Travel interface and communication of travel related information via a computer system

• US 20040039617A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Flightlock, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Flightlock, Inc.
• Inventors: Scott, Michael J., Stanislaus, James L., Maycotte, Higinio O., Vazquez, Ernesto
• Application Number:
  US10/335,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039617A1
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In a particular embodiment, a travel related interface to a computer system that includes a data parsing element and a data server responsive to the data parsing element is provided. The travel related interface comprises a client computing device having a display interface, a reporting interface, and an event notification interface. The travel related interface further comprises a client facing module responsive to the data server. The client facing module provides a modular interface to communicate with the client computing device.

In a further embodiment, a method of displaying passport verification information is disclosed. The method comprises displaying a first field that identifies a particular airline passenger; displaying a second field that identifies a unique passport identifier associated with a passport authorized by a nation; and displaying a third field that includes a status associated with the first field and the second field. In a further embodiment, a world map display on a computer is disclosed. The world map display comprises a plurality of identified hot zones indicating geographic regions having a high security risk and security advisory information associated with selected geographic regions.

Claims

1. A travel related interface to a computer system that includes a data parsing element and a data server responsive to the data parsing element, the travel related interface comprising:

a client computing device having a display interface, a reporting interface, and an event notification interface; and

a client facing module responsive to the data server, the client facing module providing a modular interface to communicate with the client computing device.

2. The travel related interface of claim 1, further comprising a user interface filter, the client device responsive to the user interface filter.

3. The travel related interface of claim 2, wherein the client device is responsive to view parameters.

4. The travel related interface of claim 1, wherein the display interface capability is an interface to a display device and wherein the client computing device communicates data to be displayed by the display device over the display interface.

5. The travel related interface of claim 1, wherein the reporting interface is coupled to an external printing device to provide a printed report that provides passenger status information for a set of tracked passengers.

6. The travel related interface of claim 1, wherein the event notification interface is coupled to a distributed communication system to provide notification of a passenger travel disruption event.

7. The travel related interface of claim 6, wherein the event notification interface is one of an electronic mail interface, a cell phone interface, and a pager interface.

8. The travel related interface of claim 1, wherein the computing device has an interface selected from the group of an HTML interface, a WAP interface, an ActiveX Windows computer interface, a JAVA interface, and an XML interface.

9. A method of communicating a travel disruption event, the method comprising:

determining flight reservation data associated with reservations of a set of airline passengers;

determining flight status data for at least one airplane associated with the reservations of the set of airline passengers;

determining a passenger status for each passenger in the set of airline passengers based on the flight reservation data and based on the flight status data;

communicating the passenger status for each passenger in the set of airline passengers to a computing device; and

displaying the passenger status to a user of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the passenger status is based on a detected disruption condition associated with the flight of the airplane and wherein a client facing module is used to communicate the disruption condition and an alternate travel plan via a user interface of the computing device.

11. The computer system of claim 9, rebooking an alternate flight using the computing device after detecting the disruption condition.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the disruption condition is determined by comparing real-time airline data at various disruption points against scheduled times for the associated disruption points.

13. A method of displaying passport verification information, the method comprising:

displaying a first field that identifies a particular airline passenger;

displaying a second field that identifies a unique passport identifier associated with a passport authorized by a nation;

displaying a third field that includes a status associated with the first field and the second field; and

displaying verification of passenger entrance requirements (visa, immunisation) for country of passage and/or country of destination.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the status indicates a mismatch condition where the authorized passport identifier does not match a passport presented by the passenger.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the status indicates a mismatch condition where a name on a presented passport does not match the name identified by the first field.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the status indicates an expired passport.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing an automatic notification of a passport conflict event via an alert email.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising checking a passenger entrance requirement of a country.

19. A world map display on a computer, the world map display comprising:

a plurality of identified hot zones, the hot zones indicating a geographic region having a high security risk;

a plurality of traveling passengers identified on different portions of the word map, at least one of the plurality of passengers identified as within one of the identified hot zones; and

security advisory information associated with selected geographic regions.

20. The world map display of claim 19, wherein at least one of the selected geographic regions is within a hot zone and wherein a representative icon that identifies each passenger within a hot zone is highlighted.

21. The world map display of claim 19, further comprising a drill down display option, the drill down display option operable to provide specific itinerary and security information associated with a selected passenger.

22. A method of communicating passenger status information, the method comprising:

determining flight reservation data associated with reservations of a set of airline passengers;

determining flight status data for at least one airplane associated with the reservations of the set of airline passengers;

determining a passenger status for each passenger in the set of airline passengers based on the flight reservation data and based on the flight status data;

communicating the passenger status for each passenger in the set of airline passengers to a computing device; and

displaying the passenger status to a user of the computing device by identifying each passenger in the set of airline passengers and the passenger status for each passenger on a map display.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the map display is a map display of the United States and includes weather information.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing a visual display for affected passengers in the event of a detected travel disruption event.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing an alternate travel plan in response to the detected travel disruption event.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising displaying private aircraft and charter flight availability.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing a display of available flight booking information.