Selecting accommodations on a travel conveyance

• US 7,849,023 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Navitaire LLC (Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Mudron, Michal, Montero, Richard Joseph Lamprea, Stirlen, William Christopher, Mehl, Thomas Walter Heinrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casanova; Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US12/051,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 706/8, 707/748
• US Class Current: 706/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a process that includes receiving digital accommodation criteria for an accommodation assignment requested for a passenger and accessing accommodation properties that specify characteristics of accommodations offered on a travel conveyance. A first portion of the accommodation properties are base properties and a second portion of the accommodation properties are derivation properties derived from the base properties during execution of a software program configured to access the accommodation properties. The process also includes assigning weights to the accommodation properties based on a comparison between the accommodation properties and the received accommodation criteria. The process includes determining total weighting scores for each of one or more of the accommodations based on an aggregation of the assigned weights for the accommodation properties associated with the accommodation and outputting the requested accommodation assignment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented process comprising:

receiving digital accommodation criteria for an accommodation assignment requested for a passenger;

electronically accessing accommodation properties that specify characteristics of accommodations offered on a travel conveyance, wherein a first portion of the accommodation properties are base properties and a second portion of the accommodation properties are derivation properties derived from the base properties during execution of a software program configured to access the accommodation properties;

assigning, by one or more processors, weights to the accommodation properties based on a comparison between the accommodation properties and the received accommodation criteria;

determining, by one or more processors, total weighting scores for each of one or more of the accommodations based on an aggregation of the assigned weights for the accommodation properties associated with the accommodation; and

digitally outputting, for the passenger, the requested accommodation assignment comprising a selected accommodation identified based on the selected accommodation'"'"'s total weighting score.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising ending the determination of total weighting scores if a particular accommodation has a total weighting score that indicates that the particular accommodation'"'"'s associated accommodation properties exactly match the received accommodation criteria.

3. The process of claim 2, further comprising selecting the particular accommodation for output in the accommodation assignment.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising sorting the one or more accommodations based on the total weighting scores.

5. The process of claim 4, further comprising selecting, for output in the accommodation assignment, a particular accommodation based on the particular accommodation'"'"'s position within the sorted one or more accommodations.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the assignment of weights is completed for substantially all of the accommodation properties for an individual accommodation before assigning weights to accommodation properties for a next individual accommodation.

7. The process of claim 1, further comprising aggregating accommodations into groups having group properties that correspond to at least some of the accommodation properties of the aggregated accommodations within a group.

8. The process of claim 7, further comprising assigning weights to the group properties based on a comparison between the group properties and the received accommodation properties.

9. The process of claim 8, further comprising determining total weighting scores for each of one or more of the groups based on an aggregation of the assigned weights for the group properties associated with the group.

10. The process of claim 9, further comprising selecting a particular group from the one or more groups based on the particular group'"'"'s total weighting score.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the selected accommodation that is output in the accommodation assignment is selected from within the particular group.

12. The process of claim 7, further comprising caching information indicative of whether a group property overwrites an individual accommodation'"'"'s property.

13. The process of claim 1, further comprising grouping accommodations that are located physically together.

14. The process of claim 13, further comprising receiving a request for multiple accommodation assignments for multiple passengers traveling together and selecting one of the grouped accommodations so that each of the multiple passengers is associated with an accommodation while minimizing a number of accommodations within the selected group that are not assigned to one of the multiple passengers.

15. The process of claim 1, further comprising assigning weights that contribute to a total weighting score based on whether an accommodation that was previously occupied on a first segment of a journey can be reassigned on a second segment of the journey.

16. The process of claim 1, further comprising assigning weights that contribute to an accommodation'"'"'s total weighting score based on whether passengers assigned to surrounding accommodations are scheduled to arrive or depart at substantially the same time.

17. The process of claim 1, further comprising assigning weights that contribute to an accommodation'"'"'s total weighting score based whether a section or car of the travel conveyance is occupied.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein a portion of the digital accommodation criteria is specified by the passenger.

19. A computer-implemented process comprising:

aggregating individual accommodations offered on a travel conveyance into accommodation groups;

assigning, by one or more processors, to each accommodation group, a plurality of group properties that specify characteristics of some of the individual accommodations included in the accommodation group;

digitally receiving accommodation criteria for an accommodation assignment requested for a passenger;

assigning, by one or more processors, weights to the group properties based on a comparison between the group properties and the received accommodation properties;

identifying a particular accommodation group having group properties that correspond to at least a portion of the received criteria based, at least in part, on the assigned weights;

comparing the received criteria to properties of individual accommodations within the particular accommodation group; and

outputting, based on the comparison, the requested accommodation assignment comprising an individual accommodation selected from the particular accommodation group.

20. A system comprising:

a data store storing accommodation properties that specify characteristics of accommodations offered on a travel conveyance, wherein a first portion of the accommodation properties are base properties and a second portion of the accommodation properties are derivation properties derived from the base properties during execution of a software program configured to access the accommodation properties;

a weight assigning module to assign weights to the accommodations based on a comparison between the accommodation properties and accommodation criteria received as part of an accommodation assignment request for a passenger;

a sorting module to order the accommodations based on the accommodations'"'"' assigned weights; and

an interface to output the requested accommodation assignment comprising a particular accommodation selected based on a position of the particular accommodation within the ordered accommodations.