Direct Vehicle Appointment System

Abstract

A direct vehicle booking system, apparatus, and method allow an end user to select a human-driven or autonomous vehicle from a pool of available unassigned vehicles within a geographic area and schedule an ad hoc trip directly using the selected vehicle without requiring a central operations center or third-party intermediary to participate in the trip allocation and vehicle booking process.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 849,520, filed May 17, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to systems, apparatus, and methods for directly reserving vehicles, and more particularly, to systems, apparatus, and methods for selecting and reserving available rental vehicles or shared vehicles within a geographic area in real time without requiring an intermediary to allocate or arrange a vehicle for an end user. Background Art

[0004] Traditionally, "for-hire" ride-hailing or ride-sharing operators such as "Uber," "Lyft," and many other for-hire services have traditionally focused on "pre-arranged" trips, where a user contacts a ride-hailing service and schedules a trip, resulting in a vehicle selected by the company being dispatched to the user's requested location at a specified future time. After the user boards the vehicle, the dispatched vehicle proceeds to the previously specified destination, which was selected by the user through the ride-hailing service when scheduling the trip. While the trip request, vehicle matching, and dispatch to a specific location are ultimately completed, this is often less than ideal from an efficiency and time perspective. In many cases, at the time of the trip request, available vehicles that are fully capable of fulfilling the for-hire request are either identified by the requesting party and not as available by the specific company, are available from other companies or services, or are simply not interested in or capable of completing the requested trip.

[0005] In many situations, such as when potential passengers require return transportation from a live sporting event, concert, or similar event, it's impractical or impossible to properly arrange such a trip in advance, especially when the event's end time is unpredictable or unknown. For example, in the example above, users may struggle to arrange a return trip because they don't know exactly when they need to arrive at the pickup location. Consequently, they often can't schedule a "return" trip from a particular location through a ride-hailing service until the event has actually concluded or is nearing its conclusion. This ultimately leads to delays in ride-hailing services and chaotic and inefficient pickups, as hundreds or even thousands of vehicles may need to be rented simultaneously, inevitably causing logistical delays, a shortage of available vehicles, and a "crowding" of vehicles to a specific pickup location. Furthermore, for events with large crowds, such as sporting events or concerts, there's a risk of insufficient availability of vehicles through a particular ride-hailing service, as well as lengthy delays waiting for a specific ride-hailing service to provide an available vehicle. These issues often create an extremely difficult, inefficient, and frustrating booking experience for users. Users may experience further frustration when numerous rental vehicles converge on more than one pickup location simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, as each individual may have to work very hard to identify their particular rental vehicle from the crowd. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Given the limitations of existing ride-hailing services and methods for requesting and renting vehicles for future trips, there is a need for a system and method that enables end users to bypass the need to initially set up such trips through a central operations center or other third-party intermediary (while specifying a precise future pickup time) and to select and use a specific vehicle from among a multitude of available unassigned vehicles available to the user within a geographic area, and to directly set up a trip with the selected vehicle. Furthermore, there is a need for a system and method that can quickly identify any available unassigned vehicles and then allow them to be booked directly and in real time. Furthermore, there is a need for a system and method that filters and facilitates the identification of available unassigned vehicles that also meet one or more specific trip preferences, such as vehicle type (sedan / SUV), vehicle category (taxi / Uber / Lyft / private car), vehicle size, vehicle number of seats, vehicle seating configuration, vehicle available operating range, vehicle charge / fuel level, trip cost / price, or the presence of special equipment (e.g., equipment for people with disabilities, etc.). Therefore, the present disclosure provides a direct "user-to-vehicle" real-time ride-hailing appointment system and method, which improves the traditional sharing services and methods currently available in the business and overcomes the problems and shortcomings associated with such traditional ride-hailing services.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a Direct Vehicle Engagement System (DVES), apparatus, and method. The DVES improves upon traditional ride-hailing services and overcomes the problems and shortcomings typically associated with such services by providing users with "real-time" ride-hailing vehicle identification and engagement with nearby unassigned and available vehicles. Furthermore, the DVES according to the present disclosure provides two variations on the basic ride-hailing and rental methods: a "temporary scheduling" method and a "wait-in-line" method.

[0008] In the DVES of the present disclosure, there is no need for users to contact and pre-arrange with a ride-hailing service in order to select, accept, and send a specific vehicle to their location, which is then required for the user to subsequently attempt to search for and identify the specific vehicle from a large number of other similar vehicles in the same geographic area near the user. Using DVES, any available unassigned vehicle within a certain distance relative to the user can be directly and remotely identified at any time and selected by the potential passenger on the spot, without the user having to communicate with a "third party" central / off-site control system, such as a central operations center, or a company call center, to arrange the trip. Using DVES, the entire trip appointment process is entirely between the user and the vehicle selected by the user. DVES can work equally well with human-driven or autonomous rental vehicles equipped with a DVES designated device or compatible device according to the contents of the present disclosure.

