US 11017668

Here's a concise summary of US patent 11017668:

US Patent 11017668: Systems and methods for managing anomalous conditions in a shared transport system

• Title: Systems and methods for managing anomalous conditions in a shared transport system
• Assignee: Carma Technology Ltd
• Inventor: Sean O'Sullivan
• Filing Date: August 3, 2020 (for application number US16/983,598, which led to this patent)
• Issue Date: May 25, 2021
• Abstract: The patent describes a network system that registers the start of a transport journey when a user device and a provider device communicate. It then continuously monitors their coordinated proximity to verify identities and triggers the registration of the journey's end when these devices communicate again.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (System Claim): This claim describes a computer-implemented system for managing unusual situations in a shared transportation network. The system includes a transport user device (e.g., a rider's phone) and a transport provider device (e.g., in a driver's vehicle) that can communicate with each other. A central shared transport marketplace (e.g., a server) registers the beginning of a trip based on this communication. The system continuously monitors the location of both devices to confirm they are traveling together. If an unusual condition (like the trip ending unexpectedly early or at a different location) occurs, the system logs this information. The system then takes action based on this logged information, which could include sending automated messages to verify intentions or adjusting trust ratings for the user or provider.
• Independent Claim 10 (Method Claim): This claim outlines a method for managing unusual conditions in a shared transport system. It involves triggering the registration of a journey's start based on communication between a transport user device and a transport provider device. The method includes continuously monitoring the coordinated proximity of these devices to verify identity and track the journey. It also involves triggering the registration of the journey's end through communication between the devices. The method further includes logging information if the journey terminates differently than planned and taking an action (such as sending a verification message or adjusting a trust level) based on this logged information.
• Independent Claim 17 (Computer Readable Storage Medium Claim): This claim describes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a hard drive or flash memory) that contains instructions. When a processor executes these instructions, it performs the operations of managing anomalous conditions in a shared transport system. These operations include triggering the start of a journey registration based on communication between a user device and a provider device, continuously monitoring their coordinated proximity for verification, and triggering the end of the journey registration through device communication. The operations also log information if the journey deviates from the established destination and perform an action based on this logged information.

Litigation / Dockets (as of April 26, 2026):

US patent 11017668 is currently involved in litigation:

• A PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2026-00308, has been filed and is pending.
• A US case has been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court.
• The first worldwide family litigation related to this patent has also been filed.