Competitive availability tools
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsJeremy Wertheimer, Carl G. DeMarcken
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A competitive, availability prediction system for predicting relative, competitive availability of seating on an airline flight is described. The system includes an availability predictor that predicts seating availability on a competitive flight, an availability system that produces an actual availability response for a flight and decision logic that compares the predicted answer from the availability predictor and the potential answer from the availability system to establish a decision with respect to actual availability.
Claims21
A computing system comprising:
- an availability system that receives an availability query for seat availability for a first flight of a first carrier and that produces, by operation of a computer, a potential availability response for the first flight;
- an availability predictor that produces in response to receipt of the availability query, by operation of a computer, a prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code of a second, different flight of a second carrier that is a competitive flight to the first flight;
- decision logic that compares, by operation of a computer, the prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code for the second, different flight and the potential availability response for the first flight, and based on the comparison, producing an actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code from the availability system;
- and
- wherein the computing system returns the actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code in response to the availability query.
A computer-implemented method of predicting relative, competitive availability of seating on an airline flight comprises:
- receiving, by a computing system including one or more computers, an availability query for seat availability for a first flight of a first carrier and in response to receipt of the availability query;
- providing by a seating availability system, by operation of a computer, a potential availability response for the first flight;
- producing by an availability predictor, by operation of a computer, a prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code for a second, different flight of a second carrier that is a competitive flight to the first flight;
- comparing, by operation of a computer, the prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code for the second, different flight and the potential availability response for the first flight, and based on the comparison, producing an actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code from the seating availability system;
- and
- returning the actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code in response to the availability query.
A computer program product, tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for modifying a seat availability answer, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:
- receive an availability query for seat availability for a first flight of a first carrier, and in response to receipt of the availability query;
- provide by a seating availability system a potential availability response for the first flight;
- produce by an availability predictor a prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code for a second, different flight of a second carrier that is a competitive flight to the first flight;
- compare the prediction as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with a booking code for the second, different flight and the potential availability response for the first flight, and based on the comparison, produce an actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code from the seating availability system;
- and
- return the actual seat availability answer as to whether a seat is available for booking in connection with the booking code in response to the availability query.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.