Patent GB-910471-A (GB)
Title: Accommodation availability information system
IPC: G08B5/22
Filed: 1959-03-20
Abstract: 910,471. Booking seats &C. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. March 20, 1959 [March 21, 1958], No. 9777/59. Class 106(3). In a system for indicating availability of accommodation for aircraft or other scheduled transport movements for a particular journey on any one day (or other unit of time) during a predetermined advance booking period, information requests can be made at a plurality of operator's positions where the route and date of a requested journey are set up on a keyboard for transmission electrically to a central station. Here the date portion of the transmitted signal selects the appropriate (day) section of a store containing all availability information and from this section the requested information is selected under control of an address selected by the route portion of the signal. The requested information is transmitted electrically to the operative keyboard and there produces a visual indication of all available requested accommodation for journeys over the route concerned scheduled for the day in question. In the embodiment described the number of seats available for any desired aircraft flight is not recorded, but only one of four codes, namely :- (a) Yes-seats available; (b) No-flight fully booked; (c) Caution-further seats available but special instructions to be followed; (d) Not available-the flight does not exist. A controlling operator checks accepted bookings and modifies the code stored in respect of all flights in accordance with these bookings. When an operator receives an availability indication code (c) caution, he must 'phone the controlling operator to determine whether the requested seats are available. The controlling operator must also be consulted when a block booking is in question. An automatic booking system may be connected to the availability system disclosed. Entering a request.-All scheduled flights are catered for by route charts resembling time tables which are provided at each operator's position. Fig. 2, for example, shows the chart which schedules the daily flights and/or partial flights between Stockholm and London in ten columns 17, the printed schedule being attached to a metal plate 14, bearing code notches 16 at one edge individual to that route chart. The route chart appropriate to an availability request is inserted in the keyboard, Fig. 3. The desired starting point and destination keys 22 opposite the appropriate chart rows, the appropriate date keys 24, the month key 25, and class of flight key 26, are then depressed, and finally the read key 27 which initiates transmission to the central station of a signal indicative of the request. The route identifying portion of this signal including the serial number of the chart is determined by the coding notches 16 in the route chart. Indicating availability, Fig. 3.-The signal sent back from the central station gives availability information in respect of all the ten flights shown in the route chart by selective lighting of lamps 29 two of which are arranged above each chart flight column 17 whereby the four information possibilities may be indicated for each flight, thus:- Code (a)-the upper lamp 29 (green) only lights up; Code (b)-the lower (red) lamp only lights; Code (c)-both lamps light; Code (d)-neither lamp lights, requested flight not contained on route chart, or flight will not take place on requested date, or requested class not available. A white lamp 32 lights up if the request has been incorrectly received so that the reading key 27 must again be depressed. A red lamp 33 if lit up indicates a fault in the system, a white lamp 34 if lit up indicates that the keyed date is outside the booking period. A further white lamp 35 lights up if a distributer by which the various operators' positions are selectively connected to the central station is engaged. The operative lamps are extinguished by depressing an erase key 28 which permits connection of another operator's keyboard via the distributer to the central station. Central station.-The availability information is preferably stored on two magnetic drums 36, 39, Fig. 4, differently sub-divided. Drum 36 which caters primarily for flights scheduled only for certain days of the week is axially divided into seven blocks 37, each corresponding to a particular day of the week and being subdivided into ten columns 0 ... 9 for the ten weeks of the advance booking period. Each column comprises two tracks for the parallel representation of the information items. Each block 37 also contains 20 tracks for address storage, each address including the serial number of the airline chart, the column number, the starting point and destination and the class of flight, in binary notation. The drum 36 also includes an allotter 38 which, in the case where a specified flight occurs on more than one chart, but is stored only in respect of one-the master chart-functions always to select the master chart address. The drum 39 caters for flights scheduled daily and at frequent intervals during the week, and is divided into two blocks each comprising address storage and 70 double tracks one for each day of the booking period, for the information elements. Writing in information. Fig. 6.-This is effected by the controlling operator at a control keyboard similar to that of Fig. 3, so that availability requests may be made, but provided with additional keys 46 one for each of the ten flights shown on a route chart and additional functions keys 47-51. The master chart for any flight to be changed is inserted in the keyboard and a normal availability information requested. After checking the availability of the flights indicated on the chart, the appropriate flight key 46 corresponding to the flight to be changed and the appropriate one of the four function keys 47- 50 which corresponds to the desired one of the four information possibilities a, b, c, d referred to above to be recorded is depressed. Finally the write key 51 is depressed to effect recording of the new flight information. A date allotter, Fig. 5 (not shown), corresponding in function to the cross-connecting frames used in conventional telephone exchanges is provided and operated from the control position, Fig. 6, to facilitate the day-to-day changes of the advance availability information in the stores.