Graphical User Interface for Travel Planning System

• US 20080288884A1
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITA Software, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Daughtrey, Rodney S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a travel planning system is described. The graphical user interface is implemented as a web page and includes a tabular region of the graphical user interface that displays summarized travel options and comprises a plurality of cells that act as controls. The interface also includes a second region that displays selected travel options resulting from filtering a set of travel options in accordance with a control actuated in the tabular region.

Claims

1. A display device rendering a graphical user interface the graphical user interface comprises:

a tabular region that displays a summary of items according to a value that the items have in common, the tabular region comprises a plurality of cells at least some of which include a link that act as a controls;

that displays selected ones of the items resulting from filtering a set of items in accordance with a control actuated in the tabular region.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein interior cells that intersect at least one column and at least one row displaying a value that summarizes items that, according to the criterion in a respective one of the columns and the criterion in a respective one of the rows.

3. The display of claim 1 wherein the controls in the tabular region are arranged in a column and where upon actuation of one of the controls in the column causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the control.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein the controls in the tabular region are arranged in rows and columns and wherein, upon actuation of one of the controls in a peripheral one of the rows or columns, causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the selected peripheral one of the rows or columns.

5. The display of claim 1 wherein the controls in the tabular region are arranged in rows and columns and wherein, upon actuation of one of the controls that is an interior one of the cells in the rows and columns, causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with a intersection of a pair of criteria corresponding to the intersection of the selected row and column.

6. The display of claim 1 wherein the controls are links to algorithms that filter the set of items according to the selected criteria.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein the interface is implemented as a web page in a web browser and the controls are hyperlinks to algorithms.

8. The display of claim 1 wherein the tabular region having the controls is a tabbed table comprising a plurality of tabs, with each tab corresponding to a different criterion of the items.

9. The display of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface is represented in a web page and results are displayed in the web page.

10-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A graphical user interface rendered on a display device, the graphical user interface summarizing travel options and comprises:

a tabular region having a plurality of cells that are arranged in plural columns and plural rows with the cells displaying a summary of a criterion of a set of travel options, and with the cells being controls that when selected, provide a subset of the travel options that correspond to the respective criterion or criteria of the selected cell.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18 further comprising:

a second region that displays data for each of the travel options in the subset of travel options.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein interior cells that intersect at least one column and at least one row have a value that summarizes travel options that meet a pair of criteria according to the criterion in a respective one of the columns and the criterion in a respective one of the rows.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein the controls are hyperlinks

22. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein actuation of one of the controls in one of the rows or columns on the periphery of the tabular regions causes results to be displayed as a grouping of travel options in accordance with a summary of a criterion corresponding to the selected peripheral one of the rows or columns.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein upon actuation of one of the controls that is an interior one of the cells in the rows and columns, causes the results to be displayed as a grouping of travel options in accordance with criteria corresponding to the intersection of a corresponding row and a corresponding column.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein the controls are links to routines that invoke an appropriate enumeration algorithm.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein the tabular region is a tabbed table comprising at least one of an airline tab, an airport tab and a flight time tab.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 18 wherein the graphical user interface is represented in a first web page and a results region displays itineraries and includes links that invoke a second web page to display details of the itineraries.

27. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for rendering a graphical user interface for a travel planning, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing a computer to:

generate a tabular region comprised of a plurality of cells arranged in plural rows and plural columns, with the plural rows representing a first criterion of the travel options and the plural rows corresponding to a second, different criterion of the travel options; and

populate the cells of the table with links to routines that retrieve travel options according to the criterion of the plural rows and the criterion of the plural columns.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the controls in the tabular region are arranged in a column, and where upon actuation of one of the controls in the column, causes results to be displayed as a grouping of travel options according to a criterion of the set of travel options, with the criteria corresponding to the actuated control.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising instructions to:

cause the results to be displayed in the graphical user interface upon actuation of one of the controls in a peripheral one of the rows or columns, as a grouping of travel options in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the selected peripheral one of the rows or columns.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising instructions to:

cause the results to be displayed as a grouping of travel options, upon actuation of one of the controls that is an interior one of the cells in the rows and columns, in accordance with criteria corresponding to a intersection of a corresponding row and a corresponding column.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising instructions to:

execute an appropriate algorithm upon actuation of the controls to produce the results.

32. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein the tabular region is a tabbed table comprising at least one of an airline tab, an airport tab and a flight time tab.

33. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein the tabbed table has an airline tab, and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with columns corresponding to airlines and rows corresponding to number of stops. .

34. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein the tabbed table has a flight times tab, and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with rows corresponding to a departure times for a first one of a pair of slices of a trip and with the columns corresponding to departure times for the second one of the pair of slices of the trip.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the departure times are a range of departure times:

36. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein the tabbed table has an airports tab, and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with rows corresponding to one or more potential origin airports for a trip and with the columns corresponding to one or more potential destination airports of the trip.

37. A computer system, comprising:

a computer;

a computer readable medium storing a computer program product for rendering a graphical user interface, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing a computer to;

generate a tabular region comprised of a plurality of cells arranged in plural rows and plural columns, with the plural rows representing a first criterion of items and the plural rows corresponding to a second, different criterion of the items; and

populate the cells of the table with links to routines that retrieve items according to the criterion of the plural rows and the criterion of the plural columns; and

a display device coupled to the computer system for rendering the graphical user interface.

38. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with interior cells that intersect at least one column and at least one row displaying a value that summarizes items that meet a pair of criteria of the items, according to the criterion in a respective one of the columns and the criterion in a respective one of the rows.

39. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in a column, and where upon actuation of one of the controls in the column causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the control.

40. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in rows and columns, and upon actuation of one of the controls in a peripheral one of the rows or columns, causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the selected peripheral one of the rows or columns.

41. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in rows and columns, and upon actuation of one of the controls that is an interior one of the cells in the rows and columns, causes items to be displayed as a grouping of items in accordance with a intersection of a pair of criteria corresponding to the intersection of the selected row and column.

42. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls that are links to algorithms that filter the set of items according to the selected criteria.

43. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface as a web page in a web browser and the controls are hyperlinks to algorithms.

44. The computer system of claim 37 wherein the computer program product renders the tabular region having the controls as a tabbed table comprising a plurality of tabs, with each tab corresponding to a different criterion of the items.

45. A computer system, comprising:

a computer;

a computer readable medium storing a computer program product for rendering a graphical user interface, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing a computer to;

generate a tabular region comprised of a plurality of cells arranged in plural rows and plural columns, with the plural rows representing a first criterion of a set of travel options, and the plural rows corresponding to a second, different criterion of the set of travel options; and

populate the cells of the table with links to routines that retrieve travel options from the set of travel options according to the criterion of the plural rows and the criterion of the plural columns; and

a display device coupled to the computer system for rendering the graphical user interface.

46. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with interior cells that intersect at least one column and at least one row displaying a value that summarizes the travel options according to the criterion in a respective one of the columns and the criterion in a respective one of the rows.

47. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in a column, and where upon actuation of one of the controls in the column causes items to be displayed as a grouping of travel options in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the control.

48. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in rows and columns, and upon actuation of one of the controls in a peripheral one of the rows or columns, causes travel options to be displayed as a grouping of travel options in accordance with the criterion corresponding to the selected peripheral one of the rows or columns.

49. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls in the tabular region arranged in rows and columns, and upon actuation of one of the controls that is an interior one of the cells in the rows and columns, causes travel options to be displayed as a grouping of travel options in accordance with a intersection of a pair of criteria corresponding to the intersection of the selected row and column.

50. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface with the controls that are links to algorithms that filter the set of items according to the selected criteria.

51. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the graphical user interface as a web page in a web browser and the controls are hyperlinks to algorithms.

52. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the computer program product renders the tabular region having the controls as a tabbed table comprising a plurality of tabs, with each tab corresponding to a different criterion of the items.

53. The computer system of claim 52 wherein the tabbed table has an airline tab and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with columns corresponding to airlines and rows corresponding to number of stops.

54. The computer system of claim 45 wherein the tabbed table has a flight times tab and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with rows corresponding to a departure times for a first one of a pair of slices of a trip and with the columns corresponding to departure times for the second one of the pair of slices of the trip.

55. The computer system of claim 54 wherein the departure times are a range of departure times:

56. The computer system of claim 52 wherein the tabbed table has an airports tab and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:

render on a display the tabbed table with rows corresponding to one or more potential origin airports for a trip and with the columns corresponding to one or more potential destination airports of the trip.