Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US10741071 Under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis assesses the obviousness of US patent 10741071 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, considering the scope and content of the prior art referenced within the patent description and general knowledge available to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as of the priority date of February 12, 2007.

Independent Claim 1:
Claim 1 describes a method of exchanging messages between entities of a shared transport system, comprising:

1. Identifying a transport user and a transport provider:
   • Receiving a transport request from a transport user device (including a pick-up location).
   • Determining a transport provider device in proximity to the pick-up location.
2. Upon identification, and before or after transport:
   • Receiving a first message from a sender (user or provider) by a proxy messaging system (part of the shared transport system).
   • Generating a second message with the contents of the first message and a unique identifier for the sender.
   • Transmitting the second message to the recipient (the other of the user/provider).

Scope and Content of Prior Art:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730 (Central Assigning System for Vehicles): The background section of US10741071 explicitly acknowledges U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730 as prior art, stating, "Proposals have been made, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730, to use a central assigning system and communications devices adapted to be associated with vehicles for transmitting information from the vehicles to the central assigning system, and for receiving information from the central assigning system." (Description,). This reference establishes the prior existence of a system for matching transport supply and demand using a central assigning system and communication devices in vehicles.
2. Dynamic Ridesharing and National ITS Architecture (ATIS8): The patent also notes that "In the 1990s, the US Department of Transportation designated this “Dynamic Ridesharing” area a specific area of research interest, under the designation ATIS8 as part of the National ITS Architecture, and has proposed methods for transactions, interchange of billing data, and the like." (Description,). This indicates that the concept of dynamic ridesharing, involving central systems for coordinating transport, handling transactions, and data exchange, was a known field of research and development prior to the invention.
3. General Knowledge of Proxy Messaging Systems for Privacy: The patent itself identifies a known problem in shared transport systems: "Riders or drivers may be concerned about their safety if a stranger knows how to contact them via their phone. Thus, the below system incorporates a mechanism allowing riders and drivers to contact each other through their phones without knowing the other's phone number or full name..." (Description,). By the priority date of 2007, proxy messaging systems were a well-established technological solution in various online platforms (e.g., dating websites, online classifieds, social networks) to enable communication between parties while protecting their personal contact information and ensuring anonymity. These systems typically function by mediating messages, stripping private contact details, and routing them through a central server, often adding unique identifiers for session management.

Differences Between Prior Art and the Claimed Invention:

The primary distinguishing feature of Claim 1, building upon the known shared transport systems like those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730 and dynamic ridesharing initiatives, is the incorporation of a "proxy messaging system." This system mediates communication between the transport user and provider, generating a second message that includes the original content and a unique sender identifier, and transmitting it to the recipient, notably without private sender information as further clarified in dependent Claim 2.

Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA):

A PHOSITA in the field of shared transport systems and telecommunications by 2007 would likely possess expertise in software development, network architecture, mobile communication technologies (e.g., GPS, cellular data), database management, and user interface design. Such an individual would also be aware of common challenges in online interaction, including privacy and security concerns.

Motivation to Combine Prior Art References:

A PHOSITA would have been motivated to combine the elements of existing shared transport systems with a proxy messaging system for the following reasons:

1. Addressing Known Problems: The patent explicitly states that existing ridesharing systems faced challenges related to "lack of knowledge of trusted users" and the "fear of traveling with strangers or fear in waiting for long periods at public transit points." (Description,,). The patent also highlights the "issue of anonymity" as a concern for riders and drivers if strangers could contact them directly. (Description,).
2. Improving System Trustability and Adoption: One of the stated significant innovations of US10741071 over prior proposals is "methods to improve the trustability of drivers and riders, increasing the likelihood people will use this system." (Description,). Given the acknowledged privacy and safety concerns in ridesharing, a PHOSITA would naturally seek ways to enhance user trust and comfort to increase system adoption.
3. Availability of Known Solutions: Proxy messaging was a common and well-understood technical solution by 2007 for mediating communications to protect user privacy and anonymity in online interactions. Applying this known solution to the specific context of dynamic ridesharing, where privacy and safety were identified concerns, would be a logical step for a PHOSITA aiming to improve the system.
4. Routine Implementation: The implementation of a proxy messaging system (receiving, processing, and re-transmitting messages with identifiers while omitting private data) within an existing central assigning system for shared transport would be considered a routine engineering task for a PHOSITA.

Therefore, a PHOSITA, seeking to improve the trustability, security, and user adoption of dynamic ridesharing systems by addressing known privacy and anonymity concerns, would have been motivated to combine a central assigning system for shared transport (as generally known and exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730) with a conventional proxy messaging system to facilitate anonymous communication between users and providers.

Conclusion:

The combination of a central assigning system for shared transport, as disclosed in prior art like U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730 and the general concept of dynamic ridesharing, with a known proxy messaging system to address established privacy and safety concerns in such environments, would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art by the priority date of US10741071.