Intelligent search agent
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method of searching for a travel service, comprising:
- receiving a request to search for the travel service at a user'"'"'s personal computer, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
selecting a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website; and
implementing the search strategy to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion using the navigation information, wherein searching the travel website is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
With the proliferation of travel websites, users must separately search competing travel websites to find a travel service that satisfies their travel preferences. A travel agent is provided for automatically searching multiple travel websites for travel services satisfying search criteria that are based on a user'"'"'s travel preferences. The travel agent implements a search strategy to automatically access, navigate, and parse one or more travel websites, enter search parameters, and extract data associated with relevant travel services. The travel agent can execute on a user'"'"'s personal computer to harness the computational power of the personal computer and reduce the burden on centralized servers that search for travel services. Moreover, by storing a user'"'"'s travel preferences on the same personal computer, the travel agent reduces access times to user data and protects it from insecurities associated with transmission over a network.
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Citations
77 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method of searching for a travel service, comprising:
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receiving a request to search for the travel service at a user'"'"'s personal computer, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
selecting a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website; and
implementing the search strategy to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion using the navigation information, wherein searching the travel website is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer implemented method of searching for a travel service, comprising:
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receiving a request to search for the travel service at a user'"'"'s personal computer, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
selecting a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website and wherein the search strategy is created by a travel website expert; and
implementing the search strategy to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion using the navigation information, wherein searching the travel website is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer implemented method of searching for a travel service, comprising:
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receiving a request to search for the travel service, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion and wherein the request is received at a user'"'"'s personal computer from a remote device;
selecting a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website; and
implementing the search strategy to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion using the navigation information, wherein searching the travel website is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A computer implemented method of searching for a product, comprising:
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receiving a request to search for the product at a user'"'"'s personal computer, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
selecting a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a website and navigation information associated with the website and wherein the search strategy is created by a website expert; and
implementing the search strategy to search the website for the product satisfying the search criterion using the navigation information, wherein searching the website is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A travel service search system, comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive a request to search for a travel service, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
a search strategies module adapted to store a plurality of search strategies, wherein the search strategies module resides on a user'"'"'s personal computer; and
a travel agent adapted to select a search strategy from the plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website, and wherein the travel agent is further adapted to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion, wherein the travel agent resides on the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A travel service search system, comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive a request to search for a travel service, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
a search strategies module adapted to store a plurality of search strategies;
a user preferences module adapted to store travel preferences; and
a travel agent adapted to select a search strategy from the plurality of search strategies based on the search criterion, wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website, wherein the travel agent is further adapted to search the travel website for the travel service satisfying the search criterion, and wherein the search strategies module, the user preferences module, and the travel agent reside on a user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. An automated product search system, comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive a request to search for a product, wherein the request is associated with a search criterion;
a user preferences module adapted to store product preferences for a user;
a product search agent adapted to select a search strategy from a plurality of search strategies responsive to the request, wherein the search strategy identifies a website and navigation information associated with the website, and wherein the product search agent is further adapted to search the website for the product satisfying the search criterion, wherein the user preferences module and the product search agent reside on the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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55. A computer implemented method of tracking current information associated with a travel service that satisfies a search criterion, wherein the travel service is associated with a search strategy, and wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of the travel service;
periodically implementing the search strategy to track the current information associated with the travel service, wherein each periodic implementation of the search strategy comprises;
searching the travel website for the travel service that satisfies the search criterion using the navigation information associated with the travel website; and
retrieving from the travel website the current information associated with the travel service. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. A system for tracking current information associated with a travel service that satisfies a search criterion, wherein the travel service is associated with a search strategy, and wherein the search strategy identifies a travel website and navigation information associated with the travel website, the system comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive an indication of the travel service;
a tracking module adapted to periodically implement the search strategy to track the current information associated with the travel service, wherein for each implementation of the search strategy the tracking module searches the travel website for the travel service that satisfies the search criterion using the navigation information associated with the travel website and retrieves from the travel website the current information associated with the travel service, and wherein the tracking module resides on a user'"'"'s personal computer.
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63. A computer implemented method of target advertising in a travel service search system, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of a travel service selected by a user;
receiving an indication of a travel preference of the user, wherein the travel preference of the user is stored locally at the user'"'"'s personal computer; and
searching for an advertisement that is associated with the travel service and that satisfies the travel preference of the user, wherein searching for the advertisement is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A system for target advertising in a travel agent, comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive an indication of a travel service selected by a user and an indication of a travel preference of the user; and
an advertising module adapted to search for an advertisement that is associated with the travel service and that satisfies the travel preference of the user, wherein the advertising module resides on the user'"'"'s personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (71)
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72. A computer implemented method of generating a unified travel itinerary, comprising:
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receiving an indication of a plurality of travel services selected by a user, wherein the plurality of travel services are associated with a plurality of travel websites;
retrieving information associated with the plurality of travel services from the plurality of travel websites, wherein retrieving the information associated with the plurality of travel services is performed by the user'"'"'s personal computer; and
generating the unified itinerary for the plurality of travel services based on the retrieved information. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A travel agent for generating a unified travel itinerary, comprising:
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a communication module adapted to receive an indication of a plurality of travel services selected by a user, wherein the plurality of travel services are associated with a plurality of travel websites;
a search module adapted to retrieve information associated with each of the travel services from the plurality of travel websites, wherein the search module resides on the user'"'"'s personal computer; and
an itinerary module adapted to generate the unified itinerary for the plurality of travel services by combining the retrieved information.
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Specification