System and method for automatic review of travel changes and improved suggestions and rules set

• US 7,966,213 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Messa, Suzette, Orttung, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US11/549,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/5, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/7.37
• 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 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method that can be performed on a system, is provided for automatic review of travel changes and improved suggestions and rules set. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating an aggregate of travel history data based on one or more travelers, the data including changes made to travel selections of an itinerary following an initial purchase of the travel selections; receiving a request for travel options in relation to a requested travel itinerary; and generating a first set of travel options for the requested travel itinerary, based at least in part on the aggregate of travel history data, the first set of travel options to result in a cost lower than a second set of travel options, if changes are made to selected travel options of the requested travel itinerary following an initial purchase of the selected travel options.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, via a computer system, an aggregate of travel history data based on one or more travelers, the data including changes made to travel selections of an itinerary following an initial purchase of the travel selections;

receiving a request for travel options in relation to a requested travel itinerary; and

generating a first set of travel options for the requested travel itinerary based on a determination using the aggregate of travel history data that changes made to selected travel options of the requested travel itinerary following an initial purchase of the selected travel options cause the first set of travel options to result in a cost lower than a second set of travel options;

wherein the generating the first set of travel options further comprises generating the first set of travel options based, at least in part, on one or more external events occurring along a travel route or at an accommodation of the requested travel itinerary.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate of travel history data includes travel history data for a traveler of the requested travel itinerary.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the aggregate of travel history data further comprises performing a post travel analysis to determine whether one of penalties or fees invoked by travel changes could have been less had separate selected travel options been purchased.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first set of travel options further comprises generating the first set of travel options based, at least in part, on one or more events comprising events related to a schedule of a traveler during the requested travel itinerary, events related to a first entity, events related to scheduled destinations of the requested itinerary, and events related to a second entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is based at least in part on events related to the first entity, and the first entity is an employer of the traveler having requested the first set of travel options.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is based at least in part on events related to the second entity, and the second entity is an entity located at a destination of the requested travel itinerary.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the traveler has a scheduled meeting with the second entity during the requested travel itinerary.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is further based on a set of one or more attributes comprising an identified purpose of the travel, identified individuals related to the travel, an origin or destination of the travel, a time period of the travel, and a calendar of a traveler of the requested itinerary.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of travel options includes multiple sets of rate and restrictions for one of the travel options of the first set of travel options.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed perform a method comprising:

generating an aggregate of travel history data based on one or more travelers, the data including changes made to travel selections of an itinerary following an initial purchase of the travel selections;

receiving a request for travel options in relation to a requested travel itinerary; and

generating a first set of travel options for the requested travel itinerary based on a determination using the aggregate of travel history data that changes made to selected travel options of the requested travel itinerary following an initial purchase of the selected travel options cause the first set of travel options to result in a cost lower than a second set of travel options.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the aggregate of travel history data includes travel history data for a traveler of the requested travel itinerary.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the generating the aggregate of travel history data further comprises performing a post travel analysis to determine whether one of penalties or fees invoked by travel changes could have been less had separate selected travel options been purchased.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the generating the first set of travel options further comprises generating the first set of travel options based, at least in part, on one or more events related to the requested travel itinerary.

14. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the generating the first set of travel options further comprises generating the first set of travel options based, at least in part, on one or more of events comprising events related to a schedule of a traveler during the requested travel itinerary, events related to a first entity, events related to scheduled destinations of the requested itinerary, and events related to a second entity.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is based at least in part on events related to the first entity, and the first entity is an employer of the traveler having requested the first set of travel options.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is based at least in part on events related to the second entity, and the second entity is an entity located at a destination of the requested travel itinerary.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the traveler has a scheduled meeting with the second entity during the requested travel itinerary.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the generating the first set of travel options is further based on a set of one or more attributes comprising an identified purpose of the travel, identified individuals related to the travel, an origin or destination of the travel, a time period of the travel, and a calendar of a traveler of the requested itinerary.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first set of travel options includes multiple sets of rates and restrictions for one of the travel options of the first set of travel options.