Apparatus, method and system for demand reporting and affectation

• US 8,082,182 B1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Priceline.com LLC (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Priceline Com Incorporated (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Majeed, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US11/677,518
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for dynamic demand monitoring and/or affectation uniquely allows a provider to access, utilize and/or integrate demand setting, reporting, and updating into a commerce system. In one non-limiting example embodiment, the present disclosure teaches a facility that responds to a user'"'"'s selection of criteria in a user interface and dynamically constructs queries that will select information collected in a commerce database and generate reports of demand for goods or services based on the user'"'"'s selections. The present disclosure also teaches how reported demand levels may be used to change current levels of demand to desired demand levels specified by a user. Furthermore, the present disclosure teaches how to create and utilize a cache of rejected CPOs. As a result, a provider may affect demand for their provisions to desired levels and both providers and consumers may benefit from a better balance of price levels with demand. Also, providers and consumers may benefit from executions of transactions that may otherwise expire upon initial processing.

Claims

1. A method of using a computer system to generate reports, comprising:

populating a database with collected commerce information, said collected commerce information including conditional purchase offers submitted by buyers, said conditional purchase offers including,

buyer-specified offer prices for goods or services, for use as a basis for determining levels of demand for the goods or services;

receiving a request specifying criteria for selecting collected commerce information, said criteria generated from a user'"'"'s selections made within a user interface and including at least one goods or services parameter value and at least one demand level computed item selection;

selecting demand information from collected commerce information based on the user'"'"'s selections;

calculating by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the demand information; and

generating a report of the demand information for the goods or services based on the user'"'"'s selections, wherein the demand information includes current demand levels for the goods or services and the demand level computed value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one demand level computed item includes at least one of the following:

total passengers, revenue passenger miles, available seat miles, facilitator load factor, stage length, segment yield, segment revenue ASM, and average fare.

3. A demand report generating processor-implemented method, comprising:

receiving at least one goods or services parameter value;

receiving at least one demand level computed item selection;

building a query statement based on the at least one goods or services parameter value and the at least one demand level computed item selection;

querying a commercial information database with the query statement to retrieve requested demand information, wherein the commercial information database comprises conditional purchase offers submitted by buyers, said conditional purchase offers including buyer-specified offer prices for goods or services;

calculating by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the requested demand information;

generating a demand report comprising the demand level computed value; and

providing the demand report for display.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving at least one report generation format selection; and

configuring the demand report in accordance with the at least one report generation format selection.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the requested demand information comprises at least one conditional purchase offer.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one goods or services parameter value corresponds to at least one air travel parameter.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand level computed value is based on a number of tickets requested.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand level computed value is based on a segment distance.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand level computed value is based on an offer price.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand level computed value comprises a segment yield, and wherein the segment yield is given by:

Segment Yield=Sum of (Offer Price*Number of Tickets)/Sum of (Number of Tickets*Segment Distance).

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a desired demand level computed value corresponding to the demand level computed item selection;

comparing the desired demand level computed value with the calculated demand level computed value; and

determining a strike price adjustment for a provision associated with the at least one goods or services parameter value based on the comparing.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the provision comprises a travel product.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting the strike price based on the determined strike price adjustment.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the strike price adjustment comprises a strike price reduction when the desired demand level computed value is higher than the calculated demand level computed value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the strike price adjustment comprises a strike price increase when the desired demand level computed value is lower than the calculated demand level computed value.

16. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand report further comprises the at least one goods or services parameter value.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein the commercial information database comprises a demand information database.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one demand level computed item includes at least one of the following:

total passengers, revenue passenger miles, available seat miles, facilitator load factor, stage length, segment yield, segment revenue ASM, and average fare.

19. A demand report generating processor-implemented method, comprising:

providing a demand report generation interface including a plurality of report generation limiter specification input elements and a plurality of demand level computed item selection elements,

wherein the plurality of report limiter specification input elements include;

a travel date range input element,

a travel region selection input element,

a market specification input element,

a top passenger segment selection input element,

an aircraft type selection input element,

an origin selection input element,

a destination selection input element,

an airline carrier selection input element,

a flight number selection input element,

a service class selection input element, and

a flight time selection input element,

and wherein the plurality of demand level computed item selection elements include;

a total passengers selection element,

a revenue passenger miles selection element,

an available seat mile selection element,

a facilitator load factor selection element,

a stage length selection element,

a segment yield selection element,

a segment revenue available seat mile selection element, and

an average fare selection element;

receiving at least one goods or services parameter value via inputs to at least one of the plurality of report generation limiter specification input elements in the demand report generation interface;

receiving at least one demand level computed item selection via selection of at least one of the plurality of demand level computed item selection elements in the demand report generation interface;

receiving a target demand level value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection;

building a query statement based on the at least one goods or services parameter value and the at least one demand level computed item selection;

querying a demand information database, comprising a plurality of conditional purchase offer records, with the query statement to retrieve requested demand information;

calculating by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the requested demand information;

generating a demand report comprising the demand level computed value;

providing the demand report for display;

comparing the demand level computed value with the target demand level value; and

adjusting a strike price for at least one provision corresponding to the at least one goods or services parameter value based on the comparing.

20. A demand report generating processor-implemented system, comprising:

means for receiving at least one goods or services parameter value;

means for receiving at least one demand level computed item selection;

means for building a query statement based on the at least one goods or services parameter value and the at least one demand level computed item selection;

means for querying a commercial information database with the query statement to retrieve requested demand information, wherein the commercial information database comprises conditional purchase offers submitted by buyers, said conditional purchase offers including buyer-specified offer prices for goods or services;

means for calculating by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the requested demand information;

means for generating a demand report comprising the demand level computed value; and

means for providing the demand report for display.

21. A demand report generating apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with the memory and configured to issue a plurality of processing instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor issues instructions to;

receive at least one goods or services parameter value;

receive at least one demand level computed item selection;

build a query statement based on the at least one goods or services parameter value and the at least one demand level computed item selection;

query a commercial information database, wherein the commercial information database comprises conditional purchase offers submitted by buyers, said conditional purchase offers including buyer-specified offer prices for goods or services, with the query statement to retrieve requested demand information;

calculate by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the requested demand information;

generate a demand report comprising the demand level computed value; and

provide the demand report for display.

22. A demand report generating computer readable medium storing a plurality of processing instructions in the computer readable medium, and when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

receive at least one goods or services parameter value;

receive at least one demand level computed item selection;

build a query statement based on the at least one goods or services parameter value and the at least one demand level computed item selection;

query a commercial information database with the query statement to retrieve requested demand information, wherein the commercial information database comprises conditional purchase offers submitted by buyers, said conditional purchase offers including buyer-specified offer prices for goods or services;

calculate by a processor a demand level computed value corresponding to the at least one demand level computed item selection based on the requested demand information;

generate a demand report comprising the demand level computed value; and

provide the demand report for display.