System and method for real-time, personalized, dynamic, interactive voice services for information related to existing travel schedule

• US 20050220278A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Saylor, Michael J., Richards, Frederick III, Zirngibl, Michael, Patnaik, Anurag
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A system and method for creation and automatic deployment of personalized, dynamic and interactive voice services relating to subscriber travel, including information derived from on-line analytical processing (OLAP) systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method that enable personalized delivery of travel-related information in real-time, via natural language voice communication with a voice-enabled terminal device.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method of providing real-time transmissions of travel information to a user, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one voice service that can output travel information to a user when the at least one voice service is executed;

enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

determining, when at least one travel component of a user'"'"'s existing travel schedule has been altered, options to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule based in part on the at least one altered travel component and the personal information;

generating content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule from the determined options;

initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information; and

communicating the content to the user.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving a transmission from the user in response to the content, wherein the transmission comprises instructions to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the user contact information comprises at least one of a land-line telephone number, mobile telephone number, e-mail address, pager number, or personal digital assistant information.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one travel component comprises at least one of an airline flight reservation, car rental reservation, hotel reservation, scheduled conference, or tickets to an event.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one travel component is a reservation for an airline flight, and wherein the at least one altered travel component comprises at least one of the airline flight being cancelled, delayed, or overbooked.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one travel component is a reservation for a car rental, and wherein the at least one altered travel component comprises an overbooked car rental agency.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one travel component is stored in at least one travel component database.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one travel component database comprises at least one of an airline flight information database, rental car information database, hotel reservation database, meeting database, or convention database.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising enabling a user to specify a predetermined schedule for querying the at least one travel component database to determine whether the at least one travel component has been altered.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the determined options include options to cancel or reschedule the at least one altered travel component.

38. A system for providing real-time transmissions of travel information to a user, comprising:

means for providing at least one voice service that can output travel information to a user when the at least one voice service is executed;

means for enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

means for determining, when at least one travel component of a user'"'"'s existing travel schedule has been altered, options to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule based in part on the at least one altered travel component and the personal information;

means for generating content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule from the determined options;

means for initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information; and

means for communicating the content to the user.

39. The system of claim 38, further comprising:

means for receiving a transmission from the user in response to the content, wherein the transmission comprises instructions to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the user contact information comprises at least one of a land-line telephone number, mobile telephone number, e-mail address, pager number, or personal digital assistant information.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the at least one travel component comprises at least one of an airline flight reservation, car rental reservation, hotel reservation, scheduled conference, or tickets to an event.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the at least one travel component is a reservation for an airline flight, and wherein the at least one altered travel component comprises at least one of the airline flight being cancelled, delayed, or overbooked.

43. The system of claim 38, wherein the at least one travel component is a reservation for a car rental, and wherein the at least one altered travel component comprises an overbooked car rental agency.

44. The system of claim 38, wherein the at least one travel component is stored in at least one travel component database.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the at least one travel component database comprises at least one of an airline flight information database, rental car information database, hotel reservation database, meeting database, or convention database.

46. The system of claim 44, further comprising means for enabling a user to specify a predetermined schedule for querying the at least one travel component database to determine whether the at least one travel component has been altered.

47. The system of claim 38, wherein the determined options include options to cancel or reschedule the at least one altered travel component.

48. A method of providing real-time transmissions of airline flight information to a user, comprising:

providing at least one voice service that can output airline flight information to a user;

enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

determining that at least one airline flight, for which the user has a reservation, is at least one of delayed, overbooked, or cancelled;

determining options to modify the user'"'"'s reservation;

generating content related to the user'"'"'s reservation from the determined options;

initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information; and

communicating the content to the user.

49. A system for providing real-time transmissions of airline flight information to a user, comprising:

means for providing at least one voice service that can output airline flight information to a user;

means for enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

means for determining that at least one airline flight, for which the user has a reservation, is at least one of delayed, overbooked, or cancelled;

means for determining options to modify the user'"'"'s reservation;

means for generating content related to the user'"'"'s reservation from the determined options;

means for initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information; and

means for communicating the content to the user.