[0009] In the "ad hoc scheduling" model according to the present disclosure, a person (or end user) who has not yet scheduled a ride or pickup from a ride-hailing service can utilize DVES to identify and schedule an unassigned vehicle available within a geographic area associated with the person. As described above, the vehicle reservation will occur in real time and does not require the user to reserve and assign a vehicle to a specific ride request in advance through a central operations center or a third-party intermediary.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, personnel will utilize a user mobile device, more preferably provided with a DVES application, which will assist the user in identifying available vehicles and facilitate appointments with available vehicles to schedule a trip. In a "temporary scheduling" embodiment of the DVES, the user need only be located in an area where unassigned / available "for hire" vehicles have been directed, pre-positioned, or are driving through and / or are waiting for passengers.

[0011] Such "for-hire" vehicles may be "independently" operated (e.g., independently owned) or associated with a for-hire vehicle service and may be mixed or clustered with other for-hire vehicles near locations where large groups of people wish to leave their vehicles. According to the present disclosure, users will no longer need to go to a specific gathering point (i.e., a formally designated pick-up area) to find a "for-hire" vehicle, but can simply identify and use any available unassigned vehicle that is near, passing by, or adjacent to the user's existing location.

[0012] In some embodiments, the DVES includes digitally regulated infrared transmitters (or beacons or signal beacons) that allow individual vehicles to be distinguished to a handheld device or other device. The transmitters can operate at individually regulated frequencies, and the embedded data stream allows for the simultaneous transmission of information on various conditions or parameters, such as general vehicle characteristics (e.g., taxi, private service, etc.).

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, ride-hailing or other rental vehicles available for hire will transmit signals by modulating infrared (IR) or visible light beacons to indicate to nearby mobile devices the vehicle's availability, company affiliation (if any), and specific characteristics such as vehicle class, number of seats, etc. Additionally, identification of vehicles available to a user will utilize distinct augmented graphics provided on the user's mobile device that easily indicate not only the vehicle's availability within the visual range of the user's mobile device, but also any affiliation with an existing ride-sharing, ride-hailing, or taxi company.

[0014] The transmitter is typically mounted on the roof of the vehicle or on a short antenna for increased height. Auxiliary transmitters pointing forward or to the side may also be used in parallel with the primary beacon to enhance the presence and range of the vehicle-to-handheld transmission.

[0015] The transmitter can optionally utilize various optical and shielding elements to further optimize its transmission range, and incorporate an internal heater to enhance operation in snowy and other winter conditions. Other communication / signaling devices can be used to transmit information between available vehicles and the user's mobile device.

[0016] In "Waiting in Line" mode, DVES allows individuals to display, select, confirm, and directly reserve any pre-positioned available, unassigned vehicles in real time, typically located between or near other unassigned, available taxi vehicles within a designated static queuing area. Furthermore, unassigned taxi vehicles that are located in or part of a formal "next car" queue, similar to a traditional taxi stand or "waiting in line," can be randomly selected, confirmed, and reserved directly from a handheld device using DVES. During DVES "Waiting in Line" mode, in addition to vehicles transmitting invisible infrared availability signals to potential users' handheld devices for easy identification of available vehicles via a handheld device application (or "app"), vehicles can also include a visual display of their availability. Due to both infrared and visible light transmission, vehicles can be reserved by users using the DVES app on their mobile devices, or by any individual physically approaching and entering a vehicle in a queue that visually displays its availability. Thus, users can directly reserve available vehicles based on received IR signals, visual displays, or both, without requiring a third party or ride-hailing company to make the reservation.

[0017] Once the DVES application reserves an available rental vehicle, the vehicle changes its availability status (indicated by infrared and visible light) to "unavailable," thereby preventing any other user from attempting to reserve the same vehicle again. DVES can accomplish this change in availability automatically and / or immediately.

[0018] Through DVES, direct vehicle reservations will occur in real time, eliminating the need for ride-hailing service reservations. Users will be able to allocate vehicles through trip requests without having to arrange trips in advance through a central operations center or third-party intermediaries.

[0019] The DVES according to the present invention can be optimized for use with autonomous vehicles, wherein preferably, a user can interact with such autonomous vehicles using a user's mobile device, and more preferably, is equipped with a DVES application for identifying available vehicles, selecting an available vehicle, and engaging with the selected vehicle using the user's mobile device. Nevertheless, the DVES can also be readily adapted to the same direct and immediate engagement process as human-driven vehicles without departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure.

[0020] Unlike "traditional" ride-hailing systems, such as "Uber" and "Lyft," and for-hire vehicle services, where the system or dispatcher pre-assigns a service-selected vehicle for the requested ride, the DVES according to the present disclosure places the selection and appointment process for a specific vehicle entirely in the hands of the user, without the delays or complications inherent in third-party services. Optionally, the selected available vehicle can be automatically accepted, eliminating delays caused by driver acceptance risk.

[0021] Unlike "traditional" ride-hailing systems, which typically utilize only their fleets of owned or contracted vehicles, the DVES according to the present disclosure can accommodate an unlimited number of separately owned / operated / independently owned vehicles within the same physical geographic area, without limiting the ownership of specific vehicles or arrangements with specific ride-hailing services during the contracting process. Of particular note, the DVES can significantly enhance "traditional" taxi services by allowing any DVES-equipped taxi to function in many situations on a par with ride-hailing services.

