How Uber Calculates Ride-Pooling Times to Keep Detours Reasonable
Uber's 2015 patent on matching multiple riders into a single shared vehicle by calculating whether the detour will keep everyone's arrival times within an acceptable limit compared to a private ride.
Original patent title: “Method and system for shared transport”
Uber's 2015 patent on matching multiple riders into a single shared vehicle by calculating whether the detour will keep everyone's arrival times within an acceptable limit compared to a private ride. Granted to Uber Technologies Inc in 2018 with 22 claims and 49 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes a system that coordinates shared rides by balancing driver locations and rider wait times. When multiple people request rides, the system identifies nearby, available drivers using GPS data. It then calculates two durations: how long the trip would take if a rider rode alone, and a range of times for a pooled trip with detours to pick up others. The system sets a strict limit on how much longer the pooled trip can take compared to the solo trip. It only assigns a driver to a shared pool if the estimated pooled travel time falls within this acceptable limit, ensuring no rider faces an unreasonable detour. For example, if a solo ride takes 15 minutes, the system might set a limit of 25 minutes for a pooled ride; it will only group riders if the algorithm predicts the shared route stays under that 25-minute cap.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover standard, non-pooled ride-hailing services where a driver only transports a single passenger or group from one point to another without detour calculations.
- Does not cover ride-pooling systems that group riders based purely on proximity without calculating or constraining the total trip completion time relative to a solo trip.
- Does not cover static transit routing systems like public buses or pre-scheduled shuttles that run on fixed routes regardless of real-time individual trip duration limits.
- Does not cover pooling algorithms that do not use real-time GPS data from the service provider's mobile device to determine proximity.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Instead of just matching riders who are heading in the same direction, the system dynamically benchmarks the shared trip's duration against a hypothetical solo trip. By using the solo trip as a baseline constraint, the algorithm guarantees the detour remains mathematically tolerable before the driver is even assigned.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
UberX Share (formerly UberPOOL)
Lyft Shared rides
Via shared shuttle services
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent protects the core algorithmic logic behind ride-pooling services like UberPOOL and Lyft Shared. By mathematically capping the detour penalty, it solved a major consumer pain point: the fear that a cheap shared ride might turn into an endless multi-hour journey. It allowed ride-hailing companies to maximize vehicle occupancy and lower prices while maintaining a predictable, acceptable user experience.
Filed
November 16, 2015
Granted
April 10, 2018
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Uber remains the primary operator of this technology through its UberX Share product. Competitors like Lyft and micro-transit providers like Via employ similar dynamic routing and pooling constraints to optimize passenger matching in urban areas.
Market impact
This technology enabled the commercial viability of high-density ride-pooling, which lowered fare prices for budget-conscious consumers and increased driver utilization rates. It also triggered intense algorithmic competition in the ride-hailing industry to minimize wait times and detour penalties.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes a system that coordinates shared rides by balancing driver locations and rider wait times. When multiple people request rides, the system identifies nearby, available drivers using GPS data. It then calculates two durations: how long the trip would take if a rider rode alone, and a range of times for a pooled trip with detours to pick up others. The system sets a strict limit on how much longer the pooled trip can take compared to the solo trip. It only assigns a driver to a shared pool if the estimated pooled travel time falls within this acceptable limit, ensuring no rider faces an unreasonable detour. For example, if a solo ride takes 15 minutes, the system might set a limit of 25 minutes for a pooled ride; it will only group riders if the algorithm predicts the shared route stays under that 25-minute cap.
The clever bit
Instead of just matching riders who are heading in the same direction, the system dynamically benchmarks the shared trip's duration against a hypothetical solo trip. By using the solo trip as a baseline constraint, the algorithm guarantees the detour remains mathematically tolerable before the driver is even assigned.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover standard, non-pooled ride-hailing services where a driver only transports a single passenger or group from one point to another without detour calculations.
- Does not cover ride-pooling systems that group riders based purely on proximity without calculating or constraining the total trip completion time relative to a solo trip.
- Does not cover static transit routing systems like public buses or pre-scheduled shuttles that run on fixed routes regardless of real-time individual trip duration limits.
- Does not cover pooling algorithms that do not use real-time GPS data from the service provider's mobile device to determine proximity.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
34/40
Moderately cited
Claim breadth
15/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$219K – $702K
Midpoint $439K · 9.4 yr remaining · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
22 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Pan, B., Godil, H., & Tolkin, B. (2018). How Uber Calculates Ride-Pooling Times to Keep Detours Reasonable (U.S. Patent No. 9,939,279). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9939279/uber-eta-prediction
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Uber Calculates Ride-Pooling Times to Keep Detours Reasonable cover?
Uber's 2015 patent on matching multiple riders into a single shared vehicle by calculating whether the detour will keep everyone's arrival times within an acceptable limit compared to a private ride.
Who owns patent US 9939279?
Uber Technologies Inc owns this patent, granted in 2018.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on April 10, 2038, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9939279 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 49 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent protects the core algorithmic logic behind ride-pooling services like UberPOOL and Lyft Shared. By mathematically capping the detour penalty, it solved a major consumer pain point: the fear that a cheap shared ride might turn into an endless multi-hour journey. It allowed ride-hailing companies to maximize vehicle occupancy and lower prices while maintaining a predictable, acceptable user experience.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover standard, non-pooled ride-hailing services where a driver only transports a single passenger or group from one point to another without detour calculations.
Same assignee
More from Uber Technologies Inc
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