Travel search machine with shareable trip objects

• US 10,366,353 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hipmunk Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Hipmunk Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hang, Nancy Tu, Huffman, Steven Ladd, Porter, Lauren, Aquilina, Phillip, Ramadas, Niranjan
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/632,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

A travel search machine generates a trip object defined by a corresponding trip identifier. The trip object may have a corresponding trip data structure to which one or more search results may be assigned by a user. For example, the travel search machine may be configured to receive a trip identifier as a submission from a user device, generate a trip data structure corresponding to the trip identifier, and responsive to a received command from a user device, assign one or more search results to the trip data structure, such that reference to the trip data structure via the received trip identifier causes a presentation of at least some of the one or more search results assigned to the trip data structure.

Claims

1. A method including:

receiving from a client device, via a network, an input that assigns a trip identifier to a trip data structure, the trip data structure comprising a list of user identifiers;

accessing a search data structure that includes a set of search results generated based on a set of predefined preferences from a user account of a user associated with the client device;

receiving a command from the client device to assign the set of search results to the trip identifier;

linking the search data structure that includes the set of search results to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier, based on the receiving of the command from the client device;

causing display of a presentation of the trip identifier within a menu element that includes a display of one or more trip identifiers, the presentation of the trip identifier including an identification of the user account of the user associated with the client device;

receiving a selection of the presentation of the trip identifier via the menu element;

presenting an interface that includes the set of search results to one or more users identified by the list of user identifiers of the trip data structure in response to the selection of the presentation of the trip identifier, the interface including a rating interface to receive user inputs that comprise ratings based on numerical values to be assigned to the search data structure;

receiving a numerical value to be assigned to the search data structure, as a user input into the rating interface; and

presenting the numerical value as a rating of the search data structure displayed at a position within the interface that includes the set of search result based on the user input that includes the numerical value.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a second request from the user to view searches assigned to the trip identifier; and

responsive to receiving the second request, presenting at least a portion of the search data structure linked to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier to the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user is a first user; and

the method further comprises;

receiving a second request from a second user to view searches assigned to the trip identifier; and

responsive to receiving the second request, presenting at least a portion of the search data structure linked to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier to the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the generating of the presentation causes the presentation to include at least one of the set of search criteria included in the search data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the generating of the presentation causes the presentation to include at least one of the set of search results included in the search data structure.

6. The method of claim 1, further including:

generating the search data structure by combining the set of search results and the set of search criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the trip identifier includes:

causing presentation of a trip creation interface by the device of the user, the trip creation interface including a text field operable to accept the trip identifier as a submission of the user; and

receiving the trip identifier as the submission from the device of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the trip identifier includes:

causing presentation of a trip selection interface by the device of the user, the trip selection interface including a menu of trip identifiers among which is the trip identifier that identifies the trip data structure; and

detecting selection of the trip identifier by the user via the menu within the trip selection interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device of the user is a first device of a first user;

the presentation is a first presentation of search results; and

the method further comprises;

receiving a search comment to be applied to the search data structure, the search comment corresponding to the set of search results and being received from the first device of the first user;

storing the search comment in the search data structure; and

causing a second presentation of search results to a second device of a second user, the second presentation including the search comment applied to the search data structure and at least a portion of the linked search data structure.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the search comment to be applied to the search data structure includes at least one of a text string, a uniform resource identifier, an image, or a video.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device of the user is a first device of a first user;

the presentation is a first presentation of search results; and

the method further comprises;

receiving a trip comment to be applied to the trip data structure, the trip comment corresponding to the trip identifier and being received from the first device of the first user;

storing the trip comment in the trip data structure; and

causing a second presentation of search results to a second device of a second user, the second presentation including the trip comment and at least a portion of the trip data structure.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device of the user is a first device of a first user;

the presentation is a first presentation of search results; and

the method further comprises;

receiving a search rating to be applied to the search data structure, the search rating corresponding to the set of search results and being received from the first device of the first user;

storing the search rating in the search data structure; and

causing a second presentation of search results to a second device of a second user, the second presentation including the search rating and at least a portion of the search data structure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the device of the user is a first device of a first user;

the presentation is a first presentation of search results; and

the method further comprises;

receiving a trip rating to be applied to the trip data structure, the trip rating corresponding to the trip identifier and being received from the first device of the first user;

storing the trip rating in the trip data structure; and

causing a second presentation of search results to a second device of a second user, the second presentation including the trip rating and at least a portion of the trip data structure.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the linking of the search data structure to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier comprises;

generating a reference that identifies the trip data structure; and

storing the reference that identifies the trip data structure in the search data structure.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the linking of the search data structure to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier comprises;

generating a reference that identifies the search data structure; and

storing the reference that identifies the search data structure in the trip data structure.

16. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a client device, via a network, an input that assigns a trip identifier to a trip data structure, the trip data structure comprising a list of user identifiers;

accessing a search data structure that includes a set of search results generated based on a set of predefined preferences from a user account of a user associated with the client device;

receiving a command from the client device to assign the set of search results to the trip identifier; and

linking the search data structure that includes the set of search results to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier;

causing display of a presentation of the trip identifier within a menu element that includes a display of one or more trip identifiers, the presentation of the trip identifier including an identification of the user account of the user associated with the client device,

receiving a selection of the presentation of the trip identifier via the menu element;

presenting an interface that includes the set of search results to one or more users identified by the list of user identifiers of the trip data structure based on the selection of the presentation of the trip identifier, the interface including a rating interface to receive user inputs that comprise ratings based on numerical values to be assigned to the search data structure;

receiving a numerical value to be assigned to the search data structure, as a user input into the rating interface; and

presenting the numerical value as a rating of the search data structure displayed at a position among the set of search results within the interface based on the user input that includes the numerical value.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a second request to view the searches assigned to the trip identifier, the second request indicating the reference to the set of search results in the trip data structure; and

based on the receiving the second request indicating the reference, presenting at least a portion of the searches assigned to the trip identifier.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations including:

receiving from a client device, via a network, an input that assigns a trip identifier to a trip data structure, the trip data structure comprising a list of user identifiers;

accessing a search data structure that includes a set of search results generated based on a set of predefined preferences from a user account of a user associated with the client device;

receiving a command from the client device to assign the set of search results to the trip identifier;

linking the search data structure that includes the set of search results to the trip data structure identified by the trip identifier, in response to the receiving of the command from the client device;

causing display of a presentation of the trip identifier within a menu element that includes a display of one or more trip identifiers, the presentation of the trip identifier including an identification of the user account of the user associated with the client device;

receiving a selection of the presentation of the trip identifier via the menu element;

presenting an interface that includes the set of search results to one or more users identified by the list of user identifiers of the trip data structure in response to the selection of the presentation of the trip identifier, the interface including a rating interface to receive user inputs that comprise ratings based on numerical values to be assigned to the search data structure;

receiving a numerical value to be assigned to the search data structure, as a user input into the rating interface; and

presenting the numerical value as a rating of the search data structure displayed at a position within the interface that includes the set of search results based on the user input that includes the numerical value.