Integrated travel services

• US 9,201,926 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Chamberlain, Spencer W., Bryant, Wade W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOWEN, RICHARD L
• Application Number:
  US13/743,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Integrated travel services are provided via a computer processing device and logic executable by the computer processing device. The integrated travel services map activities to information databases, define conditions for generating alerts, and monitor user behaviors. Upon determining one of the user behaviors matches one of the activities, the integrated travel services access a corresponding database and, using the conditions in conjunction with data from the user behavior, search the corresponding database. The integrated travel services also generate an alert, in response to the search, upon determining that the search results indicate one of the conditions has been met.

Claims

1. A system for providing integrated travel services, comprising:

a computer processing device; and

logic executable by the computer processing device, the logic configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

mapping activities to information databases, each of the information databases operated by a third-party entity and storing data associated with a geographic region that corresponds to a location of the activities;

defining conditions for generating alerts, the conditions including direct user input conditions and conditions learned from past user activities, the conditions further including parking conditions and at least one of weather conditions, and traffic conditions;

monitoring user behaviors via the computer processing device;

determining patterns of the user behaviors to intelligently identify user preferences associated with the conditions; and

upon determining that the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors matches one of the activities;

accessing a corresponding one of the information databases and, using the conditions in conjunction with data from the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors, searching the corresponding one of the information databases; and

generating an alert, responsive to the searching, upon determining that search results indicate one of the conditions has been met, wherein the parking conditions include a number of parking spaces at a defined parking location associated with the patterns of user behavior being below a threshold value defined by the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activities include electronic calendar-based actions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the activities include route information associated with a vehicle navigation system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the conditions include traffic conditions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the conditions include weather conditions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is an audio message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is a text message.

8. A method for providing integrated travel services, comprising:

mapping, via a computer processing device, activities to information databases, each of the information databases operated by a third-party entity and storing data associated with a geographic region that corresponds to a location of the activities;

defining conditions for generating alerts, the conditions including direct user input conditions and conditions learned from past user activities, the conditions further including parking conditions and at least one of weather conditions, and traffic conditions;

monitoring, via the computer processing device, user behaviors via the computer processing device;

determining patterns of the user behaviors to intelligently identify user preferences associated with the conditions; and

upon determining that the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors matches one of the activities;

accessing a corresponding one of the information databases and, using the conditions in conjunction with data from the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors, searching the corresponding one of the information databases;

determining whether a number of parking spaces at a defined parking location associated with the patterns of user behavior being below a threshold value defined by the user; and

generating an alert, responsive to the searching, upon determining that search results indicate one of the conditions has been met.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activities include electronic calendar-based actions.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the activities include route information associated with a vehicle navigation system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions include traffic conditions.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions include weather conditions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the alert is an audio message.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the alert is a text message.

15. A computer program product for providing integrated travel services, the computer program product comprising a storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

mapping activities to information databases, each of the information databases operated by a third-party entity and storing data associated with a geographic region that corresponds to a location of the activities;

defining conditions for generating alerts, the conditions including direct user input conditions and conditions learned from past user activities, the conditions further including parking conditions and at least one of weather conditions, and traffic conditions;

monitoring user behaviors via the computer processing device;

determining patterns of the user behaviors to intelligently identify user preferences associated with the conditions; and

upon determining that the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors matches one of the activities;

accessing a corresponding one of the information databases and, using the conditions in conjunction with data from the user preferences based on the patterns of the user behaviors, searching the corresponding one of the information databases;

determining whether a number of parking spaces at a defined parking location associated with the patterns of user behavior being below a threshold value defined by the user; and

generating an alert, responsive to the searching, upon determining that search results indicate one of the conditions has been met.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the activities include electronic calendar-based actions.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the activities include route information associated with a vehicle navigation system.