EXPEDIA, INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150032768 | MANAGING ITEM QUERIES - A network-based service may be provided for facilitating queries for a number of items, such as travel services. The items may be complimentary, such that users frequently desire to purchase two or more items in conjunction. A user may submit a query including criteria for determining one or more relevant items. Based on the submitted query, the network-based service may infer a desired travel plan of the user, such as a trip or vacation to a specific destination. The network-based service may use the inferred travel plan to generate queries for combinations of items that correspond to the inferred travel plan. These queries, or items corresponding to the queries, may then be returned to the user. | 01-29-2015 |
20140258045 | COLLECTING AND DISPLAYING PRICE INFORMATION - A service for pricing items of inventory contained in a searchable database is available for access via the Internet. Where multiple items can satisfy a consumer's request, it is typical for a service to perform an inventory search for items that match a consumer's request. When the inventory is stored in an inventory database, the inventory database is queried for the purpose of retrieving a result set which matches the consumer's request. A separate fare server database containing inventory recently known to be available, located local to the Internet server for fast and efficient access, can also be provided for performing searches related to the consumer's request. Some inventory, even though recently known to have been available, is filtered out before being stored in the fare server database and inventory is removed when outdated, no longer available or purchased. Searches that are less specific than the search performed in the inventory database based on the consumer request can be performed in the fare server database to retrieve information about similar inventory. In addition to displaying the result set from the inventory database to the consumer, a market summary can be presented to the consumer that reflects information concerning similar inventory. Information from the searches in the fare server database forms the basis for providing the market summary. A consumer is also given the option to purchase the similar inventory returned from the fare server database. As a result, a consumer is not only more informed about the market for which a purchase is being considered, but also has the additional option to purchase similar inventory. A consumer can also directly query the fare server database for flexible searching and for fast and efficient access to market information. The fare server database can be used for multiple client services. | 09-11-2014 |
20140095524 | MANAGING ITEM QUERIES - A network-based service may be provided for facilitating queries for a number of items, such as travel services. A user may submit a query including criteria for determining one or more relevant items. Based on the submitted query, the network-based service may present the user with information regarding the actions of other similar users of the network-based service, such as searches performed by the other users. Based on this information, the user may elect to supplement the current query to conform to the actions for other users. In some embodiments, actions by other users may be based at least in part on a category of the querying user. By presenting actions of similar users, a current user may be enabled to select the most relevant query terms for identifying a desired item. | 04-03-2014 |
20140067442 | TRAVEL PACKAGES INCLUDING SEPARATELY PURCHASED TRAVEL ITEMS - A user of a personal computing device may identify multiple travel items of interest displayed for purchase by a network-based travel service. However, the user may not desire to purchase the travel items in a single purchase. Upon making a travel purchase that includes a first travel item that does not include a second travel item corresponding to the first travel item, the user may employ the network travel package service to search for second travel items corresponding to the first travel item, select from discounted travel packages including the first travel item and second travel items returned from the search, and purchase a discounted travel package. Beneficially, multiple travel items may be purchased separately while obtaining a package discount as compared to the stand-alone price of the travel items. | 03-06-2014 |
20130339341 | TRAVEL ADVISORY NOTIFICATIONS - A travel advisory generation system is provided that enables generation of travel advisories based upon one or more selected parameters (e.g., location, origin, destination, date, date range, travel provider, class of service, etc.). These travel advisories may be further incorporated into travel search results, providing relevant advisory information in conjunction, e.g., concurrently or in-line, with travel options. The advisories may be further customized in order to display desired notifications and not display undesired notifications to selected users of the travel advisory generation system (e.g., system operators, travel service providers (including, but not limited to, travel agents and travel managers of an organization), and travelers). | 12-19-2013 |
20120136683 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING TRAVEL PACKAGES INCLUDING SEPARATELY PURCHASED TRAVEL ITEMS - A user of a personal computing device may identify multiple travel items of interest displayed for purchase by a network-based travel service. However, the user may not desire to purchase the travel items in a single purchase. Upon making a travel purchase that includes a first travel item that does not include a second travel item corresponding to the first travel item, the user may employ the network travel package service to search for second travel items corresponding to the first travel item, select from discounted travel packages including the first travel item and second travel items returned from the search, and purchase a discounted travel package. Beneficially, multiple travel items may be purchased separately while obtaining a package discount as compared to the stand-alone price of the travel items. | 05-31-2012 |
20090234681 | OPTIMIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FINDING BEST FARES - The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for processing fare queries to find the best fares. In one embodiment of this invention a query server utilizes a branching and bounding based technique to implicitly enumerate possible solutions to arrive at best fare solutions. | 09-17-2009 |
20080294470 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING RATES FOR TRAVEL SERVICES - A method and system are provided for presenting rates for travel services using dynamic pricing bands. The dynamic pricing bands represent approximate rates for travel services relative to available rates during or close to the proposed dates of travel, or at or near the proposed travel destination. Each dynamic pricing band is keyed to a particular color, intensity, pattern, sound, or other graphical and/or audio characteristic, thereby providing the consumer a sense of the seasonal, regional, day of week, or other variability of rates for travel services without having to compare actual numbers. The dynamic pricing bands are applied to an interactive presentation of rates for travel services to allow the consumer to explore possible rate variations for particular travel services in a manner that provides a birds-eye view, is intuitive and user-friendly. | 11-27-2008 |
20080262880 | OPTIMIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FINDING BEST FARE - The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for processing fare queries to find the best fares. In one embodiment of this invention a query server utilizes a branching and bounding based technique to implicitly enumerate possible solutions to arrive at best fare solutions. | 10-23-2008 |