TICKET TRACKING AND REDEEMING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20040138930A1
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Steury, Lisa, Espinosa, Diego, Barnes, Robert G., Rediess, Meg
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• 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 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date

Abstract

An automated method and system for facilitating timely use and/or redemption of the unused portion of an electronic ticket are provided. In accordance with the method, ticket data (e.g., from an electronic ticket) is collected from a financial transaction account, then a search engine uses said ticket data to find open tickets. Finding open tickets includes setting an aging period and adding it to the scheduled departure date of the issued ticket, and a reminder period is set and subtracted from the scheduled date of a ticket. If the scheduled departure date plus the aging date is earlier than the current date, a determination is made as to whether the ticket has been used. If the scheduled date minus the reminder period is earlier than the current date, then a message is communicated to the traveler reminding him to use or redeem the ticket. A residual value of the ticket is calculated and list of open tickets with a value related to each ticket is transmitted to the issuing agency to facilitate the issuing agency issuing a refund of the open ticket.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating the automated redemption of an unused ticket comprising the steps of:

setting, via a computer system, an aging period;

identifying, via a computer system, the scheduled date of an issued ticket for selected purchasers;

adding, via computer a system, the aging period to the scheduled date and if the scheduled date plus the aging period is earlier than the current date, determining, via a computer system, whether the ticket has been used;

if the ticket has not been used, identifying the ticket as an unused ticket;

calculating, via a computer system, the redemption value of said unused ticket;

notifying at least one of a client travel agency and a client of said unused ticket.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of processing, by said client travel agency, a refund of said unused ticket.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of notifying a client travel agency of said unused ticket includes notifying a client travel agency by submitting a report of unused tickets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting ticket data from a financial transaction account, wherein said ticket data is used to determine said issued ticket for selected purchasers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said ticket is at least one of a paper ticket and electronic ticket.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating non-refundable tickets.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic ticket comprises a plurality of data fields and wherein said step of calculating, via a computer system, comprises the steps of communicating said data fields to a customer service tool and receiving a redemption value from said customer service tool.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying the ticket as an unused ticket is based upon an analysis of at least one of a client travel agency database and a global distribution system.