System and method for integrated travel and expense management

• US 8,140,361 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Fredericks, Michael, Dunnick, Joseph, Gorodnichev, Valery, Armstrong, Jeannine
• Primary Examiner(s): KELLEY, HEIDI RIVIERE
• Application Number:
  US12/755,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/14.32, 705/14.47, 705/6, 705/3, 705/5, 340/4.6
• US Class Current: 705/6
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for integrating travel and expense management. The present invention enables an entity to integrate not only data that matches exactly, but also determine the likelihood that data that does not match exactly nevertheless corresponds to each other. The system comprises: a network; at least one terminal coupled to the network; and at least one server coupled to the network. The server comprises a program that includes: retrieving travel data records corresponding to travel requests; retrieving expense data records reflecting expense transactions; comparing the expense data records to the travel data records; and determining a likelihood that the expense data records match the travel data records.

Claims

1. A computerized method for integrating travel and expense information, comprising:

receiving, by a server module, travel request data and/or travel reservation data corresponding to a travel event type, the request and/or reservation data further including travel request and/or reservation attributes;

generating, by the server module, a travel request record, wherein the travel record includes the travel request and/or travel reservation information;

receiving from a plurality of sources, by the server module, travel expense transaction data, the travel expense transaction data further comprising an expense transaction attribute;

generating, by the server module, a travel expense transaction record, wherein the travel expense transaction record comprises the expense transaction data;

designating, by a matching module, an attribute included in the expense transaction record for comparison to a corresponding attribute included in the travel request record;

retrieving, by the matching module, pre-determined matching criteria corresponding to the travel event type and to the designated expense transaction attribute;

comparing, by the matching module, the expense transaction attribute to any corresponding request attribute using the pre-determined matching criteria and determining an initial matching score based on the comparison;

iteratively repeating the comparisons for each attribute included in the expense transaction record and the travel request record to produce an adjusted matching score;

determining, by the matching module, whether the total matching score exceeds a first pre-determined threshold defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type and the travel request attribute;

designating, by the matching module, the expense transaction record and the travel request record as a positive match when the total matching score is above the first threshold;

determining, by the matching module, whether the total matching score does not exceed the first pre-determined threshold defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type, but does exceed a second pre-determined threshold, the second pre-determined threshold also defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type; and

designating, by the matching module, the expense transaction record and the travel request record as a possible match when the total matching score does not exceed the first pre-determined threshold but is above the second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel expense transaction data comprises:

merchant information;

purchase date information;

date of travel information;

cost information;

a travel event type;

credit card data;

transaction data obtained directly from a travel vendor;

trusted receipts obtained directly from a travel vendor;

or data manually entered into an expense reporting application;

or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel event type comprises:

air travel;

rental transportation;

limousine service;

a travel agent feed;

hotel;

train service;

or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the server module, a purchaser who generated the expense receipt record.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifying the purchaser comprises:

reading personal identification information from the travel expense transaction data;

matching credit card information contained in the travel expense transaction data to a database associating credit card information with individual purchasers;

or matching frequent traveler account information contained in the travel expense transaction data to a database associating frequent traveler account information with individual travelers;

or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel request data and/or the travel reservation data and/or the travel expense transaction data is limited to a specific traveler.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an entity is able to track:

consumption of travel data requests in order to estimate expenses that will be submitted in the future;

travel request records not reserved through an entity'"'"'s travel management system;

compliance of outside entities to contractual agreements;

compliance of travel policies of employees;

duplicate submission of one expense;

duplicate payment of one expense;

or appropriate amount of travel costs;

or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel request record and/or the travel expense transaction record can be provided manually and/or electronically.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server module, additional travel expense transaction data including expense attributes;

comparing, by the matching module, the expense attributes to the partially completed expense report or the finalized expense report, to determine a matching score;

flagging the expense transaction data as a potentially duplicate transaction data when the matching comparisons determine a positive match between the additional expense transaction data and data included in an expense report designated as a finalized expense report; and

importing the additional expense transaction data into a partially completed expense report when the matching comparisons determine a positive match between the additional expense transaction data and data included in the report designated as partially completed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel request and/or reservation attributes comprise:

a travel event time, a travel event type, an identifier for a travel vendor, a frequent traveler affinity program code, cost information for a travel event, ticket number information for the travel event, confirmation number information for the travel event, an identifier representing the traveler, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation on the user interface to the user further comprises selectable options to designate the in-progress expense report as a finalized expense report or to designate the in-progress expense report as a partially completed expense report.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the client module, a user selection designating the in-progress expense report as either partially completed or finalized;

retaining the in-progress expense report, designated by the user as either partially completed or finalized, in the expense report database for further comparison to subsequently received expense transaction data.

