Multi-Profile Travel Booking System for Cost Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack the capability to allow users to book complex, multi-part transactions where different components can be purchased using different purchasing profiles, making it difficult for travelers to separate personal and business trip costs within a single booking.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that enables users to manage multiple profiles during a transaction, allowing each leg of a multi-part itinerary to be billed to a specific profile, thereby allowing for seamless integration of personal and business travel expenses within a single booking process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single purchasing profile is used for the entire itinerary, then the booking process is simple, but the user cannot separate personal and business trip costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single purchasing profile into multiple segmentable profiles (e.g., business profile, personal profile). Each segment can be independently assigned to different legs of the itinerary, allowing cost separation while maintaining a unified booking process. The system stores multiple profiles associated with a user account and enables selective application of each profile to specific itinerary segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple purchasing profiles are allowed for different itinerary legs, then cost separation is enabled, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing multiple purchasing profiles in the database before the actual booking transaction. When a user initiates a booking, the system automatically presents the available profiles for selection and handles the profile assignment logic during the booking process. This preliminary setup reduces the complexity during the actual transaction by having the profile management infrastructure already in place.
3Adaptability or versatility
If profile switching is enabled during booking, then flexible billing is achieved, but the booking process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by allowing profile selection at the specific level of each itinerary leg rather than requiring a global choice for the entire booking. The user can select different profiles for different legs based on local requirements (business vs. personal). The system presents profile options contextually at each leg's booking stage, minimizing the time impact by only requiring profile consideration where needed rather than for the entire itinerary uniformly.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for changing a personal profile or context during a transaction, is described. In one embodiment, the method is to be implemented on a system. In one embodiment the method comprises receiving travel selections for a first leg of an itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the first leg to a first profile; receiving travel selections for a second leg of the itinerary; receiving an assignment of the travel selections for the second leg to a second profile; and billing for the first and second legs of the itinerary as a single multi-leg travel itinerary, and billing the first leg of the itinerary to the first profile and billing the second leg of the itinerary to the second profile.