U.S. patent application number 14/329451 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-12 for systems and methods for travel planning that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit.
The applicant listed for this patent is Elwha LLC. Invention is credited to Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Clarence T. Tegreene.
Application Number | 20150323330 14/329451 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54367574 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150323330 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lord; Richard T. ; et
al. |
November 12, 2015 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING THAT CALLS FOR AT LEAST ONE
TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE UNIT
Abstract
Computationally implemented methods and systems that are
designed for receiving a request for transporting one or more end
users towards a destination location; providing a travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying at
least two route legs including at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg;
and directing the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location
in order to transport the one or more end users over the transport
route leg. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are
described in the claims, drawings, and text.
Inventors: |
Lord; Richard T.; (Gig
Harbor, WA) ; Lord; Robert W.; (Seattle, WA) ;
Myhrvold; Nathan P.; (Medina, WA) ; Tegreene;
Clarence T.; (Mercer Island, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elwha LLC |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54367574 |
Appl. No.: |
14/329451 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14328002 |
Jul 10, 2014 |
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14329451 |
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14318182 |
Jun 27, 2014 |
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14328002 |
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61989394 |
May 6, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
701/410 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/3438 20130101;
G01C 21/34 20130101; G06Q 10/025 20130101; G01C 21/3423
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/34 20060101
G01C021/34 |
Claims
1-161. (canceled)
162. A system, comprising: a travel plan producing module
configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or more
end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg; and a
transportation vehicle unit guiding module configured to guide the
at least one transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location
to rendezvous with the one or more end users in order to transport
the one or more end users over the transport route leg.
163. (canceled)
164. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce the travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from the starting location, the travel plan identifying a
planned travel route for traveling at least partway between the
starting location and the destination location.
165. The system of claim 164, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan identifying a planned travel
route for traveling at least partway between the starting location
and the destination location comprises: a travel plan producing
module configured to produce the travel plan that identifies the
planned travel route, the travel plan further identifying one or
more preferred intermediate arrival times that are respectfully
associated with each of one or more intermediate locations along
the planned travel route, the travel plan designed to facilitate
the one or more end users to reach the destination location at
proximately a preferred arrival time if the one or more end users
arrive at the one or more intermediate locations at proximately the
one or more preferred intermediate arrival times.
166. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce the travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from the starting location, the travel plan identifying
one or more ferries and/or one or more mass transit vehicles for
traveling along at least a portion of a route leg.
167. (canceled)
168. (canceled)
169. (canceled)
170. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce the travel plan
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end user over the
transport route leg, the travel plan further identifying a
rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time for the one or more end
users to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit in order
for the one or more end users to be transported over the transport
route leg.
171. The system of claim 170, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end user over the transport route leg,
the travel plan further identifying a rendezvous location and/or
rendezvous time for the one or more end users to rendezvous with
the transportation vehicle unit in order for the one or more end
users to be transported over the transport route leg comprises: a
travel plan producing module configured to produce a travel plan
that identifies a rendezvous location for the one or more end users
to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit in order for the
one or more end users to be transported over the transport route
leg, the rendezvous location being the same as or proximate to the
starting location.
172. The system of claim 170, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end user over the transport route leg,
the travel plan further identifying a rendezvous location and/or
rendezvous time for the one or more end users to rendezvous with
the transportation vehicle unit in order for the one or more end
users to be transported over the transport route leg comprises: a
travel plan producing module configured to produce a travel plan
that identifies a rendezvous location for the one or more end users
to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit in order for the
one or more end users to be transported over the transport route
leg, the rendezvous location being an intermediate location located
between the starting location and the destination location.
173. The system of claim 172, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan that identifies a
rendezvous location for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit in order for the one or more
end users to be transported over the transport route leg, the
rendezvous location being an intermediate location located between
the starting location and the destination location comprises: a
travel plan producing module configured to produce a travel plan
that identifies the rendezvous location that is an intermediate
location located between the starting location and the destination
location and a rendezvous time for the one or more end users to
rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit at the rendezvous
location in order for the one or more end users to be transported
over the transport route leg, the rendezvous time being a planned
point or range in time for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit at the rendezvous
location.
174. (canceled)
175. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce the travel plan
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end user over the
transport route leg, the travel plan identifying one or more modes
of transportation for each of the at least two route legs.
176. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce a travel plan
identifying at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg and a first route leg that does not call for
any transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end
users over any portion of the first route leg, the at least one
transport route leg being a second route leg.
177. The system of claim 176, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan identifying at least two
route legs including the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the transport route leg and a first
route leg that does not call for any transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over any portion of the first
route leg, the at least one transport route leg being a second
route leg comprises: a travel plan producing module configured to
produce a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including
the first route leg that does not call for any transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over any
portion of the first route leg and a second route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the second route leg, the first route leg
calling for the one or more end users to travel over the first
route leg by walking, by bicycling, by mass transit, and/or by
ferry.
178. The system of claim 176, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan identifying at least two
route legs including the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the transport route leg and a first
route leg that does not call for any transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over any portion of the first
route leg, the at least one transport route leg being a second
route leg comprises: a travel plan producing module configured to
produce a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including
the first route leg that does not call for any transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over any
portion of the first route leg and a second route leg that calls
for the at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end user over the second route leg, the first route leg
preceding the second route leg along an overall travel route for
traveling from the starting location to the destination
location.
179. The system of claim 176, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan identifying at least two
route legs including the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the transport route leg and a first
route leg that does not call for any transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over any portion of the first
route leg, the at least one transport route leg being a second
route leg comprises: a travel plan producing module configured to
produce a travel plan identifying at least two route legs including
the first route leg that does not call for any transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over any
portion of the first route leg and a second route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the second route leg, the first route leg
immediately following the second route leg along an overall travel
route for traveling from the starting location to the destination
location.
180. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan producing module configured to produce a travel plan
identifying at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end user over the
transport route leg and a first route leg that calls for another
transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users
over the first route leg, the at least one transport route leg
being a second route leg.
181. (canceled)
182. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan creating module configured to create the travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from a starting location, the developed travel plan
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg.
183. (canceled)
184. (canceled)
185. The system of claim 182, wherein said travel plan creating
module configured to create the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the developed travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg
comprises: a travel cost minimizing travel plan creating module
configured to create a travel plan that minimizes total travel
costs to be incurred in order for the one or more end users to
reach the destination location from the starting location.
186. (canceled)
187. The system of claim 182, wherein said travel plan creating
module configured to create the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the developed travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg
comprises: a mass transit/ferry preference compliant travel plan
creating module configured to create a travel plan that complies
with one or more mass transit or ferry preferences of at least one
of the one or more end users.
188. The system of claim 182, wherein said travel plan creating
module configured to create the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the developed travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg,
comprises: a walking/bicycling preference compliant travel plan
creating module configured to create a travel plan that complies
with one or more walking or bicycling preferences of at least one
of the one or more end users.
189. The system of claim 182, wherein said travel plan creating
module configured to create the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the developed travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg
comprises: a geographic preference compliant travel plan creating
module configured to create a travel plan that complies with one or
more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end
users.
190. The system of claim 189, wherein said geographic preference
compliant travel plan creating module configured to create a travel
plan that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at
least one of the one or more end users comprises: a geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module configured to
create a travel plan that complies with one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers to be routed
through.
191. The system of claim 189, wherein said geographic preference
compliant travel plan creating module configured to create a travel
plan that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at
least one of the one or more end users comprises: a geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module configured to
create a travel plan that complies with one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be routed
through.
192. The system of claim 189, wherein said geographic preference
compliant travel plan creating module configured to create a travel
plan that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at
least one of the one or more end users comprises: a geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module configured to
create a travel plan that complies with one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers to be used for
rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit.
193. The system of claim 189, wherein said geographic preference
compliant travel plan creating module configured to create a travel
plan that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at
least one of the one or more end users comprises: a geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module configured to
create a travel plan that complies with one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be used for
rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit.
194.-198. (canceled)
199. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a travel
plan transmitting module configured to transmit at least one or
more portions of the travel plan.
200.-204. (canceled)
205. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a
modified travel plan transmitting module configured to transmit to
an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more
end users a modified version of the travel plan in response to
detecting that the transportation vehicle unit will not be able to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg as
called for by the travel plan.
206. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a
modified travel plan transmitting module configured to transmit to
an end user device associated with at least one of the one or more
end users a modified version of the travel plan in response to
detecting that the one or more end users will not be able to
rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit in order to be
transported over the transport route leg as called for by the
travel plan.
207. The system of claim 162, wherein said travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating one or
more end users to travel to a destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan to be produced identifying at least two
route legs including at least one transport route leg that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg comprises: an
alternative option transmitting module configured to transmit to an
end user device associated with at least one of the one or more end
users one or more alternative options for traveling over the
transport route leg other than being transported over the transport
route leg by the at least one transportation vehicle unit when the
transportation vehicle unit is detected as not being able to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg as
called for by the travel plan or when the one or more end users are
detected as not being able to rendezvous with the transportation
vehicle unit in order to be transported over the transport route
leg as called for by the travel plan.
208. The system of claim 162, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg comprises: an
instruction transmitting module configured to transmit one or more
instructions that instructs the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location.
209. The system of claim 208, wherein said instruction transmitting
module configured to transmit one or more instructions that
instructs the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location comprises: an instruction transmitting module configured
to transmit one or more instructions that instructs the at least
one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more
end users at the rendezvous location and at a rendezvous time.
210. (canceled)
211. The system of claim 208, wherein said instruction transmitting
module configured to transmit one or more instructions that
instructs the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location comprises: an instruction transmitting module including a
transportation information transmitting module configured to
transmit the one or more instructions that instructs the at least
one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more
end users at a rendezvous location including transmitting, by
transportation information transmitting module, information that
identifies at least mode of transportation used by the one or more
end users in order to reach the rendezvous location.
212. (canceled)
213. The system of claim 162, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a request
transmitting module configured to transmit to request for the at
least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or
more end users at the rendezvous location; and a confirmation
receiving module configured to receive a confirmation that the at
least one transportation vehicle unit will rendezvous with the one
or more end users at the rendezvous location.
214. (canceled)
215. The system of claim 162, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a
transportation vehicle unit guiding module including an end user
detecting module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at the rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to
the end user detecting module detecting that the one or more end
users are within a predefined distance from the rendezvous
location.
216. The system of claim 162, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a
transportation vehicle unit guiding module including an end user
detecting module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at the rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to
the end user detecting module estimating that the one or more end
users will reach the rendezvous location within a predefined amount
of time.
217. The system of claim 216, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module including an end user detecting module
configured to guide the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to the end user detecting
module estimating that the one or more end users will reach the
rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time comprises: a
transportation vehicle unit guiding module including an end user
detecting module and a transportation vehicle unit detecting module
configured to guide the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to the end user detecting
module estimating that the one or more end users will reach the
rendezvous location within a predefined amount of time and in
response, at least in part, on detected by the transportation
vehicle unit detecting module current location of the at least one
transportation vehicle unit relative to the rendezvous
location.
218. The system of claim 162, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg comprises: a
transportation vehicle unit guiding module including an end user
detecting module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at the rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to
detecting by the end user detecting module that at least one of the
one or more end users has reached a particular location.
219. The system of claim 218, wherein said transportation vehicle
unit guiding module including an end user detecting module
configured to guide the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to detecting by the end
user detecting module that at least one of the one or more end
users has reached a particular location comprises: a transportation
vehicle unit guiding module including an end user detecting module
configured to guide the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to detecting by the end
user detecting module that the at least one of the one or more end
users has reached a particular location along a planned travel
route as provided by the travel plan.
220. (canceled)
221. The system of claim 162, further comprising: a request
receiving module configured to receive a request for transporting
the one or more end users towards the destination location, the
production of the travel plan by the travel plan producing module
being in response, at least in part, to the reception of the
request.
222. (canceled)
223. (canceled)
224. The system of claim 221, wherein said request receiving module
configured to receive a request for transporting the one or more
end users towards the destination location, the production of the
travel plan by the travel plan producing module being in response,
at least in part, to the reception of the request comprises: a
request receiving module configured to receive a request that
identifies the destination location.
225. The system of claim 224, wherein said request receiving module
configured to receive a request that identifies the destination
location comprises: a request receiving module configured to
receive the request that identifies the destination location by
receiving a request that identifies a preferred arrival time at the
destination location.
226.-241. (canceled)
242. An article of manufacture, comprising: a non-transitory
storage medium bearing: one or more instructions for producing a
travel plan for facilitating one or more end users to travel to a
destination location from a starting location, the travel plan to
be produced identifying at least two route legs including at least
one transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg; and one or more instructions for guiding the
at least one transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location
to rendezvous with the one or more end users in order to transport
the one or more end users over the transport route leg.
243. A server system comprises: a request receiving module
configured to receive a request for transporting one or more end
users towards a destination location; a travel plan producing
module configured to produce a travel plan for facilitating the one
or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the travel plan identifying at least two route
legs including at least one transport route leg that calls for at
least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end users over the transport route leg; a transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg; and a network
interface.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the
filing date of this application, it is incorporated by reference
herein. Any applications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.119, 120, 121, or 365(c), and any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of such
applications, are also incorporated by reference, including any
priority claims made in those applications and any material
incorporated by reference, to the extent such subject matter is not
inconsistent herewith.
[0002] The present application is related to and/or claims the
benefit of the earliest available effective filing date(s) from the
following listed application(s) (the "Priority Applications"), if
any, listed below (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates
for other than provisional patent applications or claims benefits
under 35 USC .sctn.119(e) for provisional patent applications, for
any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.
applications of the Priority Application(s)). In addition, the
present application is related to the "Related Applications," if
any, listed below.
PRIORITY APPLICATIONS
[0003] For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the
present application claims benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/989,394 titled RIDESHARING SCENARIOS,
naming Richard T. Lord and Robert W. Lord as inventors, filed May
6, 2014 with attorney docket no. 1213-003-034-PR0001, which was
filed within the twelve months preceding the filing date of the
present application or is an application of which a currently
co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing
date.
[0004] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/318,182, entitled METHODS,
SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, naming
Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Nathan P. Myhrvold, and Clarence
T. Tegreene, as inventors, filed 27 Jun. 2014 with attorney docket
no. 1213-003-016-000000.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0005] None as of the filing date.
[0006] The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a
notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require
that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate
whether an application is a continuation, continuation-in-part, or
divisional of a parent application. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of
Prior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The
USPTO further has provided forms for the Application Data Sheet
which allow automatic loading of bibliographic data but which
require identification of each application as a continuation,
continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parent application. The
present Applicant Entity (hereinafter "Applicant") has provided
above a specific reference to the application(s) from which
priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant
understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific
reference language and does not require either a serial number or
any characterization, such as "continuation" or
"continuation-in-part," for claiming priority to U.S. patent
applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands
that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry
requirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of a
relationship between the present application and its parent
application(s) as set forth above and in any ADS filed in this
application, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are
not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or
admission as to whether or not the present application contains any
new matter in addition to the matter of its parent
application(s).
[0007] If the listings of applications provided above are
inconsistent with the listings provided via an ADS, it is the
intent of the Applicant to claim priority to each application that
appears in the Priority Applications section of the ADS and to each
application that appears in the Priority Applications section of
this application.
[0008] All subject matter of the Priority Applications and the
Related Applications and of any and all parent, grandparent,
great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Priority Applications
and the Related Applications, including any priority claims, is
incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter
is not inconsistent herewith.
SUMMARY
[0009] In one or more various aspects, a method includes, but is
not limited to, receiving a request for transporting one or more
end users towards a destination location, providing a travel plan
for facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the
destination location from a starting location, the travel plan
identifying at least two route legs including at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg; and directing the at least one transportation
vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at a
rendezvous location in order to transport the one or more end users
over the transport route leg. In various implementations, at least
one of the facilitating or directing is performed by a machine or
article of manufacture. In addition to the foregoing, other method
aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a
part of the disclosure set forth herein.
[0010] In one or more various aspects, one or more related systems
may be implemented in machines, compositions of matter, or
manufactures of systems, limited to patentable subject matter under
35 U.S.C. 101. The one or more related systems may include, but are
not limited to, circuitry and/or programming for effecting the
herein-referenced method aspects. The circuitry and/or programming
may be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or
firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects
depending upon the design choices of the system designer, and
limited to patentable subject matter under 35 USC 101.
[0011] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, means for receiving a request for transporting one
or more end users towards a destination location, means for
providing a travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users
to travel to the destination location from a starting location, the
travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least
one transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg; and means for directing the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the
foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims,
drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth
herein.
[0012] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, circuitry for receiving a request for transporting
one or more end users towards a destination location, circuitry for
providing a travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users
to travel to the destination location from a starting location, the
travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least
one transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg; and circuitry for directing the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the
foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims,
drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth
herein.