[0022] Using DVES, each compatible taxi can now provide the requester with enhanced taxi-hailing capabilities (e.g., faster and safer hailing) and a simpler way for the requester to identify and "claim" any nearby "available" taxi without the awkward misidentifications and conflicts that often occur between multiple requesters. For example, with DVES, only the legitimate party who first requested the taxi can use said specific taxi due to the confirmation code requirement.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direct vehicle engagement system includes a beacon associated with a vehicle, and a mobile device. The beacon is configured to transmit an availability signal indicating whether the vehicle is available for rent or not. The mobile device is configured to receive the availability signal.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direct vehicle engagement device includes a mobile device having a display screen and configured to receive an available status signal transmitted from a beacon of a vehicle.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for directly booking a vehicle in a direct vehicle booking system includes: multiple vehicles transmitting available status signals, each available status signal indicating whether a respective vehicle among the multiple vehicles is available for rent or not; a mobile device receiving each available status signal of the multiple vehicles; the available status signal transmitted by the desired vehicle indicating that the desired vehicle is available for rent and is selected by a user of the mobile device; and the mobile device preliminarily booking the desired vehicle for rent.

[0026] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above summary and the following detailed description can be better understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In order to illustrate the present invention, exemplary embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 An exemplary direct vehicle engagement system (DVES) according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 An exemplary representation of a screen of a user's mobile device is shown, illustrating a method of using a DVES according to the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3 Another exemplary representation of a screen of a user's mobile device is shown, illustrating other methods of using a DVES according to the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 4 An exemplary flow chart illustrating the operation of a DVES in a "temporary arrangement" mode according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 5 Another arrangement of a DVES according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Figure 6 An exemplary flow chart illustrating the operation of a DVES in a "wait in line" mode according to the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Before describing various exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims of this application.

[0035] In the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent similar features of the systems and methods of the present disclosure. Therefore, although some descriptions may only refer to certain drawings and reference numerals, it should be understood that such descriptions may also apply to similar reference numerals in other drawings.

[0036] The present disclosure provides a direct vehicle appointment system (DVES) 10 that allows a user of a handheld device running a DVES application to randomly select (or arbitrarily select) any available "for hire" vehicle, which may be operating independently or co-located with a group of other for hire vehicles in a selected area, and temporarily appoint and arrange a trip directly using the available vehicle of interest without using a ride-hailing service to create a trip. The "selected area" can be a visually perceptible area, an area within a physical distance selected by the user, or an area within communication distance of a device selected by the user. The DVES 10 and method provide two general variations: a "temporary arrangement" mode and a "queue waiting" mode. Using the "temporary arrangement" mode, generally as Figure 1 As shown, a user 12 who wants to schedule the service of a ride-hailing vehicle 14 can utilize the DVES 10 to self-identify and self-schedule an available unassigned vehicle 14 located in an area or range selected by the user 12. Figure 5 In the "wait in line" mode shown, users 12 can utilize DVES 10 to identify, select, confirm, and reserve a desired available, unassigned vehicle 14, which can be pre-positioned in a designated area or in a formal "next car" queue similar to a traditional taxi stand or "wait in line." Any reservation of a vehicle 14 under either mode occurs in real time and does not require the user 12 to have a vehicle 14 assigned to a trip request through a central operations center or a third-party intermediary.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 , shows an exemplary embodiment of a DVES 10. In this embodiment, a user 12 is shown at a street corner, using a mobile device 16 to identify and use an available unassigned vehicle 14 that is generally within the visual range of the user 12. As shown, the user 12 typically has a user mobile device 16, such as a cell phone, smart phone, tablet device, etc., and the user can use the mobile device 16 to access a DVES application 18 to identify available unassigned vehicles 14 that are generally within the visual geographic range of the user 12. For illustrative purposes, Figure 1Vehicles 14a, 14b, and 14c are shown, with vehicles 14a and 14b currently available (as indicated by check marks) and unassigned, while vehicle 14c is unavailable (as indicated by an "X").

[0038] like Figure 4 In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 1 , in the "temporary arrangement" mode of the system 10, a user 12 first accesses the DVES application 18 on the user's mobile device 16 (block 100). According to a preferred embodiment, the camera of the user's mobile device 16 is activated and provides a video overview of nearby vehicles 14 in the application's "search" mode (block 110). In a preferred embodiment, the DVES application 18 immediately defaults to searching for and visually highlighting and / or annotating all available unassigned vehicles 14 located within a geographic area near the user 12 (block 120). In an embodiment of the DVES application 18, the user 12 can visually select a geographic area to search by pointing the user's mobile device 16 in various directions. In the "search" mode of the DVES application 18, the camera seeks and identifies any and all available unassigned vehicles 14 within the geographic proximity of the user's location. All "available" rental vehicles 14 are displayed and distinguished on the screen or display 20 of the user's mobile device 16 (block 120). The mobile device 16 can be configured to dynamically display the video on the display 20 based on the camera's detection. Thus, the mobile device 16 may be configured to highlight and / or annotate the vehicle 14 on the display 20 based on the available status signals.

