Booking method and system

• US 9,313,161 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• 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): Chen, George
• Application Number:
  US10/734,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,506 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 reservations in a booking system and synchronizing bookings among several booking systems. The system comprises at least one booking system; 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 dialog. The client uses the dialog to enter information into the system and the mediator receives inquiries and answers from the at least one booking system, the at least one service provider, and the at least one client. The mediator transfers and adapts information between them. The method and system are particularly suited for use with mobile phone users by Small Message Service messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

authenticating a client by a network server, wherein the client to be authenticated uses a mobile telephonic device capable of sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages and having a client identifier address wherein;

the network server determines a plurality of currently available, predefined reply addresses;

the network server selects a unique reply address for an SMS message, wherein the unique reply address is specific to that SMS message, the unique reply address being selected from the plurality of currently available predefined reply addresses determined to be currently available by the network server;

the network server assigns the selected unique reply address to the SMS message;

the network server sends the SMS message to the mobile telephonic device used by the client at the client identifier address; and

the network server authenticates the client based on a response to the SMS message, wherein the response to the SMS message is sent by the mobile telephonic device from the client identifier address and received at the unique reply address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authentication of the client based on the response to the SMS message includes analysis of the semantics of the response.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the analysis of the semantics of the response includes comparing content of the response with stored information about what kinds of response content are acceptable.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the response is rejected as not being an authentic response.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the client is not authenticated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the network server storing the response to the SMS message in a matrix including a first axis indexed by client calling line identifier number and a second axis indexed by reply address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client'"'"'s identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s a-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the each of the plurality of currently available predefined reply addresses are complete, and unaltered, when assigned to the SMS message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the SMS message is a SMS message that is sent to the unique reply address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the SMS message is an email message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the response to the SMS message is a text message.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating a specific client dialogue based on a response to the SMS message received at the unique reply address.

13. A network server comprising:

at least one connection for communicating with a client, the client using a mobile telephonic device capable of sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages and having a client identifier address,

a process logic for authenticating the client, wherein execution of the process logic causes the network server to perform the following operations;

determine a plurality of currently available, predefined reply addresses;

select a unique reply address for an SMS message, wherein the unique reply address is specific to that SMS message, the unique reply address being selected from the plurality of currently available reply addresses;

assign the selected unique reply address to the SMS message;

send the SMS message to the mobile telephonic device used by the client at the client identifier address; and

authenticate the client based on a response to the SMS message, wherein the response to the SMS message is sent by the mobile telephonic device from the client identifier address and received at the unique reply address.

14. The network server of claim 13, wherein authentication of the client based on the response to the SMS message includes analysis of the semantics of the response.

15. The network server of claim 14, wherein the analysis of the semantics of the response includes comparing content of the response with stored information about what kinds of response content are acceptable.

16. The network server of claim 14, wherein if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the response is rejected as not being an authentic response.

17. The network server of claim 14, wherein, if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the client is not authenticated.

18. The network server of claim 13, wherein the each of the plurality of currently available predefined reply addresses are complete, and unaltered, when assigned to the SMS message.

19. The network server of claim 13, wherein the client'"'"'s identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s a-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identify, e-mail address and IP address.

20. The network server of claim 13, wherein the response to the SMS message is a SMS message that is sent to the unique reply address.

21. The network server of claim 13, wherein the response to the SMS message is an email message.

22. The network server of claim 13, wherein the response to the SMS message is a text message.

23. A network server for performing a method of authenticating a client, the client using a mobile telephonic device capable of sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages and having a client identifier address, wherein the network server:

determines a plurality of currently available, predefined reply addresses;

selects a unique reply address for an SMS message, wherein the unique reply address is specific to that SMS message, the unique reply address being selected from the plurality of currently available reply addresses;

assigns the selected unique reply address to the SMS message;

sends the SMS message to the mobile telephonic device used by the client at the client identifier address; and

authenticates the client based on a response to the SMS message, wherein the response to the SMS message is sent by the mobile telephonic device from the client identifier address and received at the unique reply address.

24. The network server of claim 23, wherein the response to the SMS message is a SMS message that is sent to the unique reply address.

25. The network server of claim 23, wherein the response to the SMS message is an email message.

26. The network server of claim 23, wherein the response to the SMS message is a text message.

27. The network server of claim 23, wherein authentication of the client based on the response to the SMS message includes analysis of the semantics of the response.

28. The network server of claim 27, wherein the analysis of the semantics of the response includes comparing content of the response with stored information about what kinds of response content are acceptable.

29. The network server of claim 27, wherein if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the response is rejected as not being an authentic response.

30. The network server of claim 27, wherein, if response content does not meet criteria identified in the stored information, the client is not authenticated.

31. A network server comprising:

at least one application operating on the server for authenticating a client, the client using a mobile telephonic device capable of sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages and having a client identifier address;

wherein the at least one application comprises;

a first function to determine a plurality of currently available, predefined reply addresses;

a second function to select a unique reply address for an SMS message, wherein the unique reply address is specific to that SMS message, the unique reply address being selected from the plurality of currently available reply addresses;

a third function to assign the selected unique reply address to an SMS message;

a fourth function to send the SMS message to the mobile telephonic device used by the client at the client identifier address; and

a fifth function to authenticate the client based on a response to the SMS message, wherein the response to the SMS message is sent by the mobile telephonic device from the client identifier address and received at the unique reply address.

32. A method comprising:

authenticating a client dialogue by a network server, wherein the client to be authenticated uses a mobile telephonic device capable of sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages and having a client identifier address, wherein a message sent to and received from the client forms a client dialogue, the network server performing acts including;

the network server determining a plurality of currently available, predefined reply addresses;

the network server selecting a unique reply address for an SMS message, wherein the unique reply address is specific to that SMS message, the unique reply address being selected from the plurality of currently available predefined reply addresses determined to be currently available by the network server;

the network server assigning the selected unique reply address to the SMS message;

the network server sending the SMS message to the mobile telephonic device used by the client at the client identifier address; and

the network server authenticating the client dialogue based on a response to the SMS message, wherein the response to the SMS message is sent by the mobile telephonic device from the client identifier address and received at the unique reply address.