System for developing custom group tours

• US 20050234750A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Music Travel Consultants, LLC (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Star Travel Services, Inc. (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Attebury, Michael Taylor, Knotek, Gregory Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,937 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 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A customized group tour development system includes a server configured to execute a customized tour application. The customized tour application includes a sales module configured to generate a tour proposal for a custom tour as a function of a customized tour framework. The customized tour application may also include a client module that is configured to be enabled to allow creation of a group list within the customized tour framework. The group list may include participants in the custom tour. An operations module is also included in the customized tour application. The operations module is configured to develop the customized tour framework into a fully detailed customized tour.

Claims

1. A system for creation of a custom tour for a group, the system comprising:

a server configured to selectively execute a client module, a sales module and an operations module;

the sales module configured to generate a tour proposal for a custom tour as a function of a customized tour framework to be created with the sales module;

the client module configured to be enabled to allow creation of a group list within the customized tour framework after approval of the tour proposal, wherein the group list comprises a plurality of individuals that are to be participants in the custom tour; and

the operations module configured to allow development of the customized tour framework into a fully detailed customized tour as a function of the group list.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a finance module configured to enable generation of the tour proposal after the customized tour framework has been reviewed and approved.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a finance module configured to generate a tour costing sheet based on the customized tour framework, the tour costing sheet useable to check the accuracy of the tour proposal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client module is also configured to generate an assignment list as a function of the group list, the assignment list to be used to allow assignment of each of the participants to one of the accommodations, wherein upon assignment, each of the participants is associated with one of the accommodations and removed from the assignment list by the client module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises a supplier module wherein the customized tour framework is configurable with identification of at least one vendor that is selectable with the supplier module to provide a plurality of accommodations.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database accessible by the server, the database configurable with custom tour specific information that forms the customized tour framework and non-custom tour specific information to be used to generate the tour proposal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations module is further configured to generate a custom tour booklet and an escort booklet as a function of the fully developed customized tour and the group list.

8. A system for creation of a custom tour for a group, the system comprising:

a server configured to selectively execute a sales module, a client module and a supplier module;

the sales module configured to allow development of a customized tour framework to be used to generate a tour proposal, wherein the customized tour framework is configurable with at least one vendor that is selectable with the supplier module to provide a plurality of accommodations;

the client module configured to allow creation of a group list within the customized tour framework, wherein the group list comprises a plurality of participants in the customized tour; and

wherein the client module is also configured to create an assignment list from the group list and allow assignment of each of the participants to one of the accommodations, wherein upon assignment, each of the participants is associated with one of the accommodations, and removed from the assignment list.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the accommodations comprise one of a collection of assignable seats and a collection of assignable rooms that are individually identifiable in the customized tour framework.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the server further comprises a sales interface configured to selectively allow access to the sales module and a client interface that is separate from the sales interface, wherein the client interface is configured to selectively allow access to the client module.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is configured to generate a client page operable with the client module and a staff page operable with the sales module, each of the client page and the staff page accessible with a unique address as a function of security authentication of a user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the participants in the group list is identifiable with a type selection menu as one of a boy, a girl and an adult, wherein a chaperone is assignable to individuals identified as one of a boy and a girl.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the accommodations are configurable to be subdivided into type groups for assignment to one of a boy, a girl and an adult.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising a database accessible by the server, wherein the database is configured to store client related information specific to a client, tour related information that forms the customized tour framework and vendor related information from which the at least one vendor is selectable.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the customized tour framework is storable in the database as a custom tour record, the custom tour record comprising a day record that includes an activity to be experienced by the participants.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the customized tour framework is configurable with a payment schedule to pay for the custom tour.

17. A system for creation of a custom tour for a group, the system comprising:

a customized tour application comprising a client module, a sales module and a supplier module;

a server configured to execute the customized tour application, the server configured with a sales interface to selectively allow network access to the sales module to develop a customized tour framework and generate a tour proposal; and

a database accessible with the server, wherein the customized tour framework and the tour proposal are storable in the database;

wherein the customized tour framework is configurable with at least one vendor that is selectable with the supplier module from the database to provide accommodations comprising one of a plurality of assignable seats and a plurality of assignable rooms that are identified in the customized tour framework; and

