Patent Description:
Currently cities are growing rapidly. With growing cities, mobility of users from one place to another place is also increasing. Users take several modes of public transport for their journey from one place to another place. For example, the users may use a bus, a train, multiple buses, and the like to complete their journey. However, it is not possible for the users to board different modes of transport with a single ticketing system. Transport facilities associated with different modes of the transport have different fares and ticketing systems. The users have to make payment for different modes of transport differently based on the fares and the ticketing systems. Hence, user convenience is reduced.

Conventional systems for managing multi-mode transport of the users comprises generating a Quick response (QR) code indicating a payment made by a user for the multi-mode transport. However, the conventional systems depend on predefined details such as route of the user, modes of transport associated with the route, a sequence of the modes, and the like. The user performs the payment in advance for his/her journey. The users use the QR codes generated in advance to gain entry and exit to the transport facilities. In such systems, the route of the user is fixed. The user has to conform to the fixed route which constraints the user. Further, the QR code are valid within certain timeframe such as a day or few hours. Also, such systems do not allow a mechanism to board the transport from unofficial stops which are not defined in the predefined route. Hence, there is a need for a system that overcomes the limitations of the above-described systems.

<CIT> discloses a method and a system for public transportation fare calculations based on geolocation.

<CIT> refers to a movement management system that may more accurately grasp movement of a user by a moving body.

The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

The dependent claims describe optional embodiments of the invention.

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by "comprises. a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for managing multi-mode transport of a user. The multi-mode transport of the user is managed using broadcast signals from transmitter devices installed at different locations such as transport facilities and vehicles. When the user arrives at a first location such as a bus station, a user device receives a broadcast signal from a transmitter installed in the bus station. Further, when the user boards a vehicle, the user device receives vehicle broadcast signals. Similarly, the user device may receive subsequent broadcast signals from subsequent stations or vehicles. Then the user device transmits the broadcast signals to a server. The server generates a sequence of modes of transport travelled by the user, based on the broadcast signals. The sequence is used for initiating payment for the multi-mode transport of the user. Hence, fares for journey of the user are calculated by the server. The user can make one-time payment after completion of the journey. Hence, convenience of the user is increased. Further, there is no requirement of pre-planning of route or sequence of transport in advance. Also, the users can board the vehicles from unofficial stops.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary environment <NUM> for managing multi-mode transport of a user, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary environment <NUM> comprises a user <NUM>, a user device <NUM>, a server <NUM>, one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>, a first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, a second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, a vehicle <NUM>, and one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>. The user <NUM> may be a person taking one or more modes of a transport. For example, the one or more modes of transport may be a bus transport, a train transport, and the like. The user <NUM> may take the one or more modes of transport in a sequence. For example, the user <NUM> may take a bus, a metro train, and a taxi when travelling from home to an office. In an embodiment, the user <NUM> may not follow the sequence and can take different modes of transport without pre-planning a sequence of the modes of transport.

In an embodiment, the user device <NUM> may be associated with the user <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may be any electronic device carried by the user <NUM> while travelling the one or more modes of the transport. For example, the user <NUM> may be carrying a smartphone while travelling the one or more modes of the transport. The user device <NUM> may be any other devices such as a tablet, a notebook, a laptop, and the like. The one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> may be facilities that enable the user <NUM> to take the one or more modes of the transport. For example, the one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> may be a bus station, a metro station, and the like. The one or more vehicles <NUM> may be bus, a metro train, a cab, and the like. The one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> may comprise a ticket counter, validators, a pass counter, and the like. The one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> are also referred as the one or more transport facilities <NUM> hereafter in the present description. The one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM> and <NUM><NUM> may be located in a first location and a second location, respectively. For example, the user <NUM> may take a metro train at a first transport facility in the first location in a city to a second transport facility in the second location in the city.