[0013] In one or more various aspects, a computer program product,
comprising a signal bearing non-transitory storage medium, bearing
one or more instructions including, but not limited to, receiving a
request for transporting one or more end users towards a
destination location, providing a travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the travel plan identifying at least two route
legs including at least one transport route leg that calls for at
least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end users over the transport route leg, and directing the at least
one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more
end users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg. In addition to the
foregoing, other computer program product aspects are described in
the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set
forth herein.
[0014] In one or more various aspects, a system includes, but is
not limited to, a travel plan producing module configured to
produce a travel plan for facilitating one or more end users to
travel to a destination location from a starting location, the
travel plan to be produced identifying at least two route legs
including at least one transport route leg that calls for at least
one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end
users over the transport route leg; and a transportation vehicle
unit guiding module configured to guide the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous location to rendezvous
with the one or more end users in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg
[0015] In addition to the foregoing, various other method and/or
system and/or program product aspects are set forth and described
in the teachings such as text (e.g., claims and/or detailed
description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure.
[0016] The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain
simplifications, generalizations, inclusions, and/or omissions of
detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any
way limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the
devices and/or processes and/or other subject matter described
herein will become apparent by reference to the detailed
description, the corresponding drawings, and/or in the teachings
set forth herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0017] For a more complete understanding of embodiments, reference
now is made to the following descriptions taken in connection with
the accompanying drawings. The use of the same symbols in different
drawings typically indicates similar or identical items, unless
context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described
in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to
be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes
may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the
subject matter presented here.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a travel planning network system 10*
operating in an exemplary environment
[0019] FIG. 2A shows a high-level block diagram of a particular
implementation of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG.
1.
[0020] FIG. 2B shows another high-level block diagram of another
implementation of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG.
1.
[0021] FIG. 3A shows another perspective of the request receiving
module 202* of FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., the request receiving module
202' of FIG. 2A or the request receiving module 202'' of FIG. 2B)
in accordance with various embodiments.
[0022] FIG. 3B shows another perspective of the travel plan
producing module 204* of FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., the travel plan
producing module 204' of FIG. 2A or the travel plan producing
module 204'' of FIG. 2B) in accordance with various
embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 3C shows another perspective of the transportation
vehicle unit guiding module 206* of FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., the
transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206' of FIG. 2A or the
transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'' of FIG. 2B) in
accordance with various embodiments.
[0024] FIG. 4A illustrates content of an exemplary travel plan in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 4B illustrates content of another exemplary travel plan
in accordance with some embodiments.
[0026] FIG. 4C illustrates an example graphical representation of a
planned travel route for a route leg 1 of FIG. 4B.
[0027] FIG. 4D illustrates an example graphical representation of a
planned travel route for a route leg 2 of FIG. 4B.
[0028] FIG. 4E illustrates an example graphical representation of a
planned travel route for a route leg 3 of FIG. 4B.
[0029] FIG. 4F illustrates content of still another exemplary
travel plan in accordance with some embodiments.
[0030] FIG. 4G illustrates content of still another exemplary
travel plan in accordance with some embodiments.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a high-level logic flowchart of a process, e.g.,
operational flow 500, according to some embodiments.
[0032] FIG. 6A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the request receiving
operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0033] FIG. 6B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the request receiving
operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0034] FIG. 6C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the request receiving
operation 502 of FIG. 5.
[0035] FIG. 7A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0036] FIG. 7B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0037] FIG. 7C is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0038] FIG. 7D is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0039] FIG. 7E is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0040] FIG. 7F is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0041] FIG. 7G is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0042] FIG. 7H is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0043] FIG. 7I is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the travel plan providing
operation 504 of FIG. 5.
[0044] FIG. 8A is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the transportation vehicle
unit directing operation 506 of FIG. 5.
[0045] FIG. 8B is a high-level logic flowchart of a process
depicting alternate implementations of the transportation vehicle
unit directing operation 506 of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar or identical
components or items, unless context dictates otherwise. The
illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,
drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other
embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without
departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented
here.
[0047] Thus, in accordance with various embodiments,
computationally implemented methods, systems, circuitry, articles
of manufacture, ordered chains of matter, and computer program
products are designed to, among other things, provide one or more
wearable computing devices for the environment illustrated in FIG.
1.
[0048] The claims, description, and drawings of this application
may describe one or more of the instant technologies in
operational/functional language, for example as a set of operations
to be performed by a computer. Such operational/functional
description in most instances would be understood by one skilled
the art as specifically-configured hardware (e.g., because a
general purpose computer in effect becomes a special purpose
computer once it is programmed to perform particular functions
pursuant to instructions from program software).
[0049] Importantly, although the operational/functional
descriptions described herein are understandable by the human mind,
they are not abstract ideas of the operations/functions divorced
from computational implementation of those operations/functions.
Rather, the operations/functions represent a specification for the
massively complex computational machines or other means. As
discussed in detail below, the operational/functional language must
be read in its proper technological context, i.e., as concrete
specifications for physical implementations.
[0050] The logical operations/functions described herein are a
distillation of machine specifications or other physical mechanisms
specified by the operations/functions such that the otherwise
inscrutable machine specifications may be comprehensible to the
human mind. The distillation also allows one of skill in the art to
adapt the operational/functional description of the technology
across many different specific vendors' hardware configurations or
platforms, without being limited to specific vendors' hardware
configurations or platforms.
[0051] Some of the present technical description (e.g., detailed
description, drawings, claims, etc.) may be set forth in terms of
logical operations/functions. As described in more detail in the
following paragraphs, these logical operations/functions are not
representations of abstract ideas, but rather representative of
static or sequenced specifications of various hardware elements.
Differently stated, unless context dictates otherwise, the logical
operations/functions will be understood by those of skill in the
art to be representative of static or sequenced specifications of
various hardware elements. This is true because tools available to
one of skill in the art to implement technical disclosures set
forth in operational/functional formats--tools in the form of a
high-level programming language (e.g., C, java, visual basic,
etc.), or tools in the form of Very high speed Hardware Description
Language ("VHDL," which is a language that uses text to describe
logic circuits)--are generators of static or sequenced
specifications of various hardware configurations. This fact is
sometimes obscured by the broad term "software," but, as shown by
the following explanation, those skilled in the art understand that
what is termed "software" is a shorthand for a massively complex
interchaining/specification of ordered-matter elements. The term
"ordered-matter elements" may refer to physical components of
computation, such as assemblies of electronic logic gates,
molecular computing logic constituents, quantum computing
mechanisms, etc.
[0052] For example, a high-level programming language is a
programming language with strong abstraction, e.g., multiple levels
of abstraction, from the details of the sequential organizations,
states, inputs, outputs, etc., of the machines that a high-level
programming language actually specifies. See, e.g., Wikipedia,
High-level programming language,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-level_programming_language (as of
Jun. 5, 2012, 21:00 GMT). In order to facilitate human
comprehension, in many instances, high-level programming languages
resemble or even share symbols with natural languages. See, e.g.,
Wikipedia, Natural language,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_language (as of Jun. 5, 2012,
21:00 GMT).
[0053] It has been argued that because high-level programming
languages use strong abstraction (e.g., that they may resemble or
share symbols with natural languages), they are therefore a "purely
mental construct" (e.g., that "software"--a computer program or
computer programming--is somehow an ineffable mental construct,
because at a high level of abstraction, it can be conceived and
understood in the human mind). This argument has been used to
characterize technical description in the form of
functions/operations as somehow "abstract ideas." In fact, in
technological arts (e.g., the information and communication
technologies) this is not true.
[0054] The fact that high-level programming languages use strong
abstraction to facilitate human understanding should not be taken
as an indication that what is expressed is an abstract idea. In
fact, those skilled in the art understand that just the opposite is
true. If a high-level programming language is the tool used to
implement a technical disclosure in the form of
functions/operations, those skilled in the art will recognize that,
far from being abstract, imprecise, "fuzzy," or "mental" in any
significant semantic sense, such a tool is instead a near
incomprehensibly precise sequential specification of specific
computational machines--the parts of which are built up by
activating/selecting such parts from typically more general
computational machines over time (e.g., clocked time). This fact is
sometimes obscured by the superficial similarities between
high-level programming languages and natural languages. These
superficial similarities also may cause a glossing over of the fact
that high-level programming language implementations ultimately
perform valuable work by creating/controlling many different
computational machines.
[0055] The many different computational machines that a high-level
programming language specifies are almost unimaginably complex. At
base, the hardware used in the computational machines typically
consists of some type of ordered matter (e.g., traditional external
linking devices (e.g., transistors), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA),
quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics,
optical devices (e.g., optical interference devices), molecules,
etc.) that are arranged to form logic gates. Logic gates are
typically physical devices that may be electrically, mechanically,
chemically, or otherwise driven to change physical state in order
to create a physical reality of Boolean logic.
[0056] Logic gates may be arranged to form logic circuits, which
are typically physical devices that may be electrically,
mechanically, chemically, or otherwise driven to create a physical
reality of certain logical functions. Types of logic circuits
include such devices as multiplexers, registers, arithmetic logic
units (ALUs), computer memory, etc., each type of which may be
combined to form yet other types of physical devices, such as a
central processing unit (CPU)--the best known of which is the
microprocessor. A modern microprocessor will often contain more
than one hundred million logic gates in its many logic circuits
(and often more than a billion transistors). See, e.g., Wikipedia,
Logic gates, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_gates (as of Jun.
5, 2012, 21:03 GMT).
[0057] The logic circuits forming the microprocessor are arranged
to provide a microarchitecture that will carry out the instructions
defined by that microprocessor's defined Instruction Set
Architecture. The Instruction Set Architecture is the part of the
microprocessor architecture related to programming, including the
native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes,
memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external
Input/Output. See, e.g., Wikipedia, Computer architecture,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_architecture (as of Jun. 5,
2012, 21:03 GMT).
[0058] The Instruction Set Architecture includes a specification of
the machine language that can be used by programmers to use/control
the microprocessor. Since the machine language instructions are
such that they may be executed directly by the microprocessor,
typically they consist of strings of binary digits, or bits. For
example, a typical machine language instruction might be many bits
long (e.g., 32, 64, or 128 bit strings are currently common). A
typical machine language instruction might take the form
"11110000101011110000111100111111" (a 32 bit instruction).
[0059] It is significant here that, although the machine language
instructions are written as sequences of binary digits, in
actuality those binary digits specify physical reality. For
example, if certain semiconductors are used to make the operations
of Boolean logic a physical reality, the apparently mathematical
bits "1" and "0" in a machine language instruction actually
constitute shorthand that specifies the application of specific
voltages to specific wires. For example, in some semiconductor
technologies, the binary number "1" (e.g., logical "1") in a
machine language instruction specifies around+5 volts applied to a
specific "wire" (e.g., metallic traces on a printed circuit board)
and the binary number "0" (e.g., logical "0") in a machine language
instruction specifies around -5 volts applied to a specific "wire."
In addition to specifying voltages of the machines' configuration,
such machine language instructions also select out and activate
specific groupings of logic gates from the millions of logic gates
of the more general machine. Thus, far from abstract mathematical
expressions, machine language instruction programs, even though
written as a string of zeros and ones, specify many, many
constructed physical machines or physical machine states.
[0060] Machine language is typically incomprehensible by most
humans (e.g., the above example was just ONE instruction, and some
personal computers execute more than two billion instructions every
second). See, e.g., Wikipedia, Instructions per second,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second (as of Jun. 5,
2012, 21:04 GMT). Thus, programs written in machine language--which
may be tens of millions of machine language instructions long--are
incomprehensible. In view of this, early assembly languages were
developed that used mnemonic codes to refer to machine language
instructions, rather than using the machine language instructions'
numeric values directly (e.g., for performing a multiplication
operation, programmers coded the abbreviation "mult," which
represents the binary number "011000" in MIPS machine code). While
assembly languages were initially a great aid to humans controlling
the microprocessors to perform work, in time the complexity of the
work that needed to be done by the humans outstripped the ability
of humans to control the microprocessors using merely assembly
languages.
[0061] At this point, it was noted that the same tasks needed to be
done over and over, and the machine language necessary to do those
repetitive tasks was the same. In view of this, compilers were
created. A compiler is a device that takes a statement that is more
comprehensible to a human than either machine or assembly language,
such as "add 2+2 and output the result," and translates that human
understandable statement into a complicated, tedious, and immense
machine language code (e.g., millions of 32, 64, or 128 bit length
strings). Compilers thus translate high-level programming language
into machine language.
[0062] This compiled machine language, as described above, is then
used as the technical specification which sequentially constructs
and causes the interoperation of many different computational
machines such that humanly useful, tangible, and concrete work is
done. For example, as indicated above, such machine language--the
compiled version of the higher-level language--functions as a
technical specification which selects out hardware logic gates,
specifies voltage levels, voltage transition timings, etc., such
that the humanly useful work is accomplished by the hardware.
[0063] Thus, a functional/operational technical description, when
viewed by one of skill in the art, is far from an abstract idea.
Rather, such a functional/operational technical description, when
understood through the tools available in the art such as those
just described, is instead understood to be a humanly
understandable representation of a hardware specification, the
complexity and specificity of which far exceeds the comprehension
of most any one human. With this in mind, those skilled in the art
will understand that any such operational/functional technical
descriptions--in view of the disclosures herein and the knowledge
of those skilled in the art--may be understood as operations made
into physical reality by (a) one or more interchained physical
machines, (b) interchained logic gates configured to create one or
more physical machine(s) representative of sequential/combinatorial
logic(s), (c) interchained ordered matter making up logic gates
(e.g., interchained electronic devices (e.g., transistors), DNA,
quantum devices, mechanical switches, optics, fluidics, pneumatics,
molecules, etc.) that create physical reality representative of
logic(s), or (d) virtually any combination of the foregoing.
Indeed, any physical object which has a stable, measurable, and
changeable state may be used to construct a machine based on the
above technical description. Charles Babbage, for example,
constructed the first computer out of wood and powered by cranking
a handle.
[0064] Thus, far from being understood as an abstract idea, those
skilled in the art will recognize a functional/operational
technical description as a humanly-understandable representation of
one or more almost unimaginably complex and time sequenced hardware
instantiations. The fact that functional/operational technical
descriptions might lend themselves readily to high-level computing
languages (or high-level block diagrams for that matter) that share
some words, structures, phrases, etc. with natural language simply
cannot be taken as an indication that such functional/operational
technical descriptions are abstract ideas, or mere expressions of
abstract ideas. In fact, as outlined herein, in the technological
arts this is simply not true. When viewed through the tools
available to those of skill in the art, such functional/operational
technical descriptions are seen as specifying hardware
configurations of almost unimaginable complexity.
[0065] As outlined above, the reason for the use of
functional/operational technical descriptions is at least twofold.
First, the use of functional/operational technical descriptions
allows near-infinitely complex machines and machine operations
arising from interchained hardware elements to be described in a
manner that the human mind can process (e.g., by mimicking natural
language and logical narrative flow). Second, the use of
functional/operational technical descriptions assists the person of
skill in the art in understanding the described subject matter by
providing a description that is more or less independent of any
specific vendor's piece(s) of hardware.
[0066] The use of functional/operational technical descriptions
assists the person of skill in the art in understanding the
described subject matter since, as is evident from the above
discussion, one could easily, although not quickly, transcribe the
technical descriptions set forth in this document as trillions of
ones and zeroes, billions of single lines of assembly-level machine
code, millions of logic gates, thousands of gate arrays, or any
number of intermediate levels of abstractions. However, if any such
low-level technical descriptions were to replace the present
technical description, a person of skill in the art could encounter
undue difficulty in implementing the disclosure, because such a
low-level technical description would likely add complexity without
a corresponding benefit (e.g., by describing the subject matter
utilizing the conventions of one or more vendor-specific pieces of
hardware). Thus, the use of functional/operational technical
descriptions assists those of skill in the art by separating the
technical descriptions from the conventions of any vendor-specific
piece of hardware.
[0067] In view of the foregoing, the logical operations/functions
set forth in the present technical description are representative
of static or sequenced specifications of various ordered-matter
elements, in order that such specifications may be comprehensible
to the human mind and adaptable to create many various hardware
configurations. The logical operations/functions disclosed herein
should be treated as such, and should not be disparagingly
characterized as abstract ideas merely because the specifications
they represent are presented in a manner that one of skill in the
art can readily understand and apply in a manner independent of a
specific vendor's hardware implementation.
[0068] Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state
of the art has progressed to the point where there is little
distinction left between hardware, software, and/or firmware
implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware,
software, and/or firmware is generally (but not always, in that in
certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can
become significant) a design choice representing cost vs.
efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate
that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems
and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g.,
hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred
vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or
systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an
implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the
implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle;
alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt
for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively,
the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software,
and/or firmware in one or more machines, compositions of matter,
and articles of manufacture, limited to patentable subject matter
under 35 USC 101. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by
which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies
described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently
superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a
choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be
deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or
predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those
skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of
implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware,
software, and or firmware.
[0069] In some implementations described herein, logic and similar
implementations may include software or other control structures.
