Method and apparatus for the composition and sale of travel-oriented packages
View Patent ↗A centralized travel packaging system retrieves available vendor offered travel products from airline, hotel, car rental companies, etc., as well as associated pricing, time restrictions, use restrictions, class, availability, rules, and description(s). Travelers, agents and distributors search the centralized travel packaging system for possible package matches based on the traveler's criteria. The system compiles packages either in advance or interactively with the requestor using an intelligent matching mechanism retained within the centralized travel packaging system. The matching method uses requestor criteria and additional criteria such as geographic distributions, type of product, time considerations, cost, defined restrictions, expert travel packaging knowledge base, and distribution channel limitations to match vendor offered travel products. Upon selection of a package, the system processes the request for purchase to include cost determination, commission schedules and payment. Packages are reformulated if offered products become unavailable or restrictions or traveler criteria change. Vendors of travel products are able to control available inventory by submitting travel product offerings with restrictions for consideration in the centralized travel packaging system.
1. A computer-based e-commerce method dynamically formulating a collection of vendor offered travel products, wherein said method comprises a plurality of steps, one or more of said steps performed locally or remotely, said method comprising:
retrieving two or more offerings of travel products from two or more vendors, said offerings including at least two product types selected from airline seating, hotel rooms, car rentals, and auxiliary travel support items with any of associated: price, time restrictions, use restrictions, class, availability, rules, and description(s);
retaining said two or more offerings of travel products in computer storage;
intelligently compiling travel packages comprising selected ones of said two or more offerings of travel products, each package including offerings of at least two product types, said compiling based on a congruency matching of defined restrictions and other criteria comprising any of geographic distributions, type of product, time considerations, cost, intelligent agents, and distribution channel limitations, wherein the defined restrictions for at least one product in a package are dependent on another product accepted in or excluded from the package;
receiving one or more search request(s) for possible packages;
presenting possible packages meeting a requesters criteria;
determining a total cost by any of: summation of individual costs of products included in said compiled package, commissions, discounts, and special promotional items, and
processing payment of a one or more selected travel packages.
2. A computer-based e-commerce method dynamically formulating a collection of vendor offered travel products as per claim 1 , further comprising the step of booking actual reservations with each vendor for products in a purchased package.
3. A computer-based e-commerce method dynamically formulating a collection of vendor offered travel products, as per claim 1 , wherein said compilation is performed partially or wholly before said request for possible packages or interactively during said request.
4. A computer-based e-commerce method dynamically formulating a collection of vendor offered travel products, as per claim 1 , wherein said method dynamically reformulates said compiled packages based on availability of said vendor offered products.
5. A computer-based e-commerce method dynamically formulating a collection of vendor offered travel products, as per claim 1 , wherein said one or more steps performed locally or remotely are performed across any of: computer-based networks, LANs, WANs, cellular, wireless, Internet, WWW, satellite, or other data/telecommunications based communication mediums.
6. A computer-based e-commerce method for committing previously uncommitted travel products, wherein said method comprises a plurality of steps controlled by at least one processor, one or more of said steps implemented locally or remotely, said method comprising:
determining available travel products from an inventory, based on any of: historical data, price, class, demand, time before use, type;
placing defined restrictions on two or more of said determined travel products wherein the defined restrictions for at least one travel product are dependent on another travel product when the one product and the other product are offered in a travel package;
offering said two or more of said determined travel products with associated restrictions to a centralized travel packaging system, said centralized travel packaging system located across at least one of computer-based networks, LANs, WANs, and cellular, wireless, Internet, WWW, satellite-based communication mediums,
receiving confirmed reservations from said centralized travel packaging system, said reservations included in one or more selected travel packages stored within a travel packages database as determined by an intelligent matching and dynamic compilation mechanism retained within said centralized travel packaging system, each package including two or more travel products of at least two product types, and
wherein said uncommitted travel products are committed by acceptance of the confirmed reservations.
7. A computer-based e-commerce method for committing previously uncommitted travel products, as per claim 6 , wherein said defined restrictions include any of: which companies may or may not be included in the packages, which other types of companies may or may not be included in the packages, minimal/maximal travel duration, minimal/maximal travelers, days of week that must be or must not be included in the travel duration, prices of other products in the package, discounts on other products in the package, or the relative part of each product in the package, available payment methods, conditions and restrictions for modifying the reservation or canceling the reservation, dynamic price of package according to any of: duration of stay, number of travelers, days of week, participating companies, geographical location.
8. A computer-based e-commerce method for committing previously uncommitted travel products, as per claim 6 , wherein said centralized travel packaging system dynamically reformulates said compiled packages based on availability of one or more of said determined travel products.
9. A computer-based e-commerce method for previously uncommitted travel products, as per claim 6 , wherein said centralized travel packaging system receives two or more of said determined travel products from a plurality of travel product vendors.