Travel reservation information and planning system

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) to enable an individual or a group to customize travel plans, to select activities to be conducted, and to self-process arrangements associated with such plans and activities, said system comprising:

• a. computer means including display means capable of displaying geographical, textual, and multimedia presentations;
• b. a TRIPS database comprising geographical information, textual or multimedia information, and temporal information, wherein any of said information is accessible by said computer means;
• c. means for a user to transmit to said computer means data, including temporal data, directed to travel plans or activities desired to be carried out;
• d. means for said computer means to receive from one or more suppliers of travel capabilities or one or more goods or services providers information associated with said travel or said activities and compatible with said temporal data;
• e. linking means for coupling said data from said user with said information from said one or more providers;
• and
• f. an output from said computer means to said user, wherein said output provides said user with information and supplies necessary to complete said travel plans or said activities desired to be carried out.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) to enable a user to select one or more travel destinations and to make travel arrangements based upon a destination or destinations selected, said system comprising:

• a. a first computer means;
• b. means for linking said first computer means to a second computer means accessible by a user desiring to make travel arrangements, wherein said first computer means includes a map database having mappable geographic information;
• c. a topical information database couplable to said first computer means;
• d. a temporal subsystem including means to enable said user to preview, manipulate, and manage a chronological dimension associated with said travel arrangements;
• and
• e. an output couplable to said second computer means, wherein said output provides said user with information and supplies necessary to complete said travel plans.

A travel reservation information and planning process permitting a user to custom plan travel and activities associated with travel, the process comprising the steps of:

• a. providing access for an individual or group to a database having geographic information and temporal information retrievable based upon one or more inputs from a user interested in developing a travel plan;
• b. linking travel information associated with said geographic information and said temporal information and making said travel information accessible to said user;
• c. making accessible to said user reservation information and materials associated with services or goods available from one or more providers;
• and
• d. providing to said user an output associated with said travel plan and compatible with chronological information input by said user.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) to enable a TRIPS user to customize travel plans, to select activities to be conducted, and to self-process arrangements associated with such plans and activities, said TRIPS comprising:

• a. a geographic subsystem including textual or multimedia geographical information, wherein said geographical information is accessible by said TRIPS user;
• b. a topic subsystem including textual or multimedia topical information, wherein said topical information is accessible by said TRIPS user;
• c. a temporal subsystem including means to enable said TRIPS user to preview, manipulate, and manage a chronological dimension associated with travel, travel planning, activities associated with travel or any combination thereof;
• d. computer means for scheduling travel or desired activities compatible with said chronological dimension, wherein said geographic and topical information is accessible by said computer means;
• and
• e. an output from said computer means to said TRIPS user, wherein said output provides said TRIPS user with customized travel and activity plans that include information and supplies necessary to complete said travel or said desired activities.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) to enable a TRIPS user to customize travel plans, to select activities to be conducted, and to self-process arrangements associated with such plans and activities, said TRIPS comprising:

• a. a geographic subsystem including textual geographical information, multimedia geographical information, or a combination of the two, wherein said geographical information is accessible by said TRIPS user;
• b. a topic subsystem including textual topical information, multimedia topical information, or a combination of the two, wherein said topical information is accessible by said TRIPS user;
• c. a temporal subsystem including textual temporal information accessible by said TRIPS user and including means to enable said TRIPS user to preview, manipulate, and manage a chronological dimension associated with customized travel plans, activities to be conducted, and self-processing of arrangements associated therewith;
• and
• d. computer means responsive to one or more inputs from said TRIPS user related to said geographical, topical, or temporal information, wherein said computer means includes TRIPS software constructed to output to said TRIPS user information associated travel arrangements, topical events, or a combination of the two as a function of said one or more TRIPS user inputs.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) to enable a TRIPS user to conduct travel arrangements, said TRIPS comprising:

• at least one printed map corresponding to a selected geographical area, said printed map depicting surface features at a particular level of detail, said printed map comprising grid lines substantially parallel with coordinate lines of a selected geographical coordinate system, said grid lines defining boundary lines of printed map grid quadrangles identified by printed map grid quadrangle names;
• a first computer means having a display, said first computer means being programmed to display on said display selected display grid quadrangles identified by first display grid quadrangle names corresponding to said printed map grid quadrangle names;
• at least one database of selected geographical-coordinate-locatable objects (loc/objects) storable on a memory device and readable by said first computer means, said selected loc/objects identified by geographical coordinate location in said selected geographical coordinate system, said first computer means being programmed to display on said display locations of one or more of said selected loc/objects in said display grid quadrangles corresponding to map locations of said selected loc/objects in said printed map grid quadrangles of said printed map;
• a second computer means having an output programmed to indicate second grid quadrangles names for user correlation with corresponding printed map grid quadrangles;
• a temporal subsystem including means to enable said TRIPS user to preview, manipulate, and manage a chronological dimension associated with said travel arrangements;
• and
• a topic subsystem including textual topical information, multimedia topical information, or a combination of the two, wherein said topical information is accessible by said TRIPS user.