Electronic circuitry, for example, may have one or more paths of
electrical current constructed and arranged to implement various
functions as described herein. In some implementations, one or more
media may be configured to bear a device-detectable implementation
when such media holds or transmits device detectable instructions
operable to perform as described herein. In some variants, for
example, implementations may include an update or modification of
existing software or firmware, or of gate arrays or programmable
hardware, such as by performing a reception of or a transmission of
one or more instructions in relation to one or more operations
described herein. Alternatively or additionally, in some variants,
an implementation may include special-purpose hardware, software,
firmware components, and/or general-purpose components executing or
otherwise invoking special-purpose components. Specifications or
other implementations may be transmitted by one or more instances
of tangible transmission media as described herein, optionally by
packet transmission or otherwise by passing through distributed
media at various times.
[0070] Alternatively or additionally, implementations may include
executing a special-purpose instruction sequence or invoking
circuitry for enabling, triggering, coordinating, requesting, or
otherwise causing one or more occurrences of virtually any
functional operations described herein. In some variants,
operational or other logical descriptions herein may be expressed
as source code and compiled or otherwise invoked as an executable
instruction sequence. In some contexts, for example,
implementations may be provided, in whole or in part, by source
code, such as C++, or other code sequences. In other
implementations, source or other code implementation, using
commercially available and/or techniques in the art, may be
compiled//implemented/translated/converted into a high-level
descriptor language (e.g., initially implementing described
technologies in C or C++ programming language and thereafter
converting the programming language implementation into a
logic-synthesizable language implementation, a hardware description
language implementation, a hardware design simulation
implementation, and/or other such similar mode(s) of expression).
For example, some or all of a logical expression (e.g., computer
programming language implementation) may be manifested as a
Verilog-type hardware description (e.g., via Hardware Description
Language (HDL) and/or Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware
Descriptor Language (VHDL)) or other circuitry model which may then
be used to create a physical implementation having hardware (e.g.,
an Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Those skilled in the
art will recognize how to obtain, configure, and optimize suitable
transmission or computational elements, material supplies,
actuators, or other structures in light of these teachings.
[0071] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common
within the art to implement devices and/or processes and/or
systems, and thereafter use engineering and/or other practices to
integrate such implemented devices and/or processes and/or systems
into more comprehensive devices and/or processes and/or systems.
That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes and/or
systems described herein can be integrated into other devices
and/or processes and/or systems via a reasonable amount of
experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that
examples of such other devices and/or processes and/or systems
might include--as appropriate to context and application--all or
part of devices and/or processes and/or systems of (a) an air
conveyance (e.g., an airplane, rocket, helicopter, etc.), (b) a
ground conveyance (e.g., a car, truck, locomotive, tank, armored
personnel carrier, etc.), (c) a building (e.g., a home, warehouse,
office, etc.), (d) an appliance (e.g., a refrigerator, a washing
machine, a dryer, etc.), (e) a communications system (e.g., a
networked system, a telephone system, a Voice over IP system,
etc.), (f) a business entity (e.g., an Internet Service Provider
(ISP) entity such as Comcast Cable, Qwest, Southwestern Bell,
etc.), or (g) a wired/wireless services entity (e.g., Sprint,
Cingular, Nextel, etc.), etc.
[0072] In certain cases, use of a system or method may occur in a
territory even if components are located outside the territory. For
example, in a distributed computing context, use of a distributed
computing system may occur in a territory even though parts of the
system may be located outside of the territory (e.g., relay,
server, processor, signal-bearing medium, transmitting computer,
receiving computer, etc. located outside the territory).
[0073] A sale of a system or method may likewise occur in a
territory even if components of the system or method are located
and/or used outside the territory. Further, implementation of at
least part of a system for performing a method in one territory
does not preclude use of the system in another territory
[0074] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize
that the various embodiments described herein can be implemented,
individually and/or collectively, by various types of
electro-mechanical systems having a wide range of electrical
components such as hardware, software, firmware, and/or virtually
any combination thereof, limited to patentable subject matter under
35 U.S.C. 101; and a wide range of components that may impart
mechanical force or motion such as rigid bodies, spring or
torsional bodies, hydraulics, electro-magnetically actuated
devices, and/or virtually any combination thereof. Consequently, as
used herein, "electro-mechanical system" includes, but is not
limited to, electrical circuitry operably coupled with a transducer
(e.g., an actuator, a motor, a piezoelectric crystal, a Micro
Electro Mechanical System (MEMS), etc.), electrical circuitry
having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical
circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical
circuitry having at least one application specific integrated
circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing
device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose
computer configured by a computer program which at least partially
carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a
microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least
partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein),
electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of memory
(e.g., random access, flash, read only, etc.)), electrical
circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem,
communications switch, optical-electrical equipment, etc.), and/or
any non-electrical analog thereto, such as optical or other analogs
(e.g., graphene based circuitry). Those skilled in the art will
also appreciate that examples of electro-mechanical systems
include, but are not limited to, a variety of consumer electronics
systems, medical devices, as well as other systems such as
motorized transport systems, factory automation systems, security
systems, and/or communication/computing systems. Those skilled in
the art will recognize that electro-mechanical as used herein is
not necessarily limited to a system that has both electrical and
mechanical actuation except as context may dictate otherwise.
[0075] In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize
that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented,
individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware,
software, firmware, and/or any combination thereof can be viewed as
being composed of various types of "electrical circuitry."
Consequently, as used herein "electrical circuitry" includes, but
is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one
discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least
one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one
application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry
forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer
program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer
program which at least partially carries out processes and/or
devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a
computer program which at least partially carries out processes
and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a
memory device (e.g., forms of memory (e.g., random access, flash,
read only, etc.)), and/or electrical circuitry forming a
communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch,
optical-electrical equipment, etc.). Those having skill in the art
will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be
implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination
thereof.
[0076] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a
portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be
integrated into an image processing system. Those having skill in
the art will recognize that a typical image processing system
generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video
display device, memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory,
processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors,
computational entities such as operating systems, drivers,
application programs, one or more interaction devices (e.g., a
touch pad, a touch screen, an antenna, etc.), and/or control
systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback
for sensing lens position and/or velocity; control motors for
moving/distorting lenses to give desired focuses). An image
processing system may be implemented utilizing suitable
commercially available components, such as those typically found in
digital still systems and/or digital motion systems.
[0077] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a
portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be
integrated into a data processing system. Those having skill in the
art will recognize that a data processing system generally includes
one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device,
memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory, processors such as
microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational
entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user
interfaces, and application programs, one or more interaction
devices (e.g., a touch pad, a touch screen, an antenna, etc.),
and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors
(e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control
motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A
data processing system may be implemented utilizing suitable
commercially available components, such as those typically found in
data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication
systems.
[0078] Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least a
portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be
integrated into a mote system. Those having skill in the art will
recognize that a typical mote system generally includes one or more
memories such as volatile or non-volatile memories, processors such
as microprocessors or digital signal processors, computational
entities such as operating systems, user interfaces, drivers,
sensors, actuators, application programs, one or more interaction
devices (e.g., an antenna USB ports, acoustic ports, etc.), control
systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback
for sensing or estimating position and/or velocity; control motors
for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A mote
system may be implemented utilizing suitable components, such as
those found in mote computing/communication systems. Specific
examples of such components entail such as Intel Corporation's
and/or Crossbow Corporation's mote components and supporting
hardware, software, and/or firmware.
[0079] For the purposes of this application, "cloud" computing may
be understood as described in the cloud computing literature. For
example, cloud computing may be methods and/or systems for the
delivery of computational capacity and/or storage capacity as a
service. The "cloud" may refer to one or more hardware and/or
software components that deliver or assist in the delivery of
computational and/or storage capacity, including, but not limited
to, one or more of a client, an application, a platform, an
infrastructure, and/or a server. The cloud may refer to any of the
hardware and/or software associated with a client, an application,
a platform, an infrastructure, and/or a server. For example, cloud
and cloud computing may refer to one or more of a computer, a
processor, a storage medium, a router, a switch, a modem, a virtual
machine (e.g., a virtual server), a data center, an operating
system, a middleware, a firmware, a hardware back-end, a software
back-end, and/or a software application. A cloud may refer to a
private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, and/or a community
cloud. A cloud may be a shared pool of configurable computing
resources, which may be public, private, semi-private,
distributable, scaleable, flexible, temporary, virtual, and/or
physical. A cloud or cloud service may be delivered over one or
more types of network, e.g., a mobile communication network, and
the Internet.
[0080] As used in this application, a cloud or a cloud service may
include one or more of infrastructure-as-a-service ("IaaS"),
platform-as-a-service ("PaaS"), software-as-a-service ("SaaS"),
and/or desktop-as-a-service ("DaaS"). As a non-exclusive example,
IaaS may include, e.g., one or more virtual server instantiations
that may start, stop, access, and/or configure virtual servers
and/or storage centers (e.g., providing one or more processors,
storage space, and/or network resources on-demand, e.g., EMC and
Rackspace). PaaS may include, e.g., one or more software and/or
development tools hosted on an infrastructure (e.g., a computing
platform and/or a solution stack from which the client can create
software interfaces and applications, e.g., Microsoft Azure). SaaS
may include, e.g., software hosted by a service provider and
accessible over a network (e.g., the software for the application
and/or the data associated with that software application may be
kept on the network, e.g., Google Apps, SalesForce). DaaS may
include, e.g., providing desktop, applications, data, and/or
services for the user over a network (e.g., providing a
multi-application framework, the applications in the framework, the
data associated with the applications, and/or services related to
the applications and/or the data over the network, e.g., Citrix).
The foregoing is intended to be exemplary of the types of systems
and/or methods referred to in this application as "cloud" or "cloud
computing" and should not be considered complete or exhaustive.
[0081] One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein
described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the
discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of
conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are
contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars
set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be
representative of their more general classes. In general, use of
any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its
class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g.,
operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as
limiting.
[0082] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates
different components contained within, or connected with, different
other components. It is to be understood that such depicted
architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other
architectures may be implemented which achieve the same
functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components
to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such
that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two
components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality
can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired
functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or
intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated
can also be viewed as being "operably connected" or "operably
coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and
any two components capable of being so associated can also be
viewed as being "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the
desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable
include, but are not limited, to physically mateable and/or
physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable,
and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically
interacting, and/or logically interactable components.
[0083] To the extent that formal outline headings are present in
this application, it is to be understood that the outline headings
are for presentation purposes, and that different types of subject
matter may be discussed throughout the application (e.g.,
device(s)/structure(s) may be described under
process(es)/operations heading(s) and/or process(es)/operations may
be discussed under structure(s)/process(es) headings and/or
descriptions of single topics may span two or more topic headings).
Hence, any use of formal outline headings in this application is
for presentation purposes, and is not intended to be in any way
limiting.
[0084] Throughout this application, examples and lists are given,
with parentheses, the abbreviation "e.g.," or both. Unless
explicitly otherwise stated, these examples and lists are merely
exemplary and are non-exhaustive. In most cases, it would be
prohibitive to list every example and every combination. Thus,
smaller, illustrative lists and examples are used, with focus on
imparting understanding of the claim terms rather than limiting the
scope of such terms.
[0085] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or
singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate
from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the
plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The
various singular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth
herein for sake of clarity.
[0086] One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein
described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the
discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of
conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are
contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars
set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be
representative of their more general classes. In general, use of
any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its
class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g.,
operations), devices, and objects should not be taken as
limiting.
[0087] Although one or more users may be shown and/or described
herein as a single illustrated figure, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that one or more users may be representative of one
or more human users, robotic users (e.g., computational entity),
and/or substantially any combination thereof (e.g., a user may be
assisted by one or more robotic agents) unless context dictates
otherwise. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in
general, the same may be said of "sender" and/or other
entity-oriented terms as such terms are used herein unless context
dictates otherwise.
[0088] In some instances, one or more components may be referred to
herein as "configured to," "configured by," "configurable to,"
"operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable," "able to,"
"conformable/conformed to," etc. Those skilled in the art will
recognize that such terms (e.g. "configured to") generally
encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components
and/or standby-state components, unless context requires
otherwise.
[0089] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar or identical
components or items, unless context dictates otherwise. The
illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description,
drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other
embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without
departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented
here.
[0090] One of the newest trends in the field of
transportation/commuting particularly in urban settings is the
development of transportation networking services provided by
web-based companies such as Uber and Lyft that allow users to
retain drivers/vehicles for transportation serves through, for
example, mobile applications. The increasingly popularity of such
ridesharing services have already made some of the early entrants
in this new field household names. As with many new technological
ventures, the functionalities provided through such services are
somewhat limited. However there appears to be ample opportunities
for adding new and value adding functionalities to such services
(as well as to more traditional transportation services such as
Taxi services) in order to provide more robust transportation
networking systems.
[0091] In accordance with various embodiments, systems and methods
are provided that are designed to, among other things, receive a
request for transporting one or more end users towards a
destination location; provide a travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the travel plan identifying at least two route
legs including at least one transport route leg that calls for at
least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end users over the transport route leg; and direct the at least one
transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end
users at a rendezvous location in order to transport the one or
more end users over the transport route leg. In some embodiments,
the request that may be received may be a request that specifically
requests for the travel plan for traveling to the destination
location. In some other embodiments, however, the request that may
be received may be a request that specifically requests for
transportation for at least a portion of the overall trip to the
destination location.
[0092] In various embodiments, the systems and methods, in addition
to being designed to provide or generate a travel plan for one or
more end users to reach a destination location from a starting
location, may be designed to determine when and where will at least
one transportation vehicle unit be rendezvousing with the one or
more end users in order to transport the one or more end users over
at least one leg (herein "route leg") of the travel plan, and to
accordingly direct the at least one transportation vehicle unit
(e.g., a passenger vehicle with a robotic or human driver) to
rendezvous with the one or more end users in order to transport the
one or more end users over the at least one route leg of the travel
plan. For purposes of the following description, a "travel plan"
may be in reference to a scheme or a blueprint for one or more end
users to reach a destination location from a starting location
(which, in some cases, may be the current location of the one or
more end users).
[0093] In various embodiments, a travel plan may identify two or
more route legs including the mode or modes of transportation
(e.g., transportation vehicle unit, walking, bicycling, ferry, mass
transit, and so forth) used for traveling over the two or more
different route legs. In some cases, a travel plan may identify a
rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time for one or more end
users to rendezvous with at least one transportation vehicle unit
for transport over at least a portion of at least one route leg of
the travel plan. In some cases, a travel plan may provide a planned
travel route (e.g., a detailed traveling plan that identifies
specific streets, roads, shipping lanes, turns, travel distances,
and so forth) for traveling at least a portion (e.g., a route leg)
of the overall travel route between the starting location and the
destination location. Note that in various embodiments, a planned
travel route is not limited to planned routes through city
streets/highways but instead may also be related to planned routes
over shipping lanes, walking/bicycle trails, and so forth.
[0094] As briefly described above, in some embodiments, a travel
plan may identify at least a rendezvous location and/or rendezvous
time for one or more end users to rendezvous with at least one
transportation vehicle unit in order to be transported over at
least a portion of at least one route leg of the travel plan. In
some cases, the location[s] of the one or more end users relative
to the rendezvous location, as well as the location of the at least
one transportation vehicle unit, may be monitored prior to the at
least one transportation vehicle unit and the one or more end users
reaching the rendezvous location. Such monitoring may be done in
order to, for example, direct the "best" transportation vehicle
unit to the rendezvous location (e.g., in some cases, may want to
send to the rendezvous location the transportation vehicle unit
that is nearest to the rendezvous location just before the
rendezvous time) or to determine whether the original travel plan
should be modified (e.g., when the one or more end users or the at
least one transportation vehicle unit appears not to be able to be
at the rendezvous location at the rendezvous time in accordance
with the travel plan). That is, in some cases, it may be preferable
not to select/direct a transportation vehicle unit to a rendezvous
location to rendezvous with one or more end users until the one or
more end users are detected as being relatively near the rendezvous
location. In other cases, however, a transportation vehicle unit
may have been pre-assigned or directed to rendezvous with the one
or more end users well before the one or more end users are near
the rendezvous location.
[0095] In some embodiments, a travel plan may call for (e.g., plan
or schedule for) multiple transportation vehicle units to transport
the one or more end users over different route legs of a travel
plan. Note that for purposes of this description, a route leg of a
travel plan that calls for a transportation vehicle unit to
transport one or more end users over at least a portion of the
route leg may be referred to herein as a "transport route leg."
Also for purposes of the following description, a "transportation
vehicle unit" may include at least a transportation vehicle and a
human or robotic driver. A transportation vehicle, for purposes of
this description, may be in reference to a passenger automobile
(e.g., gas or electrical vehicle) that is not assigned to do a set
route[s] like metro buses or commuter trains. In some cases, a
transportation vehicle unit may further include a transport
computing device (a dedicated computing device or a general purpose
mobile device such as a Smartphone or a tablet computer running one
or more specialized applications) for, among other things,
receiving directives/instructions for rendezvousing with and
transporting one or more end users in accordance with a travel
plan.