The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be configured to transmit broadcast signals to nearby devices within a range. The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be a Bluetooth-enabled device, a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)-enabled device, a Zigbee-enabled device, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB)-enabled device, and the like. For example, the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be beacons. The nearby device may be the user device <NUM>. The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> may be configured to provide at least one of, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>. <FIG> shows the first transmitter device <NUM><NUM> configured to provide the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> at the transport facility <NUM><NUM>. Also, <FIG> shows the first transmitter device <NUM><NUM> configured to provide a vehicle broadcast signal at the transport facility <NUM><NUM>. The first transmitter device <NUM><NUM> may provide the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> from the first location to the second location and <FIG> showing one vehicle broadcast signal from the first transmitter device <NUM><NUM> should not be considered as limiting. The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> are also referred as the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> hereafter in the present description. The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> may be installed in at least one of, the one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> and the vehicle <NUM>. The one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed in any locations of the one or more transport facilities <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> and the vehicle <NUM>. For example, the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed at an entrance of a transport facility <NUM><NUM>. In another example, the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed near a door of the vehicle <NUM>. The one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed in the transport facility <NUM><NUM> in the second location. For example, the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed at an exit of the transport facility <NUM><NUM>. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> may be installed in any locations other than above-mentioned locations such that the user device <NUM> will be in range with the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>.

The server <NUM> may be configured to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. The server <NUM> may be configured to receive at least one of, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM>. The server <NUM> may receive at least one of, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. The first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise a location information, a time information, and the like related to the first location. The one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may comprise a location information and a time information related to a vehicle of the one or more vehicles <NUM>. Further, the server <NUM> may be configured to receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> comprising a location information and a time information related to the second location, from the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>. The server <NUM> may receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. Further, the server <NUM> is configured to generate a sequence of the one or more modes of the transport travelled by the user <NUM> in a trip. The trip may comprise the one or more modes of the transport travelled by the user <NUM>. The sequence may be generated based on at least one of, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. Specifically, the sequence may of the one or more modes of the transport travelled by the user <NUM> may be generated using the location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a system <NUM> for managing the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. The system <NUM> comprises components such as the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> and the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>. Further, the system <NUM> comprises the user device <NUM> associated with the user <NUM>. Furthermore, the system <NUM> comprises the server <NUM>. The components of the system <NUM> communicate with each other for managing the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may transmit the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> to the server <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may transmit the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> to the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> may communicate with the user device <NUM> for managing the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM> (explained later in the description). In an embodiment, the user device <NUM> and the server <NUM> may be connected over the Internet. The components of the system <NUM> may communicate over a communication network (not shown in <FIG>). The communication network may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc..

<FIG> illustrates an internal architecture <NUM> of the server <NUM> to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The server <NUM> may include the one or more processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and the I/O interface <NUM>.

The server <NUM> may include Central Processing Units <NUM> (also referred as "CPUs" or "one or more processors <NUM>"), Input/ Output (I/O) interface <NUM>, and a memory <NUM>. In some embodiments, the memory <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the processor <NUM>. The memory <NUM> stores instructions executable by the one or more processors <NUM>. The one or more processors <NUM> may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated requests. The memory <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors <NUM>. The memory <NUM> stores instructions, executable by the one or more processors <NUM>, which, on execution, may cause the one or more processors <NUM> to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. In an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may include one or more modules <NUM> and data <NUM>. The one or more modules <NUM> may be configured to perform the steps of the present disclosure using the data <NUM>, to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. In an embodiment, each of the one or more modules <NUM> may be a hardware unit which may be outside the memory <NUM> and coupled with the server <NUM>. As used herein, the term modules <NUM> refers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide described functionality. The one or more modules <NUM> when configured with the described functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware. Further, the I/O interface <NUM> is coupled with the one or more processors <NUM> through which an input signal or/and an output signal is communicated. For example, the I/O interface <NUM> may comprise I/O buses.

