Patent ID: 6360205
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method involving reservation information, comprising:receiving a first request during a first session by a control system from a user machine of a first customer for reservation information, said request including customer input data of the first customer related to said reservation information, said user machine being located remotely from said control system and communicating with said control system using a communications network; requesting by said control system said reservation information using said customer input data from a plurality of reservation information sites including a first reservation information site and a second reservation information site which are located remotely from each of said user machine and said control system, said first and second reservation information sites being associated with first and second account databases and first and second network interfaces, respectively, each of said first and second reservation information sites being configured to communicate with said user machine of the first customer without intervention from said control system wherein, when said user machine is connected to at least said first reservation information site using said network interface thereof, said user machine is configured to be able to provide at least account information of the first customer to said first reservation information site; obtaining said reservation information including obtaining first reservation information from said first reservation information site by said control system and obtaining second reservation information from said second reservation information site by said control system, said first reservation information originating from a first provider thereof and said second reservation information originating from a second provider thereof, said first reservation information site providing only said first reservation information and said second reservation information site providing only said second reservation information; processing said reservation information including said first reservation information and said second reservation information using processing software to provide processed reservation information; presenting said processed reservation information utilizing said user machine; and performing a booking function related to said processed reservation information based on input received from said user machine and using at least one of said first and second reservation information sites, wherein, when said performing step uses said first reservation information site, said performing step includes: (i) checking whether first account information related to identification of the first customer is stored using said first account database, said stored first account information being based on at least a previous communication with said first reservation information site and (ii) at least when said checking step determines that said first account information is not stored, providing first account information related to identification of the first customer to said first reservation information site by said control system and in which said first account information includes at least some account information received by said control system from said user machine and said first account information is stored using said first account database; wherein, when said performing step uses said second reservation information site, said performing step includes: (i) checking whether second account information related to identification of the first customer is stored using said second account database, said stored second account information being based on at least a previous communication with said second reservation information site and (ii) at least when said checking step determines that said second account information is not stored, providing second account information related to identification of the first customer to said second reservation information site and in which said second account information includes at least some account information received by said control system from said user machine and said second account information is stored using said second account database.