BOOKING METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20180121835A1
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartcom Labs OY
• Original Assignee: Bookit Oy Ajanvarauspalvelu
• Inventors: SALONEN, Jukka Kalevi
• Granted Patent: US 10,929,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system for booking reservations in a booking system and synchronizing bookings among several booking systems. The system comprises at least one booking system; at least one service provider; a mediator service; a client, and at least one client terminal device that can be a mobile device and that includes a dialogue. The client uses the dialogue to enter information into the system and the mediator receives inquiries and answers from the at least one booking system, the at least one service provider, and the at least one client. The mediator transfers and adapts information between them. The method and system are particularly suited for use with mobile phone users by Small Message Service messages.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method of managing information stored on a server for use in processing user-controllable actions, the method comprising:

selecting, at the server, at least one request for a user controllable action;

initiating, by the server, a communication channel based on address information of at least one server and the address information of a user'"'"'s mobile device for sending the at least one request for the user controllable action;

sending the at least one request for the user controllable action to the user'"'"'s mobile device via the communication channel;

receiving, by the server, a response to the at least one request for the user controllable action via the communication channel; and

causing processing of the user controllable action in accordance with the response received.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising analyzing the response to the at least one request for the user controllable action to determine if the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the causing of the processing of the user controllable action based on the information stored on the server is performed based, at least, partly on the analysis of the received response indicating that the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the address information of the user'"'"'s mobile device includes an identifier address and the response to the at least one request includes indication of that identifier address.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises determining other related requests sent to the user and request responses received from the user based on the identifier address and the response address included in such requests and request responses.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s A-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the identifier address is used in the analysis of the received response to determine whether the received response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the user controllable action is a confirmation of an action.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the user controllable action is a cancellation of an action.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the user controllable action is a change to an action.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a same communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a different communication channel than a communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein communication channels used to send requests and receive responses to requests include at least one of the Internet, electronic mail and communication channels used with mobile phones.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the communication channels used with the mobile device include text messaging.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the communication channels used with mobile phones include SMS.

42. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is SMS.

43. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is electronic mail.

44. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is text messaging.

45. A system for managing information for use in processing user-controllable actions, the system comprising:

a memory for storing the information for use in processing user-controllable actions; and

at least one server coupled to the memory and at least one communication network,

wherein software running on the at least one server selects at least one request for a user controllable action to initiate a communication channel in the at least one communication network based on address information of at least one server and the address information of a user'"'"'s mobile device for sending the at least one request for the user controllable action, and to send the request for a user controllable action via the communication channel,

wherein software running on the at least one server receives a response to at least one request for the user controllable action via the communication channel, wherein the at least one request for the user controllable action was sent to the user'"'"'s mobile device via the communication channel, and

wherein software running on the at least one server causes processing of the user controllable action in accordance with the response received.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein software running on the at least one server analyzes the response to the at least one request for the user controllable action to determine if the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the causing of the processing of the user controllable action based on the information stored on the at least one server is performed based, at least, partly on the analysis of the received response indicating that the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the address information of the user'"'"'s mobile device includes an identifier address and the response to the at least one request includes indication of that identifier address.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the software running on the at least one server determines other related requests sent to the user and request responses received from the user based on the identifier address and the response address included in such requests and request responses.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s A-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein the identifier address is used in the analysis of the received response to determine whether the received response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

51. The system of claim 45, wherein the user controllable action is a confirmation of an action.

52. The system of claim 45, wherein the user controllable action is a cancellation of an action.

53. The system of claim 45, wherein the user controllable action is a change to an action.

54. The system of claim 45, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a same communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

55. The system of claim 45, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a different communication channel than a communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

56. The system of claim 45, wherein communication channels used to send requests and receive responses to requests include at least one of the Internet, electronic mail and communication channels used with mobile phones.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the communication channels used with the mobile device include text messaging.

58. The system of claim 56, wherein the communication channels used with mobile phones include SMS.

59. The system of claim 45, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is SMS.

60. The system of claim 45, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is electronic mail.

61. The system of claim 45, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is text messaging.

62. A computer program product for managing information stored on a server for use in processing user-controllable actions, the computer program product storing instructions that, when executed by at least one server, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

selecting, at the at least one server, at least one request for a user controllable action;

initiating, by the at least one server, a communication channel based on address information of at least one server and the address information of a user'"'"'s mobile device for sending the at least one request for the user controllable action;

sending the at least one request for the user controllable action to the user'"'"'s mobile device via the communication channel;

receiving, by the at least one server, a response to the at least one request for the user controllable action via the communication channel; and

causing processing of the user controllable action in accordance with the response received.

63. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the method further comprises analyzing the response to the at least one request for the user controllable action to determine if the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device, wherein the causing of the processing of the user controllable action based on the information stored on the server is performed based, at least, partly on the analysis of the received response indicating that the response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

64. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the address information of the user'"'"'s mobile device includes an identifier address and the response to the at least one request includes indication of that identifier address.

65. The computer program product of claim 64, wherein the method further comprises determining other related requests sent to the user and request responses received from the user based on the identifier address and the response address included in such requests and request responses.

66. The computer program product of claim 64, wherein the identifier address includes an identifier chosen from the group consisting of a client'"'"'s A-subscriber'"'"'s number, Calling Line Identity, e-mail address and IP address.

67. The computer program product of claim 64, wherein the identifier address is used in the analysis of the received response to determine whether the received response was sent from the user'"'"'s mobile device.

68. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the user controllable action is a confirmation of an action.

69. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the user controllable action is a cancellation of an action.

70. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the user controllable action is a change to an action.

71. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a same communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

72. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request is a different communication channel than a communication channel used to send communications enabling subsequent confirmation, changing or canceling of a response to the at least one request.

73. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein communication channels used to send requests and receive responses to requests include at least one of the Internet, electronic mail and communication channels used with mobile phones.

74. The computer program product of claim 73, wherein the communication channels used with the mobile device include text messaging.

75. The computer program product of claim 73, wherein the communication channels used with mobile phones include SMS.

76. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is SMS.

77. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is electronic mail.

78. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the communication channel used to send the at least one request for the user controllable action is text messaging.