[0096] Turning now to FIG. 1, which illustrates a travel planning
network system 10* operating in an exemplary environment 100. In
various embodiments, the various operations and functionalities to
be described herein may be implemented by the travel planning
network system 10*. The travel planning network system 10* may be a
network system such as server or workstation, or a plurality of
network devices such as servers, workstations, storage, and so
forth (e.g., "the cloud"). Note that for purposes of the following
description "*" represents a wildcard. Thus, references in the
following description to, for example, "travel planning network
system 10*" may be in reference to the travel planning network
system 10' of FIG. 2A, as well as to the travel planning network
system 10'' of FIG. 2B, which are two different implementations of
the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 1.
[0097] As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the travel planning
network system 10* may communicate with one or more end user
devices 14, one or more transportation vehicle units 20* (e.g.,
transportation vehicle unit 20a and transportation vehicle unit
20b), and/or one or more third party systems 18 via one or more
wireless and/or wired networks 16. The one or more wireless and/or
wired networks 16 may comprise of, for example, one or more of a
local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), a
wireless local area network (WLAN), a personal area network (PAN),
a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), public
switched telephone network (PTSN), a general packet radio service
(GPRS) network, a cellular network, a Client/Server network, a
virtual private network (VPN), and so forth.
[0098] In various embodiments, an end user device 14 may be
associated with one or more end users 12. An end user device 14 may
be a mobile device (e.g., a Smartphone or tablet computer) or a
personal computer (e.g., a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a
workstation, and so forth). Although not depicted in FIG. 1, in
various embodiments, the travel planning network system 10* may
communicate with a transportation vehicle unit 20* (which may
comprise of a transportation vehicle and a robotic or human driver)
via a transport computing device (e.g., a dedicated computing
device or a general purpose mobile device such as a Smartphone or
tablet computer) associated with the transportation vehicle unit
20* (or associated with a driver of the transportation vehicle unit
20*).
[0099] In various embodiments, the travel planning network system
10* may communicate with one or more third party systems 18 in
order to obtain certain information (e.g., weather, traffic
conditions, ferry or metro schedules, train schedules) and/or for
making certain reservations (e.g., ferry or train reservations)
from one or more third parties. Such information may be useful for
facilitating the travel planning network system 10* for providing
or generating travel plans for reaching destination locations. That
is, in various embodiments, the travel planning network system 10*
may be designed to provide (or produce) a travel plan for
facilitating one or more end users 12 to travel to a destination
location from a starting location, the travel plan to be provided
or produced identifying at least two route legs including at least
one transport route leg that calls for (e.g., plans for) at least
one transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more
end users 12 over the transport route leg.
[0100] In some cases, the providing or producing of the travel plan
may be in response to the travel planning network system 10*
receiving from an end user device 14a request for transporting the
one or more end users 12 towards a destination location. In some
cases, such a received request may be a request that specifically
requests for a travel plan for traveling to the destination
location, while in other cases, such a request may specifically
request for transportation for at least a portion of the overall
trip to the destination location. In some embodiments, at least a
portion or portions of the provided travel plan may be transmitted
to an end user device 14 and/or to a transportation vehicle unit
20* (e.g., to a transport computing device) in order to at least
notify the one or more end users 12 and the transportation vehicle
unit 20* as to the rendezvous location and/or rendezvous time for
the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the transportation
vehicle unit 20* in order to be transported over at least a portion
of a transport route leg of the provided travel plan.
[0101] Based, at least in part, on the provided travel plan, the
travel planning network system 10* may direct or guide a
transportation vehicle unit 20* to a rendezvous location to
rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 in order to transport
the one or more end users 12 over at least a portion of a transport
route leg of the provided travel plan. In some cases, the travel
planning network system 10* may direct or guide a transportation
vehicle unit 20* to a rendezvous location by transmitting to the
transportation vehicle unit 20* (via transport computing device
such as a Smartphone or a dedicated computing device) directives or
instructions that instructs the transportation vehicle unit 20* to
go to the rendezvous location immediately, at a designated time, or
by a specified deadline.
[0102] In some embodiments, the directives or instructions that may
be transmitted may simply indicate the address of the rendezvous
location and/or the rendezvous time (e.g., the planned passenger
pickup time). In some embodiments, the directives or instructions
that may be transmitted to the transportation vehicle unit 20* may
be in the form of a request that requests the transportation
vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12.
Such a request may provide certain information related to the one
or more end users 12 including identification information of at
least one of the one or more end users 12 and/or ratings of the at
least one of the one or more end users 12 provided by drivers who
have previously transported the at least one of the one or more end
users 12.
[0103] Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, which illustrate two block
diagrams representing two different implementations of the travel
planning network system 10* of FIG. 1. In particular, and as will
be further described herein, FIG. 2A illustrates a travel planning
network system 10' that is the "hardwired" or "hard" implementation
of the travel planning network system 10* that can implement the
operations and processes to be described herein. The travel
planning network system 10' includes certain logic modules
including a request receiving module 202', a travel plan producing
module 204' and a transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'
that are implemented using purely hardware or circuitry components
(e.g., application specific integrated circuit (or ASIC). In
contrast, FIG. 2B illustrates a travel planning network system 10''
that is the "soft" implementation of the travel planning network
system 10' of FIG. 2A in which certain logic modules including a
request receiving module 202'', a travel plan producing module
204'' and a transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'' are
implemented using programmable electronic circuitry (e.g., one or
more processors 230 including one or more microprocessors,
controllers, etc.) executing one or more programming instructions
(e.g., software).
[0104] The embodiments of the travel planning network system 10*
illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B (e.g., the travel planning network
system 10' of FIG. 2A and the travel planning network system 10''
of FIG. 2B) are two extreme implementations of the travel planning
network system 10* in which all of the logic modules (e.g., the
request receiving module 202', the travel plan producing module
204' and the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206') are
implemented using purely hardware solutions (e.g., circuitry such
as ASIC) as illustrated in FIG. 2A or in which all of the logic
modules (e.g., the request receiving module 202'', the travel plan
producing module 204'' and the transportation vehicle unit guiding
module 206'') are implemented using software solutions (e.g.,
programmable instructions being executed by programmable circuitry
such as field programmable gate array (FPGA) or one or more
processors) as illustrated in FIG. 2B. Since there are many ways of
combining hardware, software, and/or firmware in order to implement
the various logic modules (e.g., the request receiving module 202*,
the travel plan producing module 204* and the transportation
vehicle unit guiding module 206*), only the two extreme
implementations (e.g., the purely hardware solution as illustrated
in FIG. 2A and the software solution of FIG. 2B) are illustrated
here. It should be noted here that with respect to the "soft"
implementation illustrated in FIG. 2B, hardware in the form of
programmable circuitry such as one or more processors 230 (or FPGA)
are still needed in order to execute the software. Further details
related to the two implementations of travel planning network
system 10* illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B will be provided in
greater detail below.
[0105] In some instances, one or more components may be referred to
herein as "configured to," "configured by," "configurable to,"
"operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable," "able to,"
"conformable/conformed to," "designed to," etc. Those skilled in
the art will recognize that such terms (e.g., "configured to")
generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state
components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires
otherwise.
[0106] Referring particularly now to FIG. 2A, which illustrates
that the travel planning network system 10' in addition to the
request receiving module 202', the travel plan producing module
204' and the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206' may
further include one or more processors 230 (e.g., microprocessors,
controllers, and so forth), a network interface 240 (network
interface card or NIC), and/or memory 220. In various embodiments,
memory 220 may comprise of volatile and/or non-volatile memory. In
some embodiments, memory 220 may comprise of one or more of mass
storage device, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only
memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),
cache memory such as random access memory (RAM), flash memory,
synchronous random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access
memory (DRAM), and/or other types of memory devices. In some
embodiments, the memory 220 may be employed to store a variety of
programming instructions (e.g., software) and data including
previously provided travel plans, ferry and/or mass transit
schedules, end user preferences including vehicle and/or driver
preferences, driver preferences including geographic preferences,
and so forth.
[0107] Turning now to FIG. 2B, which illustrates a travel planning
network system 10'' in which certain logic modules (the request
receiving module 202'', the travel plan producing module 204'' and
the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'') are
implemented using one or more processors 230. In addition, the
travel planning network system 10'' may further include a memory
220 and a network interface 240 similar to the travel planning
network system 10' of FIG. 2A.
[0108] In various embodiments the request receiving module 202* of
FIG. 2A or 2B (e.g., the request receiving module 202' of FIG. 2A
or the request receiving module 202'' of FIG. 2B) may be configured
to, among other things, receive a request for transporting one or
more end users 12 towards a destination location. In contrast, the
travel plan producing module 204* of FIG. 2A or 2B (e.g., the
travel plan producing module 204' of FIG. 2A or the travel plan
producing module 204'' of FIG. 2B) may be configured to, among
other things, produce or provide a travel plan for facilitating one
or more end users 12 to travel to a destination location from a
starting location, the travel plan to be produced or provided
identifying at least two route legs including at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end users 12 over the
transport route leg. Meanwhile, the transportation vehicle unit
guiding module 206* of FIG. 2A or 2B (e.g., the transportation
vehicle unit guiding module 206' of FIG. 2A or the transportation
vehicle unit guiding module 206'' of FIG. 2B) may be configured to,
among other things, guide or direct the at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* to a rendezvous location to rendezvous with the
one or more end users 12 in order to transport the one or more end
users 12 over the transport route leg.
[0109] Referring now to FIG. 3A illustrating a particular
implementation of the request receiving module 202* (e.g., the
request receiving module 202' or the request receiving module
202'') of FIG. 2A or 2B. As illustrated, the request receiving
module 202* may include one or more sub-logic modules in various
alternative implementations. For example, in various embodiments,
the request receiving module 202* may further include an end user
preference data receiving module 302. Specific details related to
the request receiving module 202* as well as the above-described
sub-module of the request receiving module 202* will be provided
below with respect to the operations and processes to be described
herein.
[0110] FIG. 3B illustrates a particular implementation of the
travel plan producing module 204* (e.g., the travel plan producing
module 204' or the travel plan producing module 204'') of FIG. 2A
or 2B. As illustrated, the travel plan producing module 204* may
include one or more sub-logic modules in various alternative
implementations. For example, in various embodiments, the travel
plan producing module 204* may further include a travel plan
creating module 304, which may further include a distance
minimizing travel plan creating module 306, a travel time
minimizing travel plan creating module 308, a travel cost
minimizing travel plan creating module 310, a multiple factors
travel plan creating module 312, a mass transit/ferry preference
compliant travel plan creating module 314, a walking/bicycling
preference compliant travel plan creating module 316, a geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module 318, and/or a
rendezvous location ascertaining module 318 (which may further
include a rendezvous time estimating module 322), a travel plan
transmitting module 324 (which may further include a rendezvous
data transmitting module 326 and/or a planned travel route data
transmitting module 328), a modified travel plan transmitting
module 330, and/or an alternative option transmitting module 332.
Specific details related to the travel plan producing module 204''
as well as the above-described sub-modules of the travel plan
producing module 204* will be provided below with respect to the
operations and processes to be described herein.
[0111] Turning now to FIG. 3C illustrating a particular
implementation of the transportation vehicle unit guiding module
206* (e.g., the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206' or
the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'') of FIG. 2A or
2B. As illustrated, the transportation vehicle unit guiding module
206* may include one or more sub-logic modules in various
alternative implementations. For example, in various embodiments,
the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206* may further
include an instruction transmitting module 340 (which may further
include a transportation information transmitting module 342), a
request transmitting module 344, a confirmation receiving module
346, an end user detecting module 348, and/or a transportation
vehicle unit detecting module 350. Specific details related to the
transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206'' as well as the
above-described sub-modules of the transportation vehicle unit
guiding module 206* will be provided below with respect to the
operations and processes to be described herein.
[0112] Referring now to FIG. 4A, which illustrates the type of data
that may be included in an exemplary travel plan 400a that may be
provided/produced by the travel planning network system 10* of FIG.
2A or 2B. The example travel plan 400a may be a plan to facilitate
one or more end users 12 to travel from a starting location (e.g.,
"213 Elm St., Bainbridge Island, Wash.") to a destination location
(e.g., "1425 Bellevue Way, Bellevue, Wash."), the travel plan 400a
having multiple route legs including at least one route leg
("transport route leg")--route leg 3 in FIG. 4A --that calls for a
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 over at least a portion of the transport route leg (e.g.,
"route leg 3" of FIG. 4A). As illustrated, the example travel plan
400a may identify the starting location (which may or may not be
the current location of one of the one or more end users 12 as
provided, for example, by a GPS of an end user device 14), a
destination location, and in some cases a preferred arrival time
(e.g., the latest time that the one or more end users 12 may wish
to arrive at the destination location--generally most people prefer
to arrive early rather than late).
[0113] The travel plan 400a may further indicate a planned starting
time (e.g., "8:05 AM" in FIG. 4A) for starting the planned trip
from the starting location in order to reach the destination
location by the preferred arrival time. Note that included at the
bottom of the travel plan 400a of FIG. 4A is the estimated arrival
time (e.g., "10:25 AM") at the destination location if the travel
plan 400a is followed by the one or more end users 12. The travel
plan 400a, as further illustrated, may identify the different route
legs (e.g., route leg 1, route leg 2, and route leg 3) that the
travel plan 400a may include. The mode of transportation (e.g.,
walking, ferry, and transportation vehicle unit) for each of the
identified route legs may also be identified by the travel plan
400a. Note that route leg 3 in FIG. 4A is a "transport route leg"
because it calls for transportation vehicle unit 20* for
transporting the one or more end users 12 over at least a portion
of the route leg (e.g., route leg 3).
[0114] As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the example travel plan 400a
further identifies for each route leg, a route leg starting point
(or "route leg pickup point" for route leg 3), a route leg end
point, travel time for the corresponding leg, and the expected
arrival time at the route leg end point. Note that the example
travel plan 400a includes other information related to the various
route legs. For example, identifying the ferry (e.g., "8:40
Ferry"), and vehicle and driver information related to the
transportation vehicle unit 20* called for by route leg 3. Note
that the various headings (e.g., "Route Leg 1," "Mode:", and so
forth) and subheading (e.g., "Route Leg Starting Point," "Route Leg
End Point," and so forth) illustrated in FIG. 4A are not
necessarily in an actual travel plan. That is, these headings and
subheadings are provided in the travel plan 400a of FIG. 4A (as
well as in the travel plans 400b, 400f, and 400g of FIGS. 4B, 4F
and 4G) merely to facilitate the reader in understanding the type
of information that may be included in a travel plan 400* (e.g.,
travel plan 400a, 400b, 400f and 400g of FIG. 4A, 4B, 4F, or 4G).
Thus, an actual plan to travel to a destination location may not
look anything like the example travel plan 400a of FIG. 4A (or like
the travel plans 400b, 400f and 400g of FIGS. 4B, 4F, and 4G).
Instead, the exemplary travel plan 400a of FIG. 4A (as well as the
travel plans 400b, 400f and 400g of FIGS. 4B, 4F, and 4G) are
merely presented herein in order to show the type of information
that may be included in a travel plan 400*.
[0115] As will be further illustrated, in some cases, a plan to
travel to a destination location, such as the travel plan 400a of
FIG. 4A, may provide specific detailed routing information that
indicates, for example, turn-by-turn and street-by-street routing
information for traveling at least partway to a destination
location. Referring now to FIG. 4B, which illustrates another
exemplary travel plan 400b with specific routing information for
traveling at least partway (e.g., a route leg) to a destination
location. The exemplary travel plan 400b is similar to the travel
plan 400a of FIG. 4A except that for route leg 1, the travel plan
400b includes specific planned routing information in the form of
planned travel route 420b, which provides street-by-street,
turn-by-turn routing information for traveling from the "route leg
starting point" of route leg 1 to the "route leg end point" of
route leg 1. Note that the planned travel route 420b for route leg
1 of FIG. 4B is in textual form. In other implementations, however,
a planned travel route 420* that identifies a detailed route of at
least a portion of a route leg may be in graphical form (see, for
example, planned travel route 420c, 420d, and 420e of FIGS. 4C, 4D,
and 4E).
[0116] Referring now to FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E, which illustrates
planned travel routes 420*, in graphical form, for each of the
route legs (e.g., route leg 1, route leg 2, and route leg 3) of
travel plan 400b of FIG. 4B and which may be included in the travel
plan 400b. These planned travel routes 420* may be useful in
determining whether the one or more end users 12 are traveling as
planned and in accordance with the travel plan 400b (e.g., whether
the one or more end users 12 will be able to reach a rendezvous
location for rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit 20*
on time and in accordance with the travel plan 400b). Turning
particularly now to FIG. 4C, which depicts a planned travel route
420c for route leg 1 of the travel plan 400b of FIG. 4B. The
planned travel route 420c, in one sense, is merely the graphical
version of the planned travel route 420b of FIG. 4B. In addition,
other information may be provided with the planned travel route
420c including route leg starting point 424c, route leg end point
426c, intermediate locations 421c along the planned travel route
420c and the preferred intermediate arrival times 422c (e.g., the
scheduled or planned arrival times at intermediate locations in
order to reach the route leg end point and to transition to the
next leg, (e.g., get on a ferry, on time) for each of the
intermediate locations 421c along the planned travel route
420c.
