Methods and systems to purchase bookings

• US 20050192851A1
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Abhay Rangnekar
• Original Assignee: Abhay Rangnekar
• Inventors: Rangnekar, Abhay
• Application Number:
  US10/788,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192851A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A method is provided for a customer to enter a booking query at an ATM. Selected booking information is gathered in response to the booking query and then displayed at the ATM interface. A booking is selected from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at the ATM interface. A confirmation is received of the selected gathered booking information at the ATM interface.

Claims

1. A method of booking, comprising:

entering at least one booking query at an ATM interface by a customer;

gathering selected booking information in response to the booking query and displaying gathered booking information at ATM 12 interface;

selecting a booking from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at ATM 12 interface; and

receiving a confirmation of selected gathered booking information at ATM 12 interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ATM includes a display screen and function display keys.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering the customer with a host.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the host gathers the selected booking information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

directing the gathered booking information by the host to ATM.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the customer completes a customer profile upon registration with the host.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the booking as an airline ticket booking.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the booking is selected from at least one of, stocks, fixed deposit investments, gaming, a musical event, sporting event and a theatrical production.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a list of departure cities by the host at ATM 12 in response to a request by the customer to book an airline ticket.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting by the customer at ATM a city a departure city from the list of departure cities.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a list of destination cities by the host at the ATM.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting a class of travel by the customer at the ATM.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting a type of travel by the customer at the ATM defined as one way, round way and multiple stop over.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying an itinerary by the host of the airline ticket booking at the ATM.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the itinerary is editable by the customer.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

checking availability of the itinerary of the airline booking by the host.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying availability of the itinerary of the airline booking by the host at the ATM.

18. The method of claim 17., further comprising:

booking the itinerary of the airline booking by the customer at the ATM.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

entering a method of payment for the itinerary of the airline booking by the customer at the ATM.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein entered selected booking information airline travel information is selected from at least one of, a departure city, a destination city, and a class of travel.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathered booking information includes airline travel information selected at least one of, a departure city from a list of departure cities, a destination city from a list of destination cities, class of travel, and a fare.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the at least one booking query by the host system as a string of commands that the provider system can interact with;

creating a first response to the booking query by the provider system;

sorting the first response by the host system to create the gather information; and

providing the gathered booking information to the ATM for review by the customer.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a confirmation of selected gathered booking information is provides a confirmation between an airline and a customer.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the booking selected is an airline booking.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the booking selected is selected from at least one of, travel arrangements, airline tickets, purchase and/or sale of stocks and other equities, purchase and sale of fixed deposit investments, gaming, musical events, sporting events, theatrical productions and media subscriptions.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathered booking information includes a plurality of airline flight schedules and a plurality of airline fares.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

entering a customer identifier at the ATM prior to entering the desired booking information.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the booking is a book and hold.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the booking is a book and issue. providing a help line to assist in bookings.

30. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

debiting an account of the customer for purchased bookings.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

reversing debiting of the account if the purchased bookings are cancelled within a guideline.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the account of the customer is selected from at least one of a checking account, savings account and a credit card account.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the booking creates a transaction between the customer and a booking provider.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

reversing the booking.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the confirmation of selected gathered booking information includes a travel itinerary.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the confirmation of selected gathered booking information includes an option to purchase or cancel.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting by the customer a financial institution for payment of purchased bookings.

38. A system for booking, comprising:

an ATM interface;

a host system coupled to the ATM interface;

a product provider system coupled to the host system, wherein in response to a booking query received by the host system from a customer, the host system queries the product provider system, and the product provider system provides responses to the host system relative to the queries.; and

a financial service system coupled to the host system.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the product system includes at least one product provider system server and at least one product provider system database, and the host system includes at least one host system server and at least one host system database.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the product provider system database includes listings of at least one of, airline boarding cities, airline destination cities, airlines, flight numbers, times of airline departures and airline fares.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the host system database includes received customer information and access codes to the product provider system database.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the host system database includes customer profiles.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein in response to a customer selecting booking information the host system is configured to provide availability and booking information.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the host system is configured to,

receive a booking request from a customer, send at least a portion of the request to a centralized reservation system, receives data relative to the booking request from the centralized reservation system, and filter at least a portion of the data received from the centralized reservation system.

45. The system of claim 39, wherein the host system database includes information about airlines flight schedules, airline flight routes, airline flight departure and arrival times, and fares.

46. The system of claim 39, wherein in response to a customer booking query, host system is configured to route the query to a reservations server.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein host system sorts data that is polled in response to the query and produces a booking output.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein host system attaches fares with the booking output.

49. The system of claim 38, wherein the host system and product provider system communication several times in response to a booking query received by the host system from a customer.

50. The system of claim 38, wherein the financial service system includes at least one financial service system server and at least one financial service system database.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the financial service system database includes financial information about a customer including customer name, customer account number, customer access code, and a balance of a customer account.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the financial service system database includes financial information including a balance of a host system account.

53. A computer based system that enables a customer to executes a booking for a product or service at an ATM, comprising:

a first processor that receives a query from a customer at the ATM for booking information relative to a product or service;

a second processor coupled to the first processor and to the ATM, the second processor configured to provide a first booking information to the first processor in response to a request made by the second processor to the first processor, the first processor producing a second booking information in response to receipt of the first booking information and forwarding the second booking information to the customer at the ATM; and

a third processor coupled to the second processor, the third processor configured to assist in providing financial settlement on behalf of the customer for a purchase made by the customer of a booking, where the purchase of the booking is in response to second booking information.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the first processor is a product provider system processor that includes a database of booking information for at least one product or service.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the second processor is a host system processor.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the third processor is a financial services system processor.

57. The system of claim 54, wherein the product provider system database includes listings of airline boarding cities, airline destination cities, airlines, flight numbers, times of airline departures and airline fares.

58. The system of claim 53, wherein the first booking information and the second booking in formation are the same.

59. The system of claim 53, wherein the first information is received from centralized reservation system and the second information is information that the host system receives from the centralized filtering the information and then filters the information.

60. The system of claim 53, wherein the first booking information and the second booking information are different.

61. The system of claim 53, wherein the second booking information includes information from the first booking information.

62. A method for booking a purchase of a product or service to an ATM comprising:

entering at least one booking query at an ATM interface by customer;

implementing a gathering of selected booking information in response to the booking query;

implementing selection of booking from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at the ATM interface;

implementing receipt of a confirmation of selected gathered booking information at the ATM interface;

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

implementing registration of the customer with a host.

64. The method of claim 63 further comprising:

implementing the steps of directing the gathered booking information by the host to the ATM.

65. The method of claim 62 further comprising:

implementing a method of payment for a purchased product or service through the ATM

66. An ATM device for booking a purchase of a product or service through an ATM, comprising:

a display;

an ATM interface coupled to the display;

function display keys coupled to the ATM interface; and

a computer program that implements a gathering of selected booking information in response to the booking query by a customer;

implements selection of a booking from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at the ATM interface; and

implements receipt of a confirmation of selected gathered booking information at the ATM interface.

67. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform:

executing a first application including gathering selected booking information in response to the booking query and displaying gathered booking information at the ATM interface;

executing a second application including selecting a booking from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at the ATM interface; and

executing a third application including receiving a confirmation of selected gathered booking information at the ATM interface.

68. A computer based system that implements bookings in response to a booking query made at an ATM interface by a customer, comprising:

a first processor that produces selected booking information in response to the booking query made by a customer at an ATM; and

a second processor that selects a booking from the displayed gathered booking information by the customer at the ATM interface, wherein a confirmation of selected gathered booking information is received at the ATM interface.