System and method for processing trip requests

• US 7,809,592 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Schultz, Debbie L., Fitzgerald, Matt, Garcia, Philip A., Laughlin, Michael Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US11/468,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A system and method for planning trips and for processing trip requests that utilizes a centralized network for facilitating travel reservations and/or services. The system includes multi-purpose point of service terminals that provide a plurality of modules for various travel related applications such as an integrated e-mail booking module, a computer telephony integration module, a super passenger name record database, a customer database, a trip planning module, a customer relationship management module, a workflow module, and a low fare search module.

Claims

1. A method of routing a trip request for a trip, comprising the steps of:

connecting, using a connection, to a plurality of global distribution systems (GDSs), travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites such that the plurality of travel counselors have access to the travel vendor databases and the plurality of GDSs, wherein the connection is accomplished via a frame relay network having a plurality of hubsites and using an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) backbone and multiple redundant data centers;

wherein the connection further includes a first translation server configured to communicate natively with a first hubsite in the plurality of hubsites, the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites;

wherein the first translation server is configured to communicate with the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites via at least one of;

(i) XML, (ii) a native application programming interface (API), and (iii) an open standard alliance;

wherein the connection further includes a second translation server configured to communicate with the first hubsite and the first translation server,

wherein the first hubsite is configured to route a trip request to the second translation server responsive to a disruption in connectivity to the first translation server;

receiving the trip request, using the connection, via email;

parsing, by a trip module, the trip request to obtain trip request data;

selecting, using the trip module comprising a processor and a data store, among GDSs for the trip request, using the connection, based upon a comparison of a prior trip request and a contractual requirement, wherein said contractual requirement is embodied in a configuration item;

storing, in said data store of said trip module, the selected GDS;

scanning, using the connection, a queue containing a plurality of messages, wherein the plurality of messages are of a plurality of different types;

identifying, automatically, a message that contains the trip request for a traveler, wherein the trip request comprises unformatted trip information;

extracting, automatically, the unformatted trip information from the identified message;

converting, automatically, the unformatted trip information into a formatted trip request;

checking, using the connection, for conflicting trip requests for the traveler, wherein the step of checking comprises;

identifying and retrieving, using the connection, stored trip requests for the traveler from a database containing a plurality of trip requests for a plurality of travelers;

comparing trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request;

identifying conflicting trip requests based on the comparison of the trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request;

forwarding, using the connection, the formatted trip request to a designated queue for a next available agent to process

processing a second trip request, using the trip module, based upon said selected GDS and said contractual requirement.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising deleting a record that does not contain the trip request.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of forwarding the formatted trip request comprises:

matching the formatted trip request to a designated queue using skill based routing rules; and

forwarding the formatted trip request to the matched queue for the next available agent to process.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising determining whether the trip request is a new trip request or a modified trip request.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising determining a company that is associated with the traveler;

and

wherein the step of forwarding comprises forwarding the formatted trip request to a designated queue for an agent that handles trip requests for the company associated with the traveler.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising setting a status for the trip request.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising propagating a user profile update via the translation server to the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising propagating a pricing structure update via the translation server to the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising querying to obtain trip information from the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising retrieving stored trip requests for display to the agent, using the connection, wherein the retrieving is from the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising performing a telephony function which is independent of the plurality of GDSs.

7. A method of routing a trip request for a trip, comprising the steps of:

connecting, using a connection, to global distribution systems (GDSs), travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites such that the plurality of travel counselors have access to the travel vendor databases and the plurality of GDSs, wherein the connection is accomplished via a frame relay network having a plurality of hubsites and using an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) backbone and multiple redundant data centers;

wherein the connection further includes a first translation server configured to communicate natively with a first hubsite in the plurality of hubsites, the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites;

wherein the translation server is configured to communicate with the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites via at least one of;

