulu) 6 WHEM? A As Soon As Possible (short pause) 7 76 FORD SEDAN-BLU~ Description of Vehicle LIC, No~ 3Q-47G License Number ETA: 7:25AM Estimated Time of Arrival TOTAL MESSAGE ENTERED -- 2 ~ONES lHWA (ten characters) The terminal's microcomputer co~trol and data storage unit would automatically translate John's coded entries ~e~g. "H" equals 21 Kaiholu Place, Kailua, Hawaii 96734) into complete text for dispatching and display~
The following shows how Mary Tamura would entex her ride offer data and how she would receive John's addres~
on her terminal. Since her family owns more than one automo bile she will need to enter a code to identify the vehicle . ~3 she will be driving so that the central coordinating station computer 14 can check its eligibility to transport passen-gers~ Her destination entry is six characters long~er than John's b~cause she is using a phone number to specify her destination address. The central computer system wil'1 automatically convert this phone nu~lber into the addre s, 2341 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki, Hawaii 96815, and the proper neighborhood code.
TYPICAL RIDE OFFER
STEP COMPUTER USER EXPL~NATION
NUMBER DISPLAYS ENTERS COMMENTS
IDENTITY~ M Mary ' s f amily member code 2 VEHICLE CODE? F 76 Ford Seaan 3Q-47G
3 PASSWORD? 11~ 24 She uses he'r fatXer's birthdate as her securi~y password.
SEATS? ~ Since Mary and a neighbox are riding together, only 2 seats arç available~
FROM? H Home (71 ~alaheo Place, Kailua3 6 TO? 285-4632 Phone number of ~p~rtment at 2341 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki, Ha~aii 7 WHEN? N Now (short pause) B ~OHN SMITH ~1) Name & number of passengers 21 Kaiholu Pl. Street Addre~s Kailua~ HI 97034 :25 TOTAL MESSAGE ENTERED - M F 11 11 24 2 1~1 285 4632 N
, OTHER OPTIONAL FEATURES
As mentioned previously, terminals in homes~ ~hops, offices or other nonmobile facilities can be pro~rammed to automatically generate the origin code for a ride offer or ~p' `~
6(~
ride request ~o eliminate the need to have the user key this information into the terminal each time it is used. This will not only simpliy the operation of the terminal, it will also reduce errors. In addition, the microcomputer-controlled terminal can also be programmed so that a singlecharacter could represent a complete trip, including the ` number of seats, origin code, destination code and time~ For example, the keyboard symbol "B" could represent John's regular ~equest for a ride from home to work for one person at 8:00 aOm. and could therefore replace the entries "l, H, ,W~ A". This procedure would also simplify operation of the terminal and reduce errorsO
In additioi1; for commuters who plan to use this , system for their daily ~rips to and ~rom their jobs or schools9 lS Ithe central computer can be programmed to automatically generate a ride request or ride offer on a regular ~asis.
This procedure would also minimize errors and reduce ~he communications and data processing workload of the central ~omputer 9 particularly during peak ravel times. A trip cancellation entry would be entered by the driver or rid~r whenever ~e routine schedule was modified.
The terminclls can be designed so that changes to user iden~ity codes~ addresses, passwords r origin and destina-tion information, and vehicle identity .infoxmation can be made only by transitlauthorities. This would reduce theft of terminals and ensure that both the data storage in the ~ tenminal and the cen1:ral computer were updated at the same : ' time~
Alternatively, the terminals can be designed so that ~he user~ after entering the proper password~ could change this in~oxmation in ~he terminal's microcomputer. The
The following shows how Mary Tamura would entex her ride offer data and how she would receive John's addres~
on her terminal. Since her family owns more than one automo bile she will need to enter a code to identify the vehicle . ~3 she will be driving so that the central coordinating station computer 14 can check its eligibility to transport passen-gers~ Her destination entry is six characters long~er than John's b~cause she is using a phone number to specify her destination address. The central computer system wil'1 automatically convert this phone nu~lber into the addre s, 2341 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki, Hawaii 96815, and the proper neighborhood code.
TYPICAL RIDE OFFER
STEP COMPUTER USER EXPL~NATION
NUMBER DISPLAYS ENTERS COMMENTS
IDENTITY~ M Mary ' s f amily member code 2 VEHICLE CODE? F 76 Ford Seaan 3Q-47G
3 PASSWORD? 11~ 24 She uses he'r fatXer's birthdate as her securi~y password.
SEATS? ~ Since Mary and a neighbox are riding together, only 2 seats arç available~
FROM? H Home (71 ~alaheo Place, Kailua3 6 TO? 285-4632 Phone number of ~p~rtment at 2341 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki, Ha~aii 7 WHEN? N Now (short pause) B ~OHN SMITH ~1) Name & number of passengers 21 Kaiholu Pl. Street Addre~s Kailua~ HI 97034 :25 TOTAL MESSAGE ENTERED - M F 11 11 24 2 1~1 285 4632 N
, OTHER OPTIONAL FEATURES
As mentioned previously, terminals in homes~ ~hops, offices or other nonmobile facilities can be pro~rammed to automatically generate the origin code for a ride offer or ~p' `~
6(~
ride request ~o eliminate the need to have the user key this information into the terminal each time it is used. This will not only simpliy the operation of the terminal, it will also reduce errors. In addition, the microcomputer-controlled terminal can also be programmed so that a singlecharacter could represent a complete trip, including the ` number of seats, origin code, destination code and time~ For example, the keyboard symbol "B" could represent John's regular ~equest for a ride from home to work for one person at 8:00 aOm. and could therefore replace the entries "l, H, ,W~ A". This procedure would also simplify operation of the terminal and reduce errorsO
In additioi1; for commuters who plan to use this , system for their daily ~rips to and ~rom their jobs or schools9 lS Ithe central computer can be programmed to automatically generate a ride request or ride offer on a regular ~asis.
This procedure would also minimize errors and reduce ~he communications and data processing workload of the central ~omputer 9 particularly during peak ravel times. A trip cancellation entry would be entered by the driver or rid~r whenever ~e routine schedule was modified.
The terminclls can be designed so that changes to user iden~ity codes~ addresses, passwords r origin and destina-tion information, and vehicle identity .infoxmation can be made only by transitlauthorities. This would reduce theft of terminals and ensure that both the data storage in the ~ tenminal and the cen1:ral computer were updated at the same : ' time~
Alternatively, the terminals can be designed so that ~he user~ after entering the proper password~ could change this in~oxmation in ~he terminal's microcomputer. The
5~
.~ .
next time that the terminal was used, the new passwords and other data would be transmitted to the central computer and its files would be updated automaticallys The central com-puter would then send a signal back to the microcomputer terminal to set a switch so that the changes wou]d not have j, .
~o be ~ransmitted again.
The capabilities of the modern general purpose computer used in the central coordinatiny station computer 14 can also be used to provide a flexible fare structure that can be based on a fixed fee, mileage or zone charges, ,time of day, etcO~ Ol a combination of these factors.
Billing adjustments can also be easily made for handicapped riders or senior citizens. Likewise, the cr~dits for drivers may be adjusted i-f, ~or example, the drivers are a mix of volunteers and professionals.
In khe e~ent of a severe gasoline shortage, the central computer may also be used to provicle fuel allocations on a passenger-mile basis, for example, which would be more equitable than the flxed number of gallons-per~month-per-vehicle formula suggested during past crisesu I Vehicles to be used for public transportation couldalso be modified to lmprove the security of both the driver and the riders~ The driver could be required ~o enter a valid password on the terminal before the vehicle could be started 'or the hood opened. This would reduce the chance of vehicle theft. The vehicles could also be modified to prevent the dxiver from speeding while the vehicle was used for public tra~portationO Furthermore, the keyboard used for entering identiication or trip information could also be used as a 30 . means of testing the driver's dexterity prior to assigning ~ 3 riders or prior to permitting the vehicle to be started.
For vehicles equipped with wireless terminals, it would be possible to have the driver or pass~nger log-in when the pickup or delivery were made~ This would not only 5 , provide bet~er security, it would also permit the computer to assign additional riders to the vehicle at that ~ime. This appxoach would increase both the efficiency and the effective-ness of the transportatlon system.
In highly congested areas, with multistoried office and apartment buildings, it may be difficult to provide door-to door pickup services during peak traffic hours. Under , these circumstances it may be desirable to speci~y a sidewalk .,~ocation as a common pickup point ~or all riders going to a given neighb~rhood~ The rider would request a vehicle as described earlier, but the only origin point that the central ;
co~puter would accept during peak hours would be the designated' pickup location. ~imilarly~ during peak load houxs, drivers in certain areas could be directed to use a common pickup point as ~heir origin to reduce traffic congestion~ In this case, where the 3pecific origin of any rider or driver going from a certain general area to a given neighborhood i~ pxedeter-mined, the central computer could direct the driver to the respective xider only by xidex identity, and not by rider origin since the origin is already known to the driver.
