System for corporate travel planning and management

• US 6,442,526 B1
• Filed: 03/22/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GetThere LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre, Inc.
• Inventors: Vochatzer, Karl, Sawtell, Cynthia, Williams, Sherry, Balch, Kerry, Vance, Arlene M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/273,254
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5, 705/6, 705/10, 705/34, 705/40, 705/13, 705/30, 340/825.28, 340/825.29
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A system and method for processing travel data and travel receipts. Travel data including travel segments is received by the system. Receipts for the trip are also received from a credit card provider. The received credit card data and travel data are each converted into a predefined format. The converted information is compared to match information in the receipts and the travel data such as chain codes or dates of travel. A list of matching data is output, such as to use in preparing an expense report.

Claims

1. A computerized method for processing information related to travel including:

storing in a database a travel data record corresponding to a travel itinerary, said travel data record including a chain code associated with a provider of travel services;

receiving data reflecting at least one expense transaction;

extracting merchant information from the expense transaction data;

assigning a chain code based on the extracted merchant information;

comparing the assigned chain code to the chain code associated with the provider of travel services; and

outputting data reflecting a match between the assigned chain code and the chain code associated with the travel data record.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of comparing including the steps of:

examining travel segments in the travel data record; and

determining a chain code for each travel segment.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of comparing includes the step of:

comparing the assigned chain code to the chain code for each segment in the travel data record.

4. The method according to claim 1 further including the steps of:

locating a payment date in each receipt;

converting the payment date into a pre-defined format; and

comparing travel dates for the segments in the travel data to the stored converted payment dates.

5. The method according to claim 1, further including the steps of:

outputting the receipt date to an external system;

outputting the travel data to the external system;

outputting matches, in response to the step of comparing, to the external system.

6. A data processing system for processing travel data and expense receipts comprising:

a memory including program instructions; and

a processor operating responsive to the program instructions to;

receive a travel data record, said travel data record including at least one chain code associated with a provider of travel services;

receive data reflecting an expense receipt;

extract merchant information from the expense receipt data;

assign a chain code based on the extracted merchant information;

compare the assigned chain code to the chain code associated with the travel data record; and

output data reflecting a match between the assigned chain code and the chain code associated with the travel data record.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said travel data includes a plurality of travel segments, the processor further operates responsive to the program instructions to:

identify segments in the travel data; and

extract a chain code from each segment.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor further operates responsive to the program instructions to:

receive a plurality of receipts;

locate merchant information in each receipt;

convert the merchant identifier to a pre-defined format;

store the converted merchant identifier with the receipt; and

compare the extracted segment chain codes to the assigned chain code in the receipt.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor further operates responsive to the program instructions to:

locate a payment date in the receipt;

convert the payment date into a pre-defined format;

store the converted payment date; and

compare the stored travel dates in the segments of the travel data to the stored converted payment dates.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor further operates responsive to the program instructions to:

output the receipt data to an external system;

output the travel data to the external system; and

output matches, based on the comparison, to the external system.

11. A data processing system for matching trip data and receipts comprising:

an on-line transportation processing system for generating trip records; and

an integrated database system for receiving the generated trip records from the processing system and receiving receipt data from at least one provider of travel services, said integrated database system including

means for extracting chain codes from the trip records,

means for converting merchant information contained in the receipt data to chain codes,

means for comparing the extracted chain codes of the trip records to the converted chain codes associated with the receipt data, and

means for outputting the trip records, receipt data and comparison data.

12. A system for matching booked trip data with travel receipts comprising:

a transaction processor configured to receive a set of booked trip data records generated in a reservation system, each of the booked trip data records comprising a set of different types of travel services; and

an integrated database system configured to receive the booked trip data generated in the reservation system and travel expense statements generated by a credit provider and including information on a set of purchases, the integrated database system having a table of vendor chain codes for each of a plurality of merchants and a processor configured to

examine each booked trip data record to identify travel merchant information for each of the different types of travel services listed in each of the booked trip data records,

identify a vendor chain code for each of the travel services listed in each of the booked trip data records based on the identified travel merchant information,

examine each of the travel expense statements to identify travel merchant information reflected by each purchase,

assign a vendor chain code from the table of vendor chain codes to each purchase based on the identified travel merchant information,

compare the identified vendor chain code of each travel service listed in the booked trip data records with the assigned vendor chain code of each purchase, and

output a listing of matched vendor chain codes reflecting matches between the travel service listed in the booked trip data records and the purchase.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor of the integrated database system is further configured to output a listing of matched date information reflecting matches between the travel service listed in the booked trip data records and the purchase.

14. A computer implemented method of matching booked trip data with travel receipts comprising:

receiving a plurality of booked trip data records each including a listing of different types of travel services;

receiving one or more travel expense statements each listing a plurality of credit card receipts each reflecting one or more credit card purchases from a credit card service provider;

examining each of the booked trip data records so as to identify travel merchant information for each of the different types of travel services listed in each of the booked trip data records;

identifying a vendor chain code for each of the travel services listed in each of the booked trip data records based on the identified travel merchant information;

separating the credit card receipts listed in the one or more travel expense statements;

examining each of the separated credit card receipts so as to identify travel merchant information reflected in each credit card purchase;

assigning a vendor chain code from a table of vendor chain codes to each credit card receipt based on the identified travel merchant information;

comparing the identified vendor chain codes of each of the travel services listed in the booked trip data records with the assigned vendor chain codes of the credit card receipts;

matching common vendor chain codes between the travel services listed in the booked trip data records and the credit card purchases reflected in the credit card receipts; and

outputting a listing of the matched vendor chain codes between the travel services listed in the booked trip data records and the credit card purchases reflected in the credit card receipts.

15. The method claim 14, further comprising:

matching date information of each of the travel services listed in each of the booked trip data records with corresponding date information associated of each of the credit card purchases reflected in the credit card receipts; and

outputting a listing of the matched date information between the travel services listed in the booked trip data records and the credit card purchases reflected in the credit card receipts.