Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products that enable a travel agent to selectively share information related to a plurality of travel products with a traveler. In response to a search query from the travel agent, an information sharing module receives information relating to the plurality of travel products from a travel database system. The information sharing module causes the information to be displayed to a travel agent on a first display of a travel agency system. In response to the travel agent selecting a subset of the travel products, the information sharing module displays information relating to the subset of travel products to the traveler on a second display separate from the first display. The information sharing module may be configured to reformat the information so that the information is adapted to the traveler, and to cause travel products selected by the traveler to be booked.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating pre-computed database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the cached database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating cached database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the cached database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products that enable a travel agent to selectively share information related to a plurality of travel products with a traveler. In response to a search query from the travel agent, an information sharing module receives information relating to the plurality of travel products from a travel database system. The information sharing module causes the information to be displayed to a travel agent on a first display of a travel agency system. In response to the travel agent selecting a subset of the travel products, the information sharing module displays information relating to the subset of travel products to the traveler on a second display separate from the first display. The information sharing module may be configured to reformat the information so that the information is adapted to the traveler, and to cause travel products selected by the traveler to be booked.

Abstract: A faring system includes a production facility including at least one fare shopping server, a staging facility including at least one fare shopping server, and an entry point for conducting bi-directional communications with customers. The staging facility further includes a database storing transformation rules and a traffic generation subsystem configured to receive a transaction via the entry point from a customer, to determine if the received request is one suitable for use in generating simulation data for the fare shopping server of the staging system and, if so, to modify the received transaction in accordance with at least one rule retrieved from the database to create at least one modified transaction, and to send the at least one modified transaction to the fare shopping server of the staging facility for processing. The fare shopping server of the staging facility processes the modified transaction for evaluating a potential new or modified functionality of the faring system.

Abstract: A method of insuring the integrity of a plurality of updates brought in real-time to a large production database concurrently used by one or more software applications. The large production database includes a plurality of products participating to the definition of objects. The method first comprises the step of requesting the issuance of a unique filing number associated to a draft state version of the plurality of updates while keeping them invisible to the end-users of the large production database. Then, a set of product items identified as a whole by the unique filing number and on which the updates applies is created or copied in the large production database and gathered under the form of a meta-product on which the plurality of updates is applied. When updating is complete, the meta-product is successively set into a customizable flow of one or more validation states in order to perform a cross-validation of the plurality of updates.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for processing complex queries each corresponding to a plurality of components to be combined. Elements corresponding to these components are searched. The elements are of different element types and are originally described by definition data having heterogeneous data structures. A conversion step transforms the heterogeneous definition data into converted definition data of one single format. An engine then retrieves elements and builds associations of elements matching the query parameters based on the converted definition data, thereby providing with a reply to the query in an optimized manner.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the cached database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating cached database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the cached database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: A central computer system for processing user travel requests including an outbound journey and an inbound journey, includes elements for calculating and returning information on travel products to user, including sale prices, the central computer system being accessible from at least one user terminal, and including: A travel solutions search engine that can access at least one travel segment database (FDB) and having elements for determining outbound segments and inbound segments that comply with input criteria; A fare search engine having elements to determine the fare associated with possible travel solutions; A travel products grouping engine that applies grouping criteria which include at least one fare equivalence criterion; Elements for extracting the outbound and inbound segments from each group of travel products; Elements for displaying information on at least one group of travel products on the user terminal, separating the outbound segments and inbound segments.

Abstract: A method and a system for maintaining coherence of cache contents in a multi-tiered architecture of servers are described. This includes a front tier of satellite servers, each operating a local cache, and a middle tier of central servers each operating a central cache. Central servers interface with databases through database servers to retrieve the data elements used to construct objects and store them in central caches. Once constructed, objects are attributed a time-to-live (TTL) and stored in central caches then, forwarded to the satellite servers where they are stored in local caches before being delivered to the software applications that have requested them. They are invalidated when outdated and reconstructed from a central server from where they are forwarded to all central caches and to the local caches where they are needed.

Abstract: The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows an improved travel request service to end-users who request proposals for a trip from a Global Distribution System (GDS). This uses a new travel request which comprises a wider range for each search parameter than previous travel requests from the prior art. The new travel request includes many different ranges of parameters in the same travel request whereas the prior art travel request has to be repeated for each different requested value for each search parameter. The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a combination of two modules, a master module and a worker module, to carry out the improved travel request service.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for processing complex queries each corresponding to a plurality of components to be combined. Elements corresponding to these components are searched. The elements are of different element types and are originally described by definition data having heterogeneous data structures. A conversion step transforms the heterogeneous definition data into converted definition data of one single format. An engine then retrieves elements and builds associations of elements matching the query parameters based on the converted definition data, thereby providing with a reply to the query in an optimized manner.