[0117] Referring now to FIG. 4D, which illustrates a planned travel
route 420d (in graphical from) for route leg 2 of the travel plan
400b of FIG. 4B. The planned travel route 420d is actually the
ferry route for the 8:40 ferry called for by route leg 2 of travel
plan 400b of FIG. 4B. Other information may also be provided with
the planned travel route 420d including, the route leg starting
point 424d, route leg end point 426d, intermediate locations 421d
along the planned travel route 420d and the preferred intermediate
arrival times 422d for each of the intermediate locations 421d.
[0118] Turning now to FIG. 4E, which illustrates a planned travel
route 420e (in graphical form) for route leg 3 (e.g., "transport
route leg" that calls for a transportation vehicle unit 20* to
transport the one or more end users 12) of the travel plan 400b of
FIG. 4B. The planned travel route 420e is the planned route for a
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 to a route leg end point 426e (which is also the final
destination location for the travel plan 400b). Other information
may also be provided with the planned travel route 420e including,
the route leg starting point 424e, route leg end point 426e,
intermediate locations 421e along the planned travel route 420e and
the preferred intermediate arrival times 422e for each of the
intermediate locations 421e.
[0119] The intermediate locations 421* and their associated
preferred intermediate arrival times 422* of each of the planned
travel routes 420* of FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E may be useful
particularly in connection with location information of the one or
more end users 12. That is, the monitored location or locations of
the one or more end users 12 (via GPS of the end user device 14)
when the one or more end users 12 are traveling to the destination
location may be compared to the intermediate location 421* and the
associated preferred intermediate arrival times 422* of the planned
travel routes 420* in order to determine whether the one or more
end users 12 are moving along the planned travel routes 420* on
time. And if a determination is made that the one or more end users
12 have deviated from the planned travel routes 420* (because the
one or more end users 12 are arriving late at the intermediate
locations 421), then adjustments may be made to the travel plan
400b (e.g., change the rendezvous location or rendezvous time for a
transportation vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the one or more
end users 12 for route leg 3).
[0120] In addition, the location or locations of the one or more
end users 12 (via GPS of the end user device 14) when the one or
more end users 12 are traveling to the destination location may be
monitored and compared to the planned travel routes 420* in order
to determine when to direct a transportation vehicle unit 20* to
the rendezvous location for rendezvousing with the one or more end
users 12. That is, in some embodiments, it may be preferable not to
contact a transportation vehicle unit 20* to direct the
transportation vehicle unit 20* to the rendezvous location unless
the one or more end users 12 are in the proximity of the rendezvous
location (e.g., the one or more end users 12 are 15 minutes away
from the rendezvous location).
[0121] Referring now to FIG. 4F, which illustrates another
exemplary travel plan 400f that may be provided for the return trip
from the trip undertaken when the travel plan 400a or 400b of FIG.
4A or 4B was executed by the one or more end users 12. Note that
because this is for a return trip, the first route leg (e.g., route
leg 1) is the transport route leg that calls for a transportation
vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end users 12 from the
starting location (e.g., "1425 Bellevue Way, Bellevue, Wash.") to a
route leg end point (e.g., Ferry Terminal Entrance at 1233 Alaskan
Way). The route leg 1 of the travel plan 400f is planned such that
the scheduled transportation vehicle unit 20* called for by route
leg 1 will rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the
appropriate time and to transport the one or more end users 12 on
time so that they will be on time to be able to catch the 5:00 PM
ferry to Bainbridge Island, which is the second route leg (e.g.,
"route leg 2") of the travel plan 400f.
[0122] FIG. 4G illustrates yet another exemplary travel plan 400g.
In this example, the travel plan 400g calls for two different
transportation vehicle units 20* to transport one or more end users
12 over two different route legs (e.g., route leg 1 and route leg
2). Note that included in the travel plan 400g is certain
information related to the transportation vehicle units scheduled
to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 including vehicle
model, make, driver information, and license number. Also indicated
by the travel plan 400g are schedule pickup times and expected or
estimated arrival times at the route leg end point (or estimated
arrival time at destination location).
[0123] In the following, various operations associated with the
above described travel planning network system 10* (e.g., the
travel planning network system 10' of FIG. 2A or the travel
planning network system 10'' of FIG. 2B) will be presented in
accordance with various alternative embodiments. FIG. 5, for
example, illustrates an operational flow 500 representing example
computationally-implemented operations that may be implemented for,
among other things, providing, which may be in response to
receiving a request for transporting one or more end users towards
a destination location, a travel plan for facilitating the one or
more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location, the travel plan identifying at least two route
legs, and directing at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location
in order to transport the one or more end users over at least one
of the at least two route legs of the travel plan.
[0124] In FIG. 5 and in the following figures that include various
examples of operational flows, discussions and explanations will be
provided with respect to the travel planning network system 10*
described above and as illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, and 3C,
and/or with respect to other examples (e.g., as provided in FIGS.
1, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G) and contexts. However, it should
be understood that the operational flows may be executed in a
number of other environments and contexts, and/or in modified
versions of FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F,
and/or 4G. Also, although the various operational flows are
presented in the sequence(s) illustrated, it should be understood
that the various operations may be performed in orders other than
those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently.
[0125] Further, in FIG. 5 and in the figures to follow thereafter,
various operations may be depicted in a box-within-a-box manner.
Such depictions may indicate that an operation in an internal box
may comprise an optional example embodiment of the operational step
illustrated in one or more external boxes. However, it should be
understood that internal box operations may be viewed as
independent operations separate from any associated external boxes
and may be performed in any sequence with respect to all other
illustrated operations, or may be performed concurrently. Still
further, these operations illustrated in FIG. 5 as well as the
other operations to be described herein are performed by at least
one of a machine, an article of manufacture, or a composition of
matter unless indicated otherwise.
[0126] For ease of understanding, the flowcharts are organized such
that the initial flowcharts present implementations via an example
implementation and thereafter the following flowcharts present
alternate implementations and/or expansions of the initial
flowchart(s) as either sub-component operations or additional
component operations building on one or more earlier-presented
flowcharts. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that the
style of presentation utilized herein (e.g., beginning with a
presentation of a flowchart(s) presenting an example implementation
and thereafter providing additions to and/or further details in
subsequent flowcharts) generally allows for a rapid and easy
understanding of the various process implementations. In addition,
those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the style of
presentation used herein also lends itself well to modular and/or
object-oriented program design paradigms.
[0127] In any event, after a start operation, the operational flow
500 of FIG. 5 may move to a request receiving operation 502 for
receiving a request for transporting one or more end users towards
a destination location. For instance, and as illustration, the
request receiving module 202* of the travel planning network system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B (e.g., the request receiving module 202' of
FIG. 2A or the request receiving module 202'' of FIG. 2B) receiving
a request that requests that one or more end users 12 are
transported at least partway towards a destination location. In
various embodiments, the request that may be received may be a
request that specifically requests for a travel plan for traveling
to the destination location. In some other embodiments, however,
the request that may be received may be a request that specifically
requests for transportation for at least a portion of the overall
trip to the destination location.
[0128] Operational flow 500 may also include a travel plan
providing operation 504 for providing a travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from a starting location, the travel plan identifying at
least two route legs including at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg.
For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* (e.g., the
travel plan producing module 204' of FIG. 2A or the travel plan
producing module 204'' of FIG. 2B) of the travel planning network
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing or producing a travel plan
400* for facilitating the one or more end users 12 to travel to the
destination location from a starting location, the travel plan 400*
identifying at least two route legs including at least one
transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) that calls
for (e.g., requires use of or plans for) at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 over the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A
or 4B). In various implementations, the travel plan 400* that may
be provided may be developed or created, or alternatively, may be a
previously generated travel plan 400* that may be stored in, for
example, memory 220 (e.g., when an end user 12 request to be
transported towards a destination location from a starting location
that was, for example, planned for previously in a previous trip to
the destination location.
[0129] As further illustrated in FIG. 5, operational flow 500 may
further include a transportation vehicle unit directing operation
506 for directing the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at a rendezvous location
in order to transport the one or more end users over the transport
route leg. For instance, the transportation vehicle unit guiding
module 206* (e.g., the transportation vehicle unit guiding module
206' of FIG. 2A or the transportation vehicle unit guiding module
206'' of FIG. 2B) of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG.
2A or 2B directing or guiding the at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* (e.g., directing or guiding by transmitting
directives or instructions to the at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20*) to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12
at a rendezvous location (e.g., a location for the one or more end
users 12 to meet the transportation vehicle unit 20*) in order to
transport the one or more end users 12 over the transport route leg
(e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B).
[0130] As will be described below, the request receiving operation
502, the travel plan providing operation 504, and the
transportation vehicle unit directing operation 506 may be executed
in a variety of different ways in various alternative
implementations. FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, for example, illustrate at
least some of the alternative ways that the request receiving
operation 502 of FIG. 5 may be executed in various alternative
implementations. In some cases, for example, the request receiving
operation 502 may include an operation 602 for receiving the
request for transporting the one or more end users towards the
destination location from an end user device associated with at
least one of the one or more end users as illustrated in FIG. 6A.
For instance, the request receiving module 202* of the travel
planning network system 10* (e.g., the travel planning network
system 10' of FIG. 2A or the travel planning network system 10'' of
FIG. 2B) receiving the request for transporting the one or more end
users 12 towards the destination location from an end user device
14 (e.g., a Smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop or desktop
computer, and so forth) associated with (e.g., being used by) at
least one of the one or more end users 12.
[0131] In various implementations, the request receiving operation
502 may include an operation 603 for receiving the request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location from one or more wireless and/or wired networks. For
instance, the request receiving module 202* of the travel planning
network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the request for
transporting the one or more end users 12 towards the destination
location from one or more wireless and/or wired networks 16 (e.g.,
cellular data network).
[0132] In the same or alternative implementations, the request
receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include
or involve an operation 604 for receiving the request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location by receiving a request that identifies the destination
location. For instance, the request receiving module 202* of the
travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the
request for transporting the one or more end users 12 towards the
destination location by receiving a request that identifies the
destination location (e.g., an address or a name of a landmark). In
some cases, the request receiving module 202* may control a network
interface 240 in order to receive the request.
[0133] In some cases, operation 604 may further include or involve
an operation 605 for receiving the request that identifies the
destination location by receiving a request that identifies a
preferred arrival time at the destination location. For instance,
the request receiving module 202* of the travel planning network
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the request that identifies
the destination location by receiving a request that identifies a
preferred arrival time (as preferred and indicated by at least one
of the one or more end users 12 via the end user device 14) at the
destination location.
[0134] In the same or alternative implementations, the request
receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include
or involve an operation 606 for receiving the request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location by receiving a request that indicates a starting location
for starting a journey to the destination location. For instance,
the request receiving module 202* of the travel planning network
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the request for transporting
the one or more end users 12 towards the destination location by
receiving a request that indicates a starting location (e.g., may
be an address or GPS data) for starting a journey to the
destination location.
[0135] In the same or alternative implementations, the request
receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include
or involve an operation 607 for receiving the request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location by receiving a request that indicates number of end users
to be routed to the destination location. For instance, the request
receiving module 202* of the travel planning network system 10* of
FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the request for transporting the one or
more end users 12 towards the destination location by receiving a
request that indicates number of end users 12 to be routed to the
destination location.
[0136] In the same or alternative implementations, the request
receiving operation 502 may alternatively or additionally include
or involve an operation 608 for receiving a request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location including receiving location data that indicates current
location of at least one of the one or more end users. For
instance, the request receiving module 202* of the travel planning
network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a request for
transporting the one or more end users 12 towards the destination
location including receiving location data (e.g., global
positioning system or GPS data) that indicates current location
(e.g., end user location at the proximate time that the request was
received) of at least one of the one or more end users 12.
[0137] Referring now to FIG. 6B, in various implementations, the
request receiving operation 502 may include an operation 609 for
receiving a request for transporting the one or more end users
towards the destination location including receiving end user
preference data that indicates one or more transportation vehicle
unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For
instance, the request receiving module 202* including the end user
preference data receiving module 302 (see FIG. 3A) of the travel
planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a request
for transporting the one or more end users 12 towards the
destination location including receiving, by the end user
preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data that
indicates one or more transportation vehicle unit preferences
(e.g., preference for a particular type of vehicle) of at least one
of the one or more end users 12. In some cases, the end user
preference data may have been received previously well before
receiving the request. In other cases, however, such data may be
received at the same time or subsequent to receiving the
request.
[0138] As further illustrated in FIG. 6B, in various
implementations, operation 609 may further include one or more
additional operations including, in some cases, an operation 610
for receiving the end user preference data that indicates the one
or more transportation vehicle unit preferences of at least one of
the one or more end users by receiving end user preference data
that indicates one or more driver preferences of at least one of
the one or more end users. For instance, the end user preference
data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the end user preference data that
indicates the one or more transportation vehicle unit preferences
of at least one of the one or more end users by receiving end user
preference data that indicates one or more driver preferences
(e.g., preference that a driver be a non-smoker or does not use
perfume/cologne) of at least one of the one or more end users
12.
[0139] In some implementations, operation 610 may, in turn, further
include an operation 611 for receiving end user preference data
that indicates one or more driver preferences of at least one of
the one or more end users related to preferred rating of a human
driver. For instance, the end user preference data receiving module
302 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12
related to preferred rating of a human driver (e.g., end user
preference that a human driver having an average rating from other
end users that is higher than a certain rating number).
[0140] In the same or different implementations, operation 610 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 612 for
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
related to driver gender, driver interests, and/or driver
affiliation. For instance, the end user preference data receiving
module 302 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or
2B receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12
related to driver gender, driver interests (e.g., New York Jets),
and/or driver affiliation (e.g., religious affiliation or school
affiliation).
[0141] In the same or different implementations, operation 610 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 613 for
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
driver preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
related to preference for a driver that was specifically
pre-approved by at least one of the one or more end users. For
instance, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the
travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving end
user preference data that indicates one or more driver preferences
of at least one of the one or more end users 12 related to
preference for a driver that was specifically pre-approved by at
least one of the one or more end users 12. For example, receiving
end user preference data that indicates a preference that the
driver for a selected transportation vehicle unit 20* (selected for
transporting one or more end users 12) be a driver from a list of
pre-approved drivers as previously approved by the at least one of
the one or more end users 12.
[0142] In some implementations, operation 609 may include an
operation 614 for receiving the end user preference data that
indicates the one or more transportation vehicle unit preferences
of at least one of the one or more end users by receiving end user
preference data that indicates one or more vehicle preferences of
at least one of the one or more end users. For instance, the end
user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning
network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving the end user
preference data that indicates the one or more transportation
vehicle unit preferences of at least one of the one or more end
users 12 by receiving end user preference data that indicates one
or more vehicle preferences (e.g., preference for a minivan with
extra leg space) of at least one of the one or more end users
12.
[0143] In various implementations, the request receiving operation
502 may include an operation 615 for receiving a request for
transporting the one or more end users towards the destination
location including receiving end user preference data that
indicates one or more mass transit or ferry preferences of at least
one of the one or more end users. For instance, the request
receiving module 202* including the end user preference data
receiving module 302 of the travel planning network system 10* of
FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a request for transporting the one or more
end users 12 towards the destination location including receiving,
by the end user preference data receiving module 302, end user
preference data that indicates one or more mass transit or ferry
preferences (e.g., preference that no city bus be used for
transportation if wait for a city bus is more than 15 minutes,
preference that only certain ferries be used for transport over
water, and so forth) of at least one of the one or more end users
12.
[0144] Turning to FIG. 6C, in the same or alternative
implementations, the request receiving operation 502 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 616 for
receiving a request for transporting the one or more end users
towards the destination location including receiving end user
preference data that indicates one or more walking or bicycling
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users. For
instance, the request receiving module 202* including the end user
preference data receiving module 302 of the travel planning network
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a request for transporting
the one or more end users 12 towards the destination location
including receiving, by the end user preference data receiving
module 302, end user preference data that indicates one or more
walking or bicycling preferences (e.g., preference for not walking
more than a quarter mile during any leg of a trip) of at least one
of the one or more end users 12.
[0145] In the same or alternative implementations, the request
receiving operation 502 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 617 for receiving a request for transporting the one
or more end users towards the destination location including
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end
users. For instance, the request receiving module 202* including
the end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel
planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a request
for transporting the one or more end users 12 towards the
destination location including receiving, by the end user
preference data receiving module 302, end user preference data that
indicates one or more geographic preferences (e.g., an end user 12
prefers to avoid routes that require the end user 12 to travel over
water via, for example, a ferry, or traveling through certain
neighborhoods) of at least one of the one or more end users 12.
