Abstract:
A method, program, and system for checking the availability of goods and services by means of the Internet are provided. The invention comprises compiling a customer profile, which may include information related to business affiliation as well as personal preferences. The customer uses a general search engine to submit a query regarding a desired good or service, and the search engine returns a list of suppliers that satisfy the search generic criteria. Special software on the client machine then sends more detailed queries, along with the customer profile, directly to certain suppliers selected from the list. These suppliers then return information, which corresponds to the customer profile. This information may include availability of specific accommodations, special discounts, as well as exclusive goods or services not offered to the general public.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to computer network environments, and more specifically to online searches for goods and services. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Current search mechanisms may provide customers with a list of links to stores and service providers in a specified geographic area. However, there is no mechanism to short list search results and display them per specific criteria for the customer. 
     If a customer wishes to find a service in a specified area, current search services will provide the customer with a list of all the registered service providers in the area, and perhaps the price range and service provided. However, it is up to the customer to keep calling the various providers in order to determine if a specific good/service is available in the customer&#39;s preferred price range on specific date, according to specific customer criteria. Examples include hotel rooms and plane tickets. In addition to these limitations, what search services do exist may rely on an aggregated server which compiles search patterns and may allow third parties to misuse customer information. 
     Currently, customers may not be aware of possible employer or other discounts for a given service (e.g., AAA discounts, AARP discounts), and not even think to inquire as to whether such discounts are available. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method for querying goods and service providers and receiving an automatic response, which addresses specific customer criteria and helps with short listing and displaying of search results in order of priority. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a method, program, and system for checking the availability of goods and services by means of the Internet. The invention comprises compiling a customer profile, which may include information related to business affiliation as well as personal preferences. The customer uses a general search engine to submit a query regarding a desired good or service, and the search engine returns a list of suppliers that satisfy the search generic criteria. Special software on the client machine then sends more detailed queries, along with the customer profile, directly to certain suppliers selected from the list. These suppliers then return information, which corresponds to the customer profile. This information may include availability of specific accommodations, special discounts, as well as exclusive goods or services not offered to the general public. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a block diagram illustrating a data processing system in which the present invention may be implemented; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a flowchart illustrating a general overview of the dynamic query system in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a schematic diagram illustrating the architecture of the dynamic query system in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  depicts a pictorial diagram illustrating a customer profile display in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a flowchart illustrating the process by which service provider servers respond to queries in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  depicts a pictorial diagram illustrating a display of a hotel server response in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the figures,  FIG. 1  depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  is a network of computers in which the present invention may be implemented. Network data processing system  100  contains a network  102 , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system  100 . Network  102  may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables. 
     In the depicted example, a server  104  is connected to network  102  along with storage unit  106 . In addition, clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  also are connected to network  102 . These clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server  104  provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients  108 – 112 . Clients  108 ,  110 , and  112  are clients to server  104 . Network data processing system  100  also includes printers  114 ,  116 , and  118 , and may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown. 
     In the depicted example, network data processing system  100  is the Internet with network  102  representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, government, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system  100  also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).  FIG. 1  is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a block diagram of a data processing system that may be implemented as a server, such as server  104  in  FIG. 1 , is depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Data processing system  200  may be a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of processors  202  and  204  connected to system bus  206 . Alternatively, a single processor system may be employed. Also connected to system bus  206  is memory controller/cache  208 , which provides an interface to local memory  209 . I/O bus bridge  210  is connected to system bus  206  and provides an interface to I/O bus  212 . Memory controller/cache  208  and I/O bus bridge  210  may be integrated as depicted. 
     Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus bridge  214  connected to I/O bus  212  provides an interface to PCI local bus  216 . A number of modems may be connected to PCI bus  216 . Typical PCI bus implementations will support four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. Communications links to network computers  108 – 112  in  FIG. 1  may be provided through modem  218  and network adapter  220  connected to PCI local bus  216  through add-in boards. 
     Additional PCI bus bridges  222  and  224  provide interfaces for additional PCI buses  226  and  228 , from which additional modems or network adapters may be supported. In this manner, data processing system  200  allows connections to multiple network computers. A memory-mapped graphics adapter  230  and hard disk  232  may also be connected to I/O bus  212  as depicted, either directly or indirectly. 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in  FIG. 2  may vary. For example, other peripheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, also may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted. The depicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the present invention. 
