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  System and method for coordinating travel itinerariesUSPTO Application #: 20060106654Title: System and method for coordinating travel itineraries Abstract: The methods and systems for coordinating the travel itineraries of multiple travelers, who are leaving from more than one origin location, but are arriving at the same destination location, provide automated techniques for determining which itineraries for each traveler best meets the specified criteria for the trip. For example, a travel organizer may specify certain travel criteria for a trip, such as the relative importance of the travel schedules versus the price. A set of suggested travel itineraries that most closely meet the specified criteria are then provided, in addition to the amount of time between when any two travelers arrive at and/or leave from the destination location, and the price. Furthermore, the travel coordination techniques provide flexibility by allowing replacement of one or more of the suggested itineraries with other possible itineraries and recalculation of the time amounts and the price(s). (end of abstract) Agent: Alston & Bird LLP Bank Of America Plaza - Charlotte, NC, US Inventors: Ladislav Lettovsky, Saurabh Y. Mehta, Kyle N. Morris, Richard M. Ratliff USPTO Applicaton #: 20060106654 - Class: 705005000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement, Reservation, Check-in, Or Booking Display For Reserved Space The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060106654. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/634,582, filed Aug. 5, 2003, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to techniques for the coordination of multiple travel itineraries for multiple travelers who are departing from various origin locations and traveling to the same destination location. According to one advantageous aspect, the invention provides techniques for minimizing the amount of time between the arrival times associated with the outbound itineraries and the departing times associated with the inbound itineraries, such that the travelers arrive at and depart from the destination at as close to the same time as possible. [0003] In many types of business and personal travel, multiple travelers are expected to arrive at the same destination to participate in the same or similar activity. Frequently, the multiple travelers must originate their travel from different origin locations. For instance, a manager of a business with employees located in more than one city, state or country may call a meeting that requires all employees of the business to gather at a certain location and time. Furthermore, a family reunion may be planned, which requires the family members, many of whom do not live in the same place, to gather at a certain location and time. Thus, many of the employees and family members must travel to the certain location prior to the time of the meeting or reunion, respectively. For the travelers that do not drive themselves, such as those that arrive at the destination via a plane, train or other mode of mass transportation, it would generally be advantageous for them to arrive at the destination around the same time so that they can more easily share the other travel expenses, such as lodging arrangements, transportation to the lodging, transportation to the activity, etc. As such, two or more of the travelers may desire to coordinate their travel itineraries so that they arrive at the destination at as close to the same time as possible. In the same way, the travelers may also desire to coordinate their travel itineraries so that they depart the destination at as close to the same time as possible so that they may share transportation expenses to an airport, train station, or other departing location, or for any other reason. [0004] Coordinating travel arrangements for two or more travelers can be a daunting task, however, and the more travelers, the more complicated an endeavor to coordinate travel arrangements is. Typically, if more than one traveler from different origin locations would like to arrive at and/or leave a destination location at approximately the same time, someone must personally evaluate all of the possible travel arrangements (itineraries) for each traveler and determine which itinerary for each traveler will permit the travelers to arrive at and/or leave the destination as close as possible to the same time. Simultaneously, the person evaluating all of the possible travel itineraries for each traveler must keep in mind the date and time of any activity or activities that any or all of the travelers must attend. [0005] For example, in the past, a travel organizer, such as a travel agent or other individual who may or may not be a traveler themselves, would have to access a central reservation system for the desired type of transportation and perform separate searches to obtain the various travel itineraries for traveling to a certain destination from each traveler's origin location that met the overall travel criteria, such as the date for the travel. Once the travel organizer obtains the various travel itineraries for each traveler, the travel organizer must then manually evaluate the itineraries in light of the desires of the travelers. For example, if the travelers and/or organizer specify that the travelers should arrive at and/or depart from the destination at as close to the same time as possible, regardless of the cost, then the travel organizer must determine which itineraries meet the specific scheduling requirements only. If, however, the travelers and/or organizer specify that the travelers should arrive at and/or depart from the destination at as close to the same time as possible without exceeding a certain price for one or more of the itineraries or a certain overall price for all of the itineraries, then the organizer must not only evaluate the itineraries in light of the schedule requirements, but also must consider the pricing of one or more of the itineraries. As such, as the number of travelers and/or the number of itineraries that the travel organizer must evaluate increases, the more confusing for the organizer and the more risk that the organizer will make an error or overlook a viable travel option for one or more of the travelers. Furthermore, if one or more of the travelers desires to make changes to their respective itineraries, the organizer must manually gather and identify all of the viable travel options to present to the respective traveler based upon the schedule and/or price requirements. Then, if a change is made to one traveler's itinerary, the organizer must determine how that affects the other travelers' waiting times once they arrive at the destination and/or the prices of the travel. Manually coordinating travel itineraries for multiple travelers who are traveling from different origin locations to one destination location, therefore, is a very time-consuming and error-prone process. [0006] Thus, there is a need for automated techniques to coordinate the travel itineraries of multiple travelers arriving at and leaving from one destination location, but originating travel from multiple origin locations. In particular, there is a need for automated techniques that are capable of coordinating the travel itineraries of multiple travelers based upon specified requirements regarding schedule and/or pricing, including permitting changes to individual travel itineraries, in an efficient and accurate manner. