Patent Publication Number: US-2009234658-A1

Title: Intelligent car pooling portal

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
     The present invention relates generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for facilitating car pooling arrangements, and more specifically to systems, apparatus, and methods for facilitating car pooling arrangements between people frequently seeking a common destination, such as workers sharing a common building or tenants of a common parking garage. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
     Car pooling is a well known method for drivers to cut expenses and promote environmental responsibility, without giving up many of the benefits of driving. For example, departure schedules can be negotiated with other car pool participants, as opposed to being constrained to fixed bus or train schedules. However, despite the economic, environmental, and social benefits to car pooling, it is still far from a popular mode of transportation. 
     There are a number of barriers to the widespread adoption of car pools. First and foremost, the financial benefits, meaning savings from lowered fuel expenditures, parking fees, automobile maintenance, etc., are presently not sufficient for most people to offset the decrease in personal freedom that comes from driving one&#39;s own vehicle. However, with gas prices rising rapidly, and the corresponding shift from larger, more comfortable vehicles to smaller, less comfortable, but more fuel efficient vehicles, at least some segment of the population is likely to find car pools more attractive. 
     Second, car pooling is difficult for many people, because they do not know one or more reliable car pool partners. The prior art contains several attempted solutions at this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,376, issued to Christopher Oesterling, discloses a system for reliably tracking the locations that particular drivers travel on their daily routes, and using this information, along with user&#39;s preferences, e.g., smoking or non-smoking, to better suggest potential car pool partners. 
     Other systems, such as that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,676, essentially disclose a “bus” personalized to the preferences of a limited number of persons. 
     Third, people are less likely to want to share their commute with others that they are not familiar with. For example, human nature suggests that a person is more likely to be willing to car pool with a friend, coworker, or neighbor, than with a stranger. 
     Fourth, and finally, while certain market players, such as employers, are well-situated to expedite the adoption of car pooling by commuters, there is presently no incentive for them to do so, aside from the positive press that they may receive as a result of setting up a car pool. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a system, apparatus, and method for using databases of information about persons sharing a known destination to offer better opportunities for car pooling. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and method for using an employers human resources database, parking spot database, facility database, and/or other databases to offer better opportunities for car pooling. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a system, apparatus, and method for providing an employer or other market participant a financial incentive to organize car pools. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
     The disclosed invention achieves its objectives by providing car pool software that accesses a commuter database and a facility database, and uses the information in both to provide potential car pool partners for a car pool application. In one embodiment of the disclosed invention, an employer facilitates car pooling among employees by deploying a server with car pool software installed. The server receives communications from employees seeking to participate in a car pool with their fellow employees. The car pool software then accesses an employee database and retrieves records containing the address of employees looking for car pool partners. The car pool software then generates a list of potential car pool partners based on how close the employees live to one another. These lists are communicated to employees seeking car pool partners, who can use contact information contained in the list to arrange car pools. 
     In another embodiment of the disclosed invention, the car pool software also accesses a facility database and determines when different potential car poolers arrive and leave a destination facility. The generated list of potential car pool partners is then also ranked by how close the arrival and departure times of potential car pool partners are. 
     In a further refinement of the disclosed invention, pollution savings, such as carbon emissions, can be tracked and turned into pollution credits to be traded on an appropriate market. To accurately track this information, individual commuters are associated with their respective car pools, and specific savings are calculated from the types of vehicle used by the car poolers, as well as by the driver. Participation in the car pool is also monitored and total pollution savings are accumulated and reported to an appropriate agency in exchange for pollution credits, such as carbon credits. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and the manner in which it may be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a network diagram of a computer information system constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an entity relationship diagram describing a software system constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a data flow diagram illustrating the basic operation of a software system constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating a method for tracking pollution savings in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT  
     Turning to the Figures, and to  FIG. 1  in particular, a computer information system implementing a car pool matching application is depicted. As explained herein, the disclosed invention allows an operator of a destination facility to suggest potential car pool matches to commuters sharing the facility as a destination. For example, using the disclosed invention, employers can suggest potential car pool matches to employees who work at the same office. Similarly, a parking garage operator could use the disclosed invention to suggest potential car pool matches to users of the facility. 
     A user (not shown) uses an electronic communication means to express interest in an organized car pool. As shown, the user could (1) send an email  103  using a computer  102 , (2) send a text message  107  using a cell phone  106 , or (3) generate a data packet  111  through the use of a web page on a personal computer  110 . The particular medium or device used by the user is not a limitation of the invention. For instance, a user leaving a voice message at a particular call in number, accessing a web page using a cell phone, or sending a text message with a personal computer all would fall within the scope of the invention. The user&#39;s communication, e.g.,  103 , 107 , 111 , is then routed through an appropriate network. An email  103  could be routed through an email provider&#39;s network and the Internet  104 , or could also be routed entirely through a private network (not shown). A text message  107  could be routed through a wireless provider&#39;s telephony network  108 , or could be routed through the Internet. A data packet  111  could be routed through a private network  112 , or could be routed through the Internet. Servers  114 , 116 , 118  handle requests from the network they are coupled to and route those requests to car pool server  120 . Note that servers  114 , 116 , 118  could be combined into a single server adapted to handle all networks used by the car pooling application, and could be further combined with car pool server  120  without violating the spirit of the invention. 
     The car pool server  120  then accesses a human resources (“HR”) database  124 , or other database containing information about users of a facility, associates the requester (not shown) with a record stored in the database, and extracts the requester&#39;s address. In addition, the car pool server  120  will access a building-information-systems (“BIS”) database  122  to determine when the requester arrives and/or leaves the destination facility. For example, if the implemented system is implemented by an employer, the BIS database could track when an employee swipes into a facility with a key card in the morning, and when the employee swipes out in the afternoon or evening. Alternatively, a system implemented by a parking garage could access a commuter&#39;s radio access system records, assuming the parking garage uses a radio system for access, to determine when a user&#39;s vehicle has entered the garage in the morning, and when the user&#39;s vehicle leaves in the afternoon or evening. 