     The data processing system depicted in  FIG. 2  may be, for example, an eServer pSeries system, a product of International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, N.Y., running the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) or Linux operating systems. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , a block diagram illustrating a data processing system is depicted in which the present invention may be implemented. Data processing system  300  is an example of a client computer. Data processing system  300  employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus, other bus architectures such as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) may be used. Processor  302  and main memory  304  are connected to PCI local bus  306  through PCI bridge  308 . PCI bridge  308  also may include an integrated memory controller and cache memory for processor  302 . Additional connections to PCI local bus  306  may be made through direct component interconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter  310 , SCSI host bus adapter  312 , and expansion bus interface  314  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by direct component connection. In contrast, audio adapter  316 , graphics adapter  318 , and audio/video adapter  319  are connected to PCI local bus  306  by add-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface  314  provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter  320 , modem  322 , and additional memory  324 . Small computer system interface (SCSI) host bus adapter  312  provides a connection for hard disk drive  326 , tape drive  328 , and CD-ROM drive  330 . Typical PCI local bus implementations will support three or four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors. 
     An operating system runs on processor  302  and is used to coordinate and provide control of various components within data processing system  300  in  FIG. 3 . The operating system may be a commercially available operating system, such as Windows 2000, which is available from Microsoft Corporation. An object oriented programming system such as Java may run in conjunction with the operating system and provide calls to the operating system from Java programs or applications executing on data processing system  300 . “Java” is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented operating system, and applications or programs are located on storage devices, such as hard disk drive  326 , and may be loaded into main memory  304  for execution by processor  302 . 
     Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware in  FIG. 3  may vary depending on the implementation. Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash ROM (or equivalent nonvolatile memory) or optical disk drives and the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in  FIG. 3 . Also, the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing system. 
     As another example, data processing system  300  may be a stand-alone system configured to be bootable without relying on some type of network communication interface, whether or not data processing system  300  comprises some type of network communication interface. As a further example, data processing system  300  may be a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, which is configured with ROM and/or flash ROM in order to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or user-generated data. 
     The depicted example in  FIG. 3  and above-described examples are not meant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data processing system  300  also may be a notebook computer or hand held computer in addition to taking the form of a PDA. Data processing system  300  also may be a kiosk or a Web appliance. 
     The present invention provides a goods/services search mechanism that is guided by predefined customer preferences, allowing the customer to determine the availability of goods and services within a specified geographic area, at preferred prices and on preferred dates (or within a specified time interval). 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a flowchart illustrating a general overview of the dynamic query system is depicted in accordance with the present invention.  FIG. 5  depicts a schematic diagram illustrating the architecture of the dynamic query system in accordance with the present invention. For simplicity, the following example will focus on searching for hotel accommodations. However, it should be pointed out that the present invention can be applied to any product, which includes both goods and services. 
     The customer begins by creating a customer profile (step  401 ). This profile  503  is maintained on the local client  502  (e.g., PC, PDA) that the customer is using to access the search service and is not shared with the aggregate server  504 . The profile  503  might contain standard identification information such as name and address. The profile  503  may also contain information that is more directly related to purchasing goods and services. Examples of items in the profile include: coupons, corporate name, airline frequent flier number, personal hobbies, hotel amenities preferences (e.g., health club, restaurant, room size, smoking preference), or other items that may entitle the customer to price discounts or special services not offered to the general public. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a pictorial diagram illustrating a customer profile display is depicted in accordance with the present invention. The example illustrated in  FIG. 6  is based on the example customer profile described below. Display  600  contains entry fields for the various categories within the customer profile, as well as the priority assigned to each of these criteria. These categories relate not only to customer service preferences (e.g., room size), but also to other parameters which may entitle the customer to special discounts (e.g., employer, airline), as explained above.  FIG. 6  is merely an example. Other categories may be contained in the customer profile. The following is an example of a XML of the customer profile displayed in  FIG. 6 :
     &lt;Hotels&gt;
       &lt;Preferred Hotels&gt;
           priority=3   &lt;Hotel 1&gt;
               Name=Holiday Inn   Choice=1   Pref.Cust.#=548729   
               &lt;/Hotel 1&gt;   &lt;Hotel 2&gt;
               Name=Days Inn   Choice=2   Pref. Cust.#=612570   
               &lt;/Hotel 2&gt;   
           &lt;/Preferred Hotels&gt;   &lt;Employer&gt;
           Name=IBM   Employee#=PR4307   
           &lt;/Employeer&gt;   &lt;Clubs&gt;
           priority=2   &lt;Club1&gt;
               Name=AAA   Member #=   
               &lt;/Club 1&gt;   &lt;Club 2&gt;
               Name=AARP   Member#=   
               &lt;/Club 2&gt;   
           &lt;/Clubs&gt;   &lt;Airlines&gt;
           priority&lt;2   &lt;Airline 1&gt;
               Name=Delta   FF#=   
               &lt;/Airline 1&gt;   &lt;Airline 2&gt;
               Name=United   FF#=   
               &lt;/Airline 2&gt;   
           &lt;/Airlines&gt;   &lt;Room type&gt;
           priority=3   Smallest=2 bed twin   Largest=Suite   
           &lt;/Room type&gt;   &lt;Special Accommodations&gt;
           priority=1   Description=Handicap access   
           &lt;/Special Accommodations&gt;   &lt;Price Range&gt;
           priority=1   Lowest price=$55.00   Highest price=$115.00   
           &lt;/Price Range&gt;   &lt;Recreation&gt;
           &lt;Recreation 1&gt;
               priority=3   Description=Health club   
               &lt;/Recreation 1&gt;   &lt;Recreation 2&gt;
               priority=3   Description=Pool   
               &lt;/Recreation 2&gt;   &lt;Recreation 3&gt;
               priority=4   Description=Night club   
               &lt;/Recreation3&gt;   
           &lt;Other information&gt;
           priority=2   Description=Public transport access   
           
