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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2019 Scanned through this gobbldygook, not about exterior barcode. https://patents.goo...ode&oq=uber+barcodeBut 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+barcodeNot 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] <Obi-Wan>
"This isn't the ride you're looking for ..."
<Obi-Wan/>-- 8th of 7, Jun 25 2019 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".-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 Sure, then in the middle of Manhattan during rush hour you run in front of the car and check the licence plate.
The other advantage of this is it automatically registers the pickup.
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.
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.
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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2019 //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...-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 Of course, there's every chance that you could delete this idea, and that the WayBack machine hasn't cached it yet.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 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.
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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2019 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.
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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 Well, they can't add anything to my overall patent without paying me.
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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 25 2019 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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 25 2019 Right.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 26 2019 Can threads metastasize?-- pertinax, Jun 26 2019 ^<laughs but feels a sense foreboding>-- wjt, Jun 26 2019 OK, at my dad's birthday party yesterday I asked family members if they thought this was a good idea.
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.
100% thumbs down. My wife just smiled and brought out the cake. Her way of saying "Stinks hon.".
Not getting a lot of support here it looks like.
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."
Still think Uber might want to have this to have one up on Lyft or viceversa.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 27 2019 //Everybody hated it. // Hmm. I'm surprised. Any reasons?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 27 2019 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."
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.
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.
Not exactly getting a bun storm here on the HB either.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 27 2019 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.-- pocmloc, Jun 27 2019 Damn, wish I thought of that! OK, you've got 12 months to patent that now.
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.
I don't know, I think this is a pretty good idea. Give one company that little safety edge.
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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 27 2019 It could also be magnetic to be easily removed when the driver is not working.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019 // 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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 28 2019 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"?
Want to see how much you can eat and drink without dying? (YES) (NO)
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.
Maybe just suggest places at the END of the trip. Yea, that'd work.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019 OK, baked, thank god.
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)-- doctorremulac3, Jun 28 2019 I know just what you mean. I was kinda relieved when it turned out a Japanese guy had already patented the inflatable walking stick.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 29 2019 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.".
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!."
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.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 29 2019 You could make a small fortune off the Street Gator, but probably only by starting with a big one.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 29 2019 LOL, that's good. Gotta remember that one.
Like the line: "How to become a millionaire: First, get a million dollars..."-- doctorremulac3, Jun 29 2019 I think he meant a big street gator.-- pocmloc, Jun 29 2019 random, halfbakery