A travel planning information and reservation system (TRIPS) for use with a device that includes geocoding capability, comprising:

• a computer having a computer display;
• a map database providing a set of electronic maps for presentation on said computer display, wherein said electronic maps have the capability of depicting transportation routes having identifiable waypoints including route intersections at geographical locations along said transportation routes, said identifiable waypoints on said electronic maps being identifiable in said computer by coordinate locations of a selected geographical coordinate system;
• a TRIPS database of geographically locatable points of interest (POIs) identifiable by coordinate locations in said geographical coordinate system, said POIs being organized into a plurality of types for user selection of POIs by type, said POI types including overlays of said TRIPS database for display over said electronic maps on said computer display;
• TRIPS software permitting user travel planning using said electronic maps presented on said computer display by providing user selection of selected waypoints that include at least a travel origin and a travel destination and can include intermediate waypoints, wherein said TRIPS software is capable of determining an additional group of said intermediate waypoints between said travel origin and said travel destination, and of calculating, delineating, and displaying a travel route between said travel origin and said travel destination via said intermediate waypoints according to user choice of a shortest travel route, quickest travel route, or user-selected preferred travel route;
• said TRIPS software also permits user selection of a region of interest along said user-defined travel route, said region of interest having user-specified dimensions and permitting user selection of specified POI types within said region of interest and user selection of particular POIs from said selected types within said region of interest, said region of interest being identifiable in said computer by coordinate locations of said geographical coordinate system;
• wherein said TRIPS database include travel information selected from a group consisting of graphics, photos, videos, animations, audio information, and text information about POIs of said TRIPS database and about said transportation routes and said identifiable waypoints of said electronic maps,
• wherein said TRIPS software is constructed to present a user-customized travelog for preview on said computer display of a user-defined travel route including said travel information in said TRIPS database on said selected transportation routes and said selected waypoints of said electronic maps and one or more of said selected POIs of said TRIPS database in said user-defined region of interest along said travel route,
• wherein said TRIPS software permits data transfer between a device that includes geocoding capability and said computer, and
• a topic subsystem including textual topical information, multimedia topical information, or a combination of the two, wherein said topical information is accessible by said user.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) comprising:

• a. a computer;
• b. a TRIPS database of topical data and geographic data;
• c. means for a TRIPS user to relay via said computer one or more inputs related to travel, travel planning, activities associated with travel, or any combination thereof;
• d. one or more subsystems couplable to said TRIPS database and constructed to process said one or more inputs from said TRIPS user and to calculate one or more outputs responsive to said one or more inputs, wherein each of said one or more subsystems is selected from the group consisting of geographic, topical, temporal, and transactional subsystems, wherein said one or more subsystems are constructed to permit said TRIPS user to initiate said one or more inputs in any one of said one or more subsystems, and wherein said one or more outputs include information on options or a range of options corresponding to said travel, travel planning, activities associated with travel, or any combination thereof;
• and
• e. a controller for regulating correspondence between said one or more inputs from said TRIPS user and said one or more outputs from said one or more subsystems.

A travel reservation information and planning system (TRIPS) designed to enable an individual or a group to customize travel plans, to select activities to be conducted, and to self-process arrangements associated with such plans and activities, the TRIPS system comprising:

• a. computer means including display means capable of displaying geographical, textual, and multimedia presentations;
• b. a TRIPS database comprising geographical, textual, or multimedia information, wherein said information is accessible by said computer means;
• c. means for a user to transmit to said computer means data directed to travel plans or activities desired to be carried out;
• d. means for said computer means to receive from one or more suppliers of travel capabilities or one or more goods or services providers information associated with said travel or said activities;
• e. linking means for coupling said data from said user with said information from said one or more providers;
• and
• f. an output from said computer means to said user, wherein said output is capable of being provided in any of a plurality of formats including tickets, coupons, summary sheets, electronic displays, pictorial displays, and audio outputs, and wherein information provided by said output includes singly or in combination geographic information, topical information, transactional information, or temporal information associated with said data entered into said computer means by said user.