Booking method and system

• US 8,050,664 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: Salonen, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/980,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20080064379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/414.1, 455/417, 455/445, 455/466, 455/424, 705/5, 705/1, 705/6, 709/206, 709/204
• US Class Current: 455/417
• 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 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3255 using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/37 E-mail addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 : Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 : Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for booking a reservation in a booking system and synchronizing bookings in several booking systems comprising at least one booking systems; at least one service provider; a mediator service; a client, and at least one client terminal device that can be a mobile device and that includes a dialogue. In addition, the system comprises telecommunication connections that are used to connect the booking systems, the service providers, the mediator, and the client terminal device. The client uses the dialogue to enter information into the system. There mediator gets inquiries and answers from booking systems, service providers, and dialogues, and transfers and adapts information between them.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

at least one mobile device; and

mediating means arranged to provide an interface between said at least one mobile device and at least one application on a communications network,

wherein the mediating means is adapted to send messages and to receive messages at a plurality of predetermined addresses,

the mediating means being further arranged to send a message to the mobile device by selecting an available compatible address from said plurality of predetermined addresses, preparing a message comprising the selected address as the sender'"'"'s address, and sending the prepared message to the mobile device,

the mediating means being further adapted to receive a reply message from the mobile device at one of said plurality of predetermined addresses and to identify the sent message to which the reply message corresponds from the selected address at which the reply message is received and the mobile device'"'"'s address contained in the received reply message,

wherein the mediating means is arranged to store received reply messages in a matrix having a first axis corresponding to the mobile device address of the mobile device sending the reply message and a second axis corresponding to the selected address at which the reply message is received, and

wherein each of the plurality of predetermined addresses which are compatible with a device are available for selection unless previously used with said device.

2. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile device is provided with a reply function and is adapted to send the reply message using the reply function.

3. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mediating means is arranged to select said one of the predetermined addresses from said plurality of predetermined addresses at random.

4. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mediating means is adapted to send a plurality of messages to the mobile device, and to select a different one of said plurality of predetermined addresses for each of said plurality of messages.

5. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mediating means is adapted to keep track of the predetermined addresses previously selected for messages sent to the mobile device, and to select one of the predetermined addresses for a next message to the mobile device from those predetermined addresses currently available.

6. A communications system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the mediating means is adapted to select the address for the next message at random from, those currently available.

7. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, comprising a plurality of mobile devices, each having a respective address, and wherein the mediating means is adapted to send said messages to each of said mobile devices.

8. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said messages are SMS short messages.

9. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mediating means comprises a network server.

10. A communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is a short message.

11. A communications system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages is an e-mail.

12. Mediating means for providing an interface between a mobile device, having an address and being adapted to receive short messages at said address and to send short messages, and at least one application on a communications network, the mediating means being adapted to send short messages and to receive short messages at a plurality of predetermined addresses, the mediating means being further adapted to send a short message to the mobile device by selecting one of the predetermined addresses from said plurality of predetermined addresses which are available, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined addresses are available for selection unless previously used with said device, preparing a short message comprising the selected address as the sender'"'"'s address, and sending the prepared short message to the mobile device, the mediating means being further adapted to receive a reply short message from a mobile device at one of said plurality of predetermined addresses and to identify the sent message to which the reply message corresponds from the selected address at which the reply message is received and the mobile device'"'"'s address contained in the received reply message.

13. A method of managing asynchronous short message communication with a mobile device having an address and being adapted to receive messages at said address and to send messages, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of predetermined addresses at which messages can be received from the mobile device;

selecting one of the predetermined addresses from said plurality of predetermined addresses which are available, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined addresses which are compatible with a device are available for selection unless previously used with said mobile device;

preparing a message comprising the selected address as the sender'"'"'s address;

sending the prepared message to the mobile device;

receiving a reply message from the mobile device at one of said plurality of predetermined addresses; and

identifying the sent message to which the reply message corresponds from the selected address at which the reply message is received and the mobile device'"'"'s address contained in the received reply message,

wherein the received reply messages are stored in a matrix having a first axis corresponding to the mobile device address of the mobile device sending the reply message and a second axis corresponding to the selected address at which the reply message is received.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising providing mediating means for interfacing between the mobile device and at least one application on a communications network, wherein the mediating means is adapted to send messages and to receive messages at said plurality of predetermined addresses, and the mediating means is arranged to perform the steps of:

selecting one of the predetermined addresses, preparing the message, sending the prepared message, receiving the reply message, and identifying the sent message to which the reply message corresponds.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the mobile device is provided with a reply function and sending the reply message comprises using the reply function.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said selecting comprises selecting one of the predetermined addresses from the plurality of predetermined addresses at random.

17. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising sending a plurality of messages to the mobile device, and selecting a different one of said plurality of predetermined addresses for each of said plurality of messages.

18. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising keeping track of the predetermined addresses previously selected for messages sent to the mobile device, and selecting one of the predetermined addresses for a next message to the mobile device from those predetermined addresses currently available.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, comprising selecting the address for the next message at random from those currently available.

20. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising sending messages to a plurality of said mobile devices, each having a respective address.

21. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising storing received reply messages in a matrix having a first axis corresponding to the mobile device address of the mobile device sending the reply message and a second axis corresponding to the selected address at which the reply message is received.

22. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said messages are SMS messages.

23. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising sending said messages using the Short Message Service (SMS).

24. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising authenticating a client using the mobile device when a reply message from the mobile device is received at the selected address contained in a prepared message sent to the mobile device.

25. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the message is a short message.

26. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein at least one of the messages is an e-mail.