Graphical user interface for travel planning system

• US 6,801,226 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITA Software, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Daughtrey, Rodney S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mylinh T
• Application Number:
  US09/431,679
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163, 345/157, 345/763, 705/6, 705/5, 705/8, 705/26, 705/10, 705/14, 709/218
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a travel planning system is described. The graphical user interface is implemented as a web page and includes a tabular region of the graphical user interface that displays summarized travel options and comprises a plurality of cells that act as controls. The interface also includes a second region that displays selected travel options resulting from filtering a set of travel options in accordance with a control actuated in the tabular region.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface, for displaying information pertaining to a set of travel options, the graphical user interface comprising:

a summary tabular region comprising;

a first dimension of the summary tabular region associated with a first criterion, the first dimension divided into portions corresponding to different values of the first criterion included in the set of travel options; and

a second dimension of the summary tabular region associated with a second criterion, the second dimension divided into portions corresponding to different values of the second criterion included in the set of travel options; and

a cell disposed within the summary region at the intersection of a first portion of the first dimension and a first portion of the second dimension, the cell representing a subset of the set of travel options that have a value for the first criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the first dimension and a value for the second criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the second dimension.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1 further wherein the first and second dimensions comprise a row, a column or a tab.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1 further wherein the first and second criteria comprise a carrier, a departure location, an arrival location, a departure time, an arrival time, a trip duration, a number of stops, a travel date.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1 further comprising a detail region to display a listing of the subset of travel options associated with the cell.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4 further comprising a link within the cell to allow the user to select the subset of travel options for display within the detail region.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 1 wherein the cell further comprises a value of a third criterion.

7. A method for generating a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

receiving a set of travel options resulting from a query;

displaying a first dimension of the summary tabular region associated with a first criterion, the first dimension divided into portions corresponding to different values of the first criterion included in the set of travel options;

displaying a second dimension of the summary tabular region associated with a second criterion, the second dimension divided into portions corresponding to different values of the second criterion included in the set of travel options; and

displaying a graphical element at the intersection of a first portion of the first dimension and a first portion of the second dimension, the graphical element representing a subset of the set of travel options that have a value for the first criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the first dimension and a value for the second criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the second dimension.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first and second dimensions comprise a row, a column or a tab.

9. the method of claim 7 wherein the first and second criteria comprise a carrier, a departure location, an arrival location, a departure time, an arrival time, a trip duration, a number of stops or a travel date.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying a listing of the subset of travel options associated with the graphical element.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising allowing a user to select a listing of the subset of travel options for display by using the graphical element.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying with the graphical element a value of a third criterion.

13. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for generating a graphical user interface that displays a summary of travel options, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

a first dimension of a summary tabular region associated with a first criterion, the first dimension divided into portions corresponding to a different values of the first criterion included in a received set of travel options resulting from a query;

a second dimension of a summary tabular region associated with a second criterion, the second dimension divided into portions corresponding to different values of the second criterion included in the received set of travel options resulting from the query; and

a graphical element at the intersection of a first portion of the first dimension and a first portion of the second dimension, the graphical element representing a subset of the set of travel options that have a value for the first criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the first dimension and a value for the second criterion that corresponds to the first portion of the second dimension.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the first and second dimension comprise a row, a column or a tab.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the first and second criteria comprise a carrier, a departure location, an arrival location, a departure time, an arrival time, a trip duration, a number of stops or a travel date.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions to:

display a listing of the subset of travel options associated with the graphical element.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions to:

allow a user to select a listing of the subset of travel options for display by using the graphical element.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions to:

display with the graphical element a value of a third criterion.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions to cause an operating system of the computer to:

display the interface on a output device.