, Another use of the system that would also save fuel, 2S ~nd reduce traffic congestion and air pollution problems, would be to move packages or other cargo in place of riders, particularly in ~ruc~s and vans~ Instead of ~eating capacity ~he driver could specify cargo space availability~ in cubic ~eet for example, am~ the shipper (taking the place o~ a 3~ .
, 27 S~
ridex~ would specify space require~ments instead of seat requirements~ Billings for the shipper could be prepared automatically by the central computer and credits prepared for the driver or vehicle owner. Because of this alternative 5 application o the system, the term "ride-usex" in the claims herein is intended to include either a rider ox a shipper, and the ~enm l'amount of space" is intended to include either number o passengex seats or cargo space.
The terms and expressions which have been employed 10 in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equiva-lents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, i~ beins recognized that the scope o the invention is defined 5 and limited only by the claims which fOllown "
,~ , , , "
,,
.~ .
next time that the terminal was used, the new passwords and other data would be transmitted to the central computer and its files would be updated automaticallys The central com-puter would then send a signal back to the microcomputer terminal to set a switch so that the changes wou]d not have j, .
~o be ~ransmitted again.
The capabilities of the modern general purpose computer used in the central coordinatiny station computer 14 can also be used to provide a flexible fare structure that can be based on a fixed fee, mileage or zone charges, ,time of day, etcO~ Ol a combination of these factors.
Billing adjustments can also be easily made for handicapped riders or senior citizens. Likewise, the cr~dits for drivers may be adjusted i-f, ~or example, the drivers are a mix of volunteers and professionals.
In khe e~ent of a severe gasoline shortage, the central computer may also be used to provicle fuel allocations on a passenger-mile basis, for example, which would be more equitable than the flxed number of gallons-per~month-per-vehicle formula suggested during past crisesu I Vehicles to be used for public transportation couldalso be modified to lmprove the security of both the driver and the riders~ The driver could be required ~o enter a valid password on the terminal before the vehicle could be started 'or the hood opened. This would reduce the chance of vehicle theft. The vehicles could also be modified to prevent the dxiver from speeding while the vehicle was used for public tra~portationO Furthermore, the keyboard used for entering identiication or trip information could also be used as a 30 . means of testing the driver's dexterity prior to assigning ~ 3 riders or prior to permitting the vehicle to be started.
For vehicles equipped with wireless terminals, it would be possible to have the driver or pass~nger log-in when the pickup or delivery were made~ This would not only 5 , provide bet~er security, it would also permit the computer to assign additional riders to the vehicle at that ~ime. This appxoach would increase both the efficiency and the effective-ness of the transportatlon system.
In highly congested areas, with multistoried office and apartment buildings, it may be difficult to provide door-to door pickup services during peak traffic hours. Under , these circumstances it may be desirable to speci~y a sidewalk .,~ocation as a common pickup point ~or all riders going to a given neighb~rhood~ The rider would request a vehicle as described earlier, but the only origin point that the central ;
co~puter would accept during peak hours would be the designated' pickup location. ~imilarly~ during peak load houxs, drivers in certain areas could be directed to use a common pickup point as ~heir origin to reduce traffic congestion~ In this case, where the 3pecific origin of any rider or driver going from a certain general area to a given neighborhood i~ pxedeter-mined, the central computer could direct the driver to the respective xider only by xidex identity, and not by rider origin since the origin is already known to the driver.
, Another use of the system that would also save fuel, 2S ~nd reduce traffic congestion and air pollution problems, would be to move packages or other cargo in place of riders, particularly in ~ruc~s and vans~ Instead of ~eating capacity ~he driver could specify cargo space availability~ in cubic ~eet for example, am~ the shipper (taking the place o~ a 3~ .
, 27 S~
ridex~ would specify space require~ments instead of seat requirements~ Billings for the shipper could be prepared automatically by the central computer and credits prepared for the driver or vehicle owner. Because of this alternative 5 application o the system, the term "ride-usex" in the claims herein is intended to include either a rider ox a shipper, and the ~enm l'amount of space" is intended to include either number o passengex seats or cargo space.
