Centralized Pooled Transport Routing to Reduce Route Deviation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing on-demand transport services face challenges in minimizing route deviation and optimizing transport routes for pooled services, leading to inefficiencies in service provider and vehicle operations.

Innovation Solution

A network computer system that coordinates pooled transport services by aligning service start locations and optimizing routes through a centralized system that integrates requester and provider devices, using location-aware resources and algorithms to minimize route deviation and optimize travel time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If pooled transport services are coordinated through a centralized system to align service start locations, then route deviation is minimized and transport efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases due to integration of multiple requester and provider devices

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransport efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A centralized server acts as an intermediary between multiple requester devices and provider devices, coordinating service start locations and routes. The server receives service requests from requesters, processes them through algorithms that consider provider locations and routes, and generates optimized service start locations that minimize route deviation while improving overall transport efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of time

If service start locations are aligned to minimize route deviation, then travel time for service providers is reduced, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring optimal locations increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetravel timeVSAvoiddetecting optimal service start locations
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual or heuristic methods of determining service start locations with automated algorithms executed by a centralized server. These algorithms process geographic data, provider locations, and route information to compute optimized service start locations that minimize route deviation and travel time, eliminating the need for manual detection and measurement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback loops where the server continuously receives information about provider locations, routes, and service requests, processes this data through optimization algorithms, and adjusts service start location assignments to minimize route deviation. This iterative feedback process enables the system to dynamically determine optimal locations based on real-time conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3704444B1Network computer system to arrange pooled transport services
Publication Date: 2025.10.22 UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC
  • EP3704444B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3704444B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3704444B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

A network computer system operates to receive a plurality of service requests over a given time interval, where individual service requests specify a respective target destination and a current location of a respective requester device. For each service request, the network computer system arranges a pooled transport service for the corresponding requester by selecting a service start location, and instructions for enabling the requester to travel to the service start location. The network computer system may select the service provider based on a variety of considerations, including the service start location, the current location of the corresponding service provider, and the determined time interval.