Abstract: A method of integrating large volumes of updates in a database system. Each individual update includes of a coherent set of data records supplied by a data provider. The database system includes a master file repository and an active image repository. The method includes first obtaining for each individual update a unique modification identifier from a logistic table of the database system. The master file repository is then updated with the coherent set of data records of each uniquely identified individual update. A unique commit identifier is further obtained from the logistic table for each individual update that has been committed by the master file. The active image repository is synchronized by successively loading into the active image each individual update. Completion of the propagation of each individual update into the active image repository is achieved when the loading of each corresponding set of data records is committed by the active image.

Abstract: A method of insuring the integrity of a plurality of updates brought in real-time to a large production database concurrently used by one or more software applications is described. The large production database includes a plurality of products participating to the definition of objects. The method first comprises the step of requesting the issuance of a unique filing number associated to a draft state version of the plurality of updates while keeping them invisible to the end-users of the large production database. Then, a set of product items identified as a whole by the unique filing number and on which the updates applies is created or copied in the large production database and gathered under the form of a meta-product on which the plurality of updates is applied. When updating is complete, the meta-product is successively set into a customizable flow of one or more validation states in order to perform a cross-validation of the plurality of updates.

Abstract: A method of insuring the integrity of a plurality of updates brought in real-time to a production database concurrently used by one or more software applications is described. The production database includes a plurality of products participating to the definition of objects. The method first includes requesting the issuance of a unique filing number associated to a draft state version of the plurality of updates while keeping them invisible to the end-users of the production database. Then, a set of product items identified as a whole by the unique filing number are created or copied from the production database and gathered under the form of a meta-product on which the plurality of updates is applied. After updating, the meta-product is successively set into a customizable flow of one or more validation states in order to perform a cross-validation of the plurality of updates.

Abstract: A computer travel reservation system includes at least one data processor connected with at least one memory that stores software executable by the at least one data processor. Also included is a fare family database connected with the at least one data processor that stores data defining a plurality of fare families each including a plurality of fare classes. The fare family database also stores data defining determination rules used to determine an association of at least one fare family for each fare class, each fare class being defined according to at least commercial parameters. The system further includes a fare fixing engine implemented by the at least one data processor and software. The fare fixing engine is configured to apply the determination rules to a travel product to determine a fare family associated with the travel product.

Abstract: A faring system includes a production facility including at least one fare shopping server, a staging facility including at least one fare shopping server, and an entry point for conducting bi-directional communications with customers. The staging facility further includes a database storing transformation rules and a traffic generation subsystem configured to receive a transaction via the entry point from a customer, to determine if the received request is one suitable for use in generating simulation data for the fare shopping server of the staging system and, if so, to modify the received transaction in accordance with at least one rule retrieved from the database to create at least one modified transaction, and to send the at least one modified transaction to the fare shopping server of the staging facility for processing. The fare shopping server of the staging facility processes the modified transaction for evaluating a potential new or modified functionality of the faring system.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and a system for maintaining consistency of a cache memory, accessible by multiple independent processes. The processes can share common data. The processes perform simultaneous data searching operations optionally followed by providing the data to the processes, a removal of same or an insertion of new data. The searching, removal and insertion operations, are comprehensively executed once they have been initiated by the independent processes. They are executed excluding one another when they must operate on common data. The removal or insertion operations are each completely reversible. In that context, the invention provides that the operations for providing, removing or inserting the data have a finite or bound duration of execution so as to prevent any locking.

Abstract: This invention relates to a travel product reservation system comprising central computer system for processing the user requests, comprising means for calculating and returning to the user selling price information relating to travel products, the said central computer system being accessible from at least one user station. According to the invention the reservation system comprises: database containing rules for determining the association with a fare family for each travel fare, a search engine for products that meet the input criteria of a user request and associated fares, the said search engine being in communication with the said database for accessing the determination rules and applying them to the travel products that meet the input criteria, for returning to the user station, for display, a reply containing information relating to the products that meet the input criteria, sorting them into fare families. The invention also relates to a processing method in the reservation system.

Abstract: A system for identifying a parameter in a version of a data entity created at a specific time, wherein at a first time the version is an active version and at a second time the version is a previous version, the system comprising: a database for storing the plurality of versions of the data entity as they are created; a cache for storing the first active version of the data entity; wherein when a new version of the data entity is created by updating at least one parameter of the data entity, a new active version replaces the first active version stored in a cache and the first active version becomes a previous version stored in the cache; and wherein the new active version includes a list of the or each previous version of the data entity with an associated time at which the version was an active version, such that by identifying the version of the data entity which was active at the specific time the parameter is determined.