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There's been instances where people have gotten into
cars
they thought were their Uber or Lyft when it was some
creep pretending to be the ride service.
Barcode stickers specific to the particular car solve this
problem. When a car is dispatched, the person getting
picked up has that car's
specific bar code information
sent
to their app. When the car stops, the person takes a
picture of the barcode with the app, and either gets a
"CONFIRMED THIS IS THE RIDE YOU ORDERED" or a
"WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE CAR YOU ORDERED".
It could also be magnetic to be easily removed when the
driver is not working.
If somebody hasn't patented this already I will. It's very
much needed.
Scanned through this gobbldygook, not about exterior barcode.
https://patents.goo...ode&oq=uber+barcode
But might be zeroing in on the category that I'd search. I'll update as I make progress. [doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019]
This might be the class. (category of most similar patents)
https://patents.goo...ode&oq=uber+barcode
Not seeing anything yet. Lots of stuff about autonomous vehicles. [doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019]
Phew, already thought of, in fact...
https://www.change....r-uber-lyft-drivers
...this is a petition to have them adopted. [doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019]
[link]
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"This isn't the ride you're looking for ..." |
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Can this not be done using car registration plates (licence
plates)? For instance, if I book a local taxi, I get a text saying
something like "Your taxi will arrive in X minutes - black
Mercedes registration AB12 ABC". |
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Sure, then in the middle of Manhattan during rush hour
you run in front of the car and check the licence plate. |
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The other advantage of this is it automatically registers
the pickup. |
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I've got 12 months to patent this now that it's been
published. Hoping somebody could do the research for me
and show me a link to it being baked. I really can't
imagine that nobody's thought of this before
but who knows. Maybe. |
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I'm not kidding about patenting this if it hasn't been
already. I've got a word processing program locked and
loaded and I know how to use it. |
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The one thing I've done by posting this is I've claimed date
of priority. That means if I don't patent this, nobody else
can and it's public domain. |
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//I've got 12 months to patent this now that it's been
published.// Uh, only in the US, I think. My understanding is
that you've already blown Europe, Japan... |
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OK, quick bit of Googling tells me that Canada also has a
grace period, so there's your big market. Europe (including
UK) and China don't. Japan, however, does. |
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Of course, there's every chance that you could delete this
idea, and that the WayBack machine hasn't cached it yet. |
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Hmm. Part of me was thinking that somebody would have
posted a "Well Baked" link by now. I didn't find anything with
my preliminary search but the researchers here are always
turning something up if it's out there. |
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Come on folks, tell me I didn't just piss away millions of
dollars in overseas licensing. Put up a link to an existing
patent or I'll be filing the US patent with tears in my eyes.
Don't want the paper to get all soggy. |
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Well, if it's any consolation, China doesn't pay much
attention
to patents anyway. And Europe? Meh - barely twice the
population of the US. Africa, Australia - nah. I'd say
billions. |
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Also, you need to watch out for people jumping in and
making improvements to your idea before you do. Like
monetising the verification service on a per-ride basis, in
addition to a per-car subscription fee; or dynamically
linking the scannable barcode to advertisements or
restaurant recommendations relevant to
the destination the passenger has already booked.
Smartasses who jump in with stuff like that, just before you
think of it, are a real pain. |
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Well, they can't add anything to my overall patent without
paying me. |
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So I patent the barcode idea, they can't patent a sparkly
pretty barcode sticker without paying me. It's still a barcode
sticker for a passenger to identify a ride sharing car. |
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Well, they can patent their improvement, and you'd need to
license their patent to use their improvement; but equally
they can't use their improvement without your invention. |
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^<laughs but feels a sense foreboding> |
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OK, at my dad's birthday party yesterday I asked
family members if they thought this was a good
idea. |
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Everybody hated it. There was a video game
designer from a well known video game company,
owner of a health insurance company, police
officer and manager of a department in a city
regulatory agency. |
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100% thumbs down. My wife just smiled and
brought out the cake. Her way of saying "Stinks
hon.". |
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Not getting a lot of support here it looks like. |
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Even when discussing the inspiration for this,
women who have been murdered by fake Uber
drivers, everybody said "They should have checked
the licence plate." |
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Still think Uber might want to have this to have
one up on Lyft or viceversa. |
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//Everybody hated it. // Hmm. I'm surprised. Any reasons? |
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I was too. They actually all said the same thing you did
about the licence plates being adequate identification. I
turned up the sarcasm to 10
and said "So you just jump in front of the car in
downtown Manhattan during rush hour and look at the
licence plate?"
