Methods and systems for generating and sending representation data

• US 9,928,470 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Concur Technologies Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Elliott, Bruce, Krasnovskaya, Sofia, McCloskey, Alan, Fredericks, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US15/602,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20170262775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• 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 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Methods and systems for generating representation data, comprising: receiving travel request data; retrieving schedule data associated with the travel request data; generating representation data representing the schedule data; and sending the representation data via a computer network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

performing processing associated with receiving, with a client interface module in communication with a computer comprising a database and a cache, travel request data;

performing processing associated with retrieving, with a database query module in communication with the computer, schedule data associated with the travel request data from the database, the schedule data being further associated with a scheduled travel time;

performing processing associated with generating, with the client interface module, representation data representing the schedule data, the representation data representing the schedule data differently based on a whether an itinerary complies with an organization'"'"'s travel policies; and

performing processing associated with sending, with the client interface module, the representation data via a computer network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the database comprises data from a data source that is fast and/or inexpensive to obtain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the database comprises official airline guide (OAG) data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache comprises stored data from a data source that is slow and/or expensive to obtain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache comprises global distribution system (GDS) data and/or supplier inventory data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing processing associated with searching real-time availability data based on search criteria determined after viewing the availability data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduled travel time and the available travel time are travel times for transportation options comprising airline flights, rail travel, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel request data comprises:

an origin, a destination, and a departure date.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule data comprises official airline guide (OAG) data and global distribution system (GDS) data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the OAG data is retrieved from the cache, and the GDS data is retrieved from a GPS.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the OAG data is retrieved from the cache, and the GDS data is retrieved from a GPS.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the scheduled travel time and the available travel time are travel times for transportation options comprising airline flights, rail travel, or any combination thereof.

13. A system comprising:

a processor configured for;

receiving, with a client interface computer module comprising a database and a cache, travel request data;

retrieving, with a database query module, schedule data associated with the travel request data from the database, the schedule data being further associated with a scheduled travel time;

generating, with the client interface module, representation data representing the schedule data, the representation data representing the schedule data differently based on a whether an itinerary complies with an organization'"'"'s travel policies; and

sending, with the client interface module, the representation data via a computer network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the database comprises data from a data source that is fast and/or inexpensive to obtain.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the database comprises official airline guide (OAG) data.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the cache comprises stored data from a data source that is slow and/or expensive to obtain.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the cache comprises global distribution system (GDS) data and/or supplier inventory data.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured for:

performing processing associated with searching real-time availability data based on search criteria determined after viewing the availability data.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the travel request data comprises:

an origin, a destination, and a departure date.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the schedule data comprises official airline guide (OAG) data and global distribution system (GDS) data.