Patent ID: 8185419

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, for processing a multiple passenger, multiple route query for a plurality of passenger groups, the method comprising: receiving by a computer a first set of travel constraints for a first passenger group; receiving by the computer a second set of travel constraints for a second passenger group, wherein the second passenger group is separate and distinct from the first passenger group; receiving by the computer a plurality of joint travel requirements applicable to each of the first passenger group and the second passenger group; sending by the computer a first computer query for the first passenger group to a computer system that executes a travel planning application that finds solutions meeting the first set of travel constraints by searching through databases of travel information; sending by the computer a second computer query for the second passenger group to a computer system that executes a travel planning application that finds solutions meeting the second set of travel constraints by searching through databases of travel information; receiving by the computer first passenger group solutions to the first computer query and second passenger group solutions to the second computer query; combining by the computer portions of the first passenger group solutions and portions of the second passenger group solutions into a plurality of combined solutions; determining by the computer that an insufficient number of the plurality of combined solutions satisfy the plurality of joint travel requirements; determining, by the computer, a smallest subset of the joint travel requirements that result in the insufficient number of the plurality of combined solutions that satisfy the plurality of joint travel requirements; for a chosen passenger group, deriving by the computer a set of additional constraints on a travel query for the chosen passenger group, the set of additional constraints corresponding to constraints from the smallest subset of the joint travel requirements; constructing, by the computer, a modified query for the chosen passenger group, the query modified to include the additional constraints; sending the modified query for the chosen passenger group to the same or a different travel planning system, to have the same or different travel planning system determine solutions for the chosen passenger group according to the modified query; and receiving by the computer determined solutions for the chosen passenger group according to the modified query.