       &lt;/Other information&gt;   &lt;/Hotels&gt;
 
Of course, the customer profile depicted above may also be stored in languages and formats other than XML.
   

     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , the customer begins the search process by entering the search criteria into a general search engine, which is located on aggregate server  504  (step  402 ). For the hotel example, the search criteria might include hotel location (city), dates of visit, and price range. For customers requiring more immediate hotel reservations, the customer may also supply the aggregate server  504  with his or her current GPS location and distance he or she is willing to continue traveling before stopping at the hotel. The search engine on aggregate server  504  will then return a list of candidates, including their URLs, based on the initial search criteria (step  403 ). The aggregate server  504  may provide the special software (agent) for client  502  to help automate the search process. 
     The client agent automatically short lists the search results by choosing candidates (e.g., hotels) from the initial list, according to criteria contained in the customer profile  503  (step  404 ). The agent then sends queries, containing selective questions based upon profile  503 , directly to the servers  505 – 509  of the chosen hotels (step  405 ). Both steps  404  and  405  may be performed automatically by the agent software, without user intervention. The queries can take many forms, including, but not limited to, HTML/XML queries, email, and instant messaging. The following is an example of a XML request for information for a given hotel server:
     &lt;Request for quote&gt;
       City=Falls Church   State=VA   Country=USA   &lt;Date&gt;
           Arrive=Jun. 2, 2001   Depart=Jun. 4, 2001   
           &lt;/Date&gt;   Pref. Cust.#=548729   &lt;Employer&gt;
           Name=IBM   Employee#=PR4307   
           &lt;/Employer&gt;   &lt;Airlines traveled&gt;
           priority=2   Delta   United   
           &lt;/Airlines traveled&gt;   &lt;Room type&gt;
           priority=3   Smallest=2 bed twin   Largest=Suite   
           &lt;/Room type&gt;   &lt;Special Accommodations&gt;
           priority=1   Description=Handicap access   
           &lt;/Special Accommodations&gt;   &lt;Price Range&gt;
           priority=1   Lowest price=$55.00   Highest price=$115.00   
           &lt;/Price Range&gt;   &lt;Other information&gt;
           priority=2   Description=Public transport access   
           
       &lt;/Other information&gt;   &lt;/Request for quote&gt;
 
It should be pointed out that not all of the criteria in the customer profile need be sent in the query.
   

