ELECTRONIC CONCIERGE

• US 20100250707A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GuestSpan, LLC
• Original Assignee: GuestSpan, LLC
• Inventors: Dalley, Christopher B., Sly, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/415,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250707A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention provide a method of enhancing a user'"'"'s stay at a facility. The method may comprise aggregating information specific to the user together with other information in order to create recommendation information. The method may further comprise providing an option to the user based upon the recommendation information and associated facility information. The method may further comprise using a selection made by the user in order to provide an option to a second user. Further embodiments of the invention provide an electronic concierge system that comprises a server configured to communicate server information to a display on at least one user terminal. The electronic concierge system may be configured to receive a user request from a user terminal and transmit information to the user terminal in response to the request. The user terminal information may be configured to be based at least in part on aggregated user information. Still other embodiments of the invention comprise a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions to accomplish the various methods disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing a stay of a first user at a facility, comprising:

aggregating first user-specific information and other information to create recommendation information;

associating the recommendation information with facility information; and

providing a first user option in response to associating the recommendation information with the facility information to enhance the stay of the first user at the facility.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first user selection in response to providing the first user option; and

updating the first user-specific information in response to receiving the first user selection.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

updating the other information in response to receiving the first user selection;

aggregating second user-specific information and the other information to create second recommendation information;

associating the second recommendation information with second facility information;

providing a second user option to a second user in response to associating the second recommendation information with the second facility information to enhance the stay of the second user at a second facility;

receiving a second user selection in response to providing the second user option;

updating the second user-specific information in response to receiving the second user selection; and

updating the other information in response to receiving the second user selection.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first facility and the second facility are at least one of the same facility and a different facility.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

making a recommendation to a third user based at least in part on at least one of the first user selection and the second user selection; and

making a recommendation to a fourth user based at least in part on the other information.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the other information comprises information not associated with either the first user or the second user, and wherein the other information comprises information accumulated from a plurality of users, wherein the plurality of users is associated with at least one of a plurality of facilities, an individual facility, a plurality of geographical locations, an individual geographical location, a plurality of types of facilities, an individual type of facility, a plurality of loyalty networks, and an individual loyalty network.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first user-specific information and the second user-specific information comprise at least one of a user-defined preference, a previous user selection, a user calendar entry, a user contact entry, a user address book entry, a user language, a user country, a user state, a user city, a user school, and a user sports team.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first user option and the second user option comprise at least one of an advertisement, a service option, a user offer, an entertainment option, a social interaction option, a message option and an activity option, wherein the message option comprises an option to display a message comprising at least one of an instant message, a voicemail message, a text message, a message from a third user, and a group message, and wherein the user offer comprises an offer from at least one of a local business, a remote business, a hotel, an airline, and an Internet business.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting a user request, received through a user terminal, to a facility service provider, wherein providing the first user option comprises displaying the first user option on a first user terminal, and wherein providing the second user option comprises displaying the second user options on a second user terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user request comprises at least one of an entertainment request, an activity request, a service request, a room service request, a social interaction request, an advertisement request, a message request, a housekeeping request, a wake up request, a weather request, a local information request, a hotel information request, an account information request, a billing request, a special offer request, a survey request, a games request, a medical request, a communication request, an email request, a golf reservation request, a restaurant reservation request, and a check out request;

and wherein the facility service provider comprises at least one of a service provider located within the facility, a service provider located within the second facility, a service provider located near the facility, a service provider located near the second facility, and a service provider located externally to the facility and the second facility.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying, on the user terminal, at least one of a housekeeping icon, a wake up call icon, a room service icon, a weather icon, a hotel information icon, a special offers icon, a survey icon, an entertainment icon, a user information icon, a user account icon, a messages icon, an email icon, a languages icon, a social interaction icon, a telephone icon, an Internet icon, and a games icon.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first user-specific information, the second user-specific information and the other information comprise at least one of aggregated information assembled from a plurality of users and a plurality of facilities, information based at least in part on a location of the facility, information based at least in part on a location of the second facility, information based at least in part on a location of a third facility, and information based at least in part on at least one of a guest characteristic, a previous guest selection, a specified guest preference, a guest entertainment choice, a guest entertainment preference, a housekeeping request, a wake up request, a room service request, a restaurant option, a show option, an electronic games option, a movie option, a club option, a local entertainment option, weather information, hotel information, news information, health information, diet information, medical information, transportation information, personal services information, social interaction information, entertainment information, golf information and television information.

13. An electronic concierge system, comprising:

a server configured to communicate server information to at least one user terminal, wherein the at least one user terminal is configured to display the server information; and

a network connection configured to receive a user request from a specific user terminal and transmit user terminal information to the specific user terminal in response to the user request, wherein the user terminal information is based at least in part on aggregated user information associated with a plurality of users, and wherein the user terminal information is configured to be displayed on the specific user terminal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to communicate with at least one remote server, the system further comprising a second network connection configured to receive a server update from the at least one remote server, wherein the server update comprises the aggregated user information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the network connection and the second network connection comprises at least one of a wired network connection, a wireless network connection, a satellite network connection, a radio frequency network connection, a Bluetooth network connection, an Internet network connection, a telephone network connection, an Ethernet network connection, a cable network connection, and a coaxial network connection.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the server information comprises at least one of housekeeping information, wake up information, room service information, weather information, hotel information, special offers information, survey information, entertainment information, guest information, guest account information, messages information, email information, Internet information, language information, telephone information, and games information.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a third network connection, wherein the server is configured to communicate with at least one user service provider via the third network connection, wherein the server is configured to receive a user service request from the at least one user terminal and transmit the user service request to the at least one user service provider, and wherein the at least one user service provider is selected based on the at least one user service provider'"'"'s proximity to the at least one user terminal.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein at least part of the electronic concierge system is located in at least one of a hotel, a sports venue, a hospital, a shopping center, a community facility, an entertainment facility, a restaurant, and an airport.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one user terminal comprises at least one of a speaker, a microphone, a telephone, a camera, a USB port, an MP3 player input, a processor, a memory, a database, a network communications device, an operating system, a storage medium, and a touch screen, and wherein the at least one user terminal is configured to display the server information via at least one of a television, a liquid crystal display monitor, a cathode ray tube monitor, sound waves, a plasma screen, a computer monitor, and a handheld device.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions to aggregate first user-specific information and other information to create recommendation information;

instructions to associate the recommendation information with facility information;

instructions to provide a first user option in response to the instructions to associate the recommendation information with the facility information;

instructions to receive a first user selection in response to the instructions to provide the first user option;

instructions to update the first user-specific information in response to the instructions to receive the first user selection;

instructions to update the other information in response to the instructions to receive the first user selection;

instructions to aggregate second user-specific information and the other information to create second recommendation information;

instructions to associate the second recommendation information with second facility information;

instructions to provide a second user option to a second user in response to the instructions to associate the second recommendation information with the second facility information;

instructions to receive a second user selection in response to the instructions to provide the second user option;

instructions to update the second user-specific information in response to the instructions to receive the second user selection; and

instructions to update the other information in response to the instructions to receive the second user selection.