The terms and expressions which have been employed 10 in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equiva-lents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, i~ beins recognized that the scope o the invention is defined 5 and limited only by the claims which fOllown "
,~ , , , "
,,
Claims (33)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An automatic system for providing public ride-user access to transportation by driver-operated vehicles, each vehi-cle having independent variable origins and destinations and routes therebetween determined by its driver, said system com-prising:
(a) a central coordinating station comprising means for receiving ride-offer electromagnetic signals, indicative of driver-selected origins and destina-tions, and ride-request electromagnetic signals, indicative of ride-user-selected origins and destinations, respectively;
(b) respective driver terminal means in telecommunica-tion with said central coordinating station, each of said driver terminal means including driver register means for registering a driver-selected origin and variable driver-selected destinations from a plurality of possible destinations having no predetermined route relationship to one another and means for transmitting to said station said ride-offer electromagnetic signals;
(c) respective ride-user terminal means in telecommun-ication with said central coordinating station, each of said ride-user terminal means including ride-user register means for registering a ride-user-selected origin and destination not neces-sarily located identically to said driver-selected origin and destination and means for transmitting to said station said ride-request electromagnetic signals;
(d) said central coordinating station including logical circuitry means automatically respon-sive to said ride-offer and ride-request electromagnetic signals respectively for comparing said respective electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations as indi-cated by said signals bear a predetermined geographical relationship to each other even though such respective origins and destinations are not located identically to each other;
(e) said central coordinating station further including means automatically responsive to said respective electromagnetic signals for transmitting electromagnetic message signals to a respective driver directing said respec-tive driver to the respective origin of a ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched, each of said driver terminal means having receiver means in tele-communication with said central coordinating station for receiving said electromagnetic message signals.
(a) a central coordinating station comprising means for receiving ride-offer electromagnetic signals, indicative of driver-selected origins and destina-tions, and ride-request electromagnetic signals, indicative of ride-user-selected origins and destinations, respectively;
(b) respective driver terminal means in telecommunica-tion with said central coordinating station, each of said driver terminal means including driver register means for registering a driver-selected origin and variable driver-selected destinations from a plurality of possible destinations having no predetermined route relationship to one another and means for transmitting to said station said ride-offer electromagnetic signals;
(c) respective ride-user terminal means in telecommun-ication with said central coordinating station, each of said ride-user terminal means including ride-user register means for registering a ride-user-selected origin and destination not neces-sarily located identically to said driver-selected origin and destination and means for transmitting to said station said ride-request electromagnetic signals;
(d) said central coordinating station including logical circuitry means automatically respon-sive to said ride-offer and ride-request electromagnetic signals respectively for comparing said respective electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations as indi-cated by said signals bear a predetermined geographical relationship to each other even though such respective origins and destinations are not located identically to each other;
(e) said central coordinating station further including means automatically responsive to said respective electromagnetic signals for transmitting electromagnetic message signals to a respective driver directing said respec-tive driver to the respective origin of a ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched, each of said driver terminal means having receiver means in tele-communication with said central coordinating station for receiving said electromagnetic message signals.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of said respective driver terminal means comprise mobile terminals in said vehicles which are in wireless communication with said central coordinating station, each of said mobile terminals having driver-register means which includes means for selectively registering variable driver-selected origins from a plurality of possible origins having no predetermined route relationship to one another.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said ride-user register means further includes means for selec-tively registering variable ride-user-selected destinations from a plurality of possible destinations having no predeter-mined route relationship to one another.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes means automatically responsive to said ride-offer electromagnetic signals for transmitting vehicle-identifying electromagnetic signals, indicative of the identity of the vehicle driven by a respective driver who has transmitted said ride-offer signals, to a respective ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched, each of said ride-user terminal means having receiver means in telecommunication with said central coordinating station for receiving said vehicle-identifying electromagnetic signals.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes means automatically responsive to said ride-request electromagnetic signals for transmitting origin-identifying electromagnetic signals; indicative of the origin of a respective ride-user who has transmitted said ride-request signals, to a respective driver with which said respective ride user has been so matched, each of said driver terminal means having receiver means in telecommunication with said central coordinating station for receiving said origin-identifying signals.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes means automatically responsive to said ride request electromagnetic signals for transmitting ride-user-identifying electromagnetic signals, indicative of the identity of a respective ride-user who has transmitted said ride request signals, to a respective driver with which said respective ride-user has been so matched, each of said driver terminal means having receiver means in telecommuni-cation with said central coordinating station for receiving said ride-user-identifying electromagnetic signals.