Ride-share Matching Privacy Protection via Distance Exclusion

The patent extracts and removes private area location information from the disclosed route data. The system identifies private areas (homes, offices, hospitals) and excludes their specific location details from being shared with other ride-sharers, while still maintaining the functionality of route matching by using generalized or masked location representations.

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that mediates between the need for location information in matching and the need for privacy protection. This intermediary system processes route information to remove or mask private area locations before disclosure, acting as a buffer that allows matching to occur without direct exposure of sensitive location data.

The system extracts private area location information from the complete route data and separates it from the matchable route characteristics. This allows the matching process to operate efficiently on non-sensitive route attributes while the extracted private location information is protected and not disclosed.

The patent applies different quality levels of information disclosure to different parts of the route data. Sensitive portions (private area locations) receive high-level protection with information removed or masked, while non-sensitive portions (general route path, timing) are disclosed to enable matching, creating a localized differential privacy approach.