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] According to the present invention, the methods and systems for coordinating the travel itineraries of multiple travelers, who are leaving from more than one origin location, but are arriving at the same destination location, provide automated techniques for quickly and accurately determining which travel itineraries for each traveler best meet the specified criteria for the trip. For example, the methods and systems of the present invention permit a travel organizer to specify certain travel criteria for a trip, such as the date(s) of travel or the relative importance of the travelers arriving at the destination location at as close to the same time as possible (i.e. the schedule) versus the overall price of the itineraries for all of the travelers (i.e. the price). The methods and systems then provide a set of suggested travel itineraries that most closely meets the specified criteria, in addition to providing the amount of time between when any two travelers arrive at and/or leave from the destination location, and the overall price or individual prices for each traveler. Furthermore, the travel coordination techniques provide flexibility by allowing the organizer and/or the travelers to view all of the possible itineraries and replace one or more of the suggested itineraries, then recalculate the time amounts and the price(s). [0008] One embodiment of the methods and systems for coordinating multiple outbound and inbound itineraries includes receiving a destination location, multiple origin locations, each of which is associated with at least one traveler, and other travel information, such as, but not limited to, the dates and desired times of travel. An indication regarding the relative weight between price and schedule of at least some of the outbound and inbound itineraries is also received. For instance, one or more client elements, such as a laptop computer, a personal computer or workstation, networked personal computers or workstations, or the like, may receive the information. A travel database that includes at least outbound and inbound itineraries may then be accessed, such as by a processing element, and at least one outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location is identified based upon the travel information provided. From the identified itineraries, a suggested outbound and inbound itinerary between the destination location and each origin location may be determined based upon the relative weight between schedule and price; again typically by a processing element. Furthermore, one or more storage elements may store all of the identified itineraries. [0009] Other embodiments of the methods and systems include presenting the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries for review, such as via one or more display elements. If a traveler or the travel organizer desires to review alternatives to at least one of the suggested itineraries, an indication that alternative itineraries are desired for at least one of the suggested itineraries associated with a respective traveler may be received. If an indication that alternative itineraries are desired is received, then other identified outbound and inbound itineraries between the destination location and an origin location may be presented for review. An indication of a selection of at least one of the other identified outbound and inbound itineraries may then be received. Embodiments of the present invention also may include transmitting the suggested itineraries and/or the identified itineraries associated with a traveler to the respective traveler for their review and selection. In further embodiments, information associated with the destination location may also be presented when the suggested and/or the identified itineraries are presented. [0010] Changes to the indication regarding the relative weight between schedule and price for at least one of the travelers and/or at least one of the travel itineraries may be received in certain embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention. The identified itineraries may then be accessed and at least one modified suggested itinerary between the destination location and at least one of the origin locations may be determined based upon the received changes, and may replace the suggested itinerary. [0011] The total price for all of the suggested itineraries and/or the price for each suggested itinerary for each traveler may be determined. In addition, if one or more of the suggested itineraries are replaced with other identified itineraries, then the total price and individual prices for the resulting selected itineraries may be determined. Embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention also include a determination of the amount of time between when any two travelers arrive at or depart from the destination location. For example, a determination of the amount of time between when each traveler arrives at the destination location and when the last traveler arrives at the destination for each suggested outbound itinerary may be made. Similarly, a determination of the amount of time between when each traveler departs the destination location and when the first traveler departs the destination location for each suggested inbound itinerary may be made. In one embodiment, the suggested outbound and inbound itineraries are the itineraries in which the amount of time between the arrival times and/or departure times of a respective traveler and at least one other traveler are minimized. Again, if one or more of the suggested itineraries are replaced with other identified itineraries, then the time amounts for the resulting selected itineraries may be determined. [0012] Further embodiments of the methods and systems for coordinating travel itineraries may include receiving hotel and/or car rental information associated with at least one of the travelers. A travel database that includes respective hotel and/or car rental information may be accessed and at least one hotel and/or car rental itinerary, respectively, may be identified based upon the received information. The identified hotel and/or car rental itineraries, respectively, may be presented for review, and an indication of a selected hotel and/or car rental itinerary, respectively, may then be received. [0013] The methods and systems of the present invention may also receive payment information regarding how the travel costs for each traveler are to be paid in some embodiments. Billing information may then be transmitted to the appropriate travelers or other entity or individual based upon the contents of the payment information. [0014] Thus, the methods and systems for coordinating outbound and inbound itineraries for multiple travelers according to the various embodiments of the present invention provide automated techniques for providing a travel organizer and/or individual travelers with accurate and timely travel itinerary suggestions and options that best meet their travel criteria, such that the coordination of outbound and inbound travel itineraries for travelers from different origin locations traveling to the same destination location can more easily obtain the travel itineraries that will permit them to arrive at and/or depart from the destination location at similar times. Additionally, the embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention provide travel organizers and/or travelers with the ability to review the various travel options and easily change their travel itineraries. As such the methods and systems of the present invention are much less time-consuming and less error-prone than manual searching, identification and coordination of such travel itineraries. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) [0015] Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: [0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram of one example of the network elements that may be utilized to implement the method and system of the present invention; [0017] FIG. 2 is a representative display, provided according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which a travel organizer may enter a destination location, multiple origin locations and other travel information associated with two or more travelers; [0018] FIG. 3 is a representative display, provided according to one embodiment of the present invention, presenting suggested itineraries that most closely meet the criteria entered by the travel organizer in FIG. 2 and presenting further options regarding the selection of specific itineraries and payment options; [0019] FIG. 4 is a representative display, provided according to one embodiment of the present invention, presenting all of the identified itineraries between an origin and a destination location; and [0020] FIG. 5 is a representative display, provided according to one embodiment of the present invention, transmitting and presenting the details of the travel information of selected itineraries associated with a traveler along with billing information. 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