Incremental presentation of search results from multiple suppliers

• US 7,483,883 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• 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: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Stewart A., Barth, Brian E., Janssens, Marcel D., Winkler, Philipp M. B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US11/120,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206
• 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, comprising:

extracting query information based on input from a user;

pruning a list of at least three suppliers based on which of the at least three suppliers can provide a search result to a search request based on the query information to automatically generate a list of at least two suppliers to search;

transmitting to at least two supplier sites, a search request based on the query information, where each supplier site is associated with a respective one of the pruned suppliers, and wherein each supplier site performs a search and produces at least one search result;

receiving, at least one search result from a first one of the supplier sites and at least one search result from a second one of the supplier sites; and

incrementally transmitting the search results to the user, such that the search result from the first one of the supplier sites which is received before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is presented to the user before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is added to a presentation representation which includes the search result from the first one of the searched supplier sites.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search results are incrementally transmitted to the user as the search result are received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the received search results to select at least a portion of the search results to be transmitted to the user based on the input from the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filtering comprises assigning a score to each search result and not transmitting to the user each search result having an assigned score below a first threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the filtering comprises transmitting to the user, upon being received, each search result having an assigned score above a second threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filtering comprises comparing each search result having an assigned score below the second threshold and above the first threshold to at least one other search result to determine whether to transmit the search result to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the filtering provides a target number of search results to be transmitted to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second thresholds is selected such that the target number of search results is transmitted to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting to at least two suppler sites a search request produces a plurality of search results from each of the supplier sites.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the query information is itinerary information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the itinerary information is associated with a reservation selected from the group including:

(a) an airline reservation;

(b) a lodging reservation; and

(c) a ground transportation reservation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the extracting, pruning, transmitting, and receiving is performed in real time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are carried out in the order recited.

15. A search system having a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable code, the computer-executable code comprising:

extracting software, which extracting software is adapted to extract query information based on input from a user;

pruning software, which pruning software is adapted to prune a list of at least three suppliers based on which of the at least three suppliers can provide a search result to a search request based on the query information to automatically generate a list of at least two suppliers to search;

searching software, which searching software is adapted to transmit to at least two supplier sites, a search request based on the query information, where each searched supplier site is associated with a respective one of the pruned suppliers, and wherein each supplier site performs a search and produces at least one search result;

receiving software, which receiving software is adapted to receive at least one search result from a first one of the supplier sites and at least one search result from a second one of the supplier sites; and

transmitting software, which transmitting software is adapted to incrementally transmit the search results to the user, such that the search result from the first one of the searched supplier sites which is received before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is presented to the user before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is added to a presentation representation which includes the search result from the first one of the searched supplier sites.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting software is further adapted to incrementally transmit the search results to the user as the search result are received.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising filtering software, which filtering software is adapted to filter the received search results to select at least a portion of the search results to be transmitted to the user based on the input from the user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the filtering software is further adapted to assign a score to each search result and not transmit to the user each search result having an assigned score below a first threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the filtering software is further adapted to transmit to the user, upon being received, each search result having an assigned score above a second threshold.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the filtering software is further adapted to compare each search result having an assigned score below the second threshold and above the first threshold to at least one other search result to determine whether to transmit the search result to the user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the filtering software is further adapted to provide a target number of search results to transmit to the user.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the filtering software is further adapted to select at least one of the first and second thresholds such that the target number of search results is transmitted to the user.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the searching software is further adapted to cause a plurality of search results to be produced by each of the supplier sites.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the query information is itinerary information.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the itinerary information is associated with a reservation selected from the group including:

(a) an airline reservation;

(b) a lodging reservation; and

(c) a ground transportation reservation.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitting software comprises software adapted to transmit to the user a webpage with links associated with each of the transmitted search results.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the webpage comprises at least one of HTML and JavaScript.

29. The system of claim 15, wherein the searching software comprises at least two search adapter objects, each search adapter object associated with a respective one of the supplier sites.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein each search adapter object performs a search independently and asynchronously.

31. A method for providing search results from searches of travel supplier inventories, comprising:

receiving a search request for a travel item from a client device of a user;

identifying, from a first group of travel supplier sites, a second group of travel supplier sites that can each satisfy that search request for the travel item, wherein the number of travel suppliers sites in the second group is less then number of travel supplier sites in the first group;

formatting, for each of the travel supplier sites in the second group, a search request based upon the received search request;

transmitting, to each of the travel supplier sites in the second group, the formatted search request, wherein each travel supplier site performs a search using the formatted search request and produces at least one search result;

receiving, incrementally in time from one of the travel supplier sites in the second group, search results of the searches; and

providing, incrementally in time the received search results to the client device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the travel item is at least one item selected from the group consisting of:

an airline reservation;

a lodging reservation; and

a ground transportation reservation.

33. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable code, the computer executable code performing the operations of:

extracting query information based on input from a user;

pruning a list of at least three suppliers based on which of the at least three suppliers can provide a search result to a search request based on the query information to automatically generate a list of at least two suppliers to search;

transmitting to at least two supplier sites, a search request based on the query information, where each supplier site is associated with a respective one of the pruned suppliers, and wherein each supplier site performs a search and produces at least one search result;

receiving, at least one search result from a first one of the supplier sites and at least one search result from a second one of the supplier sites; and

incrementally transmitting the search results to the user, such that the search result from the first one of the supplier sites which is received before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is presented to the user before the search result from the second one of the supplier sites.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the search result from the second one of the supplier sites is added to a presentation representation which includes the search result from the first one of the searched supplier sites.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the search results are incrementally transmitted to the user as the search result are received.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, the computer executable code further performing the operation of filtering the received search results to select at least a portion of the search results to be transmitted to the user based on the input from the user.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the filtering comprises assigning a score to each search result and not transmitting to the user each search result having an assigned score below a first threshold.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the filtering comprises transmitting to the user, upon being received, each search result having an assigned score above a second threshold.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein the filtering comprises comparing each search result having an assigned score below the second threshold and above the first threshold to at least one other search result to determine whether to transmit the search result to the user.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the filtering provides a target number of search results to be transmitted to the user.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein at least one of the first and second thresholds is selected such that the target number of search results is transmitted to the user.

42. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein transmitting to at least two suppler sites a search request produces a plurality of search results from each of the supplier sites.

43. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein at least a portion of the query information is itinerary information.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, wherein the itinerary information is associated with a reservation selected from the group including:

(a) an airline reservation;

(b) a lodging reservation; and

(c) a ground transportation reservation.

45. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein at least one of the extracting, pruning, transmitting, and receiving is performed in real time.

46. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the steps are carried out in the order recited.

47. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable code for providing search results from searches of travel supplier inventories, the computer executable code performing the operations of:

receiving a search request for a travel item from a client device of a user;

identifying, from a first group of travel supplier sites, a second group of travel supplier sites that can each satisfy that search request for the travel item, wherein the number of travel suppliers sites in the second group is less then number of travel supplier sites in the first group;

formatting, for each of the travel supplier sites in the second group, a search request based upon the received search request;

transmitting, to each of the travel supplier sites in the second group, the formatted search request, wherein each travel supplier site performs a search using the formatted search request and produces at least one search result;

receiving, incrementally in time from one of the travel supplier sites in the second group, search results of the searches; and

providing, incrementally in time the received search results to the client device.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the travel item is at least one item selected from the group consisting of:

an airline reservation;

a lodging reservation; and

a ground transportation reservation.