Method and system for testing of policies to determine cost savings

• US 7,743,002 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Hernandez, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy; Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US11/240,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/400, 705 55- 10, 700/14, 702/176, 702/178, 702/187, 706/25, 706/47
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

Method and system for testing policies to determine cost savings, which in one embodiment comprises receiving identities of a set of one or more persons associated within an organization, the one or more person'"'"'s travel related expenditures are to be governed by at least a first and second policy; from the set of one or more persons, identifying a first group governed by the first policy and identifying a second group governed by the second policy; identifying the travel costs incurred by the first group and costs incurred by the second group; and following the passage of a predetermined period of time, in view of the respective separate policies, performing a cost analysis on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined period of time and the travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a computer server, identities of a set of one or more persons associated within an organization, wherein the one or more person'"'"'s travel related expenditures are governed by at least a first and second policy;

from the set of one or more persons, the computer server identifying a first group governed by the first policy and identifying a second group governed by the second policy;

identifying, at the computer server, the travel costs incurred by the first group and the travel costs incurred by the second group; and

following the passage of a predetermined length of time, the computer server performing a cost analysis and identifying a cost savings achieved by the first policy, based on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined length of time, and identifying a cost savings achieved by the second policy, based on travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined length of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more persons are to be selected from a predetermined demographic.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying the first and second group includes identifying the first group governed by multiple policies, and identifying the second group governed by multiple policies.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the multiple policies governing the first group are separate from the multiple policies governing the second group.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the predetermined length of time as a user entry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the first and second group includes identifying a third or more groups governed by policies.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second policies are associated with travel related expenses.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the performing a cost analysis on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined length of time and travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined length of time, redefining at least one of the first group, the second group, the first policy, and the second policy.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying the travel costs incurred by the first group and the travel costs incurred by the second group;

and

following the passage of a predetermined second length of time, in view of the respective separate policies, performing a cost analysis on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined second length of time and travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined second length of time.

10. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which when executed by a computer server, perform a method comprising:

receiving, at the computer server, identities of a set of one or more persons associated within an organization, wherein the one or more person'"'"'s travel related expenditures are governed by at least a first and second policy;

from the set of one or more persons, the computer server identifying a first group governed by the first policy and identifying a second group governed by the second policy;

identifying, at the computer server, the travel costs incurred by the first group and the travel costs incurred by the second group; and

following the passage of a predetermined length of time, the computer server performing a cost analysis and identifying a cost savings achieved by the first policy, based on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined length of time, and identifying a cost savings achieved by the second policy, based on travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined length of time.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more persons are to be selected from a predetermined demographic.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the identifying the first and second group includes identifying the first group governed by multiple policies, and identifying the second group governed by multiple policies.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the multiple policies governing the first group are separate from the multiple policies governing the second group.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising receiving the predetermined length of time as a user entry.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the identifying the first and second group includes identifying a third or more groups governed by policies.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first and second policies are associated with travel related expenses.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein in response to the performing a cost analysis on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined length of time and travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined length of time, redefining at least one of the first group, the second group, the first policy, and the second policy.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising identifying the travel costs incurred by the first group and the travel costs incurred by the second group;

and

following the passage of a predetermined second length of time, in view of the respective separate policies, performing a cost analysis on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined second length of time and travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined second length of time.

19. A system comprising:

means for receiving, at a computer server, identities of a set of one or more persons associated within an organization, wherein the one or more person'"'"'s travel related expenditures are governed by at least a first and second policy;

means for identifying, by the computer server, from the set of one or more persons, a first group governed by the first policy and a second group governed by the second policy;

means for identifying, by the computer server, the travel costs incurred by the first group and the travel costs incurred by the second group; and

means for performing, by the computer server, following the passage of a predetermined length of time, a cost analysis and identifying a cost savings achieved by the first policy, based on travel costs incurred by the first group during the predetermined length of time, and identifying a cost savings achieved by the second policy, based on travel costs incurred by the second group during the predetermined length of time.