[0146] As further illustrated in FIG. 6C, in various
implementations, operation 617 may include one or more additional
operations including, in some cases, an operation 618 for receiving
end user preference data that indicates one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers to be routed
through. For instance, the end user preference data receiving
module 302 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or
2B receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
12 that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that
the at least one of the one or more end users 12 prefers to be
routed through. For example, an end user 12 may indicate through an
end user device 14 (which may transmit such indication to the
travel planning network system 10*) that the end user 12 prefers
that she be routed through (e.g., via transportation vehicle unit
20* or via other mode of transportation) certain roads or areas at
certain times of the day.
[0147] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 617
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 619 for
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be routed
through. For instance, the end user preference data receiving
module 302 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or
2B receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
12 that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that
the at least one of the one or more end users 12 prefer not to be
routed through. For example, an end user 12 may indicate through an
end user device 14 (which may transmit such indication to the
travel planning network system 10*) that the end user 12 prefers
that she be routed through certain roads or areas.
[0148] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 617
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 620 for
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers to be used for
rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit. For instance, the
end user preference data receiving module 302 of the travel
planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving end user
preference data that indicates one or more geographic preferences
of at least one of the one or more end users 12 that relate to one
or more geographic locations or areas that the at least one of the
one or more end users 12 prefers to be used for rendezvousing with
a transportation vehicle unit 20*. That is, in some cases, an end
user 12 may prefer, for various reasons (e.g., safety, handicap
friendly), certain locations for rendezvousing with transportation
vehicle unit 20*.
[0149] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 617
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 621 for
receiving end user preference data that indicates one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be used
for rendezvousing with one or more transportation vehicle units.
For instance, the end user preference data receiving module 302 of
the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving
end user preference data that indicates one or more geographic
preferences of at least one of the one or more end users 12 that
relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the at
least one of the one or more end users 12 prefers not to be used
for rendezvousing with one or more transportation vehicle units
20*.
[0150] Referring back to the travel plan providing operation 504 of
FIG. 5, the travel plan providing operation 504 similar to the
request receiving operation 502 of FIG. 5 may be executed in a
number of different ways in various alternative embodiments as
illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, 7E, 7F, 7G, 7H,
and 71. In some cases, for example, the travel plan providing
operation 504 may actually include an operation 721 for providing
the travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users to
travel to the destination location from the starting location in
response, at least in part, to the received request as illustrated
in FIG. 7A. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400* for facilitating
the one or more end users 12 to travel to the destination location
from the starting location, the providing of the travel plan 400*
being in response, at least in part, to the received request as
received, for example, by the request receiving module 202* of the
travel planning network system 10*.
[0151] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 722 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan when followed by the one or
more end users is designed to get the one or more end users to
arrive at the destination location at or before a preferred arrival
time. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing
(e.g., producing) the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or
more end users 12 to travel to the destination location from the
starting location, the travel plan 400* when followed by the one or
more end users 12 is designed to get the one or more end users 12
to arrive at the destination location at or before a preferred
arrival time (e.g., a preferred arrival time as indicated by at
least one of the one or more end users 12 via, for example, an end
user device 14).
[0152] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 723 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan identifying a starting time
for starting the travel plan in order to reach the destination
location by a preferred arrival time. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400*
for facilitating the one or more end users 12 to travel to the
destination location from the starting location, the travel plan
400* identifying a starting time for starting the travel plan 400*
(e.g., a starting time for starting a trip in accordance with the
travel plan 400*) in order to reach the destination location by a
preferred arrival time (as indicated by at least one of the one or
more end users 12 via, for example, an end user device 14).
[0153] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 724 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan identifying a planned travel
route for traveling at least partway between the starting location
and the destination location. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400*
for facilitating the one or more end users 12 to travel to the
destination location from the starting location, the travel plan
400* identifying a planned travel route 420* (e.g., a textual or
graphical plan for traveling through a particular geographical
area) for traveling at least partway (e.g., for traveling a route
leg of a travel plan) between the starting location and the
destination location.
[0154] In some cases, operation 724 may further include an
operation 725 for providing the travel plan that identifies the
planned travel route, the travel plan further identifying one or
more preferred intermediate arrival times that are respectfully
associated with each of one or more intermediate locations along
the planned travel route, the travel plan designed to facilitate
the one or more end users to reach the destination location at
proximately a preferred arrival time if the one or more end users
arrive at the one or more intermediate locations at proximately the
one or more preferred intermediate arrival times. For instance, the
travel plan producing module 204* of the travel planning networking
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing the travel plan 400* that
identifies the planned travel route 420*, the travel plan 400*
further identifying one or more preferred intermediate arrival
times 422* (see, for example, FIG. 4C, 4D, or 4E) that are
respectfully associated with each of one or more intermediate
locations 421* (see, for example, FIG. 4C, 4D, or 4E) along the
planned travel route 420*, the travel plan 400* designed to
facilitate the one or more end users 12 to reach the destination
location at proximately (e.g., before) a preferred arrival time if
the one or more end users 12 arrive at the one or more intermediate
locations 421* at proximately the one or more preferred
intermediate arrival times 422*.
[0155] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 726 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan identifying one or more
ferries and/or one or more mass transit vehicles for traveling
along at least a portion of a route leg. For instance, the travel
plan producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan
400* for facilitating the one or more end users 12 to travel
towards the destination location from the starting location, the
travel plan 400* identifying one or more ferries (e.g., name of
ferry or departure time) and/or one or more mass transit vehicles
(e.g., bus number or bus route name, which is the way metro buses
are often identified) for traveling at least a portion of a route
leg.
[0156] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 727 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan being at least in partial
graphical form. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204*
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400* for facilitating
the one or more end users 12 to travel to the destination location
from the starting location, the travel plan 400* to be provided
being at least in partial graphical form (e.g., a digital map as
illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E).
[0157] Turning to FIG. 7B, in various implementations, the travel
plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 728 for
providing the travel plan for facilitating the one or more end
users to travel to the destination location from the starting
location, the travel plan being at least in partial textual form.
For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of the travel
planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g.,
producing) the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more
end users 12 to travel to the destination location from the
starting location, the travel plan 400* being at least in partial
textual form (e.g., street names and turn by turn instructions as
illustrated in, for example, FIG. 4B for route leg 1).
[0158] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 729 for providing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from
the starting location, the travel plan being at least in partial
digital form. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204*
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400* for facilitating
the one or more end users 12 to travel to the destination location
from the starting location, the travel plan 400* being at least in
partial digital form (e.g., digital data readable by a computer
device).
[0159] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 730 for providing the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end user over the transport route leg by
providing a travel plan that identifies a rendezvous location
and/or rendezvous time for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit in order for the one or more
end users to be transported over the transport route leg. For
instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of the travel
planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing the
travel plan 400* identifying the at least two route legs including
the at least one transport route leg that calls for at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
user 12 over the transport route leg by providing (e.g., producing)
a travel plan 400* that identifies a rendezvous location and/or
rendezvous time for the one or more end users to rendezvous with
the transportation vehicle unit 20* in order for the one or more
end users 12 to be transported over the transport route leg (e.g.,
route leg 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B).
[0160] As further illustrated in FIG. 7B, in some implementations,
operation 730 may further include an operation 731 for providing a
travel plan that identifies a rendezvous location for the one or
more end users to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit
in order for the one or more end users to be transported over the
transport route leg, the rendezvous location being the same as or
proximate to the starting location. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing a travel plan 400f (see FIG. 4F) that
identifies a rendezvous location (see the Route Leg Pickup Point of
route leg 1 of FIG. 4F) for the one or more end users 12 to
rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit 20* in order for
the one or more end users 12 to be transported over the transport
route leg (e.g., transport route leg 1 of FIG. 4F), the rendezvous
location being the same as or proximate to (e.g., within 1/4 mile
of) the starting location (e.g., FIG. 4F identifies a passenger
pickup point for route leg 1 as 1425 Bellevue Way, the same as the
starting location for the travel plan 400f). In other words, in
this implementation, a transport route leg (e.g., a route leg that
requires a transportation vehicle unit 20* for transporting one or
more end users 12 over at least a portion of the route leg) is the
first sequential route leg of a travel plan (e.g., travel plan
400f) that requires multiple route legs.
[0161] In some implementations, operation 730 may include an
operation 732 for providing a travel plan that identifies a
rendezvous location for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit in order for the one or more
end users to be transported over the transport route leg, the
rendezvous location being an intermediate location located between
the starting location and the destination location. For instance,
the travel plan producing module 204* of the travel planning
networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing a travel plan
(e.g., travel plan 400a or 400b of FIG. 4A or 4B) that identifies a
rendezvous location (e.g., route leg starting point 424e of FIG. 4E
or the "Ferry Terminal Exit at 1233 Alaskan Way" identified as the
pickup location for route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) for the one or
more end users 12 to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle
unit 20* in order for the one or more end users 12 to be
transported over the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG.
4A or 4B), the rendezvous location being an intermediate location
(e.g., route leg starting point 424e of FIG. 4E) located between
the starting location (e.g., route leg starting point 424c of FIG.
4C or the "213 Elm St. Bainbridge Island, Wash." indicated as the
starting location in FIG. 4A or 4B) and the destination location
(e.g., route leg end point 426e of FIG. 4E or the "1425 Bellevue
Way, Bellevue, Wash." indicated as the destination location in FIG.
4A or 4B).
[0162] As further illustrated in FIG. 7B, in some cases, operation
732 may further include an operation 733 for providing a travel
plan that identifies the rendezvous location that is an
intermediate location located between the starting location and the
destination location and a rendezvous time for the one or more end
users to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit at the
rendezvous location in order for the one or more end users to be
transported over the transport route leg, the rendezvous time being
a planned point or range in time for the one or more end users to
rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit at the rendezvous
location. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing or producing a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or
400b of FIG. 4A or 4B) that identifies the rendezvous location
(e.g., the "Ferry Terminal Exit at 1233 Alaskan Way" identified as
the pickup location for route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B or the route
leg starting point 424e of FIG. 4E) that is an intermediate
location located between the starting location (e.g., the "213 Elm
St. Bainbridge Island, Wash." indicated as the starting location in
FIG. 4A or 4B or the route leg starting point 424c of FIG. 4C) and
the destination location (e.g., the "1425 Bellevue Way, Bellevue,
Wash." indicated as the destination location in FIG. 4A or 4B or
the route leg end point 426e of FIG. 4E) and a rendezvous time
(e.g., the "pickup time: 9:55 AM" as indicated by FIGS. 4A and 4B
for route leg 3) for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit 20* at the rendezvous location
in order for the one or more end users 12 to be transported over
the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B), the
rendezvous time being a planned point or range in time for the one
or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle
unit 20* at the rendezvous location.
[0163] Referring now to FIG. 7C, in various implementations, the
travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 734
for providing the travel plan identifying the at least two route
legs including the at least one transport route leg that calls for
at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or
more end user over the transport route leg, the travel plan further
indicating one or more expected times for completing one or more of
the at least two route legs. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400*
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) that calls
for at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the
one or more end user 12 over the transport route leg, the travel
plan 400* further indicating one or more expected times (e.g., the
expected times may be the amount of time it takes to complete each
of the route legs and/or the time of day that each route leg is
completed) for completing one or more of the at least two route
legs (see, for example, the "expected arrival times" for the
various route legs illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4F, and 4G).
[0164] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 735 for providing the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end user over the transport route leg,
the travel plan identifying one or more modes of transportation for
each of the at least two route legs. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing (e.g., producing) the travel plan 400*
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end user 12 over the
transport route leg, the travel plan 400* identifying one or more
modes of transportation (e.g., walking, transportation vehicle unit
20*, ferry, mass transit such as metro buses and commuter trains,
and so forth) for each of the at least two route legs.
[0165] In the same or alternative implementations, the travel plan
providing operation 504 may additionally or alternatively include
an operation 736 for providing a travel plan identifying at least
two route legs including the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the transport route leg and a first
route leg that does not call for any transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over any portion of the first
route leg, the at least one transport route leg being a second
route leg. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing or producing a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a, 400b,
or 400f of FIG. 4A, 4B, or 4F) identifying at least two route legs
including the at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3
of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 1 of FIG. 4F) that calls for (e.g.,
requires use of and/or plans for) at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end users 12 over the
transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route
leg 1 of FIG. 4F) and a first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of
FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F) that does not call
for any transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or
more end users 12 over any portion of the first route leg (e.g.,
route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F),
the at least one transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A
or 4B, or route leg 1 of FIG. 4F) being a second route leg.
[0166] As further illustrated in FIG. 7C, in some implementations,
operation 736 may actually include or involve an operation 737 for
providing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs
including the first route leg that does not call for any
transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users
over any portion of the first route leg and a second route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the second route leg, the first route
leg calling for the one or more end users to travel over the first
route leg by walking, by bicycling, by mass transit, and/or by
ferry. For instance, the travel plan producing module 204* of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing a
travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a, 400b, or 400f of FIG. 4A, 4B,
or 4F) identifying at least two route legs including the first
route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2
or 3 of FIG. 4F) that does not call for any transportation vehicle
unit 20* to transport the one or more end users 12 over any portion
of the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or
route leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F) and a second route leg (e.g., route
leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 1 of FIG. 4F) that calls for
at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one
or more end users 12 over the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3
of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 1 of FIG. 4F), the first route leg
(e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 or 3 of
FIG. 4F) calling for the one or more end users 12 to travel over
the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or
route leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F) by walking, by bicycling, by mass
transit, and/or by ferry.
[0167] In some implementations, operation 736 may actually include
or involve an operation 738 for providing a travel plan identifying
at least two route legs including the first route leg that does not
call for any transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or
more end users over any portion of the first route leg and a second
route leg that calls for the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to transport the one or more end user over the second route
leg, the first route leg preceding the second route leg along an
overall travel route for traveling from the starting location to
the destination location. For instance, the travel plan producing
module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A
or 2B providing a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400b of
FIG. 4A or 4B) identifying at least two route legs including the
first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B) that does
not call for any transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the
one or more end users 12 over any portion of the first route leg
(e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B) and a second route leg
(e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) that calls for the at least
one transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more
end user 12 over the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A
or 4B), the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4A or
4B) preceding the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or
4B) somewhere along an overall travel route for traveling from the
starting location to the destination location.
[0168] In some implementations, operation 736 may actually include
or involve an operation 739 for providing a travel plan identifying
at least two route legs including the first route leg that does not
call for any transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or
more end users over any portion of the first route leg and a second
route leg that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit
to transport the one or more end users over the second route leg,
the first route leg immediately following the second route leg
along an overall travel route for traveling from the starting
location to the destination location. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400f)
identifying at least two route legs including the first route leg
(e.g., route leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F) that does not call for any
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 over any portion of the first route leg (e.g., route leg 2
or 3 of FIG. 4F) and a second route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG.
4F) that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to
transport the one or more end users 12 over the second route leg
(e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4F), the first route leg (e.g., route
leg 2 or 3 of FIG. 4F) immediately following the second route leg
(e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4F) along an overall travel route for
traveling from the starting location to the destination
location.
[0169] Turning now to FIG. 7D, in various implementations, the
travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 740
for providing a travel plan identifying at least two route legs
including the at least one transport route leg that calls for at
least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end user over the transport route leg and a first route leg that
calls for another transportation vehicle unit to transport the one
or more end users over the first route leg, the at least one
transport route leg being a second route leg. For instance, the
travel plan producing module 204* of the travel planning networking
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing or producing a travel plan
(e.g., travel plan 400g of FIG. 4G) identifying at least two route
legs including the at least one transport route leg (e.g., route
leg 2 of FIG. 4G) that calls for (e.g., requires use of or plans
for) at least one transportation vehicle unit 20a to transport the
one or more end user 12 over the transport route leg (e.g., route
leg 2 of FIG. 4G) and a first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG.
4G) that calls for another transportation vehicle unit 20b to
transport the one or more end users 12 over the first route leg
(e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4G), the at least one transport route
leg (e.g., route leg 2 of FIG. 4G) being a second route leg.
[0170] In some cases, operation 740 may further include an
operation 741 for providing a travel plan identifying at least two
route legs including the first route leg that calls for another
transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users
over the first route leg and a second route leg that calls for the
at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or
more end user over the second route leg, the first route leg
preceding the second route leg along a planned travel route as
provided by the travel plan. For instance, the travel plan
producing module 204* of the travel planning networking system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B providing a travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400g of
FIG. 4G) identifying at least two route legs including the first
route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4G) that calls for another
transportation vehicle unit 20b to transport the one or more end
users 12 over the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4G)
and a second route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of FIG. 4G) that calls
for the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20a to transport
the one or more end user 12 over the second route leg (e.g., route
leg 2 of FIG. 4G), the first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG.
4G) immediately preceding the second route leg (e.g., route leg 2
of FIG. 4G) along a planned travel route as provided by the travel
plan (e.g., travel plan 400g).