In one implementation, the modules <NUM> may include, for example, a communication module <NUM>, a sequence generation module <NUM>, and other modules <NUM>. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules <NUM> may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. In one implementation, the data <NUM> may include, for example, communication data <NUM>, sequence data <NUM>, and other data <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may be configured to receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> installed in the transport facility <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. The first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the location information, the time information, and the like related to the first location. The first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise one or more fields. A first field may comprise the location information. Further, a second field may comprise the time information. Further, a third field may comprise a signal identification indicating the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> is transmitted in the first location. For example, the signal identification may be a value "<NUM>". In an example, the user <NUM> may arrive at a first location A at time <NUM>:<NUM>. The first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the first location A in the first field, time <NUM>:<NUM> in the second field, and the value "<NUM>" in the third field. Further, the communication module <NUM> may be configured to receive the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> installed in the one or more vehicles <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may receive the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. The one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may comprise the location information, the time information, and the like related to a vehicle from the one or more vehicles <NUM>. Each of the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may comprise one or more fields as explained above. A third field in each of the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may comprise a signal identification indicating corresponding vehicle broadcast signal is transmitted in the vehicle. For example, the signal identification may be a value "<NUM>". In the above example, the user <NUM> may arrive at a location X in between the first location A and a second location B at time <NUM>:<NUM>. A vehicle broadcast signal may comprise the location X in the first field, time <NUM>:<NUM> in the second field, and the value "<NUM>".

Further, the communication module <NUM> may be configured to receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM> installed in the second transport facility <NUM><NUM>. The second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the location information, the time information, and the like related to the second location. The second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the one or more fields as explained above. A third field in the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise a signal identification indicating the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> is transmitted in the second location. For example, the signal identification may be a value "<NUM>". In the above example, the user <NUM> may arrive at the second location B at time <NUM>:<NUM>. The second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the second location B in the first field, time <NUM>:<NUM> in the second field, and the value "<NUM>". A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the signal identification may comprise any representation of values such as binary values/ hexa-decimal values/ alphanumeric values.

The communication module <NUM> may receive only the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when the user <NUM> is at the transport facility <NUM> in the first location. For example, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the first location A, the time <NUM>:<NUM>, and the value "<NUM>". Further, the communication module <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and a vehicle broadcast signal when the user <NUM> is boarding the vehicle. For example, a vehicle broadcast signal may comprise the first location, time <NUM>:<NUM>, and the value "<NUM>". The communication module <NUM> may receive the vehicle broadcast signal and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when the user <NUM> is deboarding the vehicle of the one or more vehicles <NUM>. For example, a vehicle broadcast signal may comprise the first location, the time <NUM>:<NUM>, and the value "<NUM>". Further, the communication module <NUM> may receive only the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when the user <NUM> is at the transport facility <NUM> in the second location. For example, second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may comprise the second location B, the time <NUM>:<NUM>, and the value "<NUM>".

