Search Engine Standardizing Travel Fare Data Formats

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Solution Overview

Problem

The current search engines for travel fares face challenges in integrating data from various sources, including Ticketless Access (TLA) and standard carriers, due to differences in data formats and pricing logic, leading to inefficient comparisons and increased costs for users and vendors.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that converts data from multiple sources into a standard record format, enabling a generic fare search engine to combine recommendations from TLA and standard carriers, using a reverse pricing engine and enhanced universal faring engine to standardize and process data, thus facilitating seamless integration and comparison.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If data from multiple sources (TLA and standard carriers) are integrated into a single search engine, then the quality and completeness of search results is improved, but the device complexity increases due to handling multiple data formats and pricing logic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to integrate multiple data sourcesVSAvoidcomplexity of processing multiple data formats

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a pre-processing engine as an intermediary component between data sources and the main processing engine. This pre-processing engine standardizes data from TLA and standard carriers into a common format before processing, thereby reducing the complexity burden on the main engine while maintaining the ability to integrate multiple data sources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The search engine is segmented into distinct functional components: a pre-processing engine for data standardization and a main processing engine for core search operations. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall system efficiency while handling multiple data formats.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If a pre-processing engine is introduced to convert data formats, then the ease of operation is improved by unifying data standards, but the device complexity increases due to additional processing layers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of data integrationVSAvoidnumber of processing engines

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pre-processing engine serves as a mediator that translates diverse data formats into a standardized format, making the system easier to operate by unifying data standards. While it adds a processing layer, it simplifies the overall architecture by centralizing format conversion logic.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Data standardization is performed as a preliminary action before main processing occurs. By converting all data to a common format in advance, the main processing engine can operate more efficiently without needing to handle format conversion during core operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If separate processing paths are maintained for TLA and standard carriers, then the reliability of carrier-specific processing is improved, but the loss of time increases due to multiple separate searches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of carrier-specific resultsVSAvoidtime for conducting multiple searches

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the previously separate processing paths for TLA and standard carriers into a single unified search engine. The pre-processing engine handles format-specific requirements while the main processing engine executes a single consolidated search, eliminating the need for multiple separate searches and reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The main processing engine is designed with universal functionality to handle both TLA and standard carrