# US 2003/0187851 A1 · System and method for caching and utilizing flight availability data

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- Number: US 2003/0187851 A1
- Document ID: US20030187851A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 10/114,748
- Filed: 2002-04-01
- Published: 2003-10-02
- Earliest claimed: 2002-04-01
- Assignees: Worldspan, LP
- Inventors: Diane Fay; Lori Senn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20030187851A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
- G06F 16/9574: {of access to content, e.g. by caching}
- G06Q 10/025: {Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation}
- G06Q 10/0283: {for travel seating}
- Y10S 707/99932: Access augmentation or optimizing
- Y10S 707/99933: Query processing, i.e. searching
- Y10S 707/99939: Privileged access
- Y10S 707/99943: Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A system (10) operable to cache and retrieve flight availability data comprises a cache database (50) for storing flight availability data, an airline cache control (60) for configuring the cache database (50) for a plurality of airlines, a subscriber cache control (70) for configuring the cache database (50) for a plurality of subscribers (20), a cache query utility (80) for interacting with the cache database (50). The system (10) further comprises a data display utility (90) for displaying flight availability data stored in the cache database (50), a success rate utility (100) for tracking statistics associated with use of the cache database (50), and a dual mode processing utility (110) that allows a technician to access flight availability data from either the cache database (50) or a real-time response. The system (10) is preferably used as an intermediary between the subscribers (20) and a plurality of airline servers (25).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of caching and utilizing airline flight availability data for specific subscribers, the method comprising the steps of:
a) receiving an availability request;
b) querying a cache database for flight availability data stored for a subscriber as specified in the availability request; and
c) sending the flight availability data to the subscriber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying a matching trip in the cache database.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a real-time request to an airline server.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the real-time request is sent to the airline server as a result of not finding flight availability data as specified in the availability request in the cache database.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the cache database is queried as a result of not receiving a real-time response from the airline server corresponding to the real-time request.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising the step of receiving a real-time response from the airline server.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising the step of sending the flight availability data from the real-time response to the subscriber.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising the step of verifying the subscriber is configured to update the cache database.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprising the step of updating the cache database with the flight availability data from the real-time response.

### Claim 10

A method of caching and utilizing airline flight availability data for specific subscribers, the method comprising the steps of:
d) receiving flight availability data from an airline server;
e) storing flight availability data in a cache database;
f) querying the cache database for flight availability data as specified in an availability request; and
g) sending flight availability data to a subscriber.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving the availability request.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the availability request is received from the subscriber.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of verifying that the subscriber is eligible to utilize the cache database.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of verifying that an airline carrier code associated with the availability request is configured to utilize the cache database.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method asset forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of identifying a matching trip in the cache database.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of sending a real-time request to the airline server.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising the step of receiving a real-time response from the airline server.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method as set forth in claim 17, sending the flight availability data from the real-time response to the subscriber.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the step of updating the cache database with the flight availability data from the real-time response.

### Claim 20

A system operable to cache and utilize flight availability data for specific subscribers, the system comprising:
a cache database operable to temporarily store flight availability data; and
a cache query utility operable to add flight availability data to the cache database, query the cache database, and return flight availability data from the cache database.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cache database is configured to only store the flight availability data for subscribers and airlines that have been configured to use the cache database.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cache query utility is further operable to only return the flight availability data stored specifically for use by a specific subscriber.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cache query utility is further operable to delete the flight availability data from the cache database after a shelf-life has expired.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising an airline cache control operable to configure a day range for the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline wherein the day range specifies for how many days in the future the flight availability data should be cached.

### Claim 25 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising an airline cache control operable to configure a shelf-life for the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline wherein the shelf-life specifies for how long the flight availability data is valid.

### Claim 26 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising an airline cache control operable to configure a minimum seat count for the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline wherein the minimum seat count specifies how many seats must be available on each flight in order to use the flight availability data stored in the cache database.

### Claim 27 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising an airline cache control operable to specify specific applications that may use the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each of a plurality of airlines.

### Claim 28 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising an airline cache control operable to specify specific subscribers that may use the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each of a plurality of airlines.

### Claim 29 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising a subscriber cache control operable to configure each of a plurality of subscribers to use the cache database.

### Claim 30 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising a subscriber cache control operable to group a plurality of subscribers into one of a plurality of families.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The system as set forth in claim 30, wherein the families can be configured as either access-type or update-type.

### Claim 32 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising a data display utility operable to display the flight availability data stored in the cache database.

### Claim 33 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising a success rate utility operable to track statistics associated with use of the flight availability data stored in the cache database.

### Claim 34 (depends on 20)

The system as set forth in claim 20, further comprising a dual mode processing utility operable to allow a technician to access flight availability data from either the cache database or a real-time response.

### Claim 35

A computer program operable to cache and utilize flight availability data for specific subscribers, the program comprising:
a cache database operable to temporarily store flight availability data and configured to only store flight availability data for subscribers and airlines that have been configured to use the cache database; and
a cache query utility operable to add flight availability data to the cache database, query the cache database, return flight availability data from the cache database stored specifically for use by at least one subscriber, and delete flight availability data from the cache database after a shelf-life has expired.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The program as set forth in claim 35, further comprising an airline cache control operable to configure a day range, the shelf-life, and a minimum seat count for the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline.

### Claim 37 (depends on 35)

The program as set forth in claim 35, further comprising an airline cache control operable to allow each airline to specify specific ones of a plurality of subscribers that may use the flight availability data stored in the cache database for that airline.

### Claim 38 (depends on 35)

The program as set forth in claim 35, further comprising a subscriber cache control operable to configure each subscriber to use the cache database and group a plurality of subscribers into one of a plurality of families wherein the families can be configured as either access-type or update-type.

### Claim 39 (depends on 35)

The program as set forth in claim 35, further comprising a success rate utility operable to track statistics associated with use of the flight availability data stored in the cache database.

### Claim 40 (depends on 35)

The program as set forth in claim 35, further comprising a dual mode processing utility operable to allow a technician to access flight availability data from either the cache database or a real-time response.

### Claim 41

A computer program operable to cache and retrieve flight availability data for specific subscribers, the program comprising:
a cache database operable to temporarily store flight availability data only for subscribers and airlines that have been configured to use the cache database;
an airline cache control operable to specify specific ones of a plurality of subscribers that may use the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline and configure a day range, a shelf-life, and a minimum seat count for the flight availability data stored in the cache database for each airline;
a subscriber cache control operable to configure each subscriber to use the cache database and group the subscribers into families, wherein the families can be configured as either access-type or update-type;
a cache query utility operable to add flight availability data to the cache database, query the cache database, return flight availability data from the cache database stored specifically for use by each subscriber, and delete flight availability data from the cache database after the shelf-life has expired;
a data display utility operable to display flight availability data stored in the cache database;
a success rate utility operable to track statistics associated with use of the flight availability data stored in the cache database; and
a dual mode processing utility operable to allow a technician to access flight availability data from either the cache database or a real-time response.