13. A computerized system for integrating travel and expense information, comprising:

a processor configured for;

receiving, travel request data and/or travel reservation data corresponding to a travel event type, the request and/or reservation data further including travel request and/or reservation attributes;

generating, a travel request record, wherein the travel record includes the travel request and/or travel reservation information;

receiving from a plurality of sources, travel expense transaction data, the travel expense transaction data further comprising an expense transaction attribute;

generating a travel expense transaction record, wherein the travel expense transaction record comprises the expense transaction data;

designating an attribute included in the expense transaction record for comparison to a corresponding attribute included in the travel request record;

retrieving pre-determined matching criteria corresponding to the travel event type and to the designated expense transaction attribute;

comparing the expense transaction attribute to any corresponding request attribute using the pre-determined matching criteria and determining an initial matching score based on the comparison;

iteratively repeating the comparisons for each attribute included in the expense transaction record and the travel request record to produce an adjusted matching score;

determining whether the total matching score exceeds a first pre-determined threshold defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type and the travel request attribute;

designating the expense transaction record and the travel request record as a positive match when the total matching score is above the first threshold;

determining whether the total matching score does not exceed the first pre-determined threshold defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type, but does exceed a second pre-determined threshold, the second pre-determined threshold also defined by the pre-determined matching criteria for the travel event type; and

designating the expense transaction record and the travel request record as a possible match when the total matching score does not exceed the first pre-determined threshold but is above the second threshold.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel expense transaction data comprises:

merchant information;

purchase date information;

date of travel information;

cost information;

a travel event type;

credit card data;

transaction data obtained directly from a travel vendor;

trusted receipts obtained directly from a travel vendor;

or data manually entered into an expense reporting application;

or any combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel event type comprises:

air travel;

rental transportation;

limousine service;

a travel agent feed;

hotel;

train service;

or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying a purchaser who generated the expense receipt record.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the identifying the purchaser comprises:

reading personal identification information from the travel expense transaction data;

matching credit card information contained in the travel expense transaction data to a database associating credit card information with individual purchasers;

or matching frequent traveler account information contained in the travel expense transaction data to a database associating frequent traveler account information with individual travelers;

or any combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel request data and/or the travel reservation data and/or the travel expense transaction data is limited to a specific traveler.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein an entity is able to track:

consumption of travel data requests in order to estimate expenses that will be submitted in the future;

travel request records not reserved through an entity'"'"'s travel management system;

compliance of outside entities to contractual agreements;

compliance of travel policies of employees;

duplicate submission of one expense;

duplicate payment of one expense;

or appropriate amount of travel costs;

or any combination thereof.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel request record and/or the travel expense transaction record can be provided manually and/or electronically.

21. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving additional travel expense transaction data including expense attributes;

comparing the expense attributes to the partially completed expense report or the finalized expense report, to determine a matching score;

flagging the expense transaction data as a potentially duplicate transaction data when the matching comparisons determine a positive match between the additional expense transaction data and data included in an expense report designated as a finalized expense report; and

importing the additional expense transaction data into a partially completed expense report when the matching comparisons determine a positive match between the additional expense transaction data and data included in the report designated as partially completed.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel request and/or reservation attributes comprise:

a travel event time, a travel event type, an identifier for a travel vendor, a frequent traveler affinity program code, cost information for a travel event, ticket number information for the travel event, confirmation number information for the travel event, an identifier representing the traveler, or any combination thereof.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the presentation on the user interface to the user further comprises selectable options to designate the in-progress expense report as a finalized expense report or to designate the in-progress expense report as a partially completed expense report.

24. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a user selection designating the in-progress expense report as either partially completed or finalized;

retaining the in-progress expense report, designated by the user as either partially completed or finalized, in the expense report database for further comparison to subsequently received expense transaction data.