Method and apparatus for dynamic information connection search engine

• US 7,349,894 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SideStep, Inc. (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Stewart A., Barth, Brian E., Janssens, Marcel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, ISAAC M
• Application Number:
  US10/903,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 705 1- 45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for a dynamic information connection engine. User actions are detected on at least one client system. In response, a determination is made whether the user is searching for supported information. When the user is searching for supported information, information is extracted electronically from third party web sites, direct supplier connections, and intermediate databases. Potential information suppliers are automatically selected in response to the detected user search. Queries are formulated from the user search and transferred to each selected supplier over a network coupling. The queries include a request for information. Responses are received from the suppliers, and the responses are used to generate a result list for the user. The result list includes information and query status information. Further, an electronic link may be provided to a web site of each supplier from which the information was derived.

Claims

1. A search method implemented by a programmed computer system, comprising:

populating a database in a server system with reduction information, wherein the reduction information comprises a plurality of data elements, and;

a) wherein the plurality of data elements comprise a correlation between;

(i) at least three distinct suppliers of travel services; and

(ii) a plurality of travel service locations; and

b) wherein the server system is located remotely from each of at least three distinct supplier sites, each of the supplier sites being associated with a respective one of each of the suppliers;

inputing a query from a user regarding a desired travel itinerary;

a) wherein the query includes at least a location and a date associated with the desired travel itinerary; and

b) wherein the user is located remotely from the server system and the user is in communication with the server system using a network connection;

extracting query information based on the input from the user;

reducing at the server system at least three supplier sites identified in the database to automatically generate a pruned list of at least two supplier sites by comparing a portion of the extracted query information related to the location associated with the desired travel itinerary with the data elements and removing at least one supplier site identified in the database that does not provide travel services for the location associated with the desired travel itinerary, wherein the pruned list consists of a subset of the at least three supplier sites identified in the database;

searching automatically at least two supplier sites from the pruned list for availability of travel services based at least in part upon a portion of the extracted query information related to the date associated with the desired travel itinerary, wherein the searching is performed via a network connection;

obtaining, by the server system, search results of travel services for the location and date that are available at the time of the search from the at least two supplier sites in the pruned list;

filtering the search results to select at least a portion of the search results; and

presenting at least a portion of the selected search results to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of:

prior to the extracting step, detecting at least one user action on at least one client computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

after the detecting step, determining the at least one user is searching for supported information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired travel itinerary comprises at least one airline flight.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the query information includes an airline flight departure location and an airline flight arrival location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the departure location and arrival location comprise an airport.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the query information includes an airline flight departure date.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the query information includes an airline flight departure time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired travel itinerary comprises at least a hotel location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the query information includes a hotel check-in date.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering of the search results to select at least a portion of the search results is based on the input from the user.