Method and communication system for enhancing international travel preparedness within an organization

• US 6,937,991 B1
• Filed: 12/24/1999
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Batten, Susan L., Zompa, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): PORTER, RACHEL L
• Application Number:
  US09/471,674
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/6
• US Class Current: 705/5
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

In an organization having a large number of employees, and also having a travel center, a method is provided for enhancing preparedness of employees for international travel. When the travel center is requested to make international travel arrangements for an employee, a travel notification message identifying the employee is transmitted to each of a number of specialized, travel service providers associated with the organization. A computer associated with a given travel service provider is then operated to determine whether the employee was identified in a previously received travel notification message. If not, the given travel service provider transmits a first travel preparation message to the employee, which comprises a complete list of travel services available from the given travel service provider. Otherwise, the given travel service provider transmits a second travel preparation message to the employee, which comprises a list of updating travel services available from the given travel service provider.

Claims

1. In an organization having a large number of members, and also having a travel center disposed to make travel arrangements for respective organization members when requested to do so, a method for enhancing preparedness of organization members for international travel comprising the steps of:

transmitting a travel notification message from said travel center to each of a selected number of travel service providers associated with said organization, transmitting said travel notification message during a given member interaction when said travel center is requested to make international travel arrangements for a given one of said organization members, said travel notification message identifying;

said given member, an intended travel time period for said given member, and an intended travel destination for said given member;

operating at least one computer respectively associated with said selected number of travel service providers to determine whether said given member was identified in a previously received travel notification message;

transmitting a first travel preparation message to said given member from a given travel service provider, transmitting said first travel preparation message during said given member interaction and when the computer of said given travel service provider determines that said given member has not been identified in said previously received travel notification message, said first travel preparation message comprising a complete list of travel services available from said given travel service provider; and

transmitting a second travel preparation message to said given member from said given travel service provider, transmitting said second travel preparation message during said given member interaction and when the computer of said given travel service provider determines that said given member has been identified in said previously received travel notification message, said second travel preparation message comprising a list of updating travel services available from said given travel service provider.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said travel notification message and said travel preparation messages are transmitted by first and second data transmission links, respectively.

3. In an organization having a large number of members, and also having a travel center disposed to make travel arrangements for respective organization members when requested to do so, a communication system for enhancing preparedness of organization members for international travel, said system comprising:

a first data transmission link extending from said travel center to each of a selected number of travel service providers associated with said organization, said first data link operable to transmit a travel notification message to each of said travel service providers during a given member interaction when said travel center is requested to make international travel arrangements for a given one of said organization members, said travel notification message identifying;

said given member, an intended travel time period for said given member, and an intended travel destination for said given member;

a computer associated with each of said travel service providers, each of said computers having a database for storing previously received travel notice messages, and each of said computers configured to determine whether said given member was identified in any previously received travel notification message;

a second data transmission link extending from each of said computers to a message receiving device accessible to said given member, the second data link of a given computer being disposed to transmit a first travel preparation message to said message receiving device during said given member interaction in response to a determination by said given computer that said given member was not identified in any travel notification message received thereby, said first travel preparation message comprising a complete list of travel services available from the travel service provider associated with said given computer; and

said second data link of said given computer being disposed further to transmit a second travel preparation message to said message receiving device during said given member interaction in response to a determination by said given computer that said given member was identified in a travel notification message previously received thereby, said second travel preparation message comprising a list of updating travel services available from said travel service provider associated with said given computer.

4. The communication system of claim 3 wherein said first data transmission link comprises:

a computer accessible to said travel center; and

a path for transmitting electronic messages which extends from said travel center computer to respective computers of said travel service providers.

5. The communication system of claim 4 wherein:

said message receiving device comprises a computer terminal accessible to said given member; and

said second data transmission link comprises a path for transmitting electronic messages which extends from each of said computers of said travel service providers to said computer terminal of said given member.

6. In an organization having a travel center disposed to make travel arrangements for a given organization member in response to a travel request, and also having a number of travel service providers, a communication system for enhancing preparedness of said given member for international travel comprising:

a first transmission means for transmitting a travel notification message from said travel center to each of said travel service providers, said first transmission means responsive to one of said travel requests during a given member interaction, said travel notification message identifying;

said given member, an intended travel time period for said given member, and an intended travel destination for said given member;

a computer associated with each of said travel service providers, each of said computers having a database for storing previously received travel notification messages; and

a second transmission means for transmitting a travel preparation message to said given member during said given member interaction, said travel preparation message being generated by the computer associated with a given one of said travel service providers, said travel preparation message comprising a list of travel services available to said given member from said given travel service provider.

7. The communication system of claim 6 wherein:

said first transmission means comprises a first data transmission link extending from said travel center to each of said travel service providers;

said second transmission means comprises a second data transmission link extending from each of said computers to a message receiving device accessible to said given member.

8. The communication system of claim 7 wherein:

each of said computers is configured to determine whether said given member was identified in any previously received travel notification message.

9. The communication system of claim 8 wherein:

the second data transmission link of a given one of said computers is disposed to transmit a first travel preparation message to said message receiving device in response to a determination by said given computer that said given member was not identified in any travel notification previously received thereby, said first travel preparation message comprising a complete list of travel services available from the travel service provider associated with said given member; and

said second data link of said of said given computer is disposed further to transmit a second travel preparation message to said message receiving device in response to a determination by said given computer that said given member was identified in a travel notification message previously received thereby, said second travel preparation message comprising a list of updating travel services available from said travel service provider associated with said given member.

10. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said first data transmission link comprises:

a computer accessible to said travel center; and

a path for transmitting electronic messages which extends from said travel center computer to respective computers of said travel service providers.

11. The communication system of claim 10 wherein:

said message receiving device comprises a computer terminal accessible to said given member; and

said second data transmission link comprises a path for transmitting electronic messages which extends from each of said computers of said travel service providers to said computer terminal of said computer terminal.