System and method for building shared itineraries
AssigneeKidult Inc Limited
InventorKai Cheung Chan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method implemented by a computer allows a user to create an electronic itinerary, parts of which may later be purchased through an electronic reservation system and, at the same time, to find a suitable traveling companion. The method provides compatibility between user itineraries to be determined based upon a classification of activities making up the itineraries. The user may select from compatible itineraries an itinerary and associated subscriber to companion him on a trip. A method is provided for communicating between the user and a selected subscriber to negotiate a shared itinerary.
Claims17
A method implemented by a computer for generating an itinerary to be shared by a user and a first subscriber of a group of subscribers, the method comprising:
- (a) generating a plurality of subscriber itineraries, each subscriber itinerary being associated with a subscriber, each subscriber itinerary including one or more activities selected from a user activity pool, each activity including activity data, the activity data including an activity location associated with performing the activity;
- (b) generating a user itinerary for a user, the user itinerary including one or more activities selected from the user activity pool;
- (c) identifying compatible itineraries from among the subscriber itineraries, compatible subscriber itineraries including at least one activity having an activity location in common with an activity location of an activity in the user itinerary,
- (d) displaying a selection from the compatible itineraries;
- (e) receiving a selection from among the displayed itineraries of a first subscriber itinerary associated with the first subscriber;
- (f) receiving a user selection indicating a desire to contact the first subscriber with a request that the first subscriber accompany the user on either the user itinerary or on the first subscriber itinerary, and
- (g) initiating contact with the first subscriber in response to the user selection.
A display arrangement system for displaying an itinerary in which each timeslot in the itinerary is represented as a graphical user interface box on a graphical user interface, the display arrangement system comprising:
- (a) a display for displaying the set of graphical user interface boxes in the graphical user interface;
- (b) a memory for storing a plurality of instructions that are associated with a plurality of functions;
- and
- (c) a processor for executing the plurality of instructions stored in the memory upon a change of state of a display toggle control, the execution of the plurality of instructions causing at least one of the plurality of functions to be performed, including:
- (i) generating an expanded view of a plurality of the graphical user interface boxes, the graphical user interface boxes having a like size and being spaced apart in a rectangular matrix, each of the graphical user interface boxes holding activity data and defining a timeslot in the itinerary, with indicia along a common edge of each graphical user interface box defining a time associated with the timeslot and a title associated with each activity, and
- (ii) generating a compressed view of a plurality of the graphical user interface boxes, the compressed view resembling a stack of the graphical user interface boxes with the indicia positioned adjacent one another in sequential order according to the displayed time such that only activity data in a front graphical user interface box is visible.
A computer-readable medium having executable instructions for generating an itinerary to be shared by a user and a first subscriber from a group of subscribers, the instructions comprising:
- (a) generating a plurality of subscriber itineraries, each subscriber itinerary being associated with a subscriber, each subscriber itinerary including one or more activities selected from a user activity pool, each activity including activity data, the activity data including an activity location associated with performing the activity;
- (b) generating a user itinerary for a user, the user itinerary including one or more activities selected from the user activity pool;
- (c) identifying compatible itineraries from among the subscriber itineraries, compatible subscriber itineraries including at least one activity having an activity location in common with an activity location of an activity in the user itinerary, and if more than one compatible subscriber itinerary is identified, calculating a rating for each compatible subscriber itinerary which increases with the number of activities having activity locations shared with the user itinerary;
- (d) displaying a selection from the compatible itineraries with the highest ratings;
- (e) receiving a user selection from among the displayed itineraries of a first subscriber itinerary associated with the first subscriber
- (f) receiving a user selection indicating a desire to contact the first subscriber with a request that the first subscriber accompany the user on either the user itinerary or on the first subscriber itinerary, and
- (g) transmitting to the first subscriber, in response to the user selection, an email specifying the request that the first subscriber accompany the user on either the user itinerary or on the first subscriber itinerary according to the user selection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.