The communication module <NUM> may utilize Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) module, Bluetooth, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Zigbee and the like to communicate with the user device <NUM>. In an example, the communication module <NUM> may not be connected to the user device <NUM> for a certain time period. For example, the transport facility <NUM> may be an underground metro station. The user device <NUM> may not have Internet connectivity with the communication module <NUM>. The communication module <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when the Internet connection is re-established. In another example, the communication module <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> after completion of the trip of the user <NUM>. In another example, the communication module <NUM> may be always connected to the user device <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may transmit the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> immediately. The location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> may be stored as the communication data <NUM> in the memory <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the sequence generation module <NUM> may be configured to receive the communication data <NUM> from the communication module <NUM>. The sequence generation module <NUM> is configured to generate a sequence of the one or more modes of the transport travelled by the user <NUM> in the trip. The sequence generation module <NUM> may be configured to correlate the location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. The sequence comprising one or more stops may be generated based on the correlation. Referring to the above example, a first stop in the sequence may be generated indicating the user <NUM> arriving the location A at <NUM>:<NUM>. A second stop in the sequence may be generated indicating the user <NUM> boarding the vehicle at <NUM>:<NUM>. A third stop in the sequence may be generated indicating the user <NUM> deboarding the vehicle at <NUM>:<NUM>. A fourth stop in the sequence may be generated indicating the user <NUM> arriving the location B at <NUM>:<NUM>. The sequence may be generated by placing the one or more stops in the order. The sequence generated may be stored as the sequence data <NUM> in the memory <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the sequence generation module <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> and the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>/the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when the first location/the second location is not saved in the server <NUM>. For example, the user <NUM> may board a bus at an unofficial stop. Further, the user <NUM> may deboard the bus at a bus station. In this example, the first location is not saved in the server <NUM>. The sequence generation module <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> transmitted by a first transmitter device in the vehicle <NUM> and the second terminal broadcast <NUM> signal transmitted by a second transmitter device in the bus station. In an embodiment, the sequence generation module <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> when the first location and the second location are not saved in the server <NUM>. For example, the user <NUM> may board and deboard a bus at unofficial stops. In this example, the first location and the second location are not saved in the server <NUM>. The sequence generation module <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> transmitted by the first transmitter device in the vehicle <NUM>. Further, the sequence generation module <NUM> may initiate the payment for the multi-mode transport based on the sequence. The payment may be initiated based on the first location, the second location, a distance travelled by the user <NUM> when the first location and the second location is not saved, and the like. The distance travelled by the user <NUM> may be determined based on a boarding time and a deboarding time, and route information of a vehicle of the one or more vehicles <NUM>. The payment may be initiated upon indication of the trip by the user <NUM>, a predefined time interval after the user <NUM> has completed the trip, and the like. For example, the user <NUM> may provide the indication to the sequence generation module <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. In another example, the user device <NUM> may indicate the sequence generation module <NUM> that the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, or the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> are not received for an hour. The sequence generation module <NUM> may initiate the payment for the multi-mode transport based on the sequence.

The other data <NUM> may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the one or more modules <NUM> for performing the various functions of the server <NUM>. The other data <NUM> may be stored in the memory <NUM>. The one or more modules <NUM> may also include the other modules <NUM> to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the server <NUM>. It will be appreciated that the one or more modules <NUM> may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.

In an embodiment, the transport facility <NUM> at the first location and the second location may be associated with validators. In such embodiments, the other modules <NUM> may comprise a unique identification generation module and an output module. The unique identification generation module may be configured to receive a request from the user <NUM> to a mobile application. The mobile application may be provisioned in the user device <NUM> for managing the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. The mobile application may prompt the user <NUM> to provide details associated with the user <NUM>. The details associated with the user <NUM> may be name of the user <NUM>, mobile number of the user <NUM>, payment details of the user <NUM>, and the like. The unique identification generation module may be configured to verify a payment method of the user <NUM> based on the details associated with the user <NUM>. Further, the unique identification generation module may be configured to generate a unique identification for the user <NUM>, to identify the user <NUM> as a registered user.

The output module may be configured to transmit the unique identification of the user <NUM> to the user device <NUM> and the transport facility <NUM>. Further, the output module may be configured to transmit a public key to the user device <NUM> and a private key to each validator associated the transport facility <NUM> at the first location and the second location. The output module may transmit the public key and the private key at pre-defined intervals. For example, the output module may transmit the public key and the private key at morning <NUM>:<NUM>. Further, the output module may transmit the public key and the private key every two hours. The user device <NUM> generates a machine-readable code from the public key and the unique identification of a user <NUM>. For example, the machine-readable code may be a Quick Response (QR) code. The machine-readable code is validated at the validators. The validation comprises decrypting the machine-readable code using the private key transmitted to each validator. Further, the validation comprises matching the unique identification associated with the machine-readable code with the unique identification transmitted to the validator. The user <NUM> is identified as a registered user when there is a match between the unique identification associated with the machine-readable code and the unique identification transmitted to the validator. Hence, the user <NUM> may take the one or more modes of the transport at the transport facilities associated with the validators, by using the machine-readable code. The other data <NUM> may comprise the unique identification, the public key, and the private key.

