Ticket tracking, reminding, and redeeming system and method

• US 20040010427A1
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Warner, Warren P., Steury, Lisa, Espinosa, Diego, Barnes, Robert G., Rediess, Meg
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation

Abstract

An automated method and system for facilitating timely use and/or redemption of the unused portion of an electronic ticket are provided. In accordance with the method, an aging period is set and is added to the scheduled departure date of the issued ticket, and a reminder period is set and subtracted from the scheduled date of a ticket. If the scheduled departure date plus the aging date is earlier than the current date, a determination is made as to whether the ticket has been used. If the scheduled date minus the reminder period is earlier than the current date, then a message is communicated to the traveler reminding him to use or redeem the ticket. A residual value of the ticket is calculated and communicated to a client to facilitate redemption of the unused ticket and issuance of appropriate redemption credit.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the automated redemption of an unused electronic ticket comprising the steps of:

setting, via a computer system, an aging period;

identifying, via a computer system, the scheduled date of an issued ticket for selected purchasers;

adding, via computer a system, the aging period to the scheduled date and if the scheduled date plus the aging period is earlier than the current date, determining, via a computer system, whether the ticket has been used;

if the ticket has not been used, calculating, via a computer system, the redemption value of the ticket;

notifying a client; and

presenting an offer to redeem the ticket.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of setting a benchmark value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of notifying is performed only if the redemption value of the ticket is not less than the benchmark value.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of determining, via a computer system, a quantity representing a number of tickets having a redemption value that is less than said benchmark value.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of notifying said client of said quantity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic ticket comprises a plurality of data fields and wherein said step of calculating, via a computer system, comprises the steps of communicating said data fields to a customer service tool and receiving a redemption value from said customer service tool.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said client is a ticket reservation system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said client is a point of sale office.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said client is a global distribution system.

10. A system for redeeming an unused electronic ticket comprising:

a first database containing information on activities scheduled and ticketed;

a second database containing information on tickets issued for said activities;

a third database containing information on selected ones of said tickets for activities having a schedule date more than a predetermined period of time prior to the current date;

means for determining from said information in said second database whether said selected ones of said tickets have not been used;

a fourth database containing information on the extent to which said selected ones of said tickets are redeemable;

means for determining the redemption value of said selected ones of said tickets; and

means for redeeming those selected ones of said tickets determined not to have been used.

11. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the timely use of an electronic ticket comprising the steps of:

setting, via a computer system, a reminder period;

identifying, via a computer system, the scheduled date of an issued ticket for selected purchasers;

subtracting, via computer a system, the reminder period to the scheduled date and if the scheduled date minus the reminder period is earlier than the current date, determining, via a computer system, how the ticket may be used or redeemed; and

notifying a client.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of calculating, via a computer system, a on value of the ticket.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of presenting an offer to redeem the ticket.