[0039] For example, based on the vehicle information provided by the vehicle 14 along with the availability signal, additional details about the vehicle 14 can be provided on the screen 20. Based on this additional information, the user 12 can enter conditional trip parameters, and the DVES application 18 can then highlight or use other visual enhancements among the vehicles 14 initially designated as "available," "gray out" (or ignore) those that do not meet the desired characteristics, or display those that meet the preselected parameters. Even if some initial filtering has been selected (e.g., by range), and the "$", "$$", and "$$$" symbols appear above the available vehicles, even within the screen after some criteria have been filtered, these symbols can further allow the user to "post-filter" the displayed vehicles during the selection process by incorporating factors such as individual prices into the selection process. Furthermore, by using different highlight colors, for example, the user can further select based on the type of vehicle service, such as Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each vehicle 14 includes a DVES beacon 22 (or transmitter or signal beacon) that transmits an available status signal. Each beacon 22 may include a housing, a lens, a transmitter, a shield, a heater, a receiver, and the necessary circuitry for transmitting / receiving signals. In some embodiments, the beacon 22 includes a receiver. In some embodiments, the receiver is independent or separate from the beacon 22. The signal transmitted by the beacon 22 can be transmitted continuously (or substantially continuously) regardless of whether the vehicle 14 is available or unassigned. Such a signal is preferably transmitted via a digitally modulated infrared or other spectrum emission, and may optionally be transmitted via a fixed visible light indication (e.g., a light that appears to be steady red or green, but is actually digitally modulated too quickly for the eye to perceive). The DVES application 18 searches for any and all vehicles 14 that are actively emitting a digitally modulated infrared or visible light "I am available" signal. When the DVES application 18 senses (or detects) one or more vehicles 14 with such a signal, the application 18 may highlight such vehicles and / or annotate all such vehicles 14 that are transmitting such a signal status (i.e., "available" vehicles) on the screen 20 of the user's mobile device 16, and / or gray out those vehicles 14 that are not transmitting such an availability code (i.e., "unavailable" vehicles). The DVES application 18 may also provide additional visual, audible, and / or tactile alerts indicating the availability status of each vehicle 14 within the user's 12 geographic range (e.g., by superimposing a visual graphic on the screen 20 with a visually enhanced arrow 24 or the like pointing to each vehicle 14 that is transmitting such a signal and is therefore "available" for selection and trip appointment). This identification process is preferably dynamic, and as any new vehicles 14 with such a signal become available, they are automatically added to the screen 20 or augmented display of the user's mobile device immediately (or substantially immediately), optionally accompanied by an audible signal, and conversely, each vehicle 14 that becomes assigned or otherwise ceases to transmit an "availability" code will have its available status changed and its augmented graphical treatment removed from the search / identification display process.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 , user 12 receives signals from vehicles 14a and 14b indicating that they are available for selection and appointment. However, vehicle 14c transmits a signal to the user indicating that vehicle 14c is currently unavailable. This information may be displayed on the screen 20 of the user's mobile device 16, as shown in FIG. Figure 2As shown. Once vehicle 14c becomes available, e.g., the scheduled passenger arrives at his or her destination and exits vehicle 14c, the signal transmitted to user 12 will immediately (or substantially immediately) change to an "I am available" signal. Similarly, if vehicle 14b is selected and scheduled by another user 12b, the signal transmitted from vehicle 14b will immediately (or substantially immediately) change to an "unavailable" signal, and the user mobile device 16 will be alerted to this change, and user 12 will not be able to select the now-assigned vehicle 14b.

[0042] In a basic embodiment of the "Search" mode, a user 12 may be presented with a search screen 20 displaying all available vehicles 14 (block 120). In some embodiments, as described above, the user 12 may select various "filter" travel conditions or parameters to narrow the display on screen 20, for example, displaying only those highlighted or annotated vehicles 14 that meet the selected travel conditions or parameters. For example, the user 12 may filter the "search" to display only nearby vehicles 14 with an available range greater than "x" miles, or only vehicles 14 with "x" seats, or only vehicles 14 with a certain seating configuration, or only vehicles 14 with special features, such as vehicles for the disabled, or only vehicles of a specific category (i.e., only taxis, only private vehicles, etc.). In use, the user 12 selects the desired filter parameters via the user's mobile device 16 prior to the search screen engagement. Vehicles 14 typically transmit this data along with the availability signal via a DVES beacon 22. The conditions and / or parameters for each vehicle 14 may be set in advance by the driver of the vehicle (or, if the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, by the administrator / operator), which will be reflected in the data stream transmitted by the beacon 22 of the vehicle 14. For example, the driver, administrator, or operator may set a maximum number of passengers allowed, a maximum / minimum possible trip distance or radius, a minimum fare, a smoking / non-smoking cabin policy, etc. for the vehicle 14. The DVES application 18 may allow the user 12 to select one or more filters (e.g., trip conditions or parameters), which will limit the identification of available vehicles 14 to only those vehicles 14 that meet the filter requirements, and only those vehicles 14 that meet the selected conditions and parameters will be displayed to the user 12 for selection and engagement.