<FIG> shows an exemplary flow chart illustrating method steps to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, the method <NUM> may comprise one or more steps. The method <NUM> may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

The order in which the method <NUM> is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At step <NUM>, the server <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> installed in the transport facility <NUM>. Further, the server <NUM> may be configured to receive the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> from the one or more first transmitter devices <NUM> installed in the one or more vehicles <NUM>. The server <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>. Referring to example <NUM> of <FIG>, consider the user <NUM> takes a first mode of the transport. The user <NUM> arrives a transport facility A in a first location A. The transport facility A may be a metro station A. A first transmitter device <NUM><NUM> may be installed in the metro station A. The user device <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the transmitter device <NUM><NUM> at time <NUM>:<NUM> at reference <NUM>. Reference <NUM> indicates the user <NUM> is in the first location A. The user <NUM> may board the vehicle <NUM><NUM> at reference <NUM>. The vehicle <NUM><NUM> may be a metro train. The reference <NUM> indicates the user <NUM> boarding the metro train in the first location A. The user device <NUM> may receive both the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the transmitter device <NUM><NUM> and a vehicle broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the transmitter device <NUM><NUM> in the metro train at time <NUM>:<NUM> at the reference <NUM>. Further, the user device <NUM> may receive only the vehicle broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> when the user <NUM> is travelling in the metro train. Consider the user <NUM> may take a second mode of the transport. The user <NUM> may arrive at a transport facility C in a third location C. The transport facility C may be a bus station. The user device <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the transmitter device <NUM><NUM> installed in the bus station at time <NUM>:<NUM>. Further, the user device <NUM> may board the vehicle <NUM><NUM>. The vehicle <NUM><NUM> may be a bus.

Referring back to <FIG>, at step <NUM>, the server <NUM> may receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the one or more second transmitter devices <NUM>. The server <NUM> may receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> via the user device <NUM>. Referring again to the first mode of transport in the example <NUM> of <FIG>, the user <NUM> may deboard the metro train at reference <NUM>. The reference <NUM> indicates the user <NUM> deboarding the metro train in a transport facility B in a second location B. The transport facility B may be a metro station B. The user device <NUM> may receive both the vehicle broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the second transmitter device <NUM><NUM> in the second location B at time <NUM>:<NUM> at the reference <NUM>. Further, the user device <NUM> may receive only the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> when the user <NUM> is in the second location B at time <NUM>:<NUM> at reference <NUM>. Referring to the second mode of the transport, the user <NUM> may deboard the bus at a transport facility D in a fourth location D. The user device <NUM> may receive the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM><NUM> from the second transmitter device <NUM><NUM> in the fourth location D at time <NUM>:<NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, at step <NUM>, the server <NUM> generates the sequence of the one or more modes of the transport travelled by the user <NUM> in the trip. The server <NUM> may be configured to correlate the location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. The sequence comprising one or more stops may be generated based on the correlation. Referring again to the example <NUM> of <FIG>, the sequence comprising the one or more stops may be generated. The server <NUM> may generate a first stop indicating the user <NUM> arriving the first location A at <NUM>:<NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate a second stop indicating the user <NUM> boarding the metro train at <NUM>:<NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate a third stop indicating the user <NUM> deboarding the vehicle at <NUM>:<NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate a fourth stop indicating the user <NUM> arriving the second location B at <NUM>:<NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate a fifth stop indicating the user <NUM> arriving the third location C at <NUM>:<NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate a sixth stop indicating the user <NUM> arriving the fourth location D at <NUM>:<NUM>. The sequence may be generated by placing the one or more stops in the order.

