The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 08, 2011
Filed:
Dec. 22, 2008
Duncan Ashby, Surrey, GB;
Rick A. Hamilton, Ii, Charlottesville, VA (US);
Naveen Lamba, Haymarket, VA (US);
Colin Fung Wan Lim, Twickenham, GB;
James W. Seaman, Falls Church, VA (US);
Vinodh K. Swaminathan, Riverside, CT (US);
Duncan Ashby, Surrey, GB;
Rick A. Hamilton, II, Charlottesville, VA (US);
Naveen Lamba, Haymarket, VA (US);
Colin Fung Wan Lim, Twickenham, GB;
James W. Seaman, Falls Church, VA (US);
Vinodh K. Swaminathan, Riverside, CT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are provided for charging travel fees or awarding benefits as a function of vehicle occupancy. Variable travel fee schedules include a plurality of different rate values, each rate value associated with ride-sharing service points of a vehicle infrastructure and vehicle occupancy counts. Occupants within a vehicle traveling via a vehicle infrastructure are counted, the counting generating discrete occupant counts correlated with the ride-sharing service points. Subsets of variable travel fee schedule rate values are selected as a function of association with discrete occupant counts and correlated ride-sharing service points. Owners, occupants or other parties associated with the vehicle are accordingly charged a travel fee or awarded a benefit as a function of the rate value subset and an amount of the vehicle traveling.