Method and Apparatus for Improved Customer Direct On-Line Reservation of Rental Vehicles

• US 20120209638A1
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Crawford Group Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99), Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: The Crawford Group Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Inventors: Boruff, Kelli, Hibbard, Robert Michael, Tucker, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,728 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a reservation booking website wherein customers who plan to travel via general aviation (GA) are provided with a GA reservation creation path that is responsive to their GA travel needs.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the booking of rental vehicle reservations through a plurality of user interface screens for display on a user computer to interact with a user of the user computer to create a rental vehicle reservation with a rental vehicle service provider, the method comprising:

providing a general aviation (GA) rental vehicle reservation creation path through the user interface screens for customers whose rental vehicle needs are based upon plans to travel via GA, the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path comprising a subplurality of the user interface screens that are configured to request a plurality of types of data input for processing by a server to create a rental vehicle reservation;

providing a commercial aviation rental vehicle reservation creation path through the user interface screens for customers whose rental vehicle needs are based upon plans to travel via commercial aviation, the commercial aviation rental vehicle reservation creation path comprising a subplurality of the user interface screens that are configured to request a plurality of types of data input for processing by the server to create a rental vehicle reservation, wherein the types of data input and data processing required for the commercial aviation rental vehicle reservation creation path are different than the types of data input and data processing required by the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path; and

wherein the method steps are performed by the server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the server is configured to host a rental vehicle reservation booking website, the website comprising the plurality of user interface screens.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

the server providing a link on a user interface screen within the website, the link being selectable by the user to indicate that the user'"'"'s rental vehicle need is based at least partially on a plan by the user to travel via GA, wherein user selection of the link is effective to place the user on the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path providing step includes the server providing a user interface screen for display on the user computer, wherein the user interface screen includes a link selectable by the user to change the user'"'"'s path to the commercial aviation rental vehicle reservation creation path.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path comprises the server providing at least one user interface screen configured to request an identification from the user of a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user interface screens within the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path identifies a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA, the FBO having an account with the rental vehicle service provider, the FBO account defining at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic, the method further comprising:

the server automatically applying the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic from the FBO account to the rental vehicle reservation for the user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises an unlimited mileage characteristic.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises a prepaid gas characteristic.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises a rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the user interface screens within the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path identifies a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA, the FBO having an account with the rental vehicle service provider, the FBO account defining a first rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement with the rental vehicle service provider, and wherein the user has an account with the rental vehicle service provider, the user account defining a second rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement with the rental vehicle service provider, the method further comprising:

the server automatically applying the lower of the first and second rental vehicle pricing rate arrangements to the rental vehicle reservation for the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path comprises the server providing at least one user interface screen configured to list a plurality of GA airports for selection by the user, and wherein the step of providing the commercial aviation rental vehicle reservation creation path comprises the server providing at least one user interface screen configured to list a plurality of commercial aviation airports for selection by the user.

12. An apparatus for facilitating the booking of rental vehicle reservations with a rental vehicle service provider, the apparatus comprising:

a server accessible over a network to a user computer, the server being configured to provide a user computer with access to a plurality of user interface screens via a plurality of paths for the user computer to create a rental vehicle reservation in response to input from the user computer, the plurality of paths including a first path and a second path;

the first path being configured for customers whose rental vehicle needs are based upon plans to travel via general aviation (GA), the first path comprising a subplurality of the user interface screens that are configured to request a plurality of types of data input for processing by the server to create a rental vehicle reservation;

the second path being configured for customers whose rental vehicle needs are not based upon plans to travel via GA, the second path comprising a subplurality of user interface screens that are configured to request a plurality of types of data input for processing by the server to create a rental vehicle reservation; and

wherein the types of data input and data processing required for the first path are different than the types of data input and data processing required by the second path.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the server is configured to host a website that comprises the plurality of user interface screens.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the server is further configured to provide a link on a user interface screen within the website, the link being selectable by a user of the user computer to indicate that the user'"'"'s rental vehicle need is based at least partially on a plan by the user to travel via GA, wherein user selection of the link is effective to place the user on the first path.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein at least one of the user interface screens of the first path includes a link selectable by the user to change the user'"'"'s path to the second path.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the user interface screens of the first path is configured to request an identification from the user of a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the user interface screens within the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path is configured to identify a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA, the apparatus further comprising:

a memory configured to store an account for the FBO, the FBO account being configured to define at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic; and

wherein the server is further configured to automatically apply the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic from the FBO account to the rental vehicle reservation for the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises an unlimited mileage characteristic.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises a prepaid gas characteristic.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one rental vehicle reservation characteristic comprises a rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement.

21. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the user interface screens within the GA rental vehicle reservation creation path is configured to identify a fixed based operator (FBO) corresponding to the user'"'"'s plan to travel via GA, the apparatus further comprising:

a memory configured to (1) store an account for the FBO, the FBO account being configured to define a first rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement with the rental vehicle service provider, and store an account for the user, the user account configured to define a second rental vehicle pricing rate arrangement with the rental vehicle service provider; and

wherein the server is further configured to automatically apply the lower of the first and second rental vehicle pricing rate arrangements to the rental vehicle reservation for the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the user interface screens of the first path is configured to list a plurality of GA airports for selection by the user, and wherein at least one of the user interface screens of the second path is configured to list a plurality of commercial aviation airports for selection by the user.