[0043] Typically, each vehicle 14 will be equipped with a DVES beacon 22, such as Figure 1As shown. More specifically, the DVES beacon 22 can be mounted on the roof, short antenna, or other high point of each vehicle 14 to maximize the transmission range of the beacon signal. The use of an internal beacon heating system will not affect the beacon transmission in cold weather conditions. The DVES beacon 22 can also digitally transmit various other status, ID, data, pricing information, or other indications via additional adjustment data fields that can be read by the camera or receiver of the mobile device 16. For example, trip conditions and parameters can be transmitted from the DVES beacon 22 along with the availability signal so that the user 12 can identify and select a vehicle 14 based on specific trip needs. Therefore, the DVES 10 according to the present disclosure has the ability to transmit multiple consecutive data fields within each transmission cycle.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment of the "Ad Hoc Arrangement" mode of the DVES 10, all that is required for the user 12 to preliminarily arrange a particular vehicle 14 of interest is for the user 12 to click at or on an image of the vehicle 14 of interest on the handheld touch screen of the user's mobile device 16 during the application's "Search" mode (block 130), as shown. Figure 2 As shown. This selection may also be accomplished using other selection gestures, such as a single click or press, a double click or press, or pressing for a specified period of time on the image of the desired vehicle 14, i.e., by any desired type of user input. Upon completion of any appropriate selection gesture, the DVES application 18 transitions from the "search" mode to the "engage" mode (block 140), and the graphics of the handheld screen change to highlight only the vehicle 14 that was just selected, i.e., the unique ID code 26 of the vehicle 14 is now displayed on the user's mobile device 16, e.g., next to the image of the vehicle on the mobile device display screen 20, as shown. Figure 3 At the same time, all other vehicles 14 displayed on the screen 20 of the mobile device 16 will be "greyed out" because no appointment has been selected.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment of the DVES 10, a user can formally commit to a selected vehicle 14 by confirming the unique vehicle ID code 26 using the user's mobile device 16 (block 155). For example, the user's mobile device 16 can transmit a message back to the vehicle 14 confirming receipt of the unique vehicle ID code 26. Alternatively, the selected vehicle 14 can directly interact with an optical scanner inside or outside the selected vehicle 14 using optical means associated with the user's mobile device 16 to optically identify an image, such as a barcode, QR code, or the like, displayed on the display screen of the mobile device 16. Further, the selected vehicle 14 can interact with an RF receiver on the selected vehicle 14 using any type of known radio frequency (RF) transmission means associated with the user's mobile device 16. The exchange with the optical scanner or RF receiver on the selected vehicle 14 can include providing the unique vehicle ID code 26 to verify the vehicle's commitment. Thus, the selected vehicle 14 may be configured to receive a unique vehicle ID code (or confirmation code) 26 from the mobile device 16 via radio communication, from the mobile device 16 via optical recognition, and / or manually entered from the user 12 via an interface on or within the vehicle 14 .

[0046] When a user initially selects a particular vehicle (i.e., makes a preliminary appointment), several related actions may also be triggered. First, the vehicle beacon transmission status displayed on the selector's screen will immediately (or substantially immediately) change from displaying an "I'm Available" signal to displaying the vehicle's confirmation ID code 26, and simultaneously (or substantially simultaneously) remove the vehicle 14 from displaying "Available" on any other handheld device screens 20 that may be operating in DVES search mode (block 160). This initial selection process by user 12 also causes any moving vehicle 14 selected for rental to immediately (or substantially immediately) stop (or provide instructions to stop) at the nearest suitable location to pick up a passenger (block 165) and starts a timer for the user to enter an appropriate confirmation to formally schedule the appointment with the vehicle 14 within a predetermined time (block 175). According to a preferred embodiment, the timer can be pre-set, for example, to 120 seconds. That is, once the timer starts, the user has 120 seconds to enter a confirmation code or otherwise formally schedule the appointment with the vehicle 14 to confirm the itinerary (e.g., via optical scanning or radio frequency transmission) (block 180). If the confirmation code is entered by appropriate means, the trip can begin (box 190). If the timer exceeds 120 seconds without confirmation, the vehicle beacon 22 will revert to displaying the vehicle 14 as "available" again (box 185). For human-driven vehicles, the DVES 10 will trigger an audible and visual "vehicle engagement" alert for the driver to stop at the nearest safe location, just as a taxi would when a real-world ride is requested. In the case of an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle will similarly pull over and may activate its four-way flashers while waiting to actually find a passenger and enter the vehicle.

[0047] If the selected vehicle 14 is already parked at an appropriate pickup location, it may also wait a predetermined length of time before the vehicle 14 becomes "available" to allow the requesting party to finalize the appointment (or formally reserve a vehicle), such as by: entering the vehicle 14; electronically or manually providing a unique vehicle ID code 26; interacting with an optical scanner; and / or interacting with a radio frequency receiver (box 185).

[0048] The actual entry of trip information data for the DVES selection / appointment process can take several forms. The preferred and fastest method simply requires selecting a preloaded destination stored on the user's mobile device 16 running the DVES application 18, which is then transmitted to the selected vehicle 14 along with the stored user and fare information. Alternatively, the user 12 can manually enter the destination information after the initial vehicle selection. After selecting the desired destination, either from a stored list or manually entered into the application 18, the user's mobile device 16 sends a burst transmission to the vehicle 14, confirming the selected vehicle's unique ID code 26 and transmitting all relevant trip and fare information necessary to complete the desired trip (block 150). The user 12 then approaches the selected vehicle 14 and scans the user's mobile device's screen 20 (which may already be displaying a QR code or other information code) in front of an optical reader mounted inside and / or outside the vehicle 14. Alternatively, the user can manually enter the unique vehicle ID code 26 on a keypad located on or within the vehicle 14. Alternatively, if the user's mobile device 16 fails or if needed, the appointment with the vehicle 14 can be accomplished by entering the user ID code 26 and the destination using other methods such as voice input.

