Patents Assigned to Travelocity.com LP
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Patent number: 7957988Abstract: The present invention provides methods for efficiently handling product availability queries. The present invention provides a local availability cache that is prepopulated with product availability listings from various product sources. Customer product availability queries are processed using the prepopulated availability cache, as opposed to independently querying each product source. The present invention also uses methods to manage the cache, such as by limiting the length of use data records stored for each start of use day to a maximum length of use and updating of data in the query using a function that updates data for start dates of use that occur sooner in time than for start dates of use that occur later in time. The present invention also uses functions to determine availability for length of use requests that exceed the maximum length of use stored in the cache by piecing together availability information for smaller lengths of use.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Joshua Hartmann, DeWitt Clinton, Kishore Pallamreddy, Daniel Shtarkman
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Patent number: 7890652Abstract: An information aggregation and synthesization system and process. The present invention provides aggregation and packaging of structured or unstructured information from disparate sources such as those available on a network such as the Internet. A network compatible/addressable interface device is operated by a user. The network interface device communicates with local datastores or network accessible datastores via an addressing scheme such as Uniform Resource Locator addresses (URLs) utilized by the Internet. Data passing between the network interface device and the datastores is accessed, polled, and retrieved through an intermediary gateway system. Such aggregated information is then synthesized, customized, personalized and localized to meet the information resource requests specified by the user via the network interface device.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2000Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: David Stanley Bull, Robert Neal Carr, Jr., Joseph Robert Offutt, Jr.
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Patent number: 7877280Abstract: A travel system for processing travel requests based on a user's travel destination goal such as a meeting place and time. The travel system selects a destination terminal, if one is not provided, and estimates a travel time between the destination terminal and the destination goal. An itinerary is then built interactively with the user selecting air, bus or train transportation, ground transportation, and, optionally, hotels, restaurants, and activities.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2006Date of Patent: January 25, 2011Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Terrell B. Jones, Joseph R. Offutt, Jr.
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Patent number: 7861232Abstract: Disclosed is a method, system and computer product for retrieving and parsing dynamic data at runtime by use of an interpreted language script that utilize Java and XML technologies. The interpreted scripting language uses a set of proxies, introspection and configuration to access and retrieve data elements that are in existence within underlying applications but not immediately available to the interpreter.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2005Date of Patent: December 28, 2010Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Ann Ebie, Anthony Swan
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Patent number: 7742934Abstract: Systems consistent with the present invention implement provide information regarding savings associated travel alternatives. Such systems receive requests from users reflecting travel itineraries, respectively. Each itinerary is analyzed to determine a set of alternative itineraries comparable to the travel itinerary specified in the request based on selected rules associated with travel. Then a value or cost of the input travel itinerary is determined and a value for each of the alternative itineraries is also calculated. The systems then generate a report reflecting the input travel itinerary specified in the request, each of the alternative itineraries, the value for each travel itinerary, and a difference between the value for the travel itinerary specified in the request and each of the alternative itineraries.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 1999Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Joseph Robert Offutt, Jr., Jerome Edward Cash
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Patent number: 7715981Abstract: A method of searching and retrieving ranked points of interest (POIs) within a Polygonal area of interest (AOI) includes defining an AOI. The AOI has a Polygon shape and includes a plurality of points. The method also includes identifying at least one POI within the defined AOI, and organizing the identified POIs in an order of rankings associated with the identified POIs. Then, information related to the identified POIs is requested, and presented in the order of the rankings associated with the respective POIs.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2005Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Lance P. Bradley, Summer Hahne, Richard Chesworth, Richard J. Drexel, III, Chris Gawronski, Ashima Kulshreshtha, Jared McPherson, Chris Miller, Shylaja Nagenhalli, Minaxi H. Shukla
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Patent number: 7580868Abstract: The present invention generates a ranked display listing of product providers (such as hotels) in response to a user query wherein the rank is generated based upon a performance factor determined by the system. The invention generates the performance factor based on the popularlity of a given product provider as indicated by the number of transactions occurring between users and the product provider. The performance factor may also be based on the relative economic performance of the various product providers such that the system may display product providers in an order that is based on on a combination of the relative popularity and the relative economic performance of the product providers as measured over a selected period.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2005Date of Patent: August 25, 2009Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Andres Fabris, Lynne MacLean, Laura Mesa
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Publication number: 20080262878Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for generating, updating, and managing a cache of price and availability information for a plurality of travel packages and components. The cache of price and availability information may then be searched by an online travel planning service to provide customers with a list of available travel products. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide a cascading cache system including a cache of price and availability data related to travel components and a cache of price and availability data related to travel packages. Changes made to the component cache can affect information stored in the package cache, and changes made to the package cache can affect information stored in the component cache. Furthermore, the cache system updates the package and component caches based on information received from a purchase of a package or component, as well as by proactively polling one or more travel reservation systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2007Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Richard Webby, Joshua Hartmann, David Yong
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System, methods and computer program products for offering products based on extrapolation of inputs
