PERSONAL TRAVEL ORGANIZER AND ONLINE TRAVELOGUE

• US 20090313679A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Ravi, McAfee, Preston R.
• Application Number:
  US12/139,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313679A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

A website may allow a user to create an online travelogue to reminisce about his trips, and then serve as a database for future travelers. The website may provide a variety of different templates to help users to organize and document elements of their trips. A user may select a template he prefers to start to create a record of his trip. A template may provide a layout for pictures and information about the flights he took, hotels he stayed at, places he visited, restaurants he went to, people he met, and other activities. The website may automatically abstract the user'"'"'s flight information from a travel website and fill in the information at places for such information on the template. A user may drag pictures from an online photo management website and drop them on the template. The website may search the Internet according to the information from the user and provide pictures, videos and text for the user to put on the template. The website may allow a user to set his travelogue as public or private/password protected, and may pool the public travelogues together to provide references to later travelers.

Claims

1. A method for producing an online travelogue, the method comprising:

providing at least one template for an online travelogue on a web page;

receiving a selection of a template;

receiving an input about a trip at a blank space in the selected template to produce a travelogue; and

saving the travelogue in a database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input is travel information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the travel information is from a travel website.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the travel information is abstracted from an email from the travel website.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the travel information is stored in a database.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the travel information is automatically imported into the travelogue from the database.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the travel information is about a place.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

automatically obtaining information about the place.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information is selected from the group consisting of a link to a website for the place, a map with the location of the place marked, an introduction about the place, comments on the place, and pictures of the place.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the pictures are from an online photo management website.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pictures are uploaded to the online photo management website by the creator of the travelogue.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving at the template pictures dropped thereon from an online photo management website.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the travelogue as a private version, inaccessible to unauthorized users.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

making each page of the travelogue correspond to a respective day of travel.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a button for turning from one page of the travelogue to another page.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the travelogue on the a web page.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling text search in the database.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving comments on the travelogue in the database.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions which, when executed on a computer, perform a method of producing an online travelogue, the method comprising:

providing at least one template for an online travelogue on a web page;

receiving a selection of a template;

receiving an input about a trip at a blank space in the selected template to produce a travelogue; and

saving the travelogue in a database.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

abstracting travel information from a travel website.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

storing the travel information in a database.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying the travelogue on the a web page.

23. A system for producing an online travelogue, the system comprising:

a server for providing at least one template for an online travelogue on a travelogue website; and

a database for storing online travelogues,

wherein the server receives a selection of a travelogue template, and starts to produce a travelogue responsive to particular input about a trip at a respective blank space in the selected template.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the server automatically pulls information about a trip from a second website and stores the pulled information in the database.