TRAVEL INFORMATION INTERVAL GRID

• US 20070198310A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Crean, Hugh, Fridgen, Michael, Bartot, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,895 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 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

A method and system for presenting travel information in a way that facilitates identifying travel plans that satisfy objectives is provided. A travel information system collects travel information for the travel items on various observation dates including the current date and presents the travel information to a user in a way that facilitates travel planning and travel shopping. The travel information system stores the travel information in an observation store. To provide travel information that satisfies a search criterion, the travel information system retrieves the travel information that satisfies the search criterion either from flight information of the observation store or from current flight information provided in real time from a source of travel information. The flight information system provides the travel information in various formats to facilitate travel planning. These formats include a fare history graph, an interval grid, a route map, a future fare graph, and/or a departure date/duration grid.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for presenting airline fare information, the method comprising:

receiving from a user a search request having a search criterion;

retrieving as search results flight information for airline flights that match the search criterion;

generating an interval grid from the retrieved flight information that illustrates fares of the airline flights that match the search criterion at various combinations of departure intervals of the departure date and return intervals of the return date; and

sending for presentation to the user the search results along with the generated interval grid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the intervals correspond to pre-dawn, early morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, and night.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the search criterion identifies a trip, wherein a trip is a combination of departure location and date and return location and date.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the search criterion includes a maximum fare.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a cell of the interval grid includes a fare amount indicating lowest fare for an airline flight within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that matches the search criterion.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein when a user selects a cell of the interval grid, presenting to the user only the search results for the airline flights within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that match the search criterion.

7. A computer-readable medium embedded with instructions for controlling a computing device to generate airline fare information, by a method comprising:

receiving from a user a search request having a search criterion;

retrieving as search results flight information for airline flights that satisfy the search criterion;

generating a presentation of interval fare information from the retrieved flight information that illustrates fares of the airline flights that satisfy the search criterion at various combinations of departure intervals of the departure date and return intervals of the return date; and

sending for presentation to the user the search results along with the generated interval information.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the intervals correspond to pre-dawn, early morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, and night.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the search criterion identifies a trip, wherein a trip is a combination of departure location and date and return location and date.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the search criterion includes a maximum fare.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the interval information is presented in an interval grid.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein a cell of the interval grid includes a fare amount indicating lowest fare for an airline flight within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that matches the search criterion.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein when a user selects a cell of the interval grid, presenting to the user only the search results for the airline flights within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that match the search criterion.

14. A computing device for generating airline fare information, by a method comprising:

a component that receives from a user a search request having a search criterion;

a component that retrieves as search results flight information for airline flights that satisfy the search criterion;

a component that generates a presentation of interval fare information from the retrieved flight information that illustrates fares of the airline flights that satisfy the search criterion at various combinations of departure intervals of the departure date and return intervals of the return date; and

a component that sends for presentation to the user the generated interval information.

15. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the intervals correspond to pre-dawn, early morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, and night.

16. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the search criterion identifies a trip, wherein a trip is a combination of departure location and date and return location and date.

17. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the search criterion includes a maximum fare.

18. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the interval information is presented in an interval grid.

19. The computing device of claim 18 wherein a cell of the interval grid includes a fare amount indicating lowest fare for an airline flight within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that matches the search criterion.

20. The computing device of claim 18 wherein when a user selects a cell of the interval grid, presenting to the user only the search results for the airline flights within the corresponding departure interval and return interval that match the search criterion.