Method and system for an automated trip planner

• US 7,925,540 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Gilligan, Geff, Chen, Jerome, Mah, Anson, McEvoy, Mike, GaBany, Jay, Hernandez, Rick, Handel, Sean, Orttung, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart; Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYLES, ASHFORD S
• Application Number:
  US10/966,561
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/1, 705/52
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• 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 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A method and system to offer a service to a user based on a profile of the user, in response to an identification of an event. In one embodiment, the service includes offering a travel itinerary. In one embodiment, the profile of the user is based on previously obtained data. In one embodiment, the offering is performed automatically in response to the identification of the event and user. In one embodiment, the offering of the itinerary to the user based on the profile of the user comprises accessing data from at least one of a preference database and a contextual content database. The offering of the itinerary may comprise offering at least one of travel times for the user traveling to a selected area, ground transportation for the user arriving at a selected area, and costs for multiple modes of transportation. In one embodiment, the offering of the service is based in part on one of a type of service, a location, and a partner.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

in response to an identification of a user and an event attended by at least the user, automatically offering, via a computing device, a travel itinerary comprising at least one service to the user based on;

an electronic profile of the user, the profile including historical travel data of the user and known user preferences of the user from a first database; and

contextual information from a second database different from the first database, the second database not containing profile information, the travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, the contextual information unrelated to the profile information, travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, wherein the contextual information comprises;

historical travel patterns for a plurality of destinations, ground transportation options at a plurality of airports, costs for the ground transportation options at each of the plurality of airports, transportation, Wi-Fi hot spots, the existence of rental services at the plurality of airports, and information relating to availability of electronic communications at a plurality of locations, and

providing the services on a personal calendar of the user, the providing the services including;

calendaring time segments on the calendar for one or more segments of a trip; and

identifying, on the calendar, communication options for different segments of the trip, the communication options indicating a plurality of modes of communication preferred by the user based on availability of the user and the contextual information during each of the different segments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user is based on previously obtained data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user is based on prior travel of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile of the user is based on preferences previously provided by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering of the itinerary is provided in response to accessing a service procurement system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering of the itinerary comprises offering at least one of travel times for the user traveling to a selected area, ground transportation for the user arriving at a selected area, and costs for multiple modes of transportation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the offering of the itinerary includes offering network access for the user based on the profile of the user and availability of network access for the itinerary.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering of the at least one service based in part on one of a type of service, a location, and a partner.

9. The method of claim 1, further including a personal preference unit obtaining personal preferences from the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further including an interactive change monitor tracking the user and updating the personal preference database of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further including a personal preferences editor providing a view to modify preferences of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering of the travel itinerary response to the identification of the event further includes offering of the travel itinerary in response to identification of a location, time of day, time of year, customer, and country.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering of the services includes inviting at least a second user to attend the event.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the inviting the second user includes determining if the second user will attend the event in person or virtually.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining if the second user will attend the event virtually includes determining if the second user will attend via one of audio, web, or video conferencing, and scheduling the virtual attendance of the second user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modes includes email and phone.

17. The method of claim 1, further including automated updated service offerings in response to secondary events.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information further comprising information relating to availability of electronic communications additionally comprises a plurality of locations, and information relating to the availability of electronic communications on a plurality of common carrier transportation providers, wherein such contextual information is used in identifying the communication options for the different segments of the trip.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the contextual information relating to the availability of electronic communications on a plurality of common carrier transportation providers includes rules of at least one company regarding use of such electronic communications.

22. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of:

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of trip template types from the user, wherein the selected template type is used to create the travel itinerary.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the user and the event are automatically identified in the personal calendar of the user.

24. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional steps of:

receiving notification of a change to at least one of the time segments on the calendar; and

changing at least one of the services on the travel itinerary in accordance with the change to the at least one of the time segments on the calendar.

18. A machine readable medium embodied in an article of manufacture having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed by a machine, perform a method comprising:

in response to an identification of a user and an event attended by at least the user, automatically offering, via a computing device, a travel itinerary comprising at least one service to the user based on;

an electronic profile of the user, the profile including historical travel data of the user and known user preferences of the user from a first database; and

contextual information from a second database different from the first database, the second database not containing profile information, the travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, the contextual information unrelated to the profile information, travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, wherein the contextual information comprises;

historical travel patterns for a plurality of destinations, ground transportation options at a plurality of airports, costs for the ground transportation options at each of the plurality of airports, transportation, Wi-Fi hot spots, the existence of rental services at the plurality of airports, and information relating to availability of electronic communications at a plurality of locations, and

providing the services on a personal calendar of the user, the providing the services including;

calendaring time segments on the calendar for one or more segments of a trip; and

identifying, on the calendar, communication options for different segments of the trip, the communication options indicating a plurality of modes of communication preferred by the user based on availability of the user and the contextual information during each of the different segments.

19. A computer system comprising:

in response to an identification of a user and an event attended by at least the user, automatically offering, via a computing device, a travel itinerary comprising at least one service to the user based on;

an electronic profile of the user, the profile including historical travel data of the user and known user preferences of the user from a first database; and

contextual information from a second database different from the first database, the second database not containing profile information, the travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, the contextual information unrelated to the profile information, travel data, and the known user preferences of the user, wherein the contextual information comprises;

historical travel patterns for a plurality of destinations, ground transportation options at a plurality of airports, costs for the ground transportation options at each of the plurality of airports, transportation, Wi-Fi hot spots, the existence of rental services at the plurality of airports, and information relating to availability of electronic communications at a plurality of locations, and

providing the services on a personal calendar of the user, the providing the services including;

calendaring time segments on the calendar for one or more segments of a trip; and

identifying, on the calendar, communication options for different segments of the trip, the communication options indicating a plurality of modes of communication preferred by the user based on availability of the user and the contextual information during each of the different segments.