In an embodiment, the server <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> and one of, the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM> and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> when one of, the second location and the first location is not saved in the server <NUM>. The phrase "not saved in the server <NUM>" in the claims and the description indicates that the first location or the second location is not saved in the server <NUM> as official transport facilities/stations. Referring to example <NUM> at <FIG>, the user <NUM> may board a bus at an unofficial station which is not a registered station. The server <NUM> may receive the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> from the first transmitter device <NUM> installed in the bus when the user boards the bus. Further, the user <NUM> may deboard the bus at a bus station in a second location. The server <NUM> may receive the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> from the first transmitter device <NUM> and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the second transmitter device <NUM> installed in the transport facility <NUM>. In this example, the first location is not saved in the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. In an embodiment, the server <NUM> may generate the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> when the first location and the second location are not saved in the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> may initiate the payment for the multi-mode transport based on the sequence. The payment may be initiated upon indication of the trip by the user <NUM>, a predefined time interval after the user <NUM> has completed the trip, and the like.

In an embodiment, when the user <NUM> boards the vehicle <NUM> from an unofficial stop, the sequence of the locations travelled by the user <NUM> may be tracked in one or more ways. In a first instance, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may comprise location information of the vehicle <NUM>. The location information may be updated in the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> using a Global Positioning System (GPS) installed in the vehicle <NUM>. Hence, each time the user device <NUM> receives the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, the location of the vehicle <NUM> is also captured. When the user device <NUM> transmits the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> to the server <NUM>, the sequence of the locations travelled by the user <NUM> may be determined using the location information present in the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>. In an embodiment, the location of the user <NUM> may be determined using GPS installed in the user device <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may transmit the broadcast signals (vehicle and terminals) and GPS data to the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> may use the broadcast signals and the GPS data to track and verify the sequence of locations travelled by the suer <NUM>. In a second instance, when the vehicle crosses different terminals, signals broadcasted by the different terminals may be received by the user device <NUM> along with the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>. The signals broadcasted by the different terminals may include respective location information. The signals broadcasted by the different terminals along with the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> may be used by the server <NUM> to determine the sequence of locations travelled by the user <NUM>. In the second instance, the signals broadcasted by the different terminals may be used to verify the sequence of locations travelled by the user <NUM>. For example, when the user <NUM> boards the vehicle <NUM> at an unofficial stop, only the vehicle broadcast signal <NUM> is received by the user device <NUM>. Further, as the vehicle <NUM> crosses different terminals, the signals broadcasted by the different terminals along with the vehicle broadcast signals <NUM> are received by the user device <NUM>. Thereafter, when the user de-boards the vehicle <NUM> at an unofficial stop, the last signal received by the user device <NUM> is the vehicle broadcast signal <NUM>. Using this information, the server <NUM> determines the sequence of locations travelled by the user <NUM>, the location where the user <NUM> boarded the vehicle <NUM> and the location where the user <NUM> de-boarded the vehicle <NUM>. The determined information may be used to calculate a fare for the distance travelled by the user <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the transport facility <NUM> at the first location and the second location may be associated with validators. Reference is made to exemplary sequence diagram <NUM> illustrating generation of the unique identification for the user <NUM>. <NUM> illustrates the mobile application in the user device <NUM>. The user device <NUM> may prompt the user <NUM> to provide the details associated with the user <NUM>. The user <NUM> may provide the details via a user interface of the user device <NUM>. An option "Register" may be provided to the user <NUM>. When the user <NUM> selects the option "Register", the request for registering to the server <NUM> may be transmitted to the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> may verify the payment method of the user <NUM> for the multi-mode transport. The verification of the payment methods may be performed using any known techniques such as transmitting a One-Time Password (OTP) to a registered mobile number of a bank account of the user <NUM>. The server <NUM> may generate the unique identification for the user <NUM>. The unique identification may be numeric/alphanumeric. For example, the unique identification may be a <NUM>-digit number. The server <NUM> may transmit the unique identification to the transport facility <NUM> in the first location and the second location, and the user device <NUM>. The transport facility <NUM> may transmit the unique identification to associated validators.

