Predicting future travel based on a user's historical financial institution transaction data and providing offers based on the predicted future travel

• US 8,694,456 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Grigg, David M., Calman, Matthew A., Bose, Raja, Ross, Erik Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Misir, Dave
• Application Number:
  US13/213,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and computer-program products are described for providing travel-location merchant offers to users who are determined to be travelling based on Point-Of-Sale (POS) transaction data. Embodiments of the invention compare the location of the POS transaction to the user'"'"'s domicile location and if the transaction occurs a predetermined distance or greater from the domicile location, the user is determined to be travelling. Once the travelling determination is made, travel-location merchant offers are identified and communicated to the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing travel-related information to a predicted traveler, the method comprising:

retrieving, via a computing device processor, a user'"'"'s historical financial institution transaction data including historical travel data comprising one or more travel locations and associated travel dates;

predicting, via a computing device processor, a future travel comprising a date, a travel destination, and travel-related activities associated with the predicted future travel destination for the user based on the historical travel data, wherein the future travel destination is predicted based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of previous travels by the user to the future travel destination, and wherein the predetermined number is greater than or equal to two;

identifying, via a computing device processor, travel-related information associated with the predicted future travel date, the predicted future travel destination and the travel-related activities; and

communicating, via a computing device, the travel-related information to the user proximate in time to the predicted travel date.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting future travel further comprises predicting, via the computing device processor, the future travel based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of travels occurring over a predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting future travel further comprises identifying, via the computing device processor, travel patterns in the historical travel data and predicting, via the computing device processor, the future travel based on the identified travel patterns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying further comprises identifying, via the computing device, the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is related to one or more alternate destinations similar to the future travel destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the future travel further comprises predicting, via the computing device processor, at least one of a brand or type of transportation, a brand or type of lodging or a brand or type of dining for the future travel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying further comprises identifying, via the computing device, the travel-related information associated with the brand or type of transportation, the brand or type of lodging or the brand or type of dining.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying further comprises identifying, via the computing device, the travel-related information associated with an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of transportation, an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of lodging or an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of dining.

8. An apparatus configured for providing travel-related information to a predicted traveler, the apparatus comprising:

a computing platform including a memory and at least one processor in communication with the memory;

a travel prediction module stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to retrieve a user'"'"'s historical financial institution transaction data including historical travel data comprising one or more travel locations and associated travel dates and predict future travel comprising a date, a travel destination, and travel-related activities associated with the predicted future travel destination for the user based on the historical travel data, wherein the future travel destination is predicted based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of previous travels by the user to the future travel destination, and wherein the predetermined number is greater than or equal to two; and

a travel information module stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to identify travel-related information associated with the predicted future travel date, the predicted future travel destination and the travel-related activities and initiate communication of the travel-related information to the user proximate in time to the predicted travel date.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the travel prediction module is further configured to predict the future travel based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of travels occurring over a predetermined time period.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the travel prediction module is further configured to identify travel patterns in the historical travel data and predict the future travel based on the identified travel patterns.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the travel information module is further configured to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is related to one or more alternate destinations similar to the travel destination.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the travel prediction module is further configured to predict at least one of a brand or type of transportation, a brand or type of lodging or a brand or type of dining for the future travel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the travel information module is further configured to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is associated with the brand or the type of transportation, the brand or the type of lodging or the brand or the type of dining.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the travel information module is further configured to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is associated with an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of transportation, an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of lodging or an alternate brand or type to the brand or type of dining.

15. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the medium comprising:

a first set of codes for causing a computer to retrieve a user'"'"'s historical financial institution transaction data including historical travel data comprising one or more travel locations and associated travel dates;

a second set of codes for causing a computer to predict future travel comprising a date, a travel destination, and travel-related activities associated with the predicted future travel destination for the user based on the historical travel data, wherein the future travel destination is predicted based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of previous travels by the user to the future travel destination, and wherein the predetermined number is greater than or equal to two;

a third set of codes for causing a computer to identify travel-related information associated with the predicted future travel date, the predicted future travel destination and the travel-related activities; and

a fourth set of codes for causing a computer to initiate communication of the travel-related information to the user proximate in time to the predicted travel date.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to predict the future travel based on the historical travel data indicating a predetermined number of travels occurring over a predetermined time period.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify travel patterns in the historical travel data and predict the future travel based on the identified travel patterns.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is related to one or more alternate destinations similar to the travel destination.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to predict at least one of a brand or a type of transportation, a brand or a type of lodging or a brand or a type of dining for the future travel.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is associated with the brand or the type of transportation, the brand or the type of lodging or the brand or the type of dining.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the third set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to identify the travel-related information, wherein the travel-related information is associated with an alternate brand or type to the brand or the type of transportation, an alternate brand or type to the brand or the type of lodging or an alternate brand or type to the brand or the type of dining.