[0171] In various implementations, the travel plan providing
operation 504 may include an operation 742 for providing the travel
plan by developing the travel plan for facilitating the one or more
end users to travel to the destination location from a starting
location, the developed travel plan identifying the at least two
route legs including the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the transport route leg. For instance,
the travel plan producing module 204* including the travel plan
creating module 304 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B providing or producing the travel plan
400* by having the travel plan creating module 304 develop or
create the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more end
users 12 to travel to the destination location from a starting
location, the developed travel plan 400* identifying the at least
two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
(e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B, route leg 1 of FIG. 4F, or
route leg 1 or 2 of FIG. 4G) that calls for at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 over the transport route leg.
[0172] In some cases, operation 742 may, in turn, further include
an operation 743 for developing the travel plan for facilitating
the one or more end users to travel to the destination location
from a starting location by developing a travel plan that minimizes
total travel distance that the one or more end users has to travel
to reach the destination location from the starting location. For
instance, the travel plan creating module 304 including the
distance minimizing travel plan creating module 306 (see FIG. 3B)
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
developing the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more
end users 12 to travel to the destination location from a starting
location by having the distance minimizing travel plan creating
module 306 develop or create a travel plan 400*that minimizes total
travel distance that the one or more end users 12 has to travel to
reach the destination location from the starting location. Note
that short-distance algorithms (e.g., Dijkstra's algorithm) are
well-known and are frequently employed in order to find the
shortest route/path between two points. In some cases, these
short-distance algorithms may be applied not just to automobile
routes but may also be applied to walking routes, ferry routes, and
so forth in order to find the shortest overall routes.
[0173] In some implementations, operation 742 may include an
operation 744 for developing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location by developing a travel plan that minimizes total
travel time needed in order for the one or more end users to reach
the destination location from the starting location. For instance,
the travel plan creating module 304 including the travel time
minimizing travel plan creating module 308 (see FIG. 3B) of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing
the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more end users 12
to travel to the destination location from a starting location by
having the travel time minimizing travel plan creating module 308
develop or create a travel plan 400* that minimizes total travel
time needed in order for the one or more end users 12 to reach the
destination location from the starting location. In some cases, the
development of the a travel plan 400* that minimizes total travel
time may be achieved by generating alternative travel routes (that
may employ different modes of transportation) to a destination
location from a starting location and selecting from the
alternative travel routes the travel route that takes the shortest
time to complete based on automobile speed limits, mass transit or
ferry speeds, distances of specific legs, traffic conditions along
certain corridors, and so forth. Alternatively, a modified version
of a short-distance algorithm that takes into account the speed
limits, ferry speed, projected completion times of various route
legs based on traffic conditions, and so forth, may be employed in
order to develop or create a travel plan 400* that minimizes total
travel time needed in order to reach the destination location from
the starting location.
[0174] In some implementations, operation 742 may include an
operation 745 for developing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location by developing a travel plan that minimizes total
travel costs to be incurred in order for the one or more end users
to reach the destination location from the starting location. For
instance, the travel plan creating module 304 including the travel
cost minimizing travel plan creating module 310 (see FIG. 3B) of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
developing the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more
end users 12 to travel to the destination location from a starting
location by having the travel cost minimizing travel plan creating
module 310 develop or create a travel plan 400*that minimizes total
travel costs to be incurred in order for the one or more end users
12 to reach the destination location from the starting location. In
some cases, the development of a travel plan 400* that minimizes
total travel costs may be accomplished by determining the costs of
different alternative route legs (e.g., using different modes of
transportation with different planned travel routes for each route
leg) and selecting the combination of travel route legs that will
result in the lowest overall travel cost.
[0175] In some implementations, operation 742 may include an
operation 746 for developing the travel plan for facilitating the
one or more end users to travel to the destination location from a
starting location by developing a travel plan that is developed
based on multiple factors including minimizing total travel time
needed in order for the one or more end users to reach the
destination location from the starting location and minimizing
total travel costs to be incurred in order for the one or more end
users to reach the destination location from the starting location
as illustrated in FIG. 7E. For instance, the travel plan creating
module 304 including the multiple factors travel plan creating
module 312 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing the travel plan 400* for
facilitating the one or more end users 12 to travel to the
destination location from a starting location by having the
multiple factors travel plan creating module 312 develop or create
a travel plan 400* that is developed based on multiple factors
including minimizing total travel time needed in order for the one
or more end users 12 to reach the destination location from the
starting location and minimizing total travel costs to be incurred
in order for the one or more end users 12 to reach the destination
location from the starting location.
[0176] In some implementations, operation 742 may include an
operation 747 for developing the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg by
developing a travel plan that complies with one or more mass
transit or ferry preferences of at least one of the one or more end
users. For instance, the travel plan creating module 304 including
the mass transit/ferry preference compliant travel plan creating
module 314 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing the travel plan 400* identifying
the at least two route legs including the at least one transport
route leg that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit
20* to transport the one or more end users 12 over the transport
route leg by having the mass transit/ferry preference compliant
travel plan creating module 314 develop or create a travel plan
400* that complies with one or more mass transit or ferry
preferences (e.g., preference for using certain ferries that depart
at certain times, preference for not using certain ferries or metro
bus routes, and so forth) of at least one of the one or more end
users 12.
[0177] In some implementations, operation 742 may include an
operation 748 for developing the travel plan identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg by
developing a travel plan that complies with one or more walking or
bicycling preferences of at least one of the one or more end users.
For instance, the travel plan creating module 304 including the
walking/bicycling preference compliant travel plan creating module
316 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking system 10* of
FIG. 2A or 2B developing the travel plan 400* identifying the at
least two route legs including the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to
transport the one or more end users 12 over the transport route leg
by having the walking/bicycling preference compliant travel plan
creating module 316 develop or create a travel plan 400* that
complies with one or more walking or bicycling preferences (e.g.,
preference that the end user 12 not walk more than a quarter mile
for any route leg) of at least one of the one or more end users
12.
[0178] Turning now to FIG. 7F, in various implementations,
operation 742 for providing the travel plan by developing the
travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users to travel to
the destination location from a starting location, the developed
travel plan identifying the at least two route legs including the
at least one transport route leg that calls for at least one
transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users
over the transport route leg may include an operation 749 for
developing the travel plan identifying the at least two route legs
including the at least one transport route leg that calls for at
least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end users over the transport route leg by developing a travel plan
that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at least
one of the one or more end users. For instance, the travel plan
creating module 304 including the geographic preference compliant
travel plan creating module 318 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel
planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing the
travel plan 400* identifying the at least two route legs including
the at least one transport route leg that calls for at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users over the transport route leg by having the geographic
preference compliant travel plan creating module 318 develop or
create a travel plan 400* that complies with one or more geographic
preferences (e.g., a preference that the one or more end users 12
be or not be routed through a particular geographic location/area)
of at least one of the one or more end users 12.
[0179] As further illustrated in FIG. 7F, in various
implementations operation 749 may include one or more additional
operations including, in some cases, an operation 750 for
developing the travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
by developing a travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers to be routed
through. For instance, the geographic preference compliant travel
plan creating module 318 of the travel planning networking system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing the travel plan 400* that complies
with one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one
or more end users 12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400*
that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at least
one of the one or more end users t12 that relate to one or more
geographic locations or areas (e.g., preference may be related to a
specific street, freeway, city neighborhood, etc.) that the at
least one of the one or more end users prefers to be routed
through.
[0180] In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 751 for
developing the travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
by developing a travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be routed
through. For instance, the geographic preference compliant travel
plan creating module 318 of the travel planning networking system
10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing the travel plan 400* that complies
with one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one
or more end users 12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400*
that complies with one or more geographic preferences of at least
one of the one or more end users 12 that relate to one or more
geographic locations or areas (e.g., certain neighborhoods, body of
water--avoid ferries, and so forth) that the at least one of the
one or more end users prefers not to be routed through.
[0181] In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 752 for
developing the travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
by developing a travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers to be used for
rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit. For instance, the
geographic preference compliant travel plan creating module 318 of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
developing the travel plan 400* that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400* that complies with
one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or
more end users 12 that relate to one or more geographic locations
or areas that the at least one of the one or more end users 12
prefers to be used for rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle
unit 20*. For example, an end user 12 may prefer to be "picked up"
at locations that are handicap friendly (e.g., accommodates wheel
chairs).
[0182] In the same or different implementations, operation 749 may
additionally or alternatively include an operation 753 for
developing the travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
by developing a travel plan that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
that relate to one or more geographic locations or areas that the
at least one of the one or more end users prefers not to be used
for rendezvousing with a transportation vehicle unit. For instance,
the geographic preference compliant travel plan creating module 318
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
developing the travel plan 400* that complies with one or more
geographic preferences of at least one of the one or more end users
12 by developing or creating a travel plan 400* that complies with
one or more geographic preferences of at least one of the one or
more end users 12 that relate to one or more geographic locations
or areas that the at least one of the one or more end users 12
prefers not to be used for rendezvousing with a transportation
vehicle unit 20*. For example, an end user 12 may prefer to avoid
using certain locales as a rendezvous location for security reasons
(e.g., the end user 12 believes that certain locations are
unsafe).
[0183] Referring now to FIG. 7G, in some implementations, operation
742 for providing the travel plan by developing the travel plan for
facilitating the one or more end users to travel to the destination
location from a starting location, the developed travel plan
identifying the at least two route legs including the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg may actually include an operation 754 for
developing a travel plan for facilitating the one or more end users
to travel to the destination location from a starting location, the
travel plan identifying at least two route legs including at least
a first route leg that immediately precedes a second route leg for
traveling at least partway between the starting location and the
destination location, the second route leg being the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit to transport the one or more end users over the second
route leg. For instance, the travel plan creating module 304 of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing a
travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400b of FIG. 4A or 4B, or
travel plan 400g of FIG. 4G) for facilitating the one or more end
users 12 to travel to the destination location from a starting
location, the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a, 400b, or 400c of
FIG. 4A, 4B, or 4C) identifying at least two route legs including
at least a first route leg (e.g., route leg 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or
route leg 1 of FIG. 4G) that immediately precedes a second route
leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 of FIG. 4G)
for traveling at least partway between the starting location and
the destination location, the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3
of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg 2 of FIG. 4G) being the at least one
transport route leg that calls for at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20 to transport the one or more end users 12 over the
second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B, or route leg
2 of FIG. 4G).
[0184] In some implementations, operation 754 may include an
operation 755 for developing a travel plan identifying the at least
two route legs including at least the first route leg that
immediately precedes the second route leg for traveling at least
partway between the starting location and the destination location,
the second route being the at least one transport route leg that
calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to transport the
one or more end users over the second route leg, and the first
route leg does not call for any transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over any portion of the first
route leg. For instance, the travel plan creating module 304 of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing a
travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a or 400b of FIG. 4A or 4B)
identifying the at least two route legs including at least the
first route leg (e.g. route leg 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B) that
immediately precedes the second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of
FIG. 4A or 4B) for traveling at least partway between the starting
location and the destination location, the second route (e.g.,
route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) being the at least one transport
route leg that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit
20* to transport the one or more end users 12 over the second route
leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B), and the first route leg
(e.g. route leg 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B) does not call for any
transportation vehicle unit 20* to transport the one or more end
users 12 over any portion of the first route leg(e.g. route leg 2
of FIG. 4A or 4B).
[0185] In some implementations, operation 754 may include an
operation 756 for developing a travel plan identifying the at least
two route legs including at least the first route leg that
immediately precedes the second route leg for traveling at least
partway between the starting location and the destination location,
the second route leg being the at least one transport route leg
that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit to
transport the one or more end users over the second route leg, and
the first route leg that calls for another transportation vehicle
unit to transport the one or more end users over the first route
leg. For instance, the travel plan creating module 304 of the
travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B developing a
travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400g) identifying the at least two
route legs including at least the first route leg (e.g., route leg
1 of FIG. 4G) that immediately precedes the second route leg (e.g.,
route leg 2 of FIG. 4G) for traveling at least partway between the
starting location and the destination location, the second route
leg (e.g., route leg 2 of FIG. 4G) being the at least one transport
route leg that calls for at least one transportation vehicle unit
20a to transport the one or more end users 12 over the second route
leg (e.g., route leg 2 of FIG. 4G), and the first route leg (e.g.,
route leg 1 of FIG. 4G) that calls for another transportation
vehicle unit 20b to transport the one or more end users 12 over the
first route leg (e.g., route leg 1 of FIG. 4G).
[0186] In some implementations, operation 754 may include an
operation 757 for developing the travel plan including determining
a rendezvous location for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit in order to be transported
over the second route leg. For instance, the travel plan creating
module 304 including the rendezvous location ascertaining module
320 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking system 10* of
FIG. 2A or 2B developing or creating the travel plan 400* including
determining, or ascertaining by the rendezvous location
ascertaining module 320, a rendezvous location for the one or more
end users to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit 20* in
order for the one or more end users 12 to be transported over the
second route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B).
[0187] As further illustrated in FIG. 7G, in some implementations,
operation 757 may further include an operation 758 for determining
the rendezvous location for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit including estimating a
rendezvous time for the one or more end users to rendezvous with
the transportation vehicle unit at the rendezvous location, the
estimating as a result of estimating the amount of time it will
take for the one or more end users to travel over the first route
leg. For instance, the rendezvous location ascertaining module 320
including the rendezvous time estimating module 322 (see FIG. 3B)
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
determining the rendezvous location for the one or more end users
12 to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit 20* including
estimating, by the rendezvous time estimating module 322, a
rendezvous time for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with
the transportation vehicle unit 20* at the rendezvous location, the
estimating as a result of estimating (e.g., estimating may be based
on ferry schedule, the estimated walking speed of end users,
traffic conditions, etc.) the amount of time it will take for the
one or more end users 12 to travel over the first route leg (e.g.,
route leg 2 of FIG. 4A or 4B). In some cases, the estimating may be
based on information (e.g., ferry schedules, traffic conditions,
mass transit or ferry tracking data, and so forth) that may be
provided by a third party system 18 (see FIG. 1).
[0188] Turning to FIG. 7H, in various implementations, the travel
plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 759 for
providing the travel plan for facilitating the one or more end
users to travel to the destination location from the starting
location including transmitting at least one or more portions of
the travel plan. For instance, the travel plan producing module
204* including the travel plan transmitting module 324 (see FIG.
3B) of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
providing the travel plan 400* for facilitating the one or more end
users 12 to travel to the destination location from the starting
location including transmitting, by the travel plan transmitting
module 324, at least one or more portions (e.g., information that
indicates end and starting points of each route leg, information
that indicates rendezvous location[s] for rendezvousing with
transportation vehicle unit[s], information that indicates
rendezvous time for rendezvousing with transportation vehicle
unit[s], and so forth) of the travel plan 400*. In various
embodiments, the one or more portions of the travel plan 400* may
be transmitted via one or more wireless and/or wired networks
16.
[0189] As further illustrated in FIG. 7H, in various
implementations, operation 759 may further include one or more
additional operations including, in some cases, an operation 760
for transmitting at least the one or more portions of the travel
plan by transmitting at least the one or more portions of the
travel plan directly or indirectly to an end user device associated
with at least one of the one or more end users. For instance, the
travel plan transmitting module 324 of the travel planning
networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B transmitting at least the
one or more portions of the travel plan 400* by transmitting at
least the one or more portions of the travel plan 400* directly or
indirectly to an end user device 14 (e.g., a Smartphone, a tablet
computer, a laptop or desktop computer, and so forth) associated
with at least one of the one or more end users 12.
[0190] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 759
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 761 for
transmitting at least the one or more portions of the travel plan
by transmitting data that at least identifies a rendezvous location
for the one or more end users to rendezvous with the transportation
vehicle unit. For instance, the travel plan transmitting module 324
including the rendezvous data transmitting module 326 (see FIG. 3B)
of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting at least the one or more portions of the travel plan
400* by having the rendezvous data transmitting module 326 transmit
data that at least identifies a rendezvous location for the one or
more end users 12 to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle
unit 20*.
[0191] In some cases, operation 761 may further include an
operation 762 for transmitting the data that at least identifies
the rendezvous location for the one or more end users to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit including transmitting data
that identifies the rendezvous time for the one or more end users
to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit at the
rendezvous location. For instance, the rendezvous data transmitting
module 326 of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A
or 2B transmitting the data that at least identifies the rendezvous
location for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the
transportation vehicle unit 20* including transmitting data that
identifies the rendezvous time (e.g., a point in time or a time
range) for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the
transportation vehicle unit 20* at the rendezvous location.
[0192] In various implementations, operation 759 may include an
operation 763 for transmitting at least the one or more portions of
the travel plan by transmitting data indicative of a planned travel
route for traveling at least one portion of an overall travel route
between the starting location and the destination location. For
instance, the travel plan transmitting module 324 including the
planned travel route data transmitting module 328 (see FIG. 3B) of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting at least the one or more portions of the travel plan
400* by having the planned travel route data transmitting module
328 transmit data indicative of a planned travel route for
traveling at least one portion (e.g., a route leg) of an overall
route (e.g., overall travel route that may be fully or partially
planned) between the starting location and the destination
location.
