System and method for coordinating travel itineraries

• US 7,050,987 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TVL LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre Incorporated (Sabre Corp.)
• Inventors: Lettovsky, Ladislav, Morris, Kyle N., Ratliff, Richard M., Mehta, Saurabh V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US10/634,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 705/6
• US Class Current: 705/6
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• 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

The methods and systems for coordinating the travel itineraries of multiple travelers, who are leaving from more than one origin location, but are arriving at the same destination location, provide automated techniques for determining which itineraries for each traveler best meets the specified criteria for the trip. For example, a travel organizer may specify certain travel criteria for a trip, such as the relative importance of the travel schedules versus the price. A set of suggested travel itineraries that most closely meet the specified criteria are then provided, in addition to the amount of time between when any two travelers arrive at and/or leave from the destination location, and the price. Furthermore, the travel coordination techniques provide flexibility by allowing replacement of one or more of the suggested itineraries with other possible itineraries and recalculation of the time amounts and the price(s).

Claims

1. Method for coordinating a plurality of outbound and inbound itineraries, comprising:

receiving a destination location, a plurality of origin locations and other travel information, wherein each origin location is associated with at least one traveler,

receiving an indication regarding a relative weight between price and schedule for at least some of the outbound and inbound itineraries;

accessing a travel database comprising at least outbound and inbound itineraries between the destination location and the origin locations;

identifying at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location from the travel database based upon the travel information;

labeling the identified itineraries such that each of the identified outbound and inbound itineraries is associated with at least a price and schedule;

determining a suggested outbound and inbound itinerary from the labeled itineraries between the destination location and each origin location based upon the indication of the relative weight, and

presenting the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries for review.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that alternative itineraries are desired for at least one of the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries associated with a respective traveler;

presenting other identified outbound and inbound itineraries between the destination location and an origin location for review if an indication is received that alternative itineraries are desired; and

receiving an indication of a selection of at least one of the other identified outbound and inbound itineraries.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising presenting information associated with the destination location when presenting at least one of the suggested itineraries and the identified itineraries.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a total price for all of the suggested itineraries for all of the travelers and a price for each suggested itinerary for each traveler.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location for each suggested outbound itinerary.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each suggested inbound itinerary.

7. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising storing the at least one identified outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least the suggested itinerary associated with a traveler to the respective traveler.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the identified at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and the origin location associated with a traveler to the respective traveler.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving changes to at least one of the suggested outbound and inbound itinerary associated with a respective traveler; and

creating a revised group of itineraries based upon the received changes.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining at least one of a total price for all of the itineraries and a price for each itinerary in the revised group of itineraries.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining at least one of an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location and an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each itinerary in the revised group of itineraries.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving changes to the indication regarding the relative weight between price and schedule for at least one of the plurality of travel itineraries;

accessing the identified at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location;

determining at least one modified suggested itinerary between the destination location and at least one of the origin locations based upon the changes; and

replacing at least one suggested itinerary with the at least one modified suggested itinerary to create a revised group of suggested itineraries.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising determining at least one of a total price for all of the suggested itineraries and a price for each suggested itinerary in the revised group of suggested itineraries.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising determining at least one of:

(i) an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location, and (ii) an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each suggested itinerary in the revised group of suggested itineraries.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving payment information regarding how the travel costs for each traveler are to be paid; and

transmitting billing information based upon the payment information.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving hotel rental information associated with at least one of the travelers;

accessing a travel database comprising hotel rental information for the destination location;

identifying at least one hotel itinerary from the travel database based upon the hotel rental information;

presenting the identified at least one hotel itinerary for review; and

receiving an indication of a selected hotel itinerary from the at least one hotel itinerary.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving car rental information associated with at least one of the travelers;

accessing a travel database comprising car rental information for the destination location;

identifying at least one car rental itinerary from the travel database based upon the car rental information;

presenting the at least one car rental itinerary for review, and

receiving an indication of a selected car rental itinerary from the at least one car rental itinerary.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing electronic communication among at least two of a travel organizer and the travelers.

