COLLABORATION AND TRAVEL ECOSYSTEM

• US 20110071862A1
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GetThere LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: GetThere LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: French, James, Neufang, Suzanne, Chintha, Srinivas, Merritt, Ryan, Rollins, Cassandra, Wiley, Paul, Cator, Anita, Vinod, Ben, Stubbs, Jeremy, Terry, Shelly, Pace, Trey
• Application Number:
  US12/890,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20110071862A1
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatuses related to providing, among other things, a collaboration and travel ecosystem are discussed herein. For example, various tools and functionality may be provided that assist a client in determining the availability of telepresence equipment, the cost to use the telepresence equipment, the potential return on investment for money spent traveling as compared to conducting a telepresence event, among other things. In some embodiments, a user interface may be presented to a client that presents various information associated with, e.g., the telepresence equipment and/or facilitates the booking of the telepresence equipment. One or more backend systems may be used to, for example, coordinate the booking of a telepresence event and/or the booking of traditional travel events. In some embodiments, business rules and/or other types of data may be generated, received, maintained and/or received by the backend system(s).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

extract data from a request from a requestor to schedule a collaboration event, the data identifying a date and a location associated with the collaboration event; and

generate a telepresence option to schedule a telepresence meeting on the date and at the location using a first telepresence provider that is available to service the telepresence meeting; and

communications circuitry configured to;

transmit the telepresence option to the requestor, the telepresence option identifying the first telepresence provider that is available to service the telepresence meeting.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the telepresence option includes a price to use the first telepresence provider'"'"'s telepresence equipment.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a database configured to store one or more business rules associated with the request; and

, wherein

the processor is further configured to;

retrieve the business rules; and

determine the price based on the business rules associated with the request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the telepresence option includes a second telepresence provider that is compatible with the first telepresence provider and is available to service the telepresence meeting.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that physical travel is required to conduct the telepresence meeting at the location; and

provide a physical travel option to the requestor, the physical travel option including available travel arrangements to the location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a number of clients are to partake in the telepresence meeting;

determine a location associated with each of the clients;

determine a travel cost for all of the clients to travel to the location of each of the clients; and

determine a least expensive location for each of the clients to meet to conduct the telepresence meeting.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a second telepresence provider at the least expensive location, the second telepresence provider configured to service the telepresence meeting with the first telepresence provider at the location identified by the request.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a return on investment for the collaboration event that includes physical travel arrangements.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the return on investment is based at least partially on one or more qualitative measure inputs received from the requestor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the return on investment is based at least partially on the cost to use a corporate jet.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to receive a payment confirmation of a fee before determining the return on investment.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a requestor to schedule a collaboration event, the request identifying a date and a location associated with the collaboration event;

generating, with circuitry, a telepresence option to schedule a telepresence meeting on the date and at the location using a first telepresence provider that is available to service the telepresence meeting; and

transmitting the telepresence option to the requestor, the telepresence option identifying a first telepresence provider that is available to service the telepresence meeting.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the telepresence option includes determining a price to use the first telepresence provider'"'"'s telepresence equipment.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

storing one or more business rules associated with the request;

accessing the business rules; and

determining the price based on the business rules associated with the request.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the telepresence option includes identifying a second telepresence provider that is compatible with the first telepresence provider, the second telepresence provider is available to service the telepresence meeting.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the telepresence option includes:

determining that physical travel is required to conduct the telepresence meeting at the location; and

providing a physical travel option to the requestor, the physical travel option including available travel arrangements to the location.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining a number of clients are to partake in the telepresence meeting;

determining a location associated with each of the clients;

determining a travel cost for all of the clients to travel to the location of each of the clients; and

determining a least expensive location for each of the clients to meet to conduct the telepresence meeting.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising conducting the telepresence meeting between the least expensive location and the location identified by the request.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining a return on investment for the collaboration event that includes physical travel arrangements.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the return on investment includes receiving one or more qualitative measure inputs from the machine.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the return on investment includes receiving information regarding costs to use a corporate jet.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising charging a fee to determine the return on investment.

23. A method comprising:

presenting, with circuitry, a display that includes an option to schedule a telepresence event, wherein presenting the display includes presenting telepresence provider information identifying;

telepresence equipment;

at least one date the telepresence equipment is available;

at least one time the telepresence equipment is available; and

a fee associated with using the telepresence equipment at the time and date.

24. A system comprising:

at least two telepresence providers;

a telepresence host system that is configured to determine the availability of the at least two telepresence providers and book the use of the at least two telepresence providers;

a global distribution system that is configured to;

book first travel arrangements for a first client to travel to a first of the at least two telepresence providers; and

book second travel arrangements for a second client to travel to a second of the at least two telepresence providers.