GROUP TRAVEL PLANNING

• US 20150163256A1
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: FRANK, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US13/600,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163256A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving user input specifying trip parameters for organizing a trip for a travel group, the trip parameters including a trip duration, trip category, and a social group; providing, to each member of the travel group, data identifying potential time periods and potential trip destinations, the potential trip destinations having been identified based in part on the specified trip duration and trip category; receiving, from one or more members of the travel group, selections specifying one or more time periods and one or more trip destinations; determining, based on the received selections, a particular time period and a particular trip destination for a trip; and generating, for one or more members of the travel group, a respective trip itinerary for the trip at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination.

Claims

1. A method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

providing, for presentation to a first user on a first client device, a first graphical user interface for scheduling a trip for a travel group;

receiving, through the first graphical user interface on the first client device, user input from the first user specifying trip parameters for organizing the trip, the trip parameters including a trip duration, trip category, and a social group, wherein the social group includes one or more contacts of the user, and wherein the travel group includes as members the user and the one or more contacts in the social group;

providing, for presentation to each member of the travel group on a plurality of second client devices, a second graphical user interface, wherein the second graphical user interface presents data identifying one or more potential time periods for the trip, and wherein the second graphical user interface allows each of the members of the travel group different from the first user that submitted the input specifying the trip parameters to interact with the second graphical user interface to select a time period from the one or more potential time periods;

providing, for presentation to each member of the travel group on the plurality of second client devices, a third graphical user interface, wherein the third graphical user interface presents data identifying one or more potential trip destinations for the trip, the potential trip destinations having been identified based in part on the specified trip duration and trip category, and wherein the third graphical user interface allows each of the members of the travel group different from the first user that submitted the input specifying the trip parameters to interact with the third graphical user interface to select a destination from the one or more potential trip destinations;

receiving, from one or more members of the travel group and through the second and third graphical user interfaces on the second client devices, selections specifying one or more time periods and one or more trip destinations for the trip;

determining, based on the received selections, a particular time period and a particular trip destination for the trip;

generating, for each of the one or more members of the travel group, a respective trip itinerary for the trip at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination, wherein generating the respective trip itinerary for each of the one or more members comprises;

identifying a location associated with the member,

determining one or more transportation options from the location associated with the member to the particular trip destination corresponding to the particular time period, and

generating a trip itinerary for the member that identifies the one or more transportation options from the location associated with the member to the particular trip destination; and

providing, to each of the one or more members, data identifying the respective trip itinerary for the member for presentation on a corresponding one of the second client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, for one or more members of the group, a respective trip itinerary at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination comprises:

receiving, from one or more members of the group, confirmations committing to the trip at the particular time period and the particular trip destination; and

in response to receiving confirmations from the one or more members, generating, for the one or more members, the respective trip itinerary.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, for one or more members of the group, a respective trip itinerary at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination comprises:

identifying one or more members of the group that selected a time period and trip destination that matches both the particular time period and the particular trip destination; and

in response to identifying the one or more members, generating, for the one or more members, the respective trip itinerary for the trip.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular time period and the particular trip destination are determined by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular time period and the particular trip destination are determined based on a respective count of selections received for the particular time period and the particular trip destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second graphical user interface and the third graphical user interface are a travel planning interface, the travel planning interface including a calendar portion and a potential trip destinations portion, the calendar portion indicating one or more potential time periods for attending the trip, and the potential trip destinations portion describing one or more trip destinations that were identified based on the specified trip duration and trip category.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the potential trip destinations portion includes, for each of the one or more trip destinations, a respective popularity vote and a respective average travel cost, wherein the respective popularity vote is based on selections received, from one or more members of the group, for the one or more trip destinations.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the travel planning interface includes a map portion, the map portion indicating locations of the one or more members of the group, and a location of the particular trip destination.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving user input from a member of the group, the user input specifying a new trip destination in the map portion; and

providing data identifying the new trip destination to the one or more members of the group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip parameters further include a time range, wherein the time range specifies a proposed range of time within which the trip should occur.

11-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon; and

data processing apparatus programmed to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

providing, for presentation to a first user on a first client device, a first graphical user interface for scheduling a trip for a travel group;

receiving, through flail the first graphical user interface on the first client device, user input from the first user specifying trip parameters for organizing the trip, the trip parameters including a trip duration, trip category, and a social group, wherein the social group includes one or more contacts of the user, and wherein the travel group includes as members the user and the one or more contacts in the social group;

providing, for presentation to each member of the travel group on a plurality of second client devices, a second graphical user interface, wherein the second graphical user interface presents data identifying one or more potential time periods for the trip, and wherein the second graphical user interface allows each of the members of the travel group different from the first user that submitted the input specifying the trip parameters to interact with the second graphical user interface to select a time period from the one or more potential time periods;

providing, for presentation to each member of the travel group on the plurality of second client devices, a third graphical user interface, wherein the third graphical user interface presents data identifying one or more potential trip destinations for the trip, the potential trip destinations having been identified based in part on the specified trip duration and trip category, and wherein the third graphical user interface allows each of the members of the travel group different from the first user that submitted the input specifying the trip parameters to interact with the third graphical user interface to select a destination from the one or more potential trip destinations;

receiving, from one or more members of the travel group and through the second and third graphical user interfaces on the second client devices, selections specifying one or more time periods and one or more trip destinations for the trip;

determining, based on the received selections, a particular time period and a particular trip destination for the trip;

generating, for each of the one or more members of the travel group, a respective trip itinerary for the trip at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination, wherein generating the respective trip itinerary for each of the one or more members comprises;

identifying a location associated with the member,

determining one or more transportation options from the location associated with the member to the particular trip destination corresponding to the particular time period, and

generating a trip itinerary for the member that identifies the one or more transportation options from the location associated with the member to the particular trip destination; and

providing, to each of the one or more members, data identifying the respective trip itinerary for the member for presentation on a corresponding one of the second client devices.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein generating, for one or more members of the group, a respective trip itinerary at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination comprises:

receiving, from one or more members of the group, confirmations committing to the trip at the particular time period and the particular trip destination; and

in response to receiving confirmations from the one or more members, generating, for the one or more members, the respective trip itinerary.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein generating, for one or more members of the group, a respective trip itinerary at the particular time period and to the particular trip destination comprises:

identifying one or more members of the group that selected a time period and trip destination that matches both the particular time period and the particular trip destination; and

in response to identifying the one or more members, generating, for the one or more members, the respective trip itinerary for the trip.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the particular time period and the particular trip destination are determined by the user.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the particular time period and the particular trip destination are determined based on a respective count of selections received for the particular time period and the particular trip destination.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the second graphical user interface and the third graphical user interface are a travel planning interface, the travel planning interface including a calendar portion and a potential trip destinations portion, the calendar portion indicating one or more potential time periods for attending the trip, and the potential trip destinations portion describing one or more trip destinations that were identified based on the specified trip duration and trip category.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the potential trip destinations portion includes, for each of the one or more trip destinations, a respective popularity vote and a respective average travel cost, wherein the respective popularity vote is based on selections received, from one or more members of the group, for the one or more trip destinations.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the travel planning interface includes a map portion, the map portion indicating locations of the one or more members of the group, and a location of the particular trip destination.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving user input from a member of the group, the user input specifying a new trip destination in the map portion; and

providing data identifying the new trip destination to the one or more members of the group.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the trip parameters further include a time range, wherein the time range specifies a proposed range of time within which the trip should occur.

28-30. -30. (canceled)