PROCESS AND SYSTEM TO DETERMINE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE ARRIVALS

• US 20090276250A1
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Travel Tech Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Travel Tech Systems LLC
• Inventors: KING, John C., Burnette, William M., Wolfe, Geoffrey A., Kiroff, Steven C., Heil, Darren R., Burger, Christopher G.
• Application Number:
  US12/432,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276250A1
• 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 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

An apparatus, a method, a system and a computer program for providing users with early and accurate information relating to a status of a particular flight. Early and accurate information relating to a status of a particular flight is provided to the user. The method includes receiving user data that includes aircraft departure information, determining inbound aircraft data based on the user data, receiving constraint status information, generating update status data based on the inbound aircraft data, outbound aircraft data and constraint status information, and sending an update status message to the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing early and accurate information relating to a status of a particular flight, the method comprising:

receiving user data that includes aircraft departure information;

determining inbound aircraft and outbound aircraft data based on the user data;

receiving constraint status information; and

generating update status data based on the inbound aircraft data, outbound aircraft data and constraint status information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating an update status message based on the update status data and user data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending an update status message to a user.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining inbound aircraft data comprises:

parsing travel data from the user data;

validating the travel data to determine validated data; and

determining a candidate aircraft based on the validated data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determining inbound aircraft data further comprises:

monitoring progress of the candidate aircraft, including aircraft location data;

identifying a target aircraft to be used for a predetermined flight; and

sending an update status message to a user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the update status message comprises:

a geospatial map comprising the aircraft location data;

an itinerary update message;

an alternative arrangement message;

a human created message;

or

a friend status message.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the determining inbound aircraft data further comprises:

determining travel date and departure airport from the travel date;

searching within available flight data to find the candidate aircraft; and

determining the target aircraft based on candidate aircraft data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the candidate aircraft data comprises:

an airline identification;

an airline name;

aircraft type;

a variable window of time for the candidate aircraft scheduled arrival;

a tail number;

an assigned airport gate number;

or

a ship number.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the constraint status information comprises constraint status factors and a constraint status data.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the constraint status factor comprises:

weather delay data;

ATC flow control data;

airport, airline turn times;

airport taxi delay data;

or

airport hours of operation data.

11. A computer readable medium comprising a computer program, the medium comprising:

a user data receiving section, which when executed on a computer causes receiving user that includes aircraft departure information;

an inbound aircraft determining section, which when executed on a computer causes determining inbound aircraft data based on the user and external source data;

a constraint status information receiving section, which when executed on a computer causes receiving constraint status information; and

an update status generating section, which when executed on a computer causes generating update status data based on the inbound aircraft data, outbound aircraft data, and constraint status information.

12. The medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

an update status message generating section, which when executed on a computer causes generating an update status message based on the update status data and users departure flight data.

13. The medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

an update status message sending section, which when executed on a computer causes sending an update status message to a user.

14. The medium according to claim 11, further comprising:

a travel data parsing section, which when executed on a computer causes section parsing travel data from the user data;

a travel data validating section, which when executed on a computer causes validating the travel data to determine validated data; and

a candidate aircraft determining section, which when executed on a computer causes determining a candidate aircraft based on the validated data.

15. The medium according to claim 14, further comprising:

a progress monitoring section, which when executed on a computer causes monitoring progress of the candidate aircraft, including aircraft location data;

a target aircraft identifying section, which when executed on a computer causes identifying a target aircraft to be used for a predetermined flight; and

an update status message sending section, which when executed on a computer causes sending an update status message to a user.

16. The medium according to claim 15, wherein the update status message comprises:

a geospatial map comprising the aircraft location data;

an itinerary update message;

an alternative arrangement message;

a human created message;

or

a friend status message.

17. The medium according to claim 15, further comprising:

a travel data determining section, which when executed on a computer causes determining travel date and departure airport from the travel date;

a flight data searching section, which when executed on a computer causes searching within available flight data to find the candidate aircraft; and

a target aircraft determining section, which when executed on a computer causes determining the target aircraft based on candidate aircraft data.

18. The medium according to claim 17, wherein the candidate aircraft data comprises:

an airline identification;

an airline name;

aircraft type;

a variable window of time for the candidate aircraft scheduled arrival;

a tail number;

an assigned airport gate number;

or

a ship number.

19. The medium according to claim 11, wherein the constraint status information comprises at least one of a constraint status factor and a constraint status data.

20. The medium according to claim 19, wherein the constraint status factor comprises:

weather delay data;

ATC flow control data;

airport, airline turn times;

airport taxi delay data;

or

airport hours of operation data.