BOOKING SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of determining fares for display to a user using a booking system comprising:
- converting fare rules into a computer code;
storing the computer code;
receiving flight criteria from a user;
identifying candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user; and
retrieving and executing the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and airline booking system for converting fare rules into computer code for efficient fare validation and/or for calculation of sundry costs is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes converting fare rules into computer code and storing the computer code. The method also includes receiving flight criteria from a user and identifying candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user. The method further includes retrieving and executing the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code.
30 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method of determining fares for display to a user using a booking system comprising:
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converting fare rules into a computer code;
storing the computer code;
receiving flight criteria from a user;
identifying candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user; and
retrieving and executing the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 22)
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13. A method of generating code defining fare rules for determining fares available for display to a user using a booking system, comprising:
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retrieving data defining fare rules;
generating interim code that defines the fare rules, wherein the interim code defines one or more fares rules, and contains identifiers that identify portions of the interim code that specify a fare rule and aspects of that fare rule;
parsing the interim code;
generating a hierarchy of code generators relating to the portions of the interim code identified by the identifiers; and
executing each code generator to generate a computer code relating to the portion of the interim code to which the code generator relates, wherein each code generator at a higher level in the hierarchy utilizes code generated by a code generator directly below in the hierarchy.
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17. A method of identifying and presenting fares to a user, the method comprising:
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receiving flight criteria specified by a user;
receiving computer code from a database, the computer code being generated from fare rules to embody the fare rules;
selecting candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user;
executing the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares that satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code; and
presenting the relevant candidate fares that satisfy the fare rules to a user.
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18. A computer system adapted to generate a code defining fare rules for determining fares available for display to a user using a booking system, the computer system comprising:
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a database containing data defining fare rules;
a first code generator module connected to the database and adapted to retrieve data from the database and generate interim code defining fare rules; and
a second code generator module connected to retrieve interim code from the first code generator, the second code generator adapted to generate computer code from the interim code, the computer code defining the fare rules. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A booking system comprising a computer system adapted to receive flight criteria from a user, the computer system comprising i) a processor configured to convert fare rules into a computer code, ii) a memory configured to store the computer code, and iii) a computer program, running on the computer system, configured to operate the computer system to:
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select candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user; and
retrieve and execute the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares that satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code.
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32. A method of providing sundry costs to a user operating a booking system comprising:
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receiving an input specifying flight criteria from a user;
identifying fares satisfying the flight criteria;
calculating sundry costs for a journey from sundry costs data retrieved from a database;
displaying information identifying the journeys and associated fares on a first sub-portion of a user interface and displaying the sundry costs for the journey on a second sub-portion of the user interface;
receiving an input selecting another journey; and
updating the second sub-portion of the user interface to display the sundry costs for the selected candidate fare. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A booking system comprising:
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a computer system adapted to receive flight criteria from a user;
one or more databases containing fare information and data for calculating sundry costs;
a search engine adapted to identify fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user;
a user interface adapted to display those fares to the user, wherein the user interface is adapted to display information identifying a journey and associated fares on a first sub-portion of a user interface and displaying the sundry costs on a second sub-portion of the user interface, and wherein the computer system is further adapted to receive input specifying a selected fare displayed on the first sub-portions and the user interface is adapted to update the second sub-portion of the user interface to display the sundry costs for the journey associated with the selected fare. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A booking system comprising a computer system configured to receive flight criteria from a user, a computer program configured to select all fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user, a user interface configured to display those fares to the user, and display for at least one fare, the cost of the flight associated with the fare and any sundry costs, a processor adapted to receive an input identifying another fare, obtain sundry costs for that fare and transfer the sundry costs to the user interface, wherein user interface is updated to display the sundry costs.
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44. A user interface for a booking system comprising:
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a portion adapted to display fares to a user that satisfy flight criteria received from the user, the portion comprising a sub-portion adapted to display the cost of the flight associated with the fare and another sub-portion adapted to display sundry costs, wherein the user interface is adapted to display for at least one fare, the cost of the flight associated with the fare and any sundry costs in the respective sub-portions, and wherein the sub-portion adapted to display sundry costs can be updated with new sundry costs independently from other sub-portions of the user interface.
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45. A method of displaying fares to a customer using a booking system, comprising:
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receiving flight criteria from a customer;
determining all fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the customer; and
displaying those fares to the customer via a user interface, including for at least one fare, the cost of the flight associated with the fare and any sundry costs.
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45-1. A method of providing sundry costs to a user of a booking system comprising:
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maintaining a database with sundry cost data;
receiving a request for sundry costs for a journey;
obtaining sundry cost data from the database;
calculating sundry costs using the sundry cost data and a rules engine; and
presenting the sundry costs to a user.
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46. A system for determining fares for display to a user using a booking system comprising:
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means for converting fare rules into a computer code;
means for storing the computer code;
means for receiving flight criteria from a user;
means for identifying candidate fares satisfying the flight criteria received from the user; and
means for retrieving and executing the computer code to determine which of the candidate fares satisfy the fare rules embodied by the computer code.
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Specification