Method and system for dynamic utilization mechanisms for facilities whose reservation status can change dynamically

• US 20030004772A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Banerjee, Dwip N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,225,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5014 Reservation
• 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 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group

Abstract

This invention is a method and system for reserving a facility or service after the cancellation of an initial reservation for the facility of service. The system for this invention comprises a reservation center that contains reservation information about multiple facilities and services that available for use. This information includes times, quantity and quality of the facilities and services that are available. Also included in this reservation center is information about the users that are interested in reserving and using the currently reserved facility or service. The system of the present invention also includes remote devices that the potential users possess. The reservation center will use a particular remote device for a corresponding use to alert the user there has been a cancellation and that the facility or services is available for use by the alerted user. The primary user and all backup users can use the Internet capabilities to communicate with the reservation center.

Claims

1. A method for reserving a service initially reserved to another user comprising the steps of:

creating a backup queue containing users interested in the initially reserved service;

detecting a cancellation of the reserved service;

determining the availability of users in the backup queue for the cancelled service;

notifying an available user from the backup queue that the service is available for use; and

reserving the cancelled service for the notified user from the backup queue.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said creating the backup queue step of users further comprises collecting and storing contact information for user in the backup queue.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein said queue creating step further comprises creating a notification profile for each user in the queue wherein each user specifies conditions under which the user should be notified of a reservation cancellation, and using the notification profile in said determining the availability of users step.

4. The method as described in claim 2 wherein said contact information is an electronic address for each user.

5. The method as described in claim 2 wherein said contact information is a telephone number for each user.

6. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the specified user conditions comprise time based requirements.

7. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the specified user conditions comprise quantity based requirements.

8. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the specified user conditions comprise quality based requirements.

9. The method as described in claim 3 wherein said user notification profile further comprises:

assembling a record of each user, the record containing user contact information and user specified conditions; and

storing each assembled record in a database location.

10. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising after said reserving step the step of updating the backup queue to reflect the new reservation.

11. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising after said notifying step, the step of determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation.

12. The method as described in claim 11 wherein the user does not accept the reservation and further comprising:

determining the next available user in the queue;

notifying the available user of the available reservation;

determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation; and

repeating said steps herein until a notified user accepts the reservation.

13. The method as described in claim 12 further comprising the step of updating the backup queue when the notified user accepts the reservation.

14. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising after said reserving step, the step of determining whether the time for the reserved service has occurred and terminating reserving method when the time for the reserved service has occurred.

15. The method of as described in claim 14 further comprising in said terminating step, the step of deleting all user records stored in the queue for that reserved service.

16. The method as described in claim 3 wherein said user availability step further comprises:

creating a reservation status profile;

comparing the reservation status profile with the notification profile for each user in the queue;

determining whether there is match between the reservation status profile and the user notification profiles in the queue; and

selecting the user with the profile that is the closest match to the reservation status profile.

17. The method as described in claim 16 wherein the closest match is the first available user in the queue.

19. The method as described in claim 18 wherein said creating the backup queue step of users further comprises collecting and storing contact information for user in the backup queue.

20. The method as described in claim 19 wherein said queue creating step further comprises creating a notification profile for each user in the queue wherein each user specifies conditions under which the user should be notified of a reservation cancellation.

21. The method as described in claim 20 wherein said user notification profile further comprises:

assembling a record of each user, the record containing user contact information and user specified conditions; and

storing each assembled record in a database location.

22. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising after said reserving step the step of updating the backup queue to reflect the new reservation.

23. The method as described in claim 18 further comprising after said notifying step, the step of determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation.

24. The method as described in claim 23 wherein the user does not accept the reservation and further comprising:

determining the next available user in the queue;

notifying the available user of the available reservation;

determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation; and

repeating said steps herein until a notified user accepts the reservation.

25. The method as described in claim 20 wherein said user availability step further comprises:

creating a reservation status profile;

comparing the reservation status profile with the notification profile for each user in the queue;

determining whether there is match between the reservation status profile and the user notification profiles in the queue; and

selecting the user with the profile that is the closest match to the reservation status profile.

27. The system as described in claim 26 wherein said device for remote use further comprises a plurality of devices for remote use by users interested in reserving a resource.

