Method and apparatus for dynamic information connection engine

• US 7,774,331 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kayak Software Corporation (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Stewart A., Barth, Brian E., Janssens, Marcel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US11/091,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 : Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for a dynamic information connection engine. User actions are detected on at least one client system. In response, a determination is made whether the user is searching for supported information. When the user is searching for supported information, information is extracted electronically from third party web sites, direct supplier connections, and intermediate databases. Potential information suppliers are automatically selected in response to the detected user search. Queries are formulated from the user search and transferred to each selected supplier over a network coupling. The queries include a request for information. Responses are received from the suppliers, and the responses are used to generate a result list for the user. The result list includes information and query status information. Further, an electronic link may be provided to a web site of each supplier from which the information was derived.

Claims

1. A search method, comprising:

receiving at a search system server, a search request for an item from a user computer;

transmitting at least one request from the search system server to a supplier server, the at least one request created based on the search request;

receiving at the search system server from the supplier server, at least one response comprising at least one query result and dynamically generated state data indicative of a state within the supplier server associated with the query result, wherein the state data is required by the user computer to access a website page for the purchase of the item associated with the query result; and

transmitting the query result and the dynamically generated state data from the search system server to the user computer; and

receiving at the search system server, an indication that the item associated with the query result has been purchased from the website page by the user computer using the state data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state data comprises one or more URL'"'"'s and one or more cookies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user computer has browser software running thereon and the state data identifies a unique state within the supplier server to which the browser software must be given access to purchase the item associated with the query result.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating at least one result list adapted for display at the user computer, wherein the result list includes the query result and at least one URL link to the website page and wherein the URL link is associated with the state data transmitted to the user computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the result list adapted for display at the user computer includes a plurality of URL links to a plurality of website pages for a plurality of different supplier servers.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user computer has browser software running thereon and the one or more cookies are set at the browser software, prior to the user computer navigating to the website page to purchase the item associated with the query result.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request is for an-airline reservation, lodging reservation or ground transportation reservation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the dynamically generated state data from the search system server to the user computer makes the user computer capable of continuing a communication session with the supplier server in place of the search system server.

9. A method for a search system server to process a search request for a travel-related item, comprising:

receiving at the search system server, the search request for the travel-related item from a user computer;

transmitting at least one query request from the search system server to at least one supplier server of a plurality of supplier servers, the at least one query request created based on the search request;

receiving at the search system server from the supplier server, at least one response comprising at least one query result and dynamically generated state data indicative of a state within the supply server associated with the query result, wherein the state data is required by the user computer to access a website page for the purchase of the travel-related item associated with the query result;

transmitting the query result and the dynamically generated state data to the user computer; and

receiving an indication that the travel-related item associated with the query result has been purchased from the website page by the user computer using the state data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining at the search system server which supplier server of the plurality of supplier servers to transmit the query request to based at least in part on the search request.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating at least one result list adapted for display at the user computer, wherein the result list includes the query result and at least one URL link to the website page and wherein the URL link is associated with the state data transmitted to the user computer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the dynamically generated state data comprises one or more cookies.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing the one or more cookies at the user computer, wherein the one or more cookies are set at a web browser associated with the user computer prior to the user computer navigating to the website page to purchase the item associated with the query result.

14. A method for a search system server to process a search request for an item, comprising:

receiving at the search system server the search request for the item from a user computer;

transmitting at least one query request from the search system server to at least one supplier server of a plurality of supplier servers, the at least one query request created based on the search request;

receiving at the search system server from the supplier server at least one response comprising at least one query result and dynamically generated state data indicative of a state within the supply server associated with the query result, wherein the state data is required by the user computer to access the query result and a website page for the purchase of the item associated with the query result;

transmitting the dynamically generated state data to the user computer, wherein the user computer is adapted to access the query result and the website page using the state data; and

receiving an indication that the item associated with the query result has been purchased from the website page by the user computer using the state data.

15. A computer program product, stored on a computer storage medium, and adapted to control a search system server to perform a method of processing a search request for a travel-related item, comprising:

receiving at the search system server the search request for the travel-related item from a user computer;

transmitting at least one query request from the search system server to at least one supplier server of a plurality of supplier servers, the at least one query request created based on the search request;

receiving at the search system server from the supplier server at least one response comprising at least one query result and dynamically generated state data indicative of a state within the supply server associated with the query result, wherein the state data is required by the user computer to access a website page for the purchase of the travel-related item associated with the query result;

transmitting the query result and the dynamically generated state data to the user computer; and

receiving an indication that the travel-related item associated with the query result has been purchased from the website page by the user computer using the state data.

16. A computer program product, stored an computer storage medium, and adapted to control a search system server to perform a method of processing a search request for an item, comprising:

receiving at the search system server the search request for the item from a user computer;

transmitting at least one query request from the search system server to at least one supplier server of a plurality of supplier servers, the at least one query request created based on the search request;

receiving at the search system server from the supplier server at least one response comprising at least one query result and dynamically generated state data indicative of a state within the supply server associated with the query result, wherein the state data is required by the user computer to access the query result and a website page for the purchase of the item associated with the query result;

transmitting the dynamically generated state data to the user computer, wherein the user computer is adapted to access the query result and the website page using the state data; and

receiving an indication that the item associated with the query result has been purchased from the website page by the user computer using the state data.