System and Method for Electronic Reservations, Booking, and Payments

• US 20120290338A1
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Heath Joseph Gascoigne
• Original Assignee: Heath Joseph Gascoigne
• Inventors: Gascoigne, Heath Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/397,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290338A1
• 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 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for electronic reservations providing the ability to send and confirm bookings directly into a point of sale (POS) terminal. The POS can be either or both internal or external to the system. Additionally, Affiliate programs are included in the system. The system allows both advertising and booking managers to control the advertising and booking of time specific opportunities and services and the user to pay for the services provided by the system. The system also handles the distribution of payments and benefits to the Affiliates, Service Providers and Customers.

Claims

1. A method for electronic reservations, booking, and payments comprising:

providing a computer system;

providing software for instructing a computer system to execute a process;

executing the series of commands provided by the software on the computer system, the process comprising the steps of;

sending and receiving information to and from a user by a POS system;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub by an EPOS;

said booking hub consists of a system website and server and booking manager, receiving the availability inquiry by the App;

receiving the availability inquiry by the App;

providing confirmation and reservation actions by the App;

updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business by the App;

providing both user and business account information and tracking by a user management module;

making a reservation; and

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a booking hub consisting of a system website and server and booking manager;

sending and receiving information to and from a user via a booking manager;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking manager;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions;

updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing both user and business account information and tracking by the user management module updating both the user and business accounts are updated and credited appropriately when a reservation is made in the system;

providing the booking manager the availability from the EPOS and the website does not need to confirm availability, via the booking manager, with the EPOS.

making booking available to the booking manager always or it can be called upon as necessary by the booking manager to provide or confirm availability by the EPOS.

updating the user account, assign booking to the user account, and assign reward points to the user account by the booking hub;

accumulating points by users that are later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via App on a social network website;

sending and receiving information via the App on the social network website to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirming availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions;

updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting both the user and business accounts appropriately when a reservation is made;

updating, via the booking hub, the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users and may be later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via mobile App;

sending and receiving, via the mobile App, information to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirming availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating, by the booking hub, the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users and may be later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending and receiving information, by the App on a third party website to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirming availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and providing confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing both user and business account information and tracking by the user management module;

updating and crediting appropriately the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

providing a website with EPOS that is any third party website or the website owned and/or operated by a specific business that incorporates the App into their own website rather than that operated or owned by a third party;

updating the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account by the booking hub may also;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a App on a directory website with EPOS in a directory website;

sending and receiving, by the App, information to and from a user and can check availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions;

updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing both user and business account information and tracking by the user management module;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account by the booking hub may also;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via an internal POS system (IPOS);

sending and receiving information by the IPOS to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirming availability to a user by accessing to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and providing confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the booking hub;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via an IPOS with both EPOS and IPOS;

sending and receiving information by the IPOS to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving by the booking hub the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS;

providing both user and business account information and tracking by the user management module;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via EPOS with both EPOS and IPOS;

sending and receiving information by the EPOS to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by accessing to a booking hub;

receiving by the booking manager the availability inquiry and providing confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the IPOS;

providing by the user management module both user and business account information and tracking. When a reservation is made in the system, both the user and business accounts are updated and credited appropriately;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a App on website with both EPOS and IPOS;

sending and receiving information by the App to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS and IPOS;

providing by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a mobile App;

sending and receiving information by the mobile App to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS and IPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a App on social network website with both EPOS and IPOS systems;

sending and receiving by the App on the social network website information to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS and IPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a App on the website with both EPOS and IPOS;

sending and receiving by the App information to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirming availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS and IPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

booking via a App on a directory website with both EPOS and IPOS;

sending and receiving by the App information to and from a user;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access to a booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and provides confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business and communicates with the EPOS and IPOS;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

directly accessing by the user to the booking hub by the system website and server;

sending and receiving information by the system website to and from a user via the booking hub;

checking availability of an event and confirm availability to a user by access the booking manager in the booking hub;

receiving, by the booking manager, the availability inquiry and providing confirmation and reservation actions as well as updating and tracking availability by allocating and blocking openings for the business from the booking manager and communicates booking information to booking managers located on social websites and/or mobile applications;

providing, by the user management module, both user and business account information and tracking;

updating and crediting appropriately both the user and business accounts when a reservation is made;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

viewing availability with EPOS;

accessing the booking hub to view the availability of services;

validating, and checking by the booking hub, with the EPOS;

returning the EPOS results as a display to the system website for the user to view;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

viewing availability with IPOS;

accessing the booking hub to view the availability of services;

validating and checking by the booking hub with the EPOS;

returning the EPOS results as a display to the system website for the user to view;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

viewing availability with both EPOS and IPOS;

accessing the booking hub to view the availability of services;

validating and checking by the booking hub with the EPOS and IPOS;

returning the EPOS and IPOS results as a display to the system website for the user to view;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accessing the booking hub to view the availability of services;

validating and checking by the booking hub availability via the booking manager;

returning the results as a display to the system website for the user to view;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

accessing the booking hub by one or more users/clients via one or more EPOSs that sync with the booking hub;

accessing the booking hub by one or more users/clients via the IPOS that syncs with the booking hub;

providing a social network website comprised of one or more clients, each being provided a App that either directly or through a fan page syncs with the booking hub;

providing an online directory comprised of one or more client/business pages that are presented with a App by one or more directories that sync with the booking hub;

providing a private website comprised of one or more business websites that are presented with a App that syncs with the booking hub;

syncing the booking hub with the EPOS, IPOS, Social Networks, Online Directories, Private Websites and Mobile Apps;

providing synchronization among all Apps simultaneously by the booking hub;

updating by the booking hub the user account, assigning booking to the user account, and assigning reward points to the user account;

accumulating points by users later redeemed for services for free or offered at a discount in exchange for the redemption of points.