System and method for changing a personal profile or context during a transaction

• US 7,941,374 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Mihic, Matthew, Mortimore, William Charles Jr., Handel, Sean, Orttung, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Felton; Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaikh; Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US11/478,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 42, 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/40
• 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A method for changing a personal profile or context during a transaction, is described. In one embodiment, the method is to be implemented on a system. In one embodiment the method comprises receiving travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile; receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile; and billing for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, over a network, travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile stored on a computer readable medium corresponding to professional data of a first user;

after receiving the assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to the first profile corresponding to the professional data of the first user, receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary, via the computing device, over the network;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile stored on the computer readable medium different from the first profile, the second profile corresponding to personal data of the first user, the personal data different from the professional data; and

billing, using the computing device, for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile;

wherein the first profile includes data about a corporate policy of an employer of the first user, and the second profile includes data about a family member of the first user; and

wherein the first and second profiles each include profile information including unique credit card account information, predetermined service preferences, loyalty program information, and a predetermined level of fare to be booked.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the computing device, over the network, travel selections for a third leg of the itinerary;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the third leg to the first profile; and

billing, using the computing device, for the first, second, and third legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first and third legs of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile; and

billing, using the computing device, for the first, second, and third legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first and third legs of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second legs of the itinerary include one or more of a flight reservation, a hotel reservation, and a vehicle rental reservation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined level of fare to be booked includes a level of fare selected from a group comprising two or more of first class, business class, coach class, economy class, and unrestricted.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first profile and the second profile are selected sequentially.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein payment information of the first profile corresponds to an organization separate from the first user, and payment information of the second profile corresponds to the first user.

7. A non-transitory tangible machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving, via the computing device, over a network, travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile stored on a computer readable medium corresponding to professional data about a first user;

after receiving the assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to the first profile corresponding to the professional data of the first user, receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary, via the computing device, over the network;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile stored on the computer readable medium different from the first profile, the second profile corresponding to personal data of the first user, the personal data different from the professional data; and

billing, using the computing device, for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile;

wherein the first profile includes data about a corporate policy of an employer of the first user, and the second profile includes data about a family member of the first user; and

wherein the first and second profiles each include profile information including unique credit card account information, predetermined service preferences, loyalty program information, and a predetermined level of fare to be booked.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, via the computing device, over the network, travel selections for a third leg of the itinerary;

receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the third leg to the first profile; and

billing, using the computing device, for the first, second, and third legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first and third legs of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first and second legs of the itinerary include one or more of a flight reservation, a hotel reservation, and a vehicle rental reservation.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the predetermined level of fare to be booked includes a level of fare selected from a group comprising two or more of first class, business class, coach class, economy class, and unrestricted.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first profile and the second profile are selected sequentially.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein payment information of the first profile corresponds to an organization separate from the first user, and payment information of the second profile corresponds to the first user.

13. A computer system comprising:

means for receiving, over a network, travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary, and for receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary;

means for receiving, over the network, an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile stored on a computer readable medium corresponding to professional data of a first user and an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile stored on the computer readable medium different from the first profile, the second profile corresponding to personal data of the first user, the personal data different from the professional data; and

means for billing for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile;

wherein the first profile includes data about a corporate policy of an employer of the first user, and the second profile includes data about a family member of the first user, and wherein the travel selections for the second leg of the itinerary are received after the assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to the first profile is received; and

wherein the first and second profiles each include profile information including unique credit card account information, predetermined service preferences, loyalty program information, and a predetermined level of fare to be booked.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the means for receiving the travel selections further includes means for receiving travel selections for a third leg of an itinerary over the network;

the means for receiving the assignments further includes means for receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the third leg to the first profile over the network; and

the means for billing further includes means for billing for the first, second, and third legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and means for billing the first and third legs of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein payment information of the first profile corresponds to an organization separate from the first user, and payment information of the second profile corresponds to the first user.