Method and system for prediction of materialization of a group reservation

• US 7,533,032 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2000
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Selby, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan; C Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Altschul; Amber L
• Application Number:
  US09/628,398
• Time in Patent Office: 3,206 Days
• Field of Search: 705 5- 6, 705 7- 8, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A system and method for predicting the likelihood of materialization of pending group reservations for the purchase of perishable commodities is disclosed. Details pertaining to perishable commodities for which group reservations for purchase have been made in the past are gathered and analyzed, as are details pertaining to perishable commodities for which group reservations for purchase are currently pending. Based upon the analysis, the likelihood that a particular pending reservation will actually be purchased or “materialize” is determined and utilized for yield management.

Claims

1. A method, using a processing device, for materialization forecasting with respect to group reservations made by a group coordinator for the potential purchase of a particular perishable commodity, comprising the steps of:

gathering past system-wide reservation information relating to past group reservations for perishable commodities that have already perished, said system-wide reservation information including information unrelated to said particular perishable commodity;

gathering current reservation information relating to a current group reservation for said particular perishable commodity, which current group reservation has not yet perished;

comparing said gathered past reservation information unrelated to said particular perishable commodities and said current reservation information, using said processing device;

calculating, using said processing device, the materialization level of said current group reservation based on said comparison; and

outputting a materialization forecast result for said current group reservation based on said calculated materialization level.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said past reservation information includes historical commodity details unrelated to said particular perishable commodity.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said past reservation information further includes Point-of-Sale (POS) information included in said past system-wide reservation information that is unrealted to said potential purchase of said particular perishable commodity.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said past reservation information further includes materialization information unrelated to said potential purchase of said particular perishable commodity.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said past reservation information includes demographic information about group coordinators who made said past group reservations.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein said demographic information includes one or more of the following pertaining to said group coordinators who made said past group reservations:

age, sex, national origin, citizenship, country of residence, occupation, employer, annual income, education.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said current group reservation information further includes commodity details regarding said particular perishable commodity.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said current group reservation information further includes POS information pertaining to said particular perishable commodity.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said current reservation information includes demographic information about a group coordinator making said current reservation for said particular perishable commodity.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said demographic information includes one or more of the following pertaining to said group coordinator making said current group reservation:

age, sex, national origin, citizenship, country of residence, occupation, employer, annual income, education.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said perishable commodities comprise airline seats, and wherein said historical commodity details include information related to one or more of the following with respect to said airline seats:

carrier name, flight origin, flight destination, booking class, flight distance, departure time, connection time, arrival time, departure date, arrival date, flight duration, number of distinct legs comprising a complete one-way itinerary, aircraft type, aircraft capacity.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein said POS information includes one or more of the following:

POS type, POS country, booking carrier, booking recency, change recency, fare code, number of passengers in said past group reservations, length of stay associated with the reservation, time between booking date and flight date, payment status.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said commodity details regarding said current group reservation include information related to one or more of the following:

carrier name, flight origin, flight destination, booking class, flight distance, departure time, connection time, arrival time, departure date, arrival date, flight duration, number of distinct legs comprising a complete one-way itinerary, aircraft type, aircraft capacity.

14. Computer-readable code embodied on computer-readable media for conducting materialization forecasting with respect to group reservations made by a group coordinator for the potential purchase of a particular perishable commodity, comprising:

first subprocesses for gathering past system-wide reservation information relating to past group reservations for perishable commodities that have already perished, said past system-wide reservation information including information unrelated to said particular perishable commodity;

second subprocesses for gathering current reservation information relating to a current group reservation for said particular perishable commodity, which current reservation information has not yet perished;

third subprocesses for comparing said gathered past reservation information unrelated to said particular perishable commodity and said current reservation information;

fourth subprocesses for calculating the materialization level of said current group reservation based on said comparison; and

fifth subprocesses for outputting a materialization forecast result for said current group reservation based on said calculated materialization level.

15. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 14, wherein said past reservation information includes historical commodity details unrelated to said particular perishable commodity.

16. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 15, wherein said past reservation information further includes Point-of-Sale (POS) information included in said past system-wide reservation that is unrelated to said potential purchase of said particular perishable commodity.

17. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 16, wherein said past reservation information further includes materialization information unrelated to said potential purchase of said particular perishable commodity.

18. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 17, wherein said past reservation information includes demographic information about group coordinators who made said past group reservations.

19. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 18, wherein said demographic information includes one or more of the following pertaining to said group coordinators who made said past group reservations:

age, sex, national origin, citizenship, country of residence, occupation, employer, annual income, education.

20. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 19, wherein said current group reservation information further includes commodity details regarding said particular perishable commodity.

21. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 20, wherein said current group reservation information further includes POS information pertaining to said particular perishable commodity.

22. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 21, wherein said current reservation information includes demographic information about a group coordinator making said current reservation for said particular perishable commodity.

23. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 22, wherein said demographic information includes one or more of the following pertaining to said group coordinator making said current group reservation:

age, sex, national origin, citizenship, country of residence, occupation, employer, annual income, education.

24. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 23, wherein said perishable commodities comprise airline seats, and wherein said historical commodity details include information related to one or more of the following with respect to said airline seats:

carrier name, flight origin, flight destination, booking class, flight distance, departure time, connection time, arrival time, departure date, arrival date, flight duration, number of distinct legs comprising a complete one-way itinerary, aircraft type, aircraft capacity.

25. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 24, wherein said POS information includes one or more of the following:

POS type, POS country, booking carrier, booking recency, change recency, fare code, number of passengers in said past group reservations, length of stay associated with the reservation, time between booking date and flight date, payment status.

26. The computer-readable code as set forth in claim 25, wherein said commodity details regarding said current group reservation include information related to one or more of the following:

carrier name, flight origin, flight destination, booking class, flight distance, departure time, connection time, arrival time, departure date, arrival date, flight duration, number of distinct legs comprising a complete one-way itinerary, aircraft type, aircraft capacity.