[0049] If the selected vehicle 14 is within the desired geographic range of the user 12 but is not immediately visible to the user 12, the DVES application 18 may include: a vehicle locator mode to assist and guide the user 12 to the selected vehicle 14 (box 170); and an annotation screen similar to the "search mode" screen in which the agreed vehicle is highlighted or annotated.

[0050] In embodiments according to the present disclosure, no communication is required between the user 12 and a central or off-site allocation system to initially or preliminarily reserve a vehicle or set up a trip request. Instead, the user 12 communicates directly with any available unassigned vehicle 14. More preferably, the user 12 can use the DVES application 18 on the user's mobile device 16 to identify available vehicles 14, select a particular vehicle 14 from a group of available vehicles 14, and have the selected vehicle 14 reserve a trip. In some embodiments, the user 12 can determine specific desired trip parameters (or filter parameters), including but not limited to the type of vehicle, the size of the vehicle, the number of seats in the vehicle, the seating configuration of the vehicle, the operational range of the vehicle, the charge level / fuel level of the vehicle, or the presence of special equipment (e.g., equipment for people with disabilities), and use the DVES 10 according to the present disclosure to determine available filtered unassigned vehicles 14 that meet any of the selected trip conditions or parameters.

[0051] Using DVES 10, any available, unassigned vehicle 14 near user 12 can be selected directly on-site in real time, without requiring user 12 to communicate with a "third-party" central / off-site control system, such as a central operations center, to establish or fulfill a trip appointment. Using DVES 10 does not preclude communication with a third party to finalize the trip transaction, such as payment. Using DVES 10, the entire trip appointment process is entirely between user 12 and the vehicle 14 selected by user 12. User 12 does not need to pre-arrange a specific ride request in order to have a specific vehicle arrive at their location and then attempt to search and identify the specific vehicle from a large number of other similar vehicles.

[0052] In another embodiment of the DVES 10, the Figure 5 The "waiting in line" mode shown, and follow Figure 6 By utilizing the "wait in line" model, whether the vehicles 14 equipped with the DVES are pre-arranged in a formal queue similar to a traditional taxi stand, or gathered as part of a waiting group of available vehicles 14, the end user 12 can directly and spontaneously use any desired vehicle 14 waiting in such a queue, rather than being limited to selecting the first vehicle in line.

[0053] According to the preferred operation of the "Wait in Line" mode, user 12 accesses DVES application 18 and begins the selection / booking process (box 200). User 12 enters travel and / or billing information into DVES application 18 (box 210). Then, instead of searching as in the "Ad-hoc" mode described above, user 12 can find available unassigned vehicles 14 at pre-designated locations such as airports, bus stations, train stations, sporting events, concerts, shopping malls, or any other populated area. Application 18 can still help user 12 confirm the availability of vehicles 14 in the queue to ensure that another user 12 has not already claimed a particular vehicle 14. Once confirmed, user 12 can book with an available vehicle 14 in a variety of ways.

[0054] In "waiting in line" mode, in addition to broadcasting a message signal via beacon 22 or another portion of vehicle 14, vehicle 14 may also display a visible light indicator 28, such as a green light indicating an available state or a red light indicating an unavailable state. In this regard, user 12 may rent vehicle 14 without using DVES application 18 or even requiring user mobile device 16. In effect, all that is required for user 12 to schedule an appointment with a vehicle 14 is for user 12 to walk up to the door of any vehicle 14 displaying a green light / available beacon and open it (block 220). Once an unoccupied / available vehicle 14 senses (or detects) that its door has been opened and / or that the occupancy sensor indicates that more than one person has entered vehicle 14, vehicle 14 may immediately change its availability status and color indicator to "unavailable" to prevent another user 12 from attempting to schedule an appointment within a set period of time after the timer starts (block 225).

[0055] According to another method of implementing a vehicle appointment, the user 12 simply points the user mobile device 16 toward the "near field" antenna on the vehicle 14 to transmit a burst transmission from the DVES application 18 to the vehicle 14, wherein the burst transmission transmits important trip information, such as the intended destination address to which the vehicle 14 needs to go, as well as other relevant information required or desired to execute the trip appointment request (box 240).

[0056] Alternatively, the trip information may be provided from the user mobile device 16 via a radio frequency transmission received by a radio frequency receiver associated with the vehicle 14, or the user 12 may simply manually enter the appropriate trip information and other optional information, such as fare data, such as via a touch screen on the vehicle 14, or via voice input. Further, the user 12 may place the user mobile device 16 under an optical reader or scanner on the vehicle 14 to immediately enter important trip information into the DVES 10 via a QR code or other commonly used visible code (block 230).

