Reservation system and method

• US 9,324,043 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sita N.V. (Société Internationale de Télécom Aeronautiques (Switzerland))
• Original Assignee: Sita N.V. (Société Internationale de Télécom Aeronautiques (Switzerland))
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Kevin D., Irminger, Renaud, Cheikh, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy
• Application Number:
  US13/993,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 709/205, 705/5, 705/7.19, 705/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• 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 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A reservation system for travel, accommodation, venue ticketing and other purposes may be accessed on-line, for example via a social networking website. A user enters their social networking identification into the reservation system, which is stored for future use. When a subsequent user makes a reservation, they also enter their social networking ID and the system retrieves a list of associated parties from the social networking website, which may be a friends or contacts list, and searches for reservations made by any of those parties which have an overlapping criterion, such as date and destination. It then sends the subsequent user the social networking ID of the overlapping party. The overlap may be used to identify parties who will be at the same destination at the same time as the subsequent user, and/or are travelling on the same flight or journey. The list of associated parties may also be used to identify parties who are listing as living at the destination to which the subsequent user is travelling and those parties social networking IDs may be sent to the subsequent user. On check-in, the system may use the list of associated parties to notify the party checking-in that one of their friends or contacts has also check-in.

Claims

1. A computerized on-line reservation method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a reservation enquiry at a computerized booking system from a user;

receiving the user'"'"'s social networking identification on a social networking platform at the computerized booking system;

storing the social networking identification of the user in a database associated with the computerized booking system;

in response to a subsequent user submitting a reservation enquiry;

retrieving a list of social networking identifications (SNIDs) for that user from the social networking platform, the list comprising a group of one or more other parties registered on the social networking platform with whom the subsequent user is associated;

searching, at the computerized booking system, for third party reservations having at least one overlapping reservation criterion and an associated SNID from the subsequent user'"'"'s list;

sending a request to the social networking platform to retrieve a city of residence of each party in the subsequent user'"'"'s list of associated parties;

comparing the residences of the list of associated parties with a chosen destination of the subsequent user;

displaying to the subsequent user, an identification of any party from the list recorded by the social networking platform as resident in the subsequent user'"'"'s destination city; and

displaying to the subsequent user the SNID of a third party identified by the search together with information regarding the reservation.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping criterion comprises destination and date.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reservation system is a travel reservation system and the overlapping criterion comprises the instance of travel being reserved by the subsequent user.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the instance of travel is one of a flight, rail journey, road journey or water journey.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s SNID is received from the user as part of the reservation request.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the user'"'"'s SNID comprises retrieving the SNID from the database associated with the booking system.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s SNID is received from an associated booking system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the overlapping criterion comprises a destination; and

b) displaying to the subsequent user the SNIDs of parties with whom the subsequent user is associated and who have travelled to the destination in the past.

9. A computerized method according to claim 1, wherein the platform is a web site.

10. A computerized on-line reservation method comprising the steps of:

receiving a reservation enquiry at a computerized booking system from a user;

receiving the user'"'"'s identification on a social networking platform at the computerized booking system;

storing the social networking identification of the user in a database associated with the computerized booking system;

in response to a subsequent user submitting a reservation enquiry;

retrieving a list of social networking identifications (SNIDs) for that user from the social networking platform, the list comprising a group of one or more other parties registered on the social networking platform with whom the subsequent user is associated;

searching, at the computerized booking system, for third party reservations having at least one overlapping reservation criterion and an associated SNID from the subsequent user'"'"'s list;

displaying to the subsequent user the SNID of a third party identified by the search together with information regarding the reservation;

on receipt of a check-in request message received at the booking engine from a user'"'"'s browser, retrieving the SNIDs of the user'"'"'s list of associated parties on the social networking platform and comparing the SNIDs of the associated parties'"'"' with other passengers checked in or scheduled to check-in to the same journey as said user; and

on finding a matching SNID, displaying the matching ID to the user.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the reservation is a seat reservation and the third party'"'"'s SNID is displayed together with the seat to which that ID has been allocated where the third party has checked in.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the reservation is a room accommodation and the third party'"'"'s SNID is displayed together with the room to which that ID has been allocated if the third party has checked in.

13. A computerized method according to claim 10, wherein the social network platform is a web site.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the user'"'"'s SNID is received from the user as part of the reservation request.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of receiving the user'"'"'s SNID comprises retrieving the SNID from the database associated with the booking system.

16. A method according to claim 10, wherein the user'"'"'s SNID is received from an associated booking system.

17. A computerized on-line check-in method for check-in to a previously made reservation for travel, comprising the steps of:

receiving a check-in request at a computerized booking system from a user computer via a browser;

receiving the user'"'"'s identification on a social networking platform at the computerized booking system;

retrieving a list of social networking identifications (SNIDs) for that user from the social networking platform, the list comprising a group of one or more other parties registered on the social networking platform with whom the subsequent user is associated;

searching, at the computerized booking system, for third party reservations for travel having at least one overlapping criterion and an associated SNID from the subsequent user'"'"'s list;

displaying to the user in the user'"'"'s browser the SNID of a third party identified by the search as making the same journey together with information regarding the reservation; and

wherein the booking system determines whether a third party identified by the search has checked-in and, if it has, displays the seat number of the third party in the user'"'"'s browser.

18. A computerized on-line check-in method according to claim 17, wherein the platform is a website.

19. A computerized on-line check-in method for check-in to a previously made reservation for accommodation, comprising the steps of:

receiving a check-in request at a computerized booking system from a user computer via a browser;

receiving the user'"'"'s identification on a social networking platform at the computerized booking system;

retrieving a list of social networking identifications (SNIDs) for that user from the social networking platform, the list comprising a group of one or more other parties registered on the social networking platform with whom the subsequent user is associated;

searching, at the computerized booking system, for third party reservations for accommodation having at least one overlapping criterion and an associated SNID from the subsequent user'"'"'s list;

displaying to the user in the user'"'"'s browser the SNID of a third party identified by the search as having booked the accommodation for an overlapping period together with information regarding the reservation; and

wherein the booking system determines whether a third party identified by the search has checked-in, and if it has, displays the room number of the third party in the user'"'"'s browser.

20. A computerized on-line check-in method according to claim 19, wherein the platform is a website.