wherein the server is configured with a client interface to selectively allow network access to the client module to populate the customized tour framework with a group list that includes a plurality of participants in the custom tour.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the client module is configured to create an assignment list from the group list, the assignment list configured to allow assignment of each of the participants to the accommodations, wherein upon assignment, each of the participants is associated with one of the accommodations, and removed from the assignment list.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the group list is configured with the client module as a function of a traveler record, the traveler record is creatable in the database with the client module and comprises personal information that includes a name and selection of a type, wherein the type comprises selection of one of adult, boy and girl to categorize each of the participants.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the traveler record comprises identification of an instrument, an instrument size and an instrument weight for each of the participants.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the traveler record comprises at least one of indication of staff status, indication of chaperone status and indication of an associated chaperone for each of the participants.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the server further comprises a security module, the security module is configured to allow access to the sales module only as a function of successful authentication of a staff user.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the server further comprises a security module, the security module is configured to allow access to the client modules only as a function of authentication of a client user.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the security module is configured to allow access to one predetermined customized tour framework as a function of authentication of the client user.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the customized tour application further comprises a finance module, wherein access to the client module is configured to be enabled with the finance module after acceptance of the tour proposal.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the customized tour application further comprises an operations module that is configured to allow development of the customized tour framework into a fully developed customized tour.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one vendor comprises one of a bus company, a lodging vendor and an airline.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the supplier module is configured to access vendor information and available accommodations for each of a plurality of selectable vendors from the database.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the server is configured to selectively allow access to the operations module as a function of the security module to develop a detailed daily itinerary within the customized tour framework.

30. A system for creation of a custom tour for a group, the system comprising:

a memory device;

instructions stored in the memory device to enable development of a customized tour framework via a sales network interface, wherein a day record indicative of a daily activity and a plurality of accommodations of a vendor are selectable to be included in the customized tour framework;

instructions stored in the memory device to generate a tour proposal descriptive of the customized tour framework and the cost;

instructions stored in the memory device to enable access via a client network interface, once the proposal is accepted, to enter a group list for the customized tour framework, the group list comprising a plurality of tour participants; and

instructions stored in the memory device to allow selective association of each of the tour participants with each of the accommodations via the client network interface.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to enable access via an operations network interface to develop a fully detailed custom tour from the customized tour framework as a function of the group list.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to provide for storage of a gender and an associated instrument for each of the individuals in the group list.

33. The system of claim 30, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to generate an assignment list that includes tour participants from the group list.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to enable movement of tour participants between the assignment list and any one of the accommodations identified as available.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to indicate when any one of the accommodations has reached capacity.

36. The system of claim 34, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to indicate tour participants and corresponding assigned accommodations.

37. The system of claim 30, further comprising instructions stored in the memory device to selectively enable one of access, report generation capability and report printing capability in response to a predetermined condition.

38. A system for creation of a custom tour for a group, the system comprising:

a server computer configured to execute a sales module to enable configuration over a network of a customized tour framework, wherein the customized tour framework is identifiable with a first status,

wherein the sales module is configured to enable generation of a tour proposal as a function of the customized tour framework only after the first status is changed to a second status;

the server computer configured to enable execution of an operations module to develop the customized tour framework over the network into a fully detailed custom tour only after the second status is changed to a third status; and

the server computer configured to enable execution of a client module to add a list of participants over the network into the customized tour framework only after the third status is changed to a fourth status.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the change from the first status to the second status is indicative that the customized tour framework has been reviewed and approved.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the change from the second status to the third status is indicative that the proposal was accepted.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the client module is accessible with a browser via a client interface, the sales module is accessible with a browser via a sales interface, and the operations module is accessible with a browser via an operations interface, wherein the client interface, the sale interface and the operations interface are each a separate interface to the server computer.

42. The system of claim 38, wherein the network includes a local area network and the Internet.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the client module is accessible over the Internet, and the operations module and the sales module are accessible over at least one of the local area network and the Internet.

44. The system of claim 38, wherein the server computer is configured to execute a finance module to track financial information associated with the customized tour framework, the finance module also configured update the finance information as the fully developed custom tour is being developed.

45. The system of claim 38, wherein the server computer is configured to execute a finance module, the finance module configured to enable changes to the status.

46. The system of claim 38, wherein the server computer is configured to execute a supplier module in conjunction with the sales module, the sales module configured to allow selection of a vendor with the supplier module to include in the customized tour framework, wherein the vendor includes information indicative of a plurality of accommodations that are available.