Reference is made to exemplary sequence diagram <NUM> illustrating validation of the machine-readable code at the validators. The validation may be performed using a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). The server <NUM> may transmit the public key to the user device <NUM> and the private key to the transport facility <NUM> at the first location and the second location. The transport facility <NUM> at the first location and the second location may transmit the private key to associated validators. The server <NUM> may transmit the public key and the private key at pre-defined intervals. The user device <NUM> may generate the machine-readable code from the public key and the unique identification of a user <NUM>. The machine-readable code may be validated at the validators. The validation comprises decrypting the machine-readable code using the private key transmitted to each validator. Further, the validation comprises matching the unique identification associated with the machine-readable code with the unique identification transmitted to the validator. The user <NUM> is identified as a register when there is a match between the unique identification associated with the machine-readable code and the unique identification transmitted to the validator.

Referring to example <NUM> of <FIG>, consider a user <NUM> is travelling from home to a bank. The user device <NUM> generates a machine-readable code <NUM> using the public key and the unique identification of the user <NUM> transmitted by the server <NUM>. <NUM><NUM> shows a validator at a transport facility A at a first location A. The user <NUM> places the device in proximity to the validator <NUM><NUM>. The validator <NUM><NUM> performs the validation based on information in the machine-readable code <NUM> and allows the user <NUM> to take the mode of the transport. For example, an entry gate may be opened upon the validation. The user <NUM> travels from the first location A to a second location B in the vehicle <NUM><NUM>. The user <NUM> uses the machine-readable code <NUM> at a validator <NUM><NUM>. The validator <NUM><NUM> performs the validation based on information in the machine-readable code <NUM> and allows the user <NUM> to exit the mode of the transport. Thereafter, the user <NUM> may board a bus from a third location C to a fourth location D. Transport facilities C and D at the third location C and the fourth location D, respectively, may not have validators. The transport of the user <NUM> may be managed based on the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. In another example, a vehicle operator (e.g., ticket collector/ driver) may be associated with a handheld device <NUM>. The handheld device may be associated with a machine-readable code reader (for example, a QR reader). The user <NUM> may display the multi-dimensional code <NUM> (for example, QR code) to the vehicle operator and the vehicle operator may scan the multi-dimensional code <NUM> to authenticate the user <NUM> as a registered user. The sequence may be generated based on the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM>. These embodiments ensure that the present disclosure can be implemented in existing transport facilities comprising the validators.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system <NUM> for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system <NUM> may be used to implement the server <NUM>. Thus, the computer system <NUM> may be used to manage the multi-mode transport of the user <NUM>. In an embodiment, the computer system <NUM> may receive the first terminal broadcast signal <NUM>, the one or more vehicle broadcast signals <NUM>, and the second terminal broadcast signal <NUM> from the user device <NUM> over the communication network <NUM>. The computer system <NUM> may transmit the unique identification to the user device <NUM> and the transport facility <NUM> over the communication network <NUM>. The computer system <NUM> may transmit the public key and the private key to the user device <NUM> and the transport facility <NUM>, respectively, over the communication network <NUM>. The computer system <NUM> may comprise a Central Processing Unit <NUM> (also referred as "CPU" or "processor"). The processor <NUM> may comprise at least one data processor. The processor <NUM> may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc..

The processor <NUM> may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (not shown) via I/O interface <NUM>. The I/O interface <NUM> may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) -<NUM>, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/<NUM>, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE <NUM>. n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc..

Using the I/O interface <NUM>, the computer system <NUM> may communicate with one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device <NUM> may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device <NUM> may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio speaker, etc..

The computer system <NUM> is connected to the user device <NUM> and the transport facility <NUM> through the communication network <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be disposed in communication with the communication network <NUM> via a network interface <NUM>. The network interface <NUM> may communicate with the communication network <NUM>. The network interface <NUM> may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM> Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE <NUM>. 11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The communication network <NUM> may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. The network interface <NUM> may employ connection protocols include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM> Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE <NUM>. 11a/b/g/n/x, etc..

The communication network <NUM> includes, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an e-commerce network, a peer to peer (P2P) network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, and such. The first network and the second network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the first network and the second network may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc..