[0193] In some cases, operation 763 may further include an
operation 764 for transmitting data indicative of a planned travel
route for traveling at least one portion of an overall travel route
between the starting location and the destination location by
transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route for
traveling to a rendezvous location for the one or more end users to
rendezvous with the at least one transportation vehicle unit. For
instance, t the planned travel route data transmitting module 328
(see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG.
2A or 2B transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route for
traveling at least one portion (e.g., a route leg) of an overall
travel route between the starting location and the destination
location by transmitting data indicative of a planned travel route
(e.g., a planned walking route, a ferry route, a planned transport
vehicle unit route, and so forth) for traveling to a rendezvous
location for the one or more end users 12 to rendezvous with the at
least one transportation vehicle unit 20*.
[0194] Referring now to FIG. 7I, in various implementations, the
travel plan providing operation 504 may include an operation 765
for transmitting to an end user device associated with at least one
of the one or more end users a modified version of the travel plan
in response to detecting that the transportation vehicle unit will
not be able to transport the one or more end users over the
transport route leg as called for by the travel plan. For instance,
the modified travel plan transmitting module 330 (see FIG. 3B) of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting to an end user device 14 associated with at least one
of the one or more end users 12 a modified version of the travel
plan 400* in response to detecting that the transportation vehicle
unit 20* will not be able to transport the one or more end users 12
over the transport route leg as called for by the travel plan 400*.
That is, in some implementations, the status (e.g., location and/or
passenger status) of a transportation vehicle unit 20* that was
assigned to transport one or more end users 12 may be monitored in
order to determine whether the transportation vehicle unit 20* will
be able to fulfill its obligations of transporting one or more end
users 12 in accordance with a travel plan 400*. If it is determined
that the transportation vehicle unit 20* is unable to meet its
obligations to transport the one or more end users 12 in accordance
with the travel plan 400* than a modified version of the travel
plan may be provided.
[0195] In some implementations, the travel plan providing operation
504 may include an operation 766 for transmitting to an end user
device associated with at least one of the one or more end users a
modified version of the travel plan in response to detecting that
the one or more end users will not be able to rendezvous with the
transportation vehicle unit in order to be transported over the
transport route leg as called for by the travel plan. For instance,
the modified travel plan transmitting module 330 (see FIG. 3B) of
the travel planning networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting to an end user device 14 associated with at least one
of the one or more end users 12 a modified version of the travel
plan 400* in response to detecting that the one or more end users
12 will not be able to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle
unit 20* in order to be transported over the transport route leg as
called for by the travel plan 400*. That is, the locations of the
one or more end users 12 may be monitored in order to determine
whether the one or more end users 12 will be able to rendezvous
with the transportation vehicle unit 20* in accordance with a
travel plan 400*. If it is determined that the one or more end
users 12 are unable to rendezvous with the transportation vehicle
unit 20* in accordance with a travel plan 400* then a modified
version of the originally provided travel plan 400* may be
provided.
[0196] In some implementations, the travel plan providing operation
504 may include an operation 767 for transmitting to an end user
device associated with at least one of the one or more end users
one or more alternative options for traveling over the transport
route leg other than being transported over the transport route leg
by the at least one transportation vehicle unit when the
transportation vehicle unit is detected as not being able to
transport the one or more end users over the transport route leg as
called for by the travel plan or when the one or more end users are
detected as not being able to rendezvous with the transportation
vehicle unit in order to be transported over the transport route
leg as called for by the travel plan. For instance, the alternative
option transmitting module 332 (see FIG. 3B) of the travel planning
networking system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B transmitting to an end user
device 14 associated with at least one of the one or more end users
12 one or more alternative options (e.g., walking, using mass
transit, or to wait for another transportation vehicle unit when
the originally assigned transportation vehicle unit is no longer
available) for traveling over the transport route leg (e.g., route
leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) other than being transported over the
transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG. 4A or 4B) by the at
least one transportation vehicle unit 20* when the transportation
vehicle unit 20* (which was originally assigned to transport the
one or more end users 12 over the transport route leg) is detected
as not being able to transport the one or more end users 12 over
the transport route leg as called for by the travel plan 400* or
when the one or more end users 12 are detected as not being able to
rendezvous with the transportation vehicle unit 20* in order to be
transported over the transport route leg (e.g., route leg 3 of FIG.
4A or 4B) as called for by the travel plan (e.g., travel plan 400a
or 400b of FIG. 4A or 4B).
[0197] Referring back to the transportation vehicle unit directing
operation 506 of FIG. 5, the transportation vehicle unit directing
operation 506 similar to the request receiving operation 502 and
the travel plan providing operation 504 of FIG. 5 may be executed
in a number of different ways in various alternative embodiments as
illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In some cases, for
example, the transportation vehicle unit directing operation 506
may actually include an operation 868 for directing the at least
one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more
end users at the rendezvous location in order to transport the one
or more end users over the transport route leg by transmitting one
or more instructions that instructs the at least one transportation
vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the
rendezvous location. For instance, the transportation vehicle unit
guiding module 206* including the instruction transmitting module
340 (see FIG. 3C) of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG.
2A or 2B directing or guiding the at least one transportation
vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at
the rendezvous location in order to transport the one or more end
users 12 over the transport route leg by having the instruction
transmitting module 340 transmit one or more instructions (e.g.,
directives or commands) that instructs the at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* (e.g., that instructs a human or
robotic driver of the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20*)
to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous
location. In some cases, the instructions that may be transmitted
may simply indicate an address for the rendezvous location and/or a
rendezvous time.
[0198] In some implementations, operation 868 may further include
one or more additional operations including, in some cases, an
operation 869 for transmitting one or more instructions that
instructs the at least one transportation vehicle unit to
rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location and at a rendezvous time. For instance, the instruction
transmitting module 340 of the travel planning network system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B transmitting one or more instructions that
instructs the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to
rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous
location and at a rendezvous time (e.g., a point in time or time
range).
[0199] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 868
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 870 for
transmitting the one or more instructions that instructs the at
least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or
more end users at a rendezvous location by transmitting the one or
more instructions to an end user device associated with at least
one of the one or more end users. For instance, the instruction
transmitting module 340 of the travel planning network system 10*
of FIG. 2A or 2B transmitting the one or more instructions that
instructs the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to
rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous
location by transmitting the one or more instructions to an end
user device 14 (e.g., a mobile device such as a Smartphone or
tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and so
forth) associated with at least one of the one or more end users
12.
[0200] In the same or alternative implementations, operation 868
may additionally or alternatively include an operation 871 for
transmitting the one or more instructions that instructs the at
least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or
more end users at a rendezvous location including transmitting
information that identifies at least mode of transportation used by
the one or more end users in order to reach the rendezvous
location. For instance, the instruction transmitting module 340
including the transportation information transmitting module 342
(see FIG. 4C) of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A
or 2B transmitting the one or more instructions that instructs the
at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the
one or more end users 12 at a rendezvous location including the
transportation information transmitting module 342 transmitting
information that identifies at least mode of transportation (e.g.,
walking, ferry, mass transit, another transportation vehicle unit
20*, and so forth) used by the one or more end users 12 in order to
reach the rendezvous location for rendezvousing with the at least
one transpiration vehicle unit 20*. In some cases, the information
to be transmitted may include information that identifies a ferry
that the one or more end users 12 uses to reach the rendezvous
location, or information that the one or more end users 12 will be
walking to reach the rendezvous location, or information that
identifies another transportation vehicle unit 20* used by the one
or more end users 12 to reach the rendezvous location.
[0201] In some cases, operation 871 may further include an
operation 872 for transmitting information that provides
information related to another transportation vehicle unit that is
transporting the one or more end users to the rendezvous location.
For instance, the transportation information transmitting module
342 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting information that provides information (e.g., GPS data,
vehicle number, etc.) related to another transportation vehicle
unit 20* that is transporting the one or more end users 12 to the
rendezvous location. For example, if the transportation vehicle
unit 20a of FIG. 1A has been assigned to transport the one or more
end users 12 for a second route leg of a travel plan 400g (see FIG.
4), then transmitting to the transportation vehicle unit 20a
information (e.g., vehicle ID including make and model of the
transportation vehicle) related to another transportation vehicle
unit 20b (see FIG. 1) that will be bringing the one or more end
users 12 to the rendezvous location ("2456 Ash Drive, Tacoma,
Wash." see FIG. 4G) for rendezvousing with the transportation
vehicle unit 20a in order to be transported over the second route
leg.
[0202] In various implementations, the transportation vehicle unit
directing operation 506 may include an operation 873a for
transmitting a request for the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location and a confirmation receiving operation 873b for receiving
a confirmation that the at least one transportation vehicle unit
will rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location. For instance, the request transmitting module 344 (see
FIG. 3C) of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
transmitting a request for the at least one transportation vehicle
unit 20* to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the
rendezvous location, and the confirmation receiving module 346 of
the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B receiving a
confirmation that the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20*
will rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous
location. In various implementations, the request may be
transmitted to and the confirmation may be received from a
transport computing device (e.g., a general purpose computing
device such as a Smartphone running a specialized application, or a
dedicated device) that may be associated with the at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* (or the driver of the
transportation vehicle unit 20*).
[0203] In some cases, operation 873a for transmitting a request for
the at least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the
one or more end users at the rendezvous location may actually
include or involve an operation 874 for transmitting the request
for the at least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with
the one or more end users at the rendezvous location including
transmitting end user information that provides at least one of
user identification information or end user rating of at least one
of the one or more end users. For instance, the request
transmitting module 344 (see FIG. 3C) of the travel planning
network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B transmitting the request for
the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with
the one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous location including
transmitting end user information that provides at least one of
user identification information (e.g., image of at least one of the
one or more end users 12 and/or name of one of the one or more end
users 12) and/or end user rating of at least one of the one or more
end users 12.
[0204] Turning now to FIG. 8B, in various implementations, the
transportation vehicle unit directing operation 506 may include an
operation 875 for directing the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to detecting that the one
or more end users are within a predefined distance from the
rendezvous location. For instance, the transportation vehicle unit
guiding module 206* including the end user detecting module 348
(see FIG. 3C) of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A
or 2B directing or guiding (e.g., ordering or instructing) the at
least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the
one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous location in response, at
least in part, to the end user detecting module 348 detecting that
the one or more end users 12 are within a predefined distance
(e.g., within 1 mile, 2 mile, and so forth) from the rendezvous
location.
[0205] In the same or alternative implementations, the
transportation vehicle unit directing operation 506 may include an
operation 876 for directing the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to estimating that the one
or more end users will reach the rendezvous location within a
predefined amount of time. For instance, the transportation vehicle
unit guiding module 206* including the end user detecting module
348 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B
directing or guiding the at least one transportation vehicle unit
20* to rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the
rendezvous location in response, at least in part, to the end user
detecting module 348 estimating that the one or more end users 12
will reach the rendezvous location within a predefined amount of
time (e.g., will reach the rendezvous location within 10
minutes).
[0206] In some cases, operation 876 may further include an
operation 877 for directing the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to estimating that the one
or more end users will reach the rendezvous location within a
predefined amount of time and in response, at least in part, on
detected current location of the at least one transportation
vehicle unit relative to the rendezvous location. For instance, the
transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206* including the end
user detecting module 348 and the transportation vehicle unit
detecting module 350 (see FIG. 3C) of the travel planning network
system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B directing or guiding the at least one
transportation vehicle unit 20* o rendezvous with the one or more
end users at the rendezvous location in response, at least in part,
to the end user detecting module 348 estimating that the one or
more end users 12 will reach the rendezvous location within a
predefined amount of time and in response, at least in part, on the
transportation vehicle unit detecting module 350 detecting the
current location of the at least one transportation vehicle unit
20* relative to the rendezvous location. That is, the further away
the transportation vehicle unit 20* is to the rendezvous location,
the earlier the transportation vehicle unit 20* must be directed to
the rendezvous location so that the transportation vehicle unit 20*
will have sufficient amount of time to reach the rendezvous
location at or before the rendezvous time.
[0207] In the same or alternative implementations, the
transportation vehicle unit directing operation 506 may include an
operation 878 for directing the at least one transportation vehicle
unit to rendezvous with the one or more end users at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to detecting that at least
one of the one or more end users has reached a particular location.
For instance, the transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206*
including the end user detecting module 348 of the travel planning
network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B directing or guiding the at
least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to rendezvous with the
one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous location in response, at
least in part, to the end user detecting module 348 detecting that
at least one of the one or more end users 12 has reached a
particular location (e.g., end user has reached a particular sea
port or pier).
[0208] As further illustrated in FIG. 8B, in some cases, operation
878 may further include an operation 879 for directing the at least
one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or more
end users at the rendezvous location in response, at least in part,
to detecting that the at least one of the one or more end users has
reached a particular location along a planned travel route as
provided by the travel plan. For instance, the transportation
vehicle unit guiding module 206* including the end user detecting
module 348 of the travel planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or
2B directing the at least one transportation vehicle unit 20* to
rendezvous with the one or more end users 12 at the rendezvous
location in response, at least in part, to the end user detecting
module 348 detecting that the at least one of the one or more end
users 12 has reached a particular location along a planned travel
route (e.g., the planned travel route 420c or 420d of FIG. 4C or
4D) as provided by the travel plan 400*.
[0209] In some cases, the transportation vehicle unit directing
operation 506 may include an operation 880 for directing the at
least one transportation vehicle unit to rendezvous with the one or
more end users at the rendezvous location by further directing
another transportation vehicle unit to transport the one or more
end users to the rendezvous location. For instance, the
transportation vehicle unit guiding module 206* of the travel
planning network system 10* of FIG. 2A or 2B directing or guiding
the at least one transportation vehicle unit (e.g., transportation
vehicle unit 20a of FIG. 1) to rendezvous with the one or more end
users 12 at the rendezvous location by further directing another
transportation vehicle unit (e.g., transportation vehicle unit 20b
of FIG. 1) to transport the one or more end users 12 to the
rendezvous location. For example, FIG. 4G illustrates a travel plan
400g that calls for two different transportation vehicle units 20*
to transport one or more end users 12 for two successive route legs
(e.g., route leg 1 and route leg 2).
[0210] While particular aspects of the present subject matter
described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein,
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and,
therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope
all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit
and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be
understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used
herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the
appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the
term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not
limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at
least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but
is not limited to," etc.).
[0211] It will be further understood by those within the art that
if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended,
such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the
absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,
as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may
contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one
or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such
phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a
claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any
particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to
claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same
claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least
one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or
"an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one
or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles
used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a
specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly
recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such
recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the
recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations,"
without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations,
or two or more recitations).
[0212] Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous
to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a
construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art
would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least
one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems
that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C
together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In
those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A,
B, or C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended
in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the
convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C"
would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B
alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further
understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive
word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms,
whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be
understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the
terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates
otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be typically
understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and
B."
[0213] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally
be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flows
are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the
various operations may be performed in other orders than those
which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples
of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved,
interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental,
simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context
dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like "responsive to,"
"related to," or other past-tense adjectives are generally not
intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates
otherwise.
[0214] This application may make reference to one or more
trademarks, e.g., a word, letter, symbol, or device adopted by one
manufacturer or merchant and used to identify and/or distinguish
his or her product from those of others. Trademark names used
herein are set forth in such language that makes clear their
identity, that distinguishes them from common descriptive nouns,
that have fixed and definite meanings, or, in many if not all
cases, are accompanied by other specific identification using terms
not covered by trademark. In addition, trademark names used herein
have meanings that are well-known and defined in the literature, or
do not refer to products or compounds for which knowledge of one or
more trade secrets is required in order to divine their meaning.
All trademarks referenced in this application are the property of
their respective owners, and the appearance of one or more
trademarks in this application does not diminish or otherwise
adversely affect the validity of the one or more trademarks. All
trademarks, registered or unregistered, that appear in this
application are assumed to include a proper trademark symbol, e.g.,
the circle R or bracketed capitalization (e.g., [trademark name]),
even when such trademark symbol does not explicitly appear next to
the trademark. To the extent a trademark is used in a descriptive
manner to refer to a product or process, that trademark should be
interpreted to represent the corresponding product or process as of
the date of the filing of this patent application.
[0215] Throughout this application, the terms "in an embodiment,"
`in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in several
embodiments," "in at least one embodiment," "in various
embodiments," and the like, may be used. Each of these terms, and
all such similar terms should be construed as "in at least one
embodiment, and possibly but not necessarily all embodiments,"
unless explicitly stated otherwise. Specifically, unless explicitly
stated otherwise, the intent of phrases like these is to provide
non-exclusive and non-limiting examples of implementations of the
invention. The mere statement that one, some, or may embodiments
include one or more things or have one or more features, does not
imply that all embodiments include one or more things or have one
or more features, but also does not imply that such embodiments
must exist. It is a mere indicator of an example and should not be
interpreted otherwise, unless explicitly stated as such.
[0216] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing
specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are
representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or
technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed
herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.
* * * * *
References