28. The system as described in claim 26 wherein said communication medium is a communication network.

29. The system as described in claim 26 wherein said communication medium is a point-to-point medium.

18. A method for reserving a resource, which automatically re-books the resource in the event of the cancellation of the existing reservation of the resource comprising the steps of:

reserving a resource for a user;

receiving reservations for the previously reserved resource

when a reservation is received for the previously reserved resource, creating a backup queue containing users interested in reserving the previously reserved resource;

detecting a cancellation of the reserved resource;

determining the availability of users in the backup queue for the cancelled resource;

notifying an available user from the backup queue that the resource is available for use; and

reserving the cancelled resource for the notified user from the backup queue.

26. A system for reserving a resource, which automatically re-books the resource in the event of the cancellation of the existing reservation of the resource comprising:

a reservation center containing information about the resource, which is available for use;

a device for remote use by a user interested in reserving the available resource, said device enabling communication between the user and the reservation center; and

a communication medium through which said reservation center and said device communicate with each other.

30. A computer program product in a computer readable medium method for reserving a resource, which automatically re-books the resource in the event of the cancellation of the existing reservation of the resource comprising:

instructions for reserving a resource for a user;

instructions for receiving reservations for the previously reserved resource

when a reservation is received for the previously reserved resource, instructions for creating a backup queue containing users interested in reserving the previously reserved resource;

instructions for detecting a cancellation of the reserved resource;

instructions for determining the availability of users in the backup queue for the cancelled resource;

instructions for notifying an available user from the backup queue that the resource is available for use; and

instructions for reserving the cancelled resource for the notified user from the backup queue.

31. The computer program product as described in claim 30 wherein said instructions for creating the backup queue step of users further comprises instructions for collecting and storing contact information for user in the backup queue.

32. The computer program product as described in claim 31 wherein said queue creating instruction further comprises instructions for creating a notification profile for each user in the queue wherein each user specifies conditions under which the user should be notified of a reservation cancellation.

33. The computer program product as described in claim 32 wherein said user notification profile further comprises:

instructions for assembling a record of each user, the record containing user contact information and user specified conditions; and

instructions for storing each assembled record in a database location.

34. The computer program product as described in claim 30 further comprising after said reserving instruction, instructions for updating the backup queue to reflect the new reservation.

35. The computer program product as described in claim 30 further comprising after said notifying instruction, an instruction for determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation.

36. The computer program product as described in claim 35 wherein the user does not accept the reservation and further comprising:

instructions for determining the next available user in the queue;

instructions for notifying the available user of the available reservation;

instructions for determining whether notified user has accepted the reservation; and

instructions for repeating said steps herein until a notified user accepts the reservation.

37. The computer program product as described in claim 32 wherein said user availability instructions further comprise:

instructions for creating a reservation status profile;

instructions for comparing the reservation status profile with the notification profile for each user in the queue;

instructions for determining whether there is match between the reservation status profile and the user notification profiles in the queue; and

instructions for selecting the user with the profile that is the closest match to the reservation status profile.

39. The system as described in claim 39 wherein said reservation center contains information about the resource.

40. The system as described in claim 38 further comprising;

a device for remote use by a user interested in reserving the available resource, said device enabling communication between the user and the reservation center; and

a communication medium through which said reservation center and said device communicate with each other.

41. The system as described in claim 38 herein said device for remote use further comprises a plurality of devices for remote use by users interested in reserving a resource.

42. The system as described in claim 38 wherein said backup queue comprises at least one record, said record containing user profile notification information.

43. The system as described in claim 42 wherein said profile information contains requirements under which a user in said backup queue desires notification of the availability of a previously reserved resource, said requirements comprising notification time, quality of resources available and quantity of available resources.

44. The system as described in claim 38 wherein said reservation center is a server located on a computing network.

45. The system as described in claim 44 wherein said reservation center server contains said backup queue, cancellation detection device, decision-making element and said notification element.

38. A system for reserving a resource, which automatically re-books the resource in the event of the cancellation of the existing reservation for the resource, said system comprising:

a backup queue containing the names of users interested in reserving a previously reserved resource;

a device for detecting the cancellation of a reservation for a resource;

a decision-making element that determines the availability of users in said backup queue for the now available resource;

a notification element that notifies an interested user, determined from said backup queue, that the resource is available; and

a reservation center, where the rebooking of the available resource to a notified user from the backup queue occurs.