System and Method for Receiving and Displaying User Inputted Travel-Related Messages
A computer-implemented system and method that provides travel-related information to communication devices through a communication network. Travel-related messages are transmitted by users such as travelers at communication devices and are received at a travel update system. The travel-related messages received are stored for display by various selected travel-related categories. The travel-related messages are posted for display such that the messages are accessible to travelers operating the communication devices. The travel update system may be web-based with the travel-related messages displayed by travel category on a website. The travel-related messages may be inputted and accessed in near real time by various computer-based communication devices.
1 . A computer-implemented method of providing travel-related information to communication devices through a communication network comprising:
receiving travel-related messages from travelers operating communication devices;
storing the received travel-related messages for display by various selected travel-related categories; and
posting the travel-related messages such that the travel-related messages are accessible by travelers operating the communication devices.
2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising providing a website adapted to display the travel-related messages received from the communication devices.
3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprises enabling the received travel-related messages to be displayed in near real time for access by the communication devices communicating with the website.
4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising segregating the travel-related messages by airport.
5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein the step of storing comprises storing the travel-related messages for display by time-sensitive and non-time-sensitive categories; and wherein the time-sensitive travel-related messages are categorized by at least one of airport traffic, airport security line, and flight status categories, and the non-time-sensitive messages are categorized by airport travel tips.
6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising receiving travel-related data from external data sources;
aggregating the travel-related messages received from travelers operating the communication devices with travel-related data received from the external data sources; and
storing the travel-related messages and the travel-related data in a database.
7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising receiving and responding to travel-related messages in the form of text messages from short message services (SMS)-enabled mobile communication devices.
8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein said communication devices include instant messaging (IM)-enabled communication devices, and further comprising establishing IM communication with said IM-enabled communication devices.
9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising providing a messages webpage on the website, the messages webpage displaying, and identifying by category, the travel-related messages that were received within a predetermined time period from the travelers operating the communication devices.
10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising filtering the travel-related messages to be displayed by travel-related category on the messages web page in response to traveler selection of a particular travel-related category.
11 . The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising providing a traffic webpage on the website, the traffic webpage displaying the travel-related messages received from said communication devices identified as relating to traffic information; and
providing an airport security line webpage on the website, the airport security line webpage displaying the travel-related messages received from the communication devices identified as relating to airport security information.
12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further comprising displaying, on the airport security line webpage, airport security statistical information received from an external data source.
13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising providing a message input webpage on the website, the message input webpage enabling a traveler to input a text-based travel-related message associated with a particular airport, select a travel category for association with the travel-related message, and submit the travel-related message associated with the airport for access by the communication devices.
14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising calculating a percentage of votes received for individual ones of the travel-related messages that indicate the travel-related message was helpful, and displaying the travel-related messages in order from highest percentage to lowest percentage of helpfulness votes; and
storing statistics on individual travelers based on message ratings associated with the travel-related messages submitted by the individual travelers.
15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising filtering out spam messages from the travel-related messages received.
16 . A computer-implemented system that provides travel-related information to communication devices through a communication network comprising:
an application server in communication with the communication devices, the application server adapted to receive the travel-related messages from the communication devices for display by various travel-related categories;
a database associated with the application server for storing the received travel-related messages for display by various selected travel-related categories; and
wherein the application server is adapted to post the travel-related messages such that the travel-related messages are accessible by travelers operating the communication devices.
17 . The computer-implemented system of claim 16 wherein the application server communicates with the communication devices through a webserver, the webserver is configured to provide web pages of a website for displaying the travel-related messages.
18 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 wherein the travel-related messages received at the application server are displayed in near real time for access by the communication devices communicating with the website.
19 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 wherein the database stores the travel-related messages by airport.
20 . The computer-implemented system of claim 19 wherein the application server is configured to display the travel-related messages into time-sensitive and non-time-sensitive categories and to display the time-sensitive travel-related messages by at least airport traffic, airport security line, and flight status categories, and the non-time-sensitive messages by airport travel tips.
21 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 further comprising an external data source in communication with the application server; wherein the application server is configured to aggregate the travel-related messages received from the communication devices with travel-related data received from external data sources.
22 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 further comprising a short message services (SMS) interface coupled for communication with the application server, the SMS interface adapted to receive and send travel-related messages in the form of text messages from SMS-enabled mobile communication devices.
23 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 wherein said communication devices include instant messaging (IM)-enabled communication devices, and further comprising an IM interface coupled for communication with the application server, the IM interface adapted to establish IM communication with the IM-enabled communication devices.
24 . The computer-implemented system of claim 17 further comprising a messages webpage on the website, the messages webpage displaying, and identifying by category, the travel-related messages that were received within a predetermined time period from the communication devices.
25 . The computer-implemented system of claim 24 wherein the application server is adapted to filter the travel-related messages to be displayed by travel-related category on the messages webpage in response to traveler selection of a particular travel-related category.
26 . The computer-implemented system of claim 24 further comprising a traffic webpage of said website, the traffic webpage displaying the travel-related messages received from the communication devices identified as relating to traffic information; and
an airport security line webpage of said website, the airport security line webpage displaying the travel-related messages received from the communication devices identified as relating to airport security information.
27 . The computer-implemented system of claim 24 further comprising a message input webpage of said website, the message input webpage being configured to receive text-based travel-related messages associated with a particular airport, receive selections of a travel category for association with the travel-related message, and to submit the travel-related message and category selection to the application server.
28 . The computer-implemented system of claim 16 wherein the application server is adapted to calculate a percentage of votes received for individual ones of the travel-related messages that indicate the travel-related message was helpful, and displaying the travel-related messages in order from highest percentage to lowest percentage of helpfulness votes; and
wherein the database stores statistics on individual travelers based on message ratings associated with the travel-related messages submitted by the individual travelers.