Abstract: System and method for availability based on limited-time offerings and transactions. One embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method that, based on a set of known preferences and historic transactions with customers, culls from a customer database those customers most likely to close a transaction in a short time. The selected customers are notified of the offer, and the system processes the customers responses in a timely manner, and thus allow fleeting inventories to be sold off before they expire.

Abstract: A system and system to improving customer satisfaction in booking process. In one embodiment a system and method are described to determine the cause of the issue in procuring the service is and, based on a set of rules, offer the user a path to complete the procurement successfully. In one embodiment, a system and method are described to determine when a supplier is not available and queue requests until the supplier system is available again. In one embodiment, a system and method are described to actively manage the status of each account so that the user's transactions do not fail because of mis-configured or expired account configuration status.

Abstract: A system and method for searching travel services. A server computer receives a travel request from a client device operated by a user. The server computer identifies travel options according to the travel request. The server computer classifies the travel options into predefined groups, the classifying based on at least one of past transactions, input from domain experts, input from semantic analysts, analytics data, user preferences, and company policies. The server computer presents the options via presentation of the predefined groups.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method comprising of a services business language (SBL) providing a common interface for communication with one or more multiple providers in one or more vertical segments. In one embodiment, the vertical segments comprise one or more of package shipping, courier services, flights, hotels, rental cars, and dry cleaners. In another embodiment, the SBL documents of the SBL are defined by Universal Business Language (UBL). In one embodiment, the SBL document includes multiple namespaces that are used in documents as element types and attribute types.

Abstract: A method and system are described for event and service inventory management. One embodiment comprises: in response to a user request for tickets to an event, searching a database for available tickets of a set of tickets purchased prior in time; displaying to a user information about booked but unused tickets; and, in response to identifying unused tickets, allowing the user to book the available event tickets, without the user having received separate authorization to obtain tickets to the event.

Abstract: A method and systems for a personal restaurant assistant. In one embodiment, the method, that may be implemented on a system, comprises identifying from an invoice for a group of diner's having ordered meals, charge items from the invoice to be allocated to one or more of the diners; transmitting over a network connection to a service provider, the identification of the charge items having been allocated to the one or more diners, to have calculated an allocated amount of the invoice for the one or more diners; and receiving over the network connection from the service provider, a calculated allocated amount of the invoice for the one or more diners.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a meeting planning tool that contains information about as many different aspects of a meeting as desired, including the cost of the meeting, both in direct expenses and indirect costs to the enterprise or organization, thus allowing a meeting planner to optimize the overall cost of the meeting to the lowest point in a total-cost-of-ownership approach to planning.

Abstract: A method and system for delegation of service procurement by a temporary agent. In one embodiment, in response to an event, a first entity is automatically identified to adjust travel or meeting plans pre-established for one or more group members. The identified first entity adjusts the pre-established travel or meeting plans for one or more members, and notifies one or more group members of the adjustment to the pre-established travel or meeting plans. In one embodiment, the identified first entity is at least one of the one or more group members, not one of the one or more group members, or a software agent. In one embodiment, in response to an unavailability of the first entity, a predetermined alternative first entity is identified to adjust the pre-established travel or meeting plans. In one embodiment, in response to receiving a decline from one or more group members, the one or more group members are presented with one or more second travel or meeting adjustments.

Abstract: A method for transferring a service policy between domains, is described. In one embodiment, the method is to be implemented on a system.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes a system and method for managing a travel plan. In response to a travel plan being identified for a traveler, a search is performed for one or more persons based on a predetermined relation to the traveler. In response to identifying one or more persons based on the predetermined relation to the traveler, it is determined if the one or more such persons is to be present at a location in proximity to the traveler's location according to the travel plan. If the one or more such persons is to be present at a location in proximity to the traveler's location, an opportunity is presented to modify the travel plan to accommodate those persons.

Abstract: A method for core identity with personas across multiple domains with permissions on profile data based on rights of domain, is described. In one embodiment, the method is to be implemented on a system.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention includes a method and system to provide a mobile device a travel schedule in response to the mobile device remotely logging into a separate system, provide the mobile device Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data for way points of the scheduled travel; and receive a time and location data from the mobile device in response to the mobile device entering a way point of the scheduled travel. In one embodiment, the time and location data received is to be used to determine at least one of an average, minimum, or maximum time of travel between separate way points.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method that can be performed on a system, is provided for automatic review of travel changes and improved suggestions and rules set. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating an aggregate of travel history data based on one or more travelers, the data including changes made to travel selections of an itinerary following an initial purchase of the travel selections; receiving a request for travel options in relation to a requested travel itinerary; and generating a first set of travel options for the requested travel itinerary, based at least in part on the aggregate of travel history data, the first set of travel options to result in a cost lower than a second set of travel options, if changes are made to selected travel options of the requested travel itinerary following an initial purchase of the selected travel options.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system and method are provided that allows easy integration of an existing third-party information or services management system into a services platform such as a Platform without requiring actual compiled code to be written. In addition, in one embodiment, the system and method allow developers to create new applications without requiring actual code to be written, which applications run on a services platform such as a Platform and are easily billable, upgradeable and supportable.

Abstract: A method for changing a personal profile or context during a transaction, is described. In one embodiment, the method is to be implemented on a system. In one embodiment the method comprises receiving travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile; receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile; and billing for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.

Abstract: Described herein is a method and system to provide optimizing shipping costs that can help arbitrate between a precise solution at an unreasonable cost and a reasonable solution at a very reasonable cost. In one embodiment, a first shipping option is generated to deliver shipments to a first sub-set of recipients within a first time period, and to deliver shipments to a second sub-set of recipients within a second time period that is greater than the first time period, with the shipments to the second sub-set of recipients being a greater distance than shipments to the first sub-set of recipients. The first shipping option provides a cost of shipping savings relative to shipping to all of the recipients within the first time period. The generating of the first shipping option includes selecting the second sub-set of recipients to include a quantity of recipients to provide a cost of shipping savings equal or greater to a predetermined percentage.

Abstract: A method and system to offer a service to a user based on a profile of the user, in response to an identification of an event. In one embodiment, the service includes offering a travel itinerary. In one embodiment, the profile of the user is based on previously obtained data. In one embodiment, the offering is performed automatically in response to the identification of the event and user. In one embodiment, the offering of the itinerary to the user based on the profile of the user comprises accessing data from at least one of a preference database and a contextual content database. The offering of the itinerary may comprise offering at least one of travel times for the user traveling to a selected area, ground transportation for the user arriving at a selected area, and costs for multiple modes of transportation. In one embodiment, the offering of the service is based in part on one of a type of service, a location, and a partner.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a knowledge base is automatically built for enriching feeds coming from different sources and that have tags of different conventions, by deducting which tags go into various categories of knowledge. In one embodiment, method for a relationship between objects is determined based on the relationships between their tags.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system, that may be executed as a method, is provided for managing the booking of event tickets inside a single system, regardless of the source of the tickets and how the system of each ticket provider actually works.

Abstract: Method and system for capturing and calculating complex consumer ratings of goods and services, which in one embodiment comprises receiving from a user a request for a rating of goods or services; and presenting to the user a rating for the goods or services, the rating based on ratings provided by one or more reviewers having demographic features matching demographic features of the user.