     The hotel servers  505 – 509  then respond to the query based on the information contained in the customer profile  503  (step  406 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a flowchart illustrating the process by which service provider servers respond to queries is depicted in accordance with the present invention. The process flow depicted in  FIG. 7  is a detailed account of step  406  in  FIG. 4 . The server receives the request for quote from the customer agent (step  701 ). The server checks for special discounts offered by the hotel that may be applicable to the customer (step  702 ). Examples of such discounts include employer, airline, AAA, AARP, and hotel preferred customer discounts. The hotels may also offer special accommodations or services that are only available to certain corporate clients. The server determines the best discount for which the customer is eligible (step  703 ). Optionally, the server may also verify the information supplied by the customer to make sure that the customer is indeed entitled to the discounts. For example, the server may verify that the customer is in fact an IBM employee by checking the employee number supplied in the query or by use of digital signature. This may also be done for frequent flier, AAA, AARP, and similar identification numbers. 
     The hotel server determines the availability of rooms based on the criteria in the customer criteria and compiles a list of room types available for the requested dates (step  704 ). The server then calculates the discounted rates for the available rooms using the best discount determined in step  703  (step  705 ). 
     The server checks for special accommodations (e.g., handicap access) needed by the customer and determines if the hotel in question can provide these accommodations (step  706 ). The server also checks other information requested by the customer (e.g., public transport access) (step  707 ). In performing steps  706  and  707 , the hotel server might rely on a knowledge base server, such as server  510  depicted in  FIG. 5 , or a message may be sent to a human operator. 
     Once the hotel server has made the above determinations and calculations, it creates and sends a response verifying the availability of the requested service(s) to the customer agent within a specified time period (step  708 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a pictorial diagram illustrating a display of a hotel server response is depicted in accordance with the present invention. The response from the hotel servers  505 – 509  may be automatic and/or tailored to the customer&#39;s query. The following is a XML entry for hotel server response depicted in  FIG. 8 :
     &lt;Hotels&gt;
       Name of Hotel=Holiday Inn   &lt;Location&gt;
           City=Falls Church   State=VA   Country=USA   Address=2345 Leesburg Pike   
           &lt;/Location&gt;   &lt;Availability&gt;
           &lt;Room type 1&gt;
               Description&lt;2 bed twin   Offered rate=$55.00   Discount applied=IBM   
               &lt;/Room type 1&gt;   &lt;Room type 2&gt;
               Description=2 bed queen   Offered rate=$80.00   Discount applied=IBM   
               &lt;/Room type 2&gt;   &lt;Room type 3&gt;
               Description=suite   Offered rate=$110.00   Discount applied=IBM   
               &lt;/Room type 3&gt;   
           &lt;/Availability&gt;   &lt;Special accommodations&gt;
           Handicap access   
           &lt;/Special accommodations&gt;   &lt;Recreation&gt;
           &lt;Amenity 1&gt;
               Amenity=Health club   
               &lt;/Amenity 1&gt;   &lt;Amenity 2&gt;
               Amenity=Pool   
               &lt;/Amenity 2&gt;   
           &lt;/Recreation&gt;   &lt;Information 1&gt;
           Information=Public transportation   Description=Metro station 2 miles from hotel Complimentary shuttle to station   
           &lt;/Information 1&gt;   
       &lt;/Hotel&gt;
 
The offered rate will be the best of the applicable discount rates, as determined by the hotel servers in step  705  in  FIG. 7 .
   

     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , based upon the responses received from the hotel servers  505 – 509 , the client  502  may generate an email message to the hotels requesting more information (step  407 ). This message may be answered by a human service representative. A hotel server (e.g., server  507 ) may generate an automatic response to the new email query by parsing key phrases and finding answers using a knowledge base, such as knowledge base server  510 . For example, a hotel server&#39;s initial response based on the customer profile may not indicate whether or not the hotel provides handicap access. The client  502  may send an automatic email (or instant message) stating “Please respond stating handicap access.” Alternatively, the customer may send the email manually. 
     Finally, the agent performs a best-fit calculation of the information received from the hotels servers  505 – 509  and displays the hotel choices in order of their fit to customer criteria (step  408 ). The best-fit calculation assigns a score to a hotel according to how closely the hotel&#39;s server response conforms to the contents and priorities of the customer criteria. The hotels are then ranked according to their relative best-fit score. It is unlikely that any given hotel will conform perfectly to a particular customer profile. The priority values assigned to individual criteria help both the hotel servers and the customer agent to determine the availability of suitable accommodations. For example, if a particular criterion (e.g., handicap access) is priority 1 and the hotel cannot provide such accommodations, the customer agent may simply filter the server response and not display it to the customer. If a hotel cannot accommodate a lower priority criterion (e.g., health club), it would still be displayed to the customer, but might receive a lower ordinal rank in the best-fit list determined by the agent. 
     It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a RAM, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and transmission-type media, such as digital and analog communications links, wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms, such as, for example, radio frequency and light wave transmissions. The computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system. 
     The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.