Booking method and system

• US 20040128173A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka
• Application Number:
  US10/734,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128173A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 : Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 : Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for booking reservations in a booking system and synchronizing bookings among several booking systems. The system comprises at least one booking system; at least one service provider; a mediator service; a client, and at least one client terminal device that can be a mobile device and that includes a dialogue. The client uses the dialogue to enter information into the system and the mediator receives inquiries and answers from the at least one booking system, the at least one service provider, and the at least one client. The mediator transfers and adapts information between them. The method and system are particularly suited for use with mobile phone users by Small Message Service messages.

Claims

1. A mediator that controls communications between a plurality of service providers and a plurality of clients each client using a client terminal with a client identifier address, the mediator including:

a) a multiplicity of addresses at which the mediator is capable of receiving communications from client terminals; and

b) logic and resources adapted to

identify inquiries responsive to service requests, each service request being associated with a client identifier address,

prepare messages pertaining to the inquiries, including at least one message pertaining to each inquiry,

associate a particular reply address to each message, the particular reply address being selected from the multiplicity of addresses,

send each message to the client terminal having the client identifier address of the service request to which it pertains,

receive replies to messages at the multiplicity of addresses, each reply including a client identifier address,

store information pertaining to replies in a matrix, the matrix including a first axis indexed by client identifier address and a second axis indexed by reply address and

evaluate replies using the client identifier address and the address at which the reply was received.

2. The mediator of claim 1, wherein the logic and resources to prepare messages includes logic and resources to prepare SMS messages.

3. The mediator of claim 1, wherein the logic and resources to evaluate a reply further analyzes the semantics of the reply.

4. The mediator of claim 2, wherein the logic and resources are further adapted to track which of the multiplicity of addresses are currently available for use, and to choose each particular reply address from among the addresses which are currently available for use.

5. The mediator of claim 4, wherein the logic and resources to associate a particular reply address are adapted to select the particular address at random from those addresses which are currently available.

6. The mediator of claim 5, whereby replies can be evaluated even if the replies are received out of sequence with the messages.

7. The mediator of claim 6, wherein the mediator logic and resources are adapted to formulate messages as a question which can be answered by making a selection of one item from an ordered list of choices wherein each choice has an ordinal position.

8. The mediator of claim 7, wherein the matrix further includes a third axis index for storing the ordinal position of the selection.

9. The mediator of claim 8, wherein the mediator further includes logic and resources adapted to store replies along the third axis.

10. The mediator of claim 1, wherein the client identifier includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s A-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

11. A method of a mediator controlling communications among a plurality of service providers and a plurality of clients, each client having an identifier address and communicating with the mediator using a client terminal device, the mediator performing acts including:

a) identifying inquiries responsive to service requests, each service request being associated with a client identifier address;

b) preparing messages pertaining to the inquiries;

c) associating a particular reply address to each message, said particular reply address being chosen from a multiplicity of addresses available for receiving messages from client terminals;

d) sending each message to the client identifier address of the service request to which it pertains;

e) receiving replies to messages at the multiplicity of addresses;

f) storing information pertaining to the replies to messages in a matrix, the matrix including a first axis indexed by client identifier and a second axis indexed by reply address; and

g) evaluating replies using their client identifier address and the reply address.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein preparing messages includes preparing SMS messages.

13. The method of claim 11, further including the act of tracking which of the multiplicity of addresses available for receiving messages from client terminal devices are currently available for use, and choosing each particular reply address from among the addresses which are currently available for use.

14. The method of claim 11, evaluating replies, further includes analyzing the semantics of replies.

15. The methods of claim 11, further including booking at least one service to fulfill a service request.

16. The method of claim 11, further including booking a reservation involving a plurality of booking services to fulfill a service request.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of preparing messages includes preparing messages as a question that can be answered by making a selection from an ordered list of choices wherein each choice has an ordinal position in the ordered list of choices.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the matrix further includes a third axis indexed for storing the ordinal position of selections, and the method further includes storing the selections in the matrix along the third axis.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the particular reply address associated with each message is chosen at random.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s A-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the client terminal devices include mobile telephonic devices capable of sending and receiving SMS text messages.