Booking System and Method

• US 20100235201A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean Mcevoy
• Original Assignee: Dean Mcevoy
• Inventors: McEvoy, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,083 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method enabling owners of websites to monetize their local listings by implementing online bookings, reservations or orders using an interactive voice recognition (IVR) system. A user of a web-based interface requests a booking or order by entering parameters, for example, name of the restaurant, number of people, date and time. The software of the present invention calls the restaurants telephone using the IVR and confirms or rejects (refuses) the booking. The invention allows for the payment of commissions for originating or facilitation of bookings or orders or the registration of participating restaurants. The booking service is paid by the restaurant for successful bookings. Credit is made for cancelled or no-show bookings. The invention includes a loyalty points system that rewards frequent users of the booking service.

Claims

1. A method for a web-site to enable a user of the web-site to make a reservation request, for the benefit of the user, the web-site coupled to a database having one or more data records each indicative of a venue, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying, within a web-page, a first candidate reference to a first venue;

(b) querying the database for obtaining a first data record indicative of the first venue;

(b) if the first data record is obtained, updating the web-page to have a first web-link associated with the first venue for requesting a reservation;

(c) when the first web-link is selected by the user, prompting the user for reservation data indicative of a reservation request at the first venue;

(d) transmitting the reservation data to a remote booking server that is coupled to interactive voice response facility; and

wherein the booking server is adapted to retrieve contact information of the first venue, create a voice message from the reservation data and contact information, the voice message indicative of the reservation request, enabling transmission of the voice message via the interactive voice response facility for communicating the voice message to an operator at the venue, receiving from the operator acceptance or rejection of the request, and informing the user of the operator acceptance or rejection.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote booking server is adapted to perform the steps of:

(a) combining the reservation data with venue information from a booking database;

(b) creating a voice message from reservation data and venue information, the voice message indicative of the reservation request including preferences;

(c) transmitting the voice message by calling the business using an interactive voice response facility coupled to the booking server;

(d) communicating the voice message to a human operator using the interactive voice response facility;

(e) receiving from the human operator, via the interactive voice response facility, confirmation or refusal of the reservation request;

(f) informing the user of the confirmation or refusal of the reservation request;

(g) storing, to the booking database, information regarding completed bookings attributable to the venue; and

(h) collecting a payment from the business.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein updating the web-page is performed dynamically by a web-server when publishing the web-page, in response to the user requesting the web-page.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein updating the web-page is performed dynamically by a web-browser when rendering the web-page, in response to the user requesting the web-page.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the reservation data comprises a name of the venue, a date and time of requested reservation, a name of the user and contact details of the user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reservation data pertains to an order and the reservation data comprises details of an item ordered.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein he database comprises register records each indicative of a registered user.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the reservation data further comprises personal information of the user for checking against register records for confirming registration of the user.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the database stores payment and billing information relating to each venue.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the user is rewarded according to a customer loyalty scheme.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein reservation request includes any one or more of the following:

a meeting request, booking request and an order request;

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method enables the user to make restaurant bookings.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein a commission is paid by an operator of the booking server to an operator of the web-site.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the database has one or more data records each indicative of a venue including any one or more venues:

registered in respect of the web-site, whereby the registration has been communicated to the booking server by an operator of the web site;

registered in respect of the booking server;

identified as a unregistered venue.

15. A user access interface for a processor device, the processor device being couplable to a database having one or more data records each indicative of a venue;

the processor device being adapted to render a web-page;

the interface comprising a control module adapted to;

identify, within the web-page, a candidate reference to a first venue;

query the database for obtaining a first data record indicative of the first venue;

if the first data record is obtained, render the web-page having a first web-link associated with the first venue for requesting a reservation; and

when the web-link is selected by the user, the user is prompted for reservation data indicative of a reservation request for the first venue.

16. The user access interface according to claim 15, wherein upon publishing the web-page in response to the user requesting the web-page, the web-page is updated dynamically by a web-server to incorporate the first web-link.

17. The user access interface according to claim 15, wherein in response to the user requesting the web-page, the web-page is dynamically rendered by a web-browser to incorporate the first web-link.

18. The user access interface according to claim 17, wherein the web-page is dynamically parsed and amended by a code module operatively associated with the web-page, thereby to incorporate the first web-link.

19. The user access interface according to claim 15, wherein the user is enabled to make restaurant bookings.

20. A system for enable a user of a web-site to make a reservation request, for the benefit of the user, the system comprising:

a database having one or more data records each indicative of a venue;

a plurality of web-sites each having a web-page the includes one or more candidate reference to a venue;

a web-server for publishing a web-page having a first candidate reference that is indicative of a first venue and corresponding first data record, wherein the web-page includes a web-link associated with the first venue for requesting a reservation;

a booking module for the user to provide reservation data indicative of a reservation request for the first venue

a booking server adapted receive the reservation data from the booking module, to retrieve contact information for the first venue, create a voice message from the reservation data and contact information, the voice message indicative of the reservation request, and enabling transmission of the voice message via the interactive voice response facility for communicating the voice message to an operator at the venue, receiving from the operator confirmation of acceptance or rejection of the request, and informing the user of the operator acceptance or rejection.