Managing the operational state of a vehicle

Abstract

A network system facilitates management of the operational states of transportation vehicles. Within a system environment, the network system also coordinates transport service between service providers operating the transportation vehicles and service requestors operating client devices. A transportation vehicle includes a processor or computing device that can determine and change operational states of the transportation vehicle. The transportation vehicle communicates operational states to one or more devices in the environment. Operational states can be communicated as vehicle datasets using a communication port of the transportation vehicle. The network system and client devices can act to enhance transport service using vehicle datasets. For example, the network system and/or client devices can manage an operational state by changing the current operational state off the transportation vehicle to a different operational state. Transport service can be enhanced at various points during the transport service coordination.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for managing an operational state of a transportation vehicle during a travel service, the method comprising:
 receiving an assignment to provide a transport service to a service requestor from a starting location to an ending location using a transportation vehicle operated by service provider at a current location;   responsive to the transportation vehicle approaching the starting location,
 receiving, from a network system and at a client device of a service provider, a requestor vehicle dataset that includes an operational state of the transportation vehicle desired by the service requestor; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an on-board diagnostic communication port of the transportation vehicle, the requestor vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements the operational state of the vehicle desired by the service requestor.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing the transport service to the service requestor from the starting location to the ending location along the route using the transportation vehicle;   responsive to the transportation vehicle leaving the ending location,
 accessing, from the client device, a provider vehicle dataset that include an operational state desired by the service provider; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an OBDII port of the transportation vehicle, the provider vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements a vehicle setting desired by the service provider.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational states included in a provider vehicle dataset are defined by the service provider operating the client device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational states included in a requestor vehicle dataset is defined by the service requestor operating a client device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from a client device operated by the service requestor at the pickup location, a requestor vehicle dataset that includes an operational state of the transportation vehicle desired by the service requestor.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the network system at the client device operated by the service requestor, a verification code that allows the client device operated by the service requestor to communicate with the OBDII port of the transportation vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operational state in the requestor vehicle dataset is any of: a chair state, an air conditioner state, a window state, and a radio station state. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the on-board diagnostic communication port is an OBDII port. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by a processor of a system to perform steps for managing an operational state of a transportation vehicle during a travel service comprising:
 receiving an assignment to provide a transport service to a service requestor from a starting location to an ending location using a transportation vehicle operated by service provider at a current location;   responsive to the transportation vehicle approaching the starting location,
 receiving, from a network system and at a client device of a service provider, a requestor vehicle dataset that includes an operational state of the transportation vehicle desired by the service requestor; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an on-board diagnostic communication port of the transportation vehicle, the requestor vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements the operational state of the vehicle desired by the service requestor.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the computer program instructions are further executable to perform steps comprising:
 providing the transport service to the service requestor from the starting location to the ending location along the route using the transportation vehicle;   responsive to the transportation vehicle leaving the ending location,
 accessing, from the client device, a provider vehicle dataset that include an operational state desired by the service provider; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an OBDII port of the transportation vehicle, the provider vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements a vehicle setting desired by the service provider.   
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the operational states included in a provider vehicle dataset are defined by the service provider operating the client device. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the operational states included in a requestor vehicle dataset is defined by the service requestor operating a client device. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the computer program instructions are further executable to perform steps comprising:
 receiving, from a client device operated by the service requestor at the pickup location, a requestor vehicle dataset that includes an operational state of the transportation vehicle desired by the service requestor.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the computer program instructions are further executable to perform steps comprising:
 receiving, from the network system at the client device operated by the service requestor, a verification code that allows the client device operated by the service requestor to communicate with the OBDII port of the transportation vehicle.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the operational state in the requestor vehicle dataset is any of: a chair state, an air conditioner state, a window state, and a radio station state. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the on-board diagnostic communication port is an OBDII port. 
     
     
         17 . A system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories storing computer program instructions for steps for managing an operational state of a transportation vehicle during a travel service, the instructions when executed by one or more processors causing the one or more processors to perform steps including:
 receiving an assignment to provide a transport service to a service requestor from a starting location to an ending location using a transportation vehicle operated by service provider at a current location;   responsive to the transportation vehicle approaching the starting location,
 receiving, from a network system and at a client device of a service provider, a requestor vehicle dataset that includes an operational state of the transportation vehicle desired by the service requestor; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an on-board diagnostic communication port of the transportation vehicle, the requestor vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements the operational state of the vehicle desired by the service requestor.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the computer program instructions are further executable to perform steps comprising:
 providing the transport service to the service requestor from the starting location to the ending location along the route using the transportation vehicle;   responsive to the transportation vehicle leaving the ending location,
 accessing, from the client device, a provider vehicle dataset that include an operational state desired by the service provider; and 
   transmitting, from the client device to an OBDII port of the transportation vehicle, the provider vehicle dataset such that the transportation vehicle implements a vehicle setting desired by the service provider.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the operational states included in a provider vehicle dataset are defined by the service provider operating the client device. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the operational states included in a requestor vehicle dataset is defined by the service requestor operating a client device.