Seeks to patent surge pricing

Uber has filed at least 13 patent applications, one of which seeks to protect and patent its surge pricing technology.  The system measures supply and demand and prices fares accordingly. Ten of the applications have been rejected but surge pricing is still in process. John Martin, chief executive officer of Innography Inc., an Austin, Texas-based maker of software to analyze patent portfolios:

Cabs have been around for centuries. What is new, and what they’re trying to capture around some of their filings, is the arrangement between the rider and the car.