System and method for integrated travel and expense management

• US 20040167808A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Fredericks, Michael, Gorodnichev, Valery, Dunnick, Joseph, Armstrong, Jeannine
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,702 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for integrating travel and expense management. The present invention enables an entity to integrate not only data that matches exactly, but also determine the likelihood that data that does not match exactly nevertheless corresponds to each other. The system comprises: a network; at least one terminal coupled to the network; and at least one server coupled to the network. The server comprises a program that includes: retrieving travel data records corresponding to travel requests; retrieving expense data records reflecting expense transactions; comparing the expense data records to the travel data records; and determining a likelihood that the expense data records match the travel data records.

Claims

1. A computerized method for integrating travel and expense management information comprising:

retrieving at least one travel data record corresponding to a travel request;

retrieving at least one expense data record reflecting at least one expense transaction;

comparing the at least one expense data record to the at least one travel data record; and

determining a likelihood that the at least one expense data record matches the at least one travel data record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the likelihood that the at least one expense data record matches the at least one travel data record further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

determining a most likely match; and

determining that at least one expense data record matches none of the at least one travel data record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel data record includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a travel event time;

a travel event type;

a travel vendor identifier providing a service represented by a travel event;

a frequent traveler affinity program code;

cost information for the travel event;

ticket number information for the travel event;

confirmation number information for the travel event; and

an identifier representing at least one traveler.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the expense data record is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

merchant information;

purchase date information;

date of travel information;

cost information; and

a travel event type.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the travel event type comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of:

air travel;

rental transportation;

hotel; and

train.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one expense data record comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

credit card data;

transaction data obtained directly from a travel vendor; and

trusted receipts obtained directly from a travel vendor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the at least one travel data record and the at least one expense data record with at least one selected from a group consisting of:

at least one new travel data record;

at least one update to an existing travel data record;

at least one new expense data record; and

at least one update to an existing expense data record.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a purchaser who generated the at least one expense data record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying a purchaser comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

reading personal identification information from the expense data record;

matching credit card information contained in the expense data record to a database associating credit card information with individual purchasers; and

matching frequent traveler account information contained in the expense data record to a database associating frequent traveler account information with individual travelers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting the at least one travel data record, the at least one expense data record, and at least one likely match to an external system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting the at least one travel data record and the at least one expense data record to an external system wherein the comparison between the at least one travel data record and the at least one expense data record to generate likely matches occurs in the external system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one travel data record and the at least one expense data record is limited to at least one specific traveler.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the external system is an expense management system, comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a client component, wherein an expense report is submitted;

a repository component, wherein the at least one expense report is stored;

a management component, wherein the at least one expense report is viewed and approved for payment; and

a processing component, wherein the at least one expense report is processed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the expense report comprises at least one expense item selected from a group consisting of:

date information;

cost information;

descriptive information;

cost center information;

project information; and

accounting code information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the client component comprises at least one in-progress expense report created but not yet submitted.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option to view of at least one selected from the group consisting of;

at least one travel data record containing at least one travel event not contained in at least one in-progress expense report;

at least one travel data record not yet submitted in an expense report;

at least one expense data record not contained in an in-progress expense reports;

at least one expense data record not yet submitted in an expense report;

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option to select at least one travel data record to add to an expense report; and

creating at least one expense item corresponding and linked to at least one travel event request in the at least one travel data record

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option to select at least one expense transaction; and

creating in at least one expense report, at least one expense item corresponding and linked to the at least one expense transaction.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of:

sending a notification containing at least one expense transaction that matches at least one travel event request, is not contained in an in-progress expense report, and has not yet been submitted in a submitted expense report;

sending a notification containing at least one travel data record that matches at least one expense transaction, is not contained in an in-progress expense report, and has not yet been submitted in a submitted expense report;

sending a notification containing at least one expense data record that matches at least one travel data record and is contained in an in-progress expense report;

sending a notification containing at least one expense data record that matches at least one travel data record and is contained in a submitted expense report;

sending a notification containing at least one travel data record that matches at least one expense data record and is contained in an in-progress expense report; and

sending a notification containing at least one travel data record that matches at least one expense data record and is contained in a submitted expense report.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of:

linking at least one expense item corresponding to at least one travel data record to the expense data record in at least one in-progress expense report;

linking at least one expense item corresponding to at least one travel data record to the expense data record in at least one already submitted expense report;

linking at least one expense transaction to the at least one travel data record in at least one in-progress expense report; and

linking at least one expense transaction to the at least one travel data record in at least one already submitted expense report.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one selected from the group comprising:

allowing submission of at least one expense report containing at least one travel data record and designating the at least one travel data record as a separate expense from at least one expense data record; and

allowing submission of at least one expense report containing at least one expense transaction and designating the at least one expense transaction as a separate expense from at least one travel data record.

22. The method of claims 1, further comprising:

allowing submission of at least one expense report containing at least one travel data record with at least one travel event that matches at least one expense transaction; and

transmitting the at least one expense report to a repository where the at least one expense report can be stored for approval and other processing.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

linking at least one expense item in the at least one expense report to the at least one travel data record and the at least one expense transaction corresponding to the at least one expense item.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

linking at least one expense item, linked to at least one expense transaction that was matched to at least one travel data record that been previously submitted on at least one other expense report, to the at least one travel data record previously submitted on at least one other expense report; and

identifying the at least one expense item a possible duplicate expense when viewed by the expense management system.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

linking at least one expense item, linked to at least one travel event in at least one travel data record matched to at least one expense transaction previously submitted in at least one other expense report, to the at least one expense transaction; and

identifying the at least one expense item as a possible duplicate expense when viewed by the expense management system.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of:

comparing at least one new expense transaction to at least one expense item on at least one submitted expense report to determine if any of the at least one expense items match any of the at least one new expense transaction;

comparing at least one new expense transaction to at least one expense item on at least one in-progress expense report to determine if any of the at least one expense items match any of the at least one expense transaction;

comparing at least one travel data record to at least one expense item on at least one submitted expense report to determine if any of the at least one expense items match any of the at least one new travel data record; and

comparing at least one travel data record to at least one expense item on at least one in-progress expense report to determine if any of the at least one expense items match any of the least one travel data record.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

linking the at least one expense item that matches at least one new expense transaction or at least one new travel event on the at least one new travel data record to the at least one new expense transaction or at least one new travel event on the at least one new travel data record.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising at least one selected from a group comprising:

providing an option to view and accept at least one match; and

providing an option to view and reject at least one match.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one amount discrepancy is flagged as a possible error.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one expense report containing the at least one expense item is routed for approval even if the at least one expense report has already been routed for payment.

31. A computer program product comprises, a computer usable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to integrate travel and expense management information, the control logic comprising:

first computer readable program code means for retrieving at least one travel data record corresponding to a travel request;

second computer readable program code means for retrieving at least one expense data record reflecting at least one expense transaction;

third computer readable program code means for comparing the at least one expense data record to the at least one travel data record; and

fourth computer readable program code means for determining a likelihood that the at least one expense data record matches the at least one travel data record.

32. A computerized system for integrating travel and expense management information comprising:

a network;

at least one terminal coupled to the network;

at least one server coupled to the network; and

wherein the at least one server comprises a program that retrieves at least one travel data record corresponding to a travel request;

that retrieves at least one expense data record reflecting at least one expense transaction;

that compares the at least one expense data record to the at least one travel data record; and

that determines a likelihood that the at least one expense data record matches the at least one travel data record.