IP Library Granted Patent US 6,988,073
Granted Patent B2
US 6,988,073 · App. 09/852,828 · Granted Jan 17, 2006

Method, system, and product for facilitating international travel with respect to immigration

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,988,073
App. No.
09/852,828
Granted
Jan 17, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

Method, system, and product for facilitating international travel, including creating, in response to a signal from an internet-enabled device coupled for data communications through an internet to an international travel server, a travel record to be stored within the international travel server; creating in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for the destination country; and submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country.

Claims (51)

1. A method for facilitating international travel, the method comprising the steps of:

creating, in response to a signal communicated through an internet-enabled device coupled for data communications through at least one internet connection to an international travel server, a travel record to be stored within the international travel server;

creating, in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for a destination country;

validating, by the international travel server separately from any immigration computer of the destination country, travel described in the travel record against admissions rules stored in an admissions rules database; and

submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation in a kiosk at an airport.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation installed in the back of a passenger chair in an airplane.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the internet-enabled device is a personal computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the internet-enabled device is a hand-held personal data administrator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one internet connection is wireless.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the travel record comprises travel data describing travel, the travel data including identification of a traveler and of a destination country.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the international travel server is a software application installed and operating on one or more computers, the software application further comprising software routines storing and retrieving travel records, validating travel described in travel records against admissions rules stored in admissions rules databases, and submitting to immigration databases immigration admissions forms prepared in dependence upon the travel records.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein creating in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for the destination country, further comprises reading travel data from a travel record and inserting the read travel data into an immigration admissions form.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country further comprises communicating the forms as electronic data communications through at least one internet connection.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein validating the travel records further comprises comparing the travel described by travel data in the travel record to admissions rules governing the travel described by the travel data in the travel record and reporting to the traveler through the internet-enabled device a result of the comparison.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising storing the result of the comparison in the travel record.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the travel record comprises a travel record form, wherein the travel record form is dependent upon admissions rules.

14. A system for facilitating international travel, the system comprising:

means for creating, in response to a signal communicated through an internet-enabled device coupled for data communications through at least one internet connection to an international travel server, a travel record to be stored within the international travel server;

means for creating in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for destination country;

means for validating, by the international travel server separately from any immigration computer of the destination country, travel described in the travel record against admissions rules stored in an admissions rules database; and

means for submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for a destination country.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation in a kiosk at an airport.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation installed in the back of a passenger chair in an airplane.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the internet-enabled device is a personal computer.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the internet-enabled device is a hand-held personal data administrator.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one internet connection is wireless.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the travel record comprises travel data describing travel, the travel data including identification of a traveler and of a destination country.

21. The system of claim 14 wherein the international travel server is a software application installed and operating on one or more computers, the software application further comprising software routines storing and retrieving travel records, validating travel described in travel records against admissions rules stored in admissions rules databases, and submitting to immigration databases immigration admissions forms prepared in dependence upon the travel records.

22. The system of claim 14 wherein means for creating in dependence upon the travel record an immigration admissions form for the destination country, further comprises means for reading travel data from a travel record and means for inserting the read travel data into an immigration admissions form.

23. The system of claim 14 wherein means for submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country further comprises means for communicating the forms as electronic data communications through at least one internet connection.

24. The system of claim 14 wherein means for validating the travel records further comprises means for comparing the travel described by travel data in the travel record to admissions rules governing the travel described by the travel data in the travel record and means for reporting to the traveler through the internet-enabled device a result of the comparison.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising means for storing the result of the comparison in the travel record.

26. The system of claim 14 wherein the travel record comprises a travel record form, wherein the travel record form is dependent upon admissions rules.

27. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer-implementable instructions for causing a computer to carry out the steps of:

creating, in response to a signal communicated through an internet-enabled device coupled for data communications through at least one internet connection to an international travel server, a travel record to be stored within the international travel server;

creating in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for a destination country;

validating, by the international travel server separately from any immigration computer of the destination country, travel described in the travel record against admissions rules stored in an admissions rules database; and

submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country.

28. The product of claim 27 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation in a kiosk at an airport.

29. The product of claim 27 wherein the internet-enabled device is a workstation installed in the back of a passenger chair in an airplane.

30. The product of claim 27 wherein the internet-enabled device is a personal computer.

31. The product of claim 27 wherein the internet-enabled device is a hand-held personal data administrator.

32. The product of claim 27 wherein the at least one internet connection is wireless.

33. The product of claim 27 wherein the travel record comprises travel data describing travel, the travel data including identification of a traveler and of a destination country.

34. The product of claim 27 wherein the international travel server is a software application installed and operating on one or more computers, the software application further comprising software routines storing and retrieving travel records, validating travel described in travel records against admissions rules stored in admissions rules databases, and submitting to immigration databases immigration admissions forms prepared in dependence upon the travel records.

35. The product of claim 27 wherein creating in dependence upon the travel record, an immigration admissions form for the destination country, further comprises reading travel data from a travel record and inserting the read travel data into an immigration admissions form.

36. The product of claim 27 wherein submitting the immigration admissions form to an immigration admission forms database for the destination country further comprises communicating the forms as electronic data communications through at least one internet connection.

37. The product of claim 27 wherein validating the travel records further comprises comparing the travel described by travel data in the travel record to admissions rules governing the travel described by the travel data in the travel record and reporting to the traveler through the internet-enabled device a result of the comparison.

38. The product of claim 37 further comprising storing the result of the comparison in the travel record.

39. The product of claim 27 wherein the travel record comprises a travel record form, wherein the travel record form is dependent upon admissions rules.

Assignments (2)
PATENT ASSIGNMENT AND RESERVATION Recorded Sep 4, 2012
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: TOSHIBA GLOBAL COMMERCE SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028895/0935 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2001
From: DUTTA, RABINDRANATH; BANERJEE, DWIP N.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 011816/0488 →