20. A system for coordinating a plurality of outbound and inbound itineraries, comprising:

at least one client element for receiving a destination location, a plurality of origin locations and other travel information, wherein each origin location is associated with at least one traveler, and wherein said at least one client element is also for receiving an indication regarding a relative weight between price and schedule for at least some of the outbound and inbound itineraries;

at least one processing element for accessing a travel database comprising at least outbound and inbound itineraries between the destination location and the origin locations, wherein said at least one processing element is also for identifying at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location from the travel database based upon the travel information, wherein said at least one processing element is for labeling the identified itineraries such that each of the identified outbound and inbound itineraries is associated with at least a price and schedule, and wherein said at least one processing element is further for determining a suggested outbound and inbound itinerary from the labeled itineraries between the destination location and each origin location based upon the indication of the relative weight; and

at least one display element for presenting the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries for review.

21. The system according to claim 20,

wherein said at least one display element is also for presenting other identified outbound and inbound itineraries between the destination location and an origin location for review if an indication is received that alternative itineraries are desired;

wherein said at least one client element is for receiving an indication that alternative itineraries are desired for at least one of the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries associated with a respective traveler, and wherein said at least one client element is also for receiving an indication of a selection of at least one of the other identified outbound and inbound itineraries.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one display element is also for presenting information associated with the destination location when presenting at least one of the suggested itineraries and the identified itineraries.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one of a total price for all of the suggested itineraries for all of the travelers and a price for each suggested itinerary for each traveler.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location for each suggested outbound itinerary.

25. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each suggested inbound itinerary.

26. The system according to claim 20, further comprising at least one storage element storing the at least one identified outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location.

27. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for transmitting at least the suggested itinerary associated with a traveler to the respective traveler.

28. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one display element is also for presenting other identified at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and the origin location associated with a traveler to the respective traveler.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein said at least one client element is also for receiving changes to at least one of the suggested outbound and inbound itinerary associated with a respective traveler, and wherein said at least one processing element is also for creating a revised group of itineraries based upon the received changes.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one of a total price for all of the itineraries and a price for each itinerary in the revised group of itineraries.

31. The system according to claim 29, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one of:

(i) an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location, and (ii) an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each itinerary in the revised group of itineraries.

32. The system according to claim 20,

wherein said at least one client element is also for receiving changes to the indication regarding the relative weight between price and schedule for at least one of the plurality of travel itineraries;

and

wherein said at least one processing element is also for accessing other identified at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one modified suggested itinerary between the destination location and at least one of the origin locations based upon the changes, and wherein said at least one processing element is also for replacing at least one suggested itinerary with the at least one modified suggested itinerary to create a revised group of suggested itineraries.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one of a total price for all of the suggested itineraries and a price for each suggested itinerary in the revised group of suggested itineraries.

34. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one processing element is also for determining at least one of:

(i) an amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination location, and (ii) an amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each suggested itinerary in the revised group of suggested itineraries.

35. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for receiving payment information regarding how the travel costs for each traveler are to be paid, and wherein said at least one processing element is also for transmitting billing information based upon the payment information.

36. The system according to claim 20,

wherein said at least one processing element is also for receiving hotel rental information associated with at least one of the travelers, wherein said at least one processing element is also for accessing a travel database comprising hotel rental information for the destination location, wherein said at least one processing element is also for identifying at least one hotel itinerary from the travel database based upon the hotel rental information, and wherein said at least one processing element is also for receiving an indication of a selected hotel itinerary from the at least one hotel itinerary;

and

wherein said at least one display element is also for presenting the identified at least one hotel itinerary for review.

37. The system according to claim 20,

wherein said at least one processing element is also for receiving car rental information associated with at least one of the travelers, wherein said at least one processing element is also for accessing a travel database comprising car rental information for the destination location, wherein said at least one processing element is also for identifying at least one car rental itinerary from the travel database based upon the car rental information, and wherein said at least one processing element is also for receiving an indication of a selected car rental itinerary from the at least one car rental itinerary;

and

wherein said at least one display element is also for presenting the at least one car rental itinerary for review.

38. The system according to claim 20, wherein said at least one processing element is also for providing electronic communication among at least two of a travel organizer and the travelers.