     Once the car pool server  120  has determined the requester&#39;s address and arrival and departure times, it will access the HR database  124  and BIS database  122  to search for suitable car pool partners. Only other commuters that have elected to take part in the car pool program will be examined, although other suitable car pool partners may be flagged, and notified that, if they desire to participate in a car pool, suitable partners exist. Resulting commuters will be ranked according to how close they live to the requesting commuter and how similar their arrival and departure times are. Results will then be communicated back to the requesting commuter via any suitable message, such as email  103 , text message  107 , or data packet  111 . 
     In a further refinement, the requesting commuter could indicate preferences for car pool partners, which would then be matched against other car pool participant&#39;s preferences to better suggest potential car pool partners. Some possible preferences include, without limitation, sex (male, female, or no preference), religion (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, non religious, etc.), smoking (smoker, non-smoker, or no preference), political persuasion (Democrat, Republican, non-partisan, etc.), and general interests (sports, theater, hiking, etc.). 
       FIG. 2  depicts one possible relationship between data sources used in implementing the disclosed invention. A commuter database  202  holds information about commuters, at least some of which participate in a car pool program. The commuter database  202  should hold at least the address of commuters. A facility database  204  holds information about a destination facility (not shown), including at least arrival time records and departure time records for commuters using the facility. In addition, a car pool applicant preferences data source  206  stores optional preferences expressed by commuters participating in a car pool program. Note that the car pool applicant preferences data source  206  could be implemented in a separate database or combined with the commuter database  202 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts a data flow diagram illustrating the basic operation of the disclosed car pooling application. A car pool applicant  302  initiates contact with the car pool application through a suitable medium, such as a text message system  304 , a web portal  306 , or an email system  308 . To enroll in the sponsored car pool assistance service in step  310 , the car pool applicant&#39;s preferences and contact information is forwarded to a car pool server  312 . If preferences are input by the car pool applicant  302 , they could be stored in a separate preferences database (not shown) or in the commuter database  314 , along with other information about the commuter, such as the commuter&#39;s home address. The car pool server  312  searches the commuter database  314  for a record matching the car pool applicant  302  to determine the car pool applicant&#39;s  302  home address. In addition, the car pool server  312  searches the facility database  316  to identify when the car pool applicant  302  generally arrives at and departs a destination facility (not shown). 
     The car pool server  312  uses information about the car pool applicant  302  to find potential car pool partners. The commuter database  314  and the facility database  316  are searched for potential car pool partners with home addresses and arrival/departure times similar to that of the car pool applicant  302 . Algorithms well-known in the prior art can then generate an ordered list of potential car pool partners in step  318 . For example, latitude longitude coordinates for home addresses can be compared to generate straight line distances in kilometers between the car pool applicant&#39;s  302  home and that of potential partners. Differences in average arrival and departure time in minutes can then be added to the distance in kilometers, and the resultant quantities sorted in ascending order, i.e., with the lowest quantities ranked highest. Potential partners above some threshold could be excluded entirely. The generation of potential car pool partners could be event based, i.e., a list of potential partners would be generated whenever a communication from a new car pool applicant  302  was received, or a list of potential partners could be generated periodically, such as one time per day. 
     Once an ordered list of car pool partners  320  has been generated, that list is forwarded to the car pool applicant  302  in step  322 . The list could be forwarded to the car pool applicant  302  using any suitable communication mechanism, such as a text message system  304 , a web portal  306 , or an email system  308 . 
     A further use of this invention allows a car pool organizer to calculate total pollution savings from a car pool program, for which the organizer would receive a credit, e.g., a carbon credit, or other type of pollution credit. The credit could then be used to allow for greater emissions, or, if not needed, could be sold on the open market. While no program presently exists to compensate businesses that organize car pools with pollution credits, the benefits of such a program to society are readily apparent.  FIG. 4  illustrates one method that could be used to implement such a program. 
     In step  402  car pool partners are associated into car pools. This may be done by expanding the method of  FIG. 3  to include tracking what car pool partners a particular applicant joins with to form a car pool. In step  404 , the types of vehicle that each car pool participant typically drives is gathered, as well as the vehicle(s) that is typically used by the car pool. This information will be used to determine the actual amount of pollution savings by determining the total amount of pollutants that would have been emitted without the carpool, and subtracting the amount emitted by the car pool vehicle. Gathering vehicle information from commuters in this way may open such a system to fraudulent reporting, and therefore, step  404  could alternatively be skipped, and an average savings for each member of a car pool above and beyond the driver could be used. 
     In step  406 , the actual participation of commuters in a car pool is monitored. This could be done on an honor system. For instance, a web page could be setup where commuters would indicate on a daily basis whether or not they participated in a car pool, or, alternatively, users could enter information at a kiosk on entering a facility whether or not they participated in a car pool. Participation could also be measured objectively. One way to do this would be to monitor the arrival and departure times of car pool participants. If their arrival and departure times are close to one another, such as within ten minutes, and they were car pool partners, then it would be assumed that they car pooled that day. This would require further modification of the car pool server  312  to appropriately monitor the facility database  316  and to make the necessary associations. 
     In step  408 , pollution savings would be calculated based on the savings per car pool calculated in step  404  and the monitoring of car pool participation in step  406 . This step could be performed periodically, such as every month. The savings would then be reported to an appropriate agency, and a pollution credit would be issued to the car pool organizer, such as an employer utilizing the invention disclosed herein. 
     The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.