Patent number: 7395220Abstract: A computer system for extrapolating from relatively small amounts of information provided by a consumer to generate a wide range of travel options that are still associated with the information provided by the consumer. For example, the system includes processes for generating or finding travel packages with exactly matching travel dates and destinations supplied by the consumer. In addition, the system includes processes for varying the dates of travel by several days, or proximate weekends, and the destination of travel with nearby or regional destinations, so as to generate or find additional travel options. Further, the system can be configured to extract a theme of the consumer requested information and to use this theme to construct or find travel packages with similar or matching themes.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2005Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Rachel Abrams, Robert Albert, Damon Tassone, Tracey Weber, David Yong -
Patent number: 7321863Abstract: The present invention provides methods for efficiently handling product availability queries. The present invention provides a local availability cache that is prepopulated with product availability listings from various product sources. Customer product availability queries are processed using the prepopulated availability cache, as opposed to independently querying each product source. The present invention also uses methods to manage the cache, such as by limiting the length of use data records stored for each start of use day to a maximum length of use and updating of data in the query using a function that updates data for start dates of use that occur sooner in time than for start dates of use that occur later in time. The present invention also uses functions to determine availability for length of use requests that exceed the maximum length of use stored in the cache by piecing together availability information for smaller lengths of use.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2003Date of Patent: January 22, 2008Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Joshua Hartmann, DeWitt Clinton, Kishore Pallamreddy, Daniel Shtarkman
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Patent number: 7181410Abstract: A travel system for processing travel requests based on a user's travel destination goal such as a meeting place and time. The travel system selects a destination terminal, if one is not provided, and estimates a travel time between the destination terminal and the destination goal. An itinerary is then built interactively with the user selecting air, bus or train transportation, ground transportation, and, optionally, hotels, restaurants, and activities.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 1998Date of Patent: February 20, 2007Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Terrell B. Jones, Joseph R. Offutt, Jr.
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Patent number: 7082400Abstract: A travel system for processing travel requests based on a user's travel destination goal such as a meeting place and time. The travel system selects a destination terminal, if one is not provided, and estimates a travel time between the destination terminal and the destination goal. An itinerary is then built interactively with the user selecting air, bus or train transportation, ground transportation, and, optionally, hotels, restaurants, and activities.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2002Date of Patent: July 25, 2006Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Terrell B. Jones, Joseph R. Offutt, Jr.
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Publication number: 20040158391Abstract: A system and method for graphically displaying travel information on an electronic map within a network environment comprising: (i) providing a network for transmitting and receiving information among information providers; (ii) receiving an information request based on a flexible set of user-defined travel related criteria; (iii) processing the information request to initiate at least one inquiry based on the information request from a plurality of data tables developed from a database; (iv) receiving at least one response to at least one inquiry; (v) processing at least one response to determine a reply that is responsive to the information request, and (vi) providing a response including an electronic map overlay.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2004Publication date: August 12, 2004Applicant: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Terrell B. Jones, David C. Browne, Christopher D. Gawronski
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Publication number: 20030187726Abstract: An information aggregation and synthesization system and process. The present invention provides aggregation and packaging of structured or unstructured information from disparate sources such as those available on a network such as the Internet. A network compatible/addressable interface device is operated by a user. The network interface device communicates with local datastores or network accessible datastores via an addressing scheme such as Uniform Resource Locator addresses (URLs) utilized by the Internet. Data passing between the network interface device and the datastores is accessed, polled, and retrieved through an intermediary gateway system. Such aggregated information is then synthesized, customized, personalized and localized to meet the information resource requests specified by the user via the network interface device.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2000Publication date: October 2, 2003Applicant: TRAVELOCITY. COM LPInventors: David Stanley Bull, Robert Neal Carr Jr, Joseph Robert Offutt Jr
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Publication number: 20030120650Abstract: An information search and retrieval process using geographical coordinates. An index of coordinates is built for a plurality of text based references, resources or sites, each having a set of said coordinates. A user inquiry is accepted containing a text reference. The text reference specified in the user inquiry is converted to a set of coordinates. A search is thereafter conducted against the index of coordinates based on the converted coordinates of the user inquiry reference. All information retrieved from the search is returned in a text based format.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2003Publication date: June 26, 2003Applicant: Travelocity.com LPInventor: Kenneth Wills
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Publication number: 20020095256Abstract: A system and method for graphically displaying travel information on an electronic map within a network environment comprising: (i) providing a network for transmitting and receiving information among information providers; (ii) receiving an information request based on a flexible set of user-defined travel related criteria; (iii) processing the information request to initiate at least one inquiry based on the information request from a plurality of data tables developed from a database; (iv) receiving at least one response to at least one inquiry; (v) processing at least one response to determine a reply that is responsive to the information request, and (vi) providing a response including an electronic map overlay.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2001Publication date: July 18, 2002Applicant: Travelocity.com LPInventors: Terrell B. Jones, David C. Browne, Christopher D. Gawronski
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Patent number: 6202065Abstract: An information search and retrieval process using geographical coordinates. An index of coordinates is built for a plurality of text based references, resources or sites, each having a set of said coordinates. A user inquiry is accepted containing a text reference. The text reference specified in the user inquiry is converted to a set of coordinates. A search is thereafter conducted against the index of coordinates based on the converted coordinates of the user inquiry reference. All information retrieved from the search is returned in a text based format.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 1999Date of Patent: March 13, 2001Assignee: Travelocity.com LPInventor: Kenneth Wills