Someone said "They could look at the back licence plate."
To which I said "In front of the car that's right behind the
Uber?". The response was: "Just be careful." |
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Must be noted that my family is thoughtful and supportive
but the general consensus was "Eh, I wouldn't like it. One
more step you have to do.". Hey, I want honesty so I got
what I was looking for. |
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I can see what my son the cop was saying about "One
more step you have to go through." but he's 6'2" with a
gun and a badge, even on his days off. Off duty cops are
usually armed, so safely getting into a Uber or Lyft isn't a
big concern for him. That being said, perception is pretty
important to a
product. If it doesn't spark any interest, well, might be a
dud. |
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Not exactly getting a bun storm here on the HB either. |
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To save the scanning part of this idea, just have stickers that either say "genuine" or "fake". Put the "fake" stickers on the fake cars and the "genuine" stickers on the genuine cars. |
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Damn, wish I thought of that! OK, you've got 12 months to
patent that now. |
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Right above or below the door handle might be a good
location for authenticity stickers by the way. You're
reaching
there anyway, you've already got the phone in your hand
with the app up on the screen. |
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I don't know, I think this is a pretty good idea. Give one
company that little safety edge. |
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Plus, running in front and checking the licence plate looks
a little like you don't trust the guy. Hitting the bar code
with your phone while you're down there opening the
door anyway is less paranoid looking. |
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It could also be magnetic to be easily removed when
the driver is not working. |
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// I think this is a pretty good idea// I do too. It's a bit
gimmicky, but could be a nice feature. Plus, as I mentioned,
if you've got a barcode on a car that's taking you to a known
destination, there are all sorts of hook-ins that could be
bundled with the phone app. |
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Yup. Restaurants, bars and attractions in the area for
instance. Pop up says "Hey, we notice you're just two
blocks from Doctorremulac3's Liquorama And Food
Bucket. Why not stop by and get drunk and take our "Un-
Advisable Food Challenge"? |
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Want to see how much you can eat and drink without
dying? (YES) (NO) |
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If you hit yes, the driver diverts to the new location.
You'd have to work something out where the driver
doesn't get shorted on his fair. |
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Maybe just suggest places at the END of the trip. Yea,
that'd work. |
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I really didn't want to drop everything and do this. I knew I
couldn't have been the only one to think of this. (link) |
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I know just what you mean. I was kinda relieved when it
turned out a Japanese guy had already patented the
inflatable walking stick. |
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Plus, I was about to email this humanitarian who was
simply
thinking
about people's safety to tell her she should patent this
and
realized "Oh wait, I'm a horrible person.". |
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In my defense, I was hoping to protect people while
making
money, but the person wanting to protect people for free
probably gets better seats in heaven. I'll be all "Why
would
they put a seat behind a support column anyway? I can't
see
shit!." |
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Oh well, looks like I'll have to make my fortune off the
Street Gator. tm copyright Doctorremulac3 Designs all
rights reserved. Hands off. It's mine. Mine mine mine
mine mine. Now to figure out how to get those sweet,
sweet Street Gator bucks rolling in. |
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You could make a small fortune off the Street Gator, but
probably only by starting with a big one. |
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LOL, that's good. Gotta remember that one. |
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Like the line: "How to become a millionaire: First, get a
million dollars..." |
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I think he meant a big street gator. |
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