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said driver register means includes means for selectively regis-tering variable amounts of space in a respective vehicle and transmitting to said central coordinating station space-indicating electromagnetic signals indicative of the amount of space available in the respective vehicle.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said ride-user register means includes means for selectively regis-tering variable amounts of space required and transmitting to said central coordinating station space-identifying elec-tromagnetic signals indicative of the amount of space required.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said driver register means includes means for selectively regis-tering variable times when a driver intends to travel between a respective origin and destination and transmitting to said central coordinating station time-indicating electro-magnetic signals indicative of said time.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said ride-user register means includes means for selectively regis-tering variable times when a ride-user requests transportation between a respective origin and destination and transmitting to said central coordinating station time indicating electro-magnetic signals indicative of said time.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said driver register means includes means for selectively regis-tering variable driver identities and variable coded identity-verification indicia associated with each driver identity, said system further including storage means containing security data matching driver identities with predetermined coded identity-verification indicia associated with each driver identity and means automatically responsive to said driver register means for comparing said driver identities and coded identity-verification indicia registered thereon with said security data.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said ride-user register means includes means for selectively registering variable ride-user identities and variable coded identity-verification indicia associated with each ride-user identity, said system further including storage means con-taining security data matching ride-user identities with pre-determined coded identity-verification indicia associated with each ride-user identity and means automatically responsive to said ride-user register means for comparing said ride-user identities and coded identity-verification indicia registered thereon with said security data.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes storage means containing variable eligibility data regarding the eligibility of respec-tive vehicles to provide transportation and means automatically responsive to said ride-offer electromagnetic signals for comparing the identity of a respective vehicle for which said ride-offer signals have been transmitted with the eligibility data pertaining to said respective vehicle.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes storage means containing variable eligibility data regarding the eligibility of respective drivers to provide transportation and means automatically responsive to said ride-offer electromagnetic signals for comparing the identity of a respective driver who has transmitted said ride-offer signals with the eligibility data pertaining to said respective driver.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein said central coordinating station includes storage means containing variable ellgibility data regarding the eligibility of respective ride-users to obtain transportation and means automatically respon-sive to said ride-request electromagnetic signals for com-paring the identity of a respective ride-user who has trans-mitted said ride-request signals with the eligibility data pertaining to said respective ride-user.
16. The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of said respective terminal means include register means for registering variable geographical location identifying coded indicia each uniquely associated with a respective origin or destination, said system further including storage means containing data matching geographical descriptions of respec-tive origins or destinations with said respective coded indicia and means automatically responsive to the entry of a respec-tive one of said coded indicia on said register means for transmitting electromagnetic signals indicative of the respec-tive geographical description matched by said storage means with said respective one of said coded indicia.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein said storage means includes means containing data matching geographical descriptions of both an origin and a destination with a respective one of said coded indicia and means responsive to the entry of said respective one of said coded indicia on said register means for transmitting electromagnetic signals indicative of both of said geographical descriptions.
18. The system of claim 16 or 17 wherein at least some of said respective terminal means include said storage means as a portion thereof remote from said central coordina-ting station.
19, The system of claim 16 or 17 wherein at least some of said respective terminal means include means for permitting at least a portion of said storage means to be selectively connected operatively and removably to said terminal means from the exterior thereof by a user of said terminal means.
20. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said receiver means comprises means for visually displaying variable messages.
21. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said register means includes means for digitally registering variable information.
22. A method for providing public ride-user access to transportation by driver-operated vehicles, each vehicle having independent variable origins and destinations and routes therebetween determined by its driver, said method comprising:
(a) receiving respective ride offers, from a plurality of drivers, in the form of ride-offer electromagnetic signals indicative of respective driver-selected origins and destinations, each ride offer indicating a respective origin and destination having no predetermined route relationship to each other;
(b) receiving respective ride requests, from a plurality of ride-users, in the form of ride-request electromagnetic signals indicative of respective ride-user-selected origins and destinations, each ride request indicating a respective origin and destination not neces-sarily located identically to said driver-selected origin and destination;
(c) comparing said respective ride-offer and ride-request electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations as indicated by said signals bear a predetermined geographical relation-ship to each other even though such respective origins and destinations are not located identically to each other;
(d) transmitting electromagnetic message signals to a respective driver directing said respective driver to the respective origin of a ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched.
