System and method for real-time, personalized, dynamic, interactive voice services for information related to existing travel schedule

• US 7,428,302 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Saylor, Michael J., Richards, Frederick III, Zirngibl, Michael, Anurag, Patnaik
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US11/020,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20050220278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/76, 379/72, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/201.02, 709/5, 709/88.18, 709/229, 700/3, 700/1, 700/10, 705/13
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A system and method for creation and automatic deployment of personalized, dynamic and interactive voice services relating to subscriber travel, including information derived from on-line analytical processing (OLAP) systems. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method that enable personalized delivery of travel-related information in real-time, via natural language voice communication with a voice-enabled terminal device.

Claims

1. A method of providing real-time transmissions of travel information to a user, comprising:

providing at least one voice service that can output travel information to a user when the at least one voice service is executed;

enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

enabling the user to specify at least one reserved travel component of an existing travel schedule to be monitored to determine whether the at least one reserved travel component has been altered;

determining, when the at least one reserved travel component specified by the user has been altered, one or more options to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule based in part on the at least one altered travel component;

generating content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule from the one or more determined options;

initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information to deliver, to the user, the generated content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule and the one or more determined options; and

communicating the generated content to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a transmission from the user in response to the content, wherein the transmission comprises instructions to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user contact information comprises at least one of a land-line telephone number, mobile telephone number, e-mail address, pager number, or personal digital assistant information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reserved travel component comprises at least one of an airline flight reservation, car rental reservation, hotel reservation, scheduled conference, or tickets to an event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is a reservation for an airline flight, and wherein the at least one reserved travel component is determined as being altered when the airline flight is at least one of cancelled, delayed, or overbooked.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is a reservation for a car rental, and wherein the at least one reserved travel component is determined as being altered when a car rental agency holding the reservation is overbooked.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is stored in at least one travel component database.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one travel component database comprises at least one of an airline flight information database, rental car information database, hotel reservation database, meeting database, or convention database.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

enabling the user to specify a predetermined schedule for querying the at least one travel component database to determine whether the at least one reserved travel component has been altered.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined options include one or more options to cancel, modify, or reschedule the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.

11. A system for providing real-time transmissions of travel information to a user, comprising:

means for providing at least one voice service that can output travel information to a user when the at least one voice service is executed;

means for enabling a user to subscribe to the at least one voice service and provide personal-information, wherein the personal information comprises at least user contact information;

means for enabling the user to specify at least one reserved travel component of an existing travel schedule to be monitored to determine whether the at least one reserved travel component has been altered;

means for determining, when the at least one reserved travel component specified by the user has been altered, one or more options to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule based in part on the at least one altered travel component;

means for generating content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule from the one or more determined options;

means for initiating an outbound communication to the user using the user contact information to deliver, to the user, the generated content related to the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule and the one or more determined options; and

means for communicating the generated content to the user.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving a transmission from the user in response to the content, wherein the transmission comprises instructions to modify the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user contact information comprises at least one of a land-line telephone number, mobile telephone number, e-mail address, pager number, or personal digital assistant information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one reserved travel component comprises at least one of an airline flight reservation, car rental reservation, hotel reservation, scheduled conference, or tickets to an event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is a reservation for an airline flight, and wherein the at least one reserved travel component is determined as being altered when the airline flight is at least one of cancelled, delayed, or overbooked.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is a reservation for a car rental, and wherein the at least one reserved travel component is determined as being altered when a car rental agency holding the reservation is overbooked.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one reserved travel component is stored in at least one travel component database.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one travel component database comprises at least one of an airline flight information database, rental car information database, hotel reservation database, meeting database, or convention database.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for enabling the user to specify a predetermined schedule for querying the at least one travel component database to determine whether the at least one reserved travel component has been altered.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more determined options include one or more options to cancel, modify, or reschedule the user'"'"'s existing travel schedule.