Systems, methods, and computer program products for determining rankings of product providers displayed via a product source system

• US 7,580,868 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TVL LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Travelocity.com LP (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: MacLean, Lynne, Mesa, Laura, Fabris, Andres
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US11/232,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/38, 707/5, 707/207, 707/201
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• 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 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention generates a ranked display listing of product providers (such as hotels) in response to a user query wherein the rank is generated based upon a performance factor determined by the system. The invention generates the performance factor based on the popularlity of a given product provider as indicated by the number of transactions occurring between users and the product provider. The performance factor may also be based on the relative economic performance of the various product providers such that the system may display product providers in an order that is based on on a combination of the relative popularity and the relative economic performance of the product providers as measured over a selected period.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor of a ranking system configured to communicate with a product source system for receiving a listing of a plurality of product providers, the product source system being configured to assist in transactions between one or more of a plurality of users and one or more of the product providers,

wherein the processor is configured to access performance factors associated with at least two of the listed product providers and assign a ranking for the respective product providers based on the performance factors, wherein the performance factors are based on at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, wherein the customer score used by the processor is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a display for displaying the product providers to users based on the ranking assigned by the processor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the performance score used by said ranking system is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said ranking system sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ranking system sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a tracking system for tracking the amount of commissions collected from the one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a tracking system for tracking the time period between the time of the transaction and when the commission corresponding to the transaction is collected.

8. A method comprising:

communicating with a product source system for receiving a listing of a plurality of product providers, the product source system being configured to assist in transactions between one or more of a plurality of users and one or more of the product providers;

accessing performance factors associated with at least two of the listed product providers;

assigning a ranking for the respective product providers based on the performance factors, wherein the performance factors are based on at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, and wherein the customer score used by the assigning step is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

communicating with a display for displaying the product providers to users based on the ranking assigned by the assigning step,

wherein the communicating with a product source system, accessing performance factors, assigning a ranking and communicating with a display steps are performed by a processor.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the performance score used by said assigning step is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said assigning step sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein said assigning step sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.

13. A method according to claim 8 further comprising tracking the amount of commissions collected from the one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period.

14. A method according to claim 8 further tracking the time period between the time of the transaction and when the commission corresponding to the transaction is collected.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion configured to communicate with a product source system for receiving a listing of a plurality of product providers, the product source system being configured to assist in transactions between one or more of a plurality of users and one or more of the product providers;

a second executable portion configured to access performance factors associated with at least two of the listed product providers;

a third executable portion configured to assign a ranking for the respective product providers based on the performance factors, wherein the performance factors are based on at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, and wherein the customer score used by the third executable portion is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

a fourth executable portion configured to display the product providers to users based on the ranking assigned by the third executable portion.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the performance score used by said fourth computer instruction means is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

17. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said fourth computer instruction means sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

19. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said fourth computer instruction means sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.

20. A computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising an executable portion for tracking the amount of commissions collected from the one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period.

21. A computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising an executable portion for tracking the time period between the time of the transaction and when the commission corresponding to the transaction is collected.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a processor of a ranking system configured to communicate with a product source system connected to a plurality of product providers, the product source system being configured to receive a request for a product from a user and determine a set of product providers that offer the product,

wherein the processor is configured to rank the set of product providers based on a performance factor, wherein the performance factor is based on at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, wherein the customer score used by the processor is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a display for displaying the product providers to the user based on the ranking assigned by the processor.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the performance score used by said ranking system is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said ranking system sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

26. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said ranking system sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.

27. A method comprising:

communicating with a product source system, the product source system being configured to receive a request from a user for a product, and determine a set of product providers that offer the product;

ranking the set of product providers based on a performance factor, wherein the performance factor is based on a at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, and wherein the customer score used by the ranking step is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

communicating with a display for displaying the product providers to the user based on the ranking assigned by the ranking step,

wherein the communicating with a product source system, ranking the set of product providers and communicating with a display are performed by a processor.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the performance score used by said ranking step is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein said ranking step sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

31. A method according to claim 27, wherein said ranking step sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.

32. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion configured to communicate with a product source system, the product source system being configured to receive a request from a user for a product, wherein the first executable portion is also configured to determine a set of product providers that offer the product;

a second executable portion configured to rank the set of product providers based on a performance factor, wherein the performance factor is based on a at least a performance score and a customer score, wherein for each of at least some of the product providers, the performance score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and one or more of the plurality of users, and the customer score relates to at least one transaction between the product provider and the product source system, and wherein the customer score used by the second executable portion is selected from the group consisting of;

an amount of commissions collected from one or more of the plurality of product providers during a selected time period;

a period of time between the time of the transaction and when a commission corresponding to the transaction is collected; and

combinations thereof; and

a third executable portion configured to display the product providers to the user based on the ranking assigned by the second executable portion.

33. A computer program product according to claim 32, wherein the performance score used by said third computer instruction means is selected from the group consisting of:

a number of reservations made via the product source system by the plurality of users with each of the plurality of product providers;

a number of inquiries made via the product source system by the plurality of users for each of the plurality of product providers; and

combinations thereof.

34. A computer program product according to claim 32, wherein the performance factors are further based on an operator-defined value.

35. A computer program product according to claim 34, wherein said third computer instruction means sums at least two of the performance score, customer score, and operator-defined value to determine a performance factor.

36. A computer program product according to claim 32, wherein said third computer instruction means sums the performance score and customer score to determine a performance factor.