(i) XML, (ii) a native application programming interface (API), and (iii) an open standard alliance;

wherein the connection further includes a second translation server configured to communicate with the first hubsite and the first translation server,

wherein the first hubsite is configured to route a trip request to the second translation server responsive to a disruption in connectivity to the first translation server;

receiving the trip request, using the connection, via email;

parsing, by a trip module, the trip request to obtain trip request data;

selecting, using the trip module comprising a processor and a data store, among GDSs for the trip request, using the connection, based upon a comparison of a prior trip request and a contractual requirement, wherein said contractual requirement is embodied in a configuration item;

storing, in said data store of said trip module, the selected GDS;

scanning, using the connection, a queue containing a plurality of messages, wherein the plurality of messages are of a plurality of different types;

identifying, automatically, a message that contains the trip request for a traveler, wherein the trip request comprises unformatted trip information;

extracting, automatically, the unformatted trip information from the identified message;

converting, automatically, the unformatted trip information into a formatted trip request;

checking, using the connection, for conflicting trip requests for the traveler, wherein the step of checking comprises;

identifying and retrieving, using the connection, stored trip requests for the traveler from a database containing a plurality of trip requests for a plurality of travelers;

comparing trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request;

identifying conflicting trip requests based on the comparison of the trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request; and

automatically processing the formatted trip request; and

processing a second trip request, using the trip module, based upon said selected GDS and said contractual requirement.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising determining whether the trip request is a new trip request or a modified trip request.

9. A system for routing a trip request for a trip, the system comprising:

a connection which connects to a plurality of global distribution systems (GDSs), travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites such that the plurality of travel counselors have access to the travel vendor databases and the plurality of GDSs, wherein the connection is accomplished via a frame relay network having a plurality of hubsites and using an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) backbone and multiple redundant data centers, wherein the connection further includes a translation server configured to communicate natively with a first hubsite in the plurality of hubsites, the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites;

wherein the translation server is configured to communicate with the plurality of GDSs, travel vendor databases, multi-use terminals of a plurality of travel counselors, and travel websites via at least one of;

(i) XML, (ii) a native application programming interface (API), and (iii) an open standard alliance;

wherein the connection further includes a second translation server configured to communicate with the first hubsite and the first translation server,

wherein the first hubsite is configured to route a trip request to the second translation server responsive to a disruption in connectivity to the first translation server;

wherein the connection is configured to receive the trip request via email,

wherein a trip module is configured to parse the trip request to obtain trip request data;

wherein the connection is further configured to select among the plurality of GDSs, using the trip module comprising a processor and a data store, for the trip request based upon a comparison of a prior trip request and a contractual requirement, wherein said contractual requirement is embodied in a configuration item;

wherein the connection is configured to store, in said data store of said trip module, the selected GDS; and

a point of service terminal connected to at least one of the hub sites, the point of service terminal configured to perform the following steps;

scanning, using the connection, a queue containing a plurality of messages, wherein the plurality of messages are of a plurality of different types;

identifying, automatically, a message that contains the trip request for a traveler, wherein the trip request comprises unformatted trip information;

extracting, automatically, the unformatted trip information from the identified message;

converting, automatically, the unformatted trip information into a formatted trip request;

checking, using the connection, for conflicting trip requests for the traveler, wherein the step of checking comprises;

identifying and retrieving, using the connection, stored trip requests for the traveler from a database containing a plurality of trip requests for a plurality of travelers;

comparing trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request; and

identifying conflicting trip requests based on the comparison of the trip information from the stored trip requests to the trip information from the received trip request; and

forwarding, using the connection, the formatted trip request to a designated queue for a next available agent to process.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the point of service terminal is further configured to perform the step of deleting a record that does not contain the trip request.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the point of service terminal is further configured to perform the step of forwarding the formatted trip request comprising:

matching the formatted trip request to a designated queue using skill based routing rules; and

forwarding the formatted trip request to the matched queue for the next available agent to process.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the point of service terminal is further configured to perform the step of determining whether the trip request is a new trip request or a modified trip request.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the point of service terminal is further configured to perform the step of determining a company that is associated with the traveler;

and

wherein the step of forwarding comprises forwarding the formatted trip request to a designated queue for an agent that handles trip requests for the company associated with the traveler.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the point of service terminal is further configured to perform the step of setting a status for the trip request.