(a) receiving respective ride offers, from a plurality of drivers, in the form of ride-offer electromagnetic signals indicative of respective driver-selected origins and destinations, each ride offer indicating a respective origin and destination having no predetermined route relationship to each other;
(b) receiving respective ride requests, from a plurality of ride-users, in the form of ride-request electromagnetic signals indicative of respective ride-user-selected origins and destinations, each ride request indicating a respective origin and destination not neces-sarily located identically to said driver-selected origin and destination;
(c) comparing said respective ride-offer and ride-request electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations as indicated by said signals bear a predetermined geographical relation-ship to each other even though such respective origins and destinations are not located identically to each other;
(d) transmitting electromagnetic message signals to a respective driver directing said respective driver to the respective origin of a ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein at least some of said vehicles have wireless terminals therein, said step (d) comprising transmitting said electromagnetic message signals to one of said wireless terminals.
24. The method of claim 22, further including transmitting vehicle-identifying electromagnetic signals, indicative of the identity of a vehicle driven by a respective driver, to a respective ride-user with which said respective driver has been so matched.
25. The method of claim 22, further including transmitting origin identifying electromagnetic signals, indicative of the origin of a respective ride-user, to a respective driver with which said respective ride-user has been so matched.
26. The method of claim 22, further including transmitting ride user identifying electromagnetic signals, indicative of the identity of a respective ride-user, to a respective driver with which said respective ride-user has been so matched.
27. The method of claim 22, further including receiving space-indicating electromagnetic signals indicative of the amount of space made available by a respective driver in connection with a respective ride offer, receiving space-identifying electromagnetic signals indicative of the amount of space requested by a respective ride-user in connection with a respective ride request, comparing said respective space-identifying electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations bear said predetermined geographical relationship to each other and wherein the amount of space made available by the respective driver is at least as great as the amount of space requested by the respective ride-user.
28. The method of claim 22, further including receiving time-indicating electromagnetic signals indicative of the time for which a respective ride-offer is made available by a respective driver, receiving time-indicating electromagnetic signals indicative of the time for which a respective ride is requested by a respective ride-user, com-paring said respective time-indicating electromagnetic signals with each other and matching together a respective driver and ride-user whose respective origins and destinations bear said predetermined geographical relationship to each other and whose respective times as indicated by said respective time-indicating signals are both within a predetermined time period.
29. The method of claim 22, further including storing security data which matches respective driver identities with respective predetermined coded identity-verification indicia uniquely associated with each driver identity, receiving driver-identifying electromagnetic signals indicative of a respective driver identity and identity-verification electromagnetic signals indicative of respective coded indicia to be associated with said identity and com-paring said driver-identifying and identity-verification electromagnetic signals with said security data.
30. The method of claim 22, further including storing security data which matches respective ride-user identities with respective predetermined coded identity-verification indicia uniquely associated with each ride-user identity, receiving ride-user-identifying electromagnetic signals indicative of a respective ride-user identity and identity-verification electromagnetic signals indicative of respective coded indicia to be assocaited with said identity and comparing said ride-user-identifying and identity-veri-fication electromagnetic signals with said security data.
31. The method of claim 22, further including storing eligibility data regarding the eligibility of respective vehicles to provide transportation, modifying said eligibility data and comparing the identity of a respec-tive vehicle for which ride-offer electromagnetic signals have been received with the modified eligibility data pertaining to said respective vehicle.
32. The method of claim 22, further including storing eligibility data regarding the eligibility of respec-tive drivers to provide transportation, modifying said eligiblity data and comparing the identity of a respective driver from which ride-offer electromagnetic signals have been received with the modified eligibility data pertaining to said respective driver.
33. The method of claim 22, further including storing eligibility data regarding the eligibility of respec-tive ride-users to obtain transportation, modifying said eligibility data and comparing the identity of a respective ride-user from which ride-request electromagnetic signals have been received with the modified eligibility data per-taining to said respective ride-user.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000412160A CA1186056A (en) | 1982-09-24 | 1982-09-24 | Automated, door-to-door, demand-responsive public transportation system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000412160A CA1186056A (en) | 1982-09-24 | 1982-09-24 | Automated, door-to-door, demand-responsive public transportation system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1186056A true CA1186056A (en) | 1985-04-23 |
Family
ID=4123656
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000412160A Expired CA1186056A (en) | 1982-09-24 | 1982-09-24 | Automated, door-to-door, demand-responsive public transportation system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1186056A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11164456B2 (en) | 2007-02-12 | 2021-11-02 | Carma Technology Limited | Systems and methods for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings |
-
1982
- 1982-09-24 CA CA000412160A patent/CA1186056A/en not_active Expired
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| US11164456B2 (en) | 2007-02-12 | 2021-11-02 | Carma Technology Limited | Systems and methods for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings |
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