[0057] Once a vehicle 14 in the queue is selected and preliminarily booked, the selected vehicle 14 automatically changes its status to "unavailable" by adjusting its beacon availability signal and changing its visible light indication (e.g., from green to red) within a set period of time after the timer starts (block 235). Thereafter, the user 12 confirms the trip information with the vehicle 14 (block 260) and starts the trip (block 270).

[0058] It is foreseeable that as the number of “for-hire” vehicles increases, traditional parking lots for private vehicles will become less and less necessary, and therefore larger and larger areas will be designed and designated to more efficiently accommodate and / or queue the available vehicles for departing customers. By appropriately designing the waiting “lines” or areas, e.g. Figure 5As shown, by using a diagonal or perpendicular parking space design, any new committed vehicles 14 can begin moving immediately, regardless of their position in the queue, line, or the movement status of other nearby vehicles 14.

[0059] In addition to the vehicle 14 electronically advertising its "available for hire" status, the beacon 22 may also include a visible light indicator that communicates its "available for hire" status through a color change or other visible light change. For those situations where the user 12 may not have access to a functioning user mobile device 16 and cannot immediately access the DVES application 18, the DVES 10 may be configured to accept all manually entered information via a touchscreen or keyboard on and / or in the vehicle 14, as well as a credit card reader for billing. To accommodate "temporary" ride requests, a user 12 touching or pulling the door handle of an available vehicle may cause the vehicle 14 to be immediately placed in a temporary reservation condition for a preset period of time. If the vehicle 14's door is not opened and / or the vehicle's seat occupancy sensors do not detect any occupancy, the vehicle 14 will automatically return to the "available" state and communicate such availability information accordingly.

[0060] If a group of multiple passengers requires multiple consecutive trip destinations, the trip can be temporarily pre-configured once before the formal appointment, or multiple stored locations can be selected and added from the address book, or input and transmitted to the vehicle 14 in turn. The DVES 10 according to the present disclosure can also split the fare equally among several passengers, or distribute the cost of the trip segments proportionally if there are multiple drop-off locations, or charge the primary user 12 entirely regardless of the number of destinations. The above decisions can be predetermined before the vehicle 14 is formally appointed to maximize efficiency.

[0061] Additional drop-off locations can also be added dynamically during the trip.

[0062] Optionally, when weather conditions or other local factors limit the handheld device's visibility, the DVES application 18 can display a list of nearby available vehicles (allowing filtering) and allow selection of vehicles not already within the handheld device's visual range. In this case, selection can be made by selecting a vehicle from the list. The list can highlight and / or annotate vehicles based on the filtering parameters described above. Although a particular vehicle may be initially selected when it is outside the requester's immediate area (or visually perceptible area), causing it to no longer appear "available for hire" to all users other than the designated user, actual reservations will only be made when the selected vehicle is within visual range. Upon initial vehicle selection, the designated user's geographic coordinates are transmitted to the selected vehicle's driver in the case of a "human-driven" vehicle, or to the vehicle's navigation system in the case of an autonomous vehicle. For situations beyond the range of optical and / or short-range radio frequency transmission, both the vehicle and the mobile device running the DVES application can utilize cellular or other known communication networks for data transmission, while also utilizing GPS or other commonly used location data sources to exchange instantaneous location data (i.e., real-time location data).

[0063] The systems and apparatus disclosed herein may be computer-controlled systems and apparatus having the necessary electronics, computer processing power, interfaces, memory, hardware, software, firmware, logic / state machines, databases, microprocessors, communication links, displays or other visual or audio interfaces to provide the functions or achieve the results described herein.

[0064] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention is for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the forms disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure. The embodiments described are intended to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as may be desired for the particular application contemplated.

Claims

1. A direct vehicle appointment system comprising: a beacon associated with a vehicle; as well as a mobile device; wherein the beacon is configured to transmit an availability status signal, the availability status signal indicating whether the vehicle is available for rent or not; wherein the mobile device is configured to receive the available status signal; wherein the mobile device comprises a camera and a display, wherein the mobile device is configured to dynamically display a video on the display according to a detection result of the camera; wherein the display is a touch screen, and wherein the mobile device is configured to preliminarily reserve the vehicle available for rental when a user selects the vehicle on the touch screen; and wherein the mobile device is configured to directly engage the vehicle associated with the beacon based on a user's selection; wherein the mobile device is configured to arrange for a vehicle rental without communicating with a central operations center or a third-party intermediary to allocate a vehicle trip; and In the temporary arrangement mode, a person who has not yet arranged a trip or pick-up from the ride-hailing service uses the mobile device to identify and locate available unassigned vehicles in a geographic area associated with the person, and the vehicle's engagement occurs in real time without the user having to engage in advance through the central operations center or a third-party intermediary agency to assign a vehicle for a specific trip request.

2. The direct vehicle appointment system of claim 1 , further comprising a receiver associated with the vehicle, wherein the receiver is configured to receive a confirmation code for formalizing the appointment.

3. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 2, characterized in that The receiver is configured to receive the confirmation code from the mobile device by radio communication, by optical recognition, or by manual entry from the user at an interface on or within the vehicle.

4. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that The mobile device is configured to highlight and / or annotate the vehicle in the display based on the available status signal.

5. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that The beacon is configured to transmit a corporate affiliation of the vehicle, and wherein the mobile device is configured to annotate the vehicle with the corporate affiliation on the display.

6. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that The mobile device is configured to store a filter parameter, and wherein the mobile device is further configured to gray out the vehicle on the display or omit the vehicle based on the filter parameter.

7. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The screening parameter is the destination address.

8. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The screening parameters are vehicle type, vehicle category, vehicle size, vehicle seating capacity, vehicle seating configuration, vehicle available operating range, vehicle charge level, vehicle fuel level, or the presence of special equipment.

9. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that The beacon is configured to transmit the availability status signal as a digitally modulated infrared and / or visible light signal.

10. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that If the availability status signal indicates that the vehicle is available for rental, the mobile device is configured to send an appointment signal to the vehicle via radio frequency transmission to rent the vehicle.

11. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 10, characterized in that: The beacon is configured to change the availability signal to indicate that the vehicle is not available for hire upon receiving an appointment signal sent by the mobile device, and to change the availability signal to indicate that the vehicle is available for hire if the trip is not confirmed within a predetermined time.

12. The direct vehicle engagement system according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of beacons, each beacon associated with a vehicle; wherein the beacon is one of a plurality of beacons; wherein each beacon is configured to transmit an availability status signal indicating whether the corresponding associated vehicle is available for rent or not; and The mobile device is configured to receive each available status signal having a selected range.

13. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 12, characterized in that: If the availability signal transmitted by the beacon associated with a desired vehicle indicates that the desired vehicle is available for rent, the mobile device is configured to directly reserve the desired vehicle associated with the plurality of beacons according to a user's selection.

14. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 1, characterized in that The mobile device is configured to receive the available status signal when the vehicle is out of sight of a user from a location of the mobile device.

15. The direct vehicle appointment system according to claim 14, characterized in that The mobile device is configured to preliminarily engage the vehicle when the vehicle is not visible from a location of the mobile device.

16. A direct vehicle engagement device comprising: A mobile device comprising a display, wherein the mobile device is configured to receive an availability signal transmitted from a beacon of a vehicle; as well as a camera, wherein the mobile device is configured to dynamically display video on the display based on detection by the camera, and wherein the mobile device is configured to highlight and / or annotate the vehicle on the display based on the available status signal; as well as wherein the mobile device is configured to directly engage the vehicle associated with the beacon based on a user's selection; wherein the mobile device is configured to arrange for a vehicle rental without communicating with a central operations center or a third-party intermediary to allocate a vehicle trip; and wherein, in the ad hoc scheduling mode, a person who has not yet scheduled a trip or pickup from a ride-hailing service utilizes the mobile device to identify and locate available unassigned vehicles within a geographic area associated with the person, and the vehicle engagement occurs in real time without requiring the user to engage the central operations center or a third-party intermediary in advance and assign a vehicle to a specific trip request; The display is a touch screen, and the mobile device is configured to preliminarily reserve the vehicle for rent when a user selects the vehicle on the touch screen.

17. The direct vehicle engagement device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The mobile device is configured to highlight the vehicle green on the display if the availability status signal indicates that the vehicle is available for rent, and / or to highlight the vehicle red on the display if the availability status signal indicates that the vehicle is not available for rent.

18. The direct vehicle engagement device according to claim 16, characterized in that: If the availability status signal indicates that the vehicle is available for rent, the mobile device is configured to annotate the vehicle on the display with a check mark, and / or if the availability status signal indicates that the vehicle is not available for rent, the mobile device is configured to annotate the vehicle on the display with an "X".

19. The direct vehicle engagement device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The mobile device is configured to annotate the vehicle on the display with the vehicle's corporate affiliation and / or with the vehicle's classification.

20. A method for directly reserving a vehicle in a direct vehicle reservation system, comprising: transmitting an availability status signal by a plurality of beacons, each beacon being associated with a respective vehicle, each availability status signal indicating whether the respective vehicle is available for rental; receiving, by a mobile device, the availability status signal of each beacon of the plurality of beacons; A user of the mobile device selects a desired vehicle and directly orders the desired vehicle associated with the beacon, the beacon of the desired vehicle transmitting the availability signal indicating that the vehicle is available for rental; as well as The mobile device preliminarily arranges for the required vehicle to be rented; wherein the mobile device is configured to arrange for a vehicle rental without communicating with a central operations center or a third-party intermediary to allocate a vehicle trip; wherein, in the ad hoc scheduling mode, a person who has not yet scheduled a trip or pickup from a ride-hailing service utilizes the mobile device to identify and locate available unassigned vehicles within a geographic area associated with the person, and the vehicle engagement occurs in real time without requiring the user to engage the central operations center or a third-party intermediary in advance and assign a vehicle to a specific trip request; wherein the mobile device comprises a camera and a display, wherein the mobile device is configured to dynamically display a video on the display according to a detection result of the camera; The display is a touch screen, and the mobile device is configured to preliminarily reserve the vehicle for rent when a user selects the vehicle on the touch screen.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising transmitting a not available for rent status signal via the beacon of the desired vehicle after the initial appointment.

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