Navigation Routing via Intermediary Destinations for Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional technologies do not adequately protect the privacy and safety of customers and providers in short-term service or goods transactions, as they often require sharing personal information and contact details, which can deter individuals from engaging in such transactions.
Innovation Solution
A method where a provider's mobile device presents navigation information to an intermediary destination without revealing the final destination, using encrypted location information and geofenced areas, ensuring privacy by only disclosing the final destination after reaching the intermediary location, and allowing notifications to be sent to associated entities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional technology shares customer contact information with providers for service matching, then service transaction efficiency is improved, but customer privacy and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the destination information into two parts: an intermediary destination (general area) and the final destination (specific location). The provider receives navigation to the intermediary destination first, and only after arriving there does the system reveal the final destination. This segmentation allows service matching to occur without exposing the customer's complete location information upfront, thus maintaining privacy while enabling efficient service transactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by having the provider navigate to the intermediary destination before revealing the final destination information. This preliminary navigation step allows the service matching process to begin without compromising customer privacy, as the provider only has access to general area information at this stage. The complete location information is revealed only after the provider has already positioned themselves in the vicinity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If customer contact information is disclosed to providers before service engagement, then service matching capability is improved, but customer anonymity is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing location information into hierarchical levels: intermediary destination (area-level) and final destination (address-level). This allows the system to provide sufficient information for service matching at the intermediary level while preserving customer anonymity by withholding the final destination until the provider has already arrived in the vicinity. The segmentation enables versatile service matching without complete information disclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary destination serves as a mediator between the customer's final location and the provider's navigation system. Instead of directly sharing the customer's precise address, the system uses the intermediary destination as a buffer that enables service matching while maintaining a layer of privacy protection. The intermediary location facilitates the matching process without exposing sensitive final destination information prematurely.
3Loss of information
If encrypted location information is used to protect privacy, then customer anonymity is maintained, but information accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by providing unencrypted intermediary destination information first, which is sufficient for navigation purposes. The encrypted final destination information is then decrypted and made accessible only after the provider has arrived at the intermediary destination. This approach maintains anonymity through encryption while ensuring information accessibility at the appropriate time in the service workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments location information into encrypted and unencrypted portions based on their sensitivity and timing requirements. The intermediary destination information can be unencrypted and easily accessible for navigation, while the final destination remains encrypted until the appropriate moment. This segmentation balances anonymity protection with operational ease by applying different encryption strategies to different information segments.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method that provides for the routing and delivery of services to consumers by providers is disclosed. The system enables providers to advertise and list the products and services they provide, and customers to solicit bids or to otherwise seek to engage a provider to perform a service or from whom to purchase a good. The system may store customer and provider information in databases to be searched to identify a match between customer and provider. The system transmits navigation information to the provider's device to travel to the final destination. The navigation information includes an intermediary destination the provider must reach before being presented with the final destination. The system may include a notification feature to notify a customer or third party regarding the location of the provider or the status of a requested service or delivery.