In some embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be disposed in communication with a memory <NUM> (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in <FIG>) via a storage interface <NUM>. The storage interface <NUM> may connect to memory <NUM> including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-<NUM>, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc..

The memory <NUM> may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user interface <NUM>, an operating system <NUM>, web browser <NUM> etc. In some embodiments, computer system <NUM> may store user/application data, such as, the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or Sybase®.

The operating system <NUM> may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system <NUM>. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSHR OS X, UNIXR, UNIX-like system distributions (E. , BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION™ (BSD), FREEBSD™, NETBSD™, OPENBSD™, etc.), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONS™ (E. , RED HAT™, UBUNTU™, KUBUNTU™, etc.), IBM™ OS/<NUM>, MICROSOFT™ WINDOWS™ (XP™, VISTA™/<NUM>/<NUM>, <NUM> etc.), APPLER IOS™, GOOGLER ANDROID™, BLACKBERRYR OS, or the like.

In some embodiments, the computer system <NUM> may implement the web browser <NUM> stored program component. The web browser <NUM> may be a hypertext viewing application, for example MICROSOFTR INTERNET EXPLORER™, GOOGLER CHROME™<NUM>, MOZILLAR FIREFOX™, APPLER SAFARI™, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers <NUM> may utilize facilities such as AJAX™, DHTML™, ADOBER FLASH™, JAVASCRIPT™, JAVA™, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computer system <NUM> may implement a mail server (not shown in Figure) stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP™, ACTIVEX™, ANSI™ C++/C#, MICROSOFTR,. NET™, CGI SCRIPTS™, JAVA™, JAVASCRIPT™, PERL™, PHP™, PYTHON™, WEBOBJECTS™, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFTR exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system <NUM> may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client (not shown in Figure) may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLER MAIL™, MICROSOFTR ENTOURAGE™, MICROSOFTR OUTLOOK™, MOZILLAR THUNDERBIRD™, etc..

Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD ROMs), Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provisions the user <NUM> to make one-time payment after completion of the j ourney, without using tickets/passes/cards at each mode of the transport. Hence, convenience of the user is increased. Further, there is no requirement of pre-planning of route or sequence of transport in advance. Also, the users can board the vehicles from unofficial stops.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in existing transport facilities. Embodiments of the present disclosure provides methods to manage the multi-mode transport without need of continuous network connectivity.

The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.

The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.

The illustrated operations of <FIG> show certain events occurring in a certain order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified, or removed. Moreover, steps may be added to the above described logic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A method for managing multi-mode transport of a user (<NUM>), the method comprising:
receiving, by a server (<NUM>) via a user device (<NUM>), at least one of, a first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>) and one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>), from one or more first transmitter devices (<NUM>) installed in at least one of, a transport facility (<NUM>) and one or more vehicles (<NUM>), wherein the first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>) and the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>) comprises at least one of, a location information and a time information related to a first location and a vehicle of the one or more vehicles (<NUM>), respectively;
receiving, by the server (<NUM>) via the user device (<NUM>), a second terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>) comprising a location information and a time information related to a second location, from one or more second transmitter devices (<NUM>); and
generating, by the server (<NUM>), a sequence of one or more modes of transport travelled by the user (<NUM>) in a trip, based on at least one of, the first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>), the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>), and the second terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>), for managing a multi-mode transport of the user (<NUM>),
wherein generating the sequence comprises the following options:
(<NUM>) if the location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>), the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>), and the second terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>) are all saved to the server (<NUM>),
correlating the location information and the time information in the first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>), the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>), and the second terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>); and
generating the sequence based on the correlation,
(<NUM>) if one of, the second location and the first location is not saved in the server (<NUM>)
generating the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>) and one of, the first terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>) and the second terminal broadcast signal (<NUM>), and
(<NUM>) if the first location and the second location are not saved in the server (<NUM>)
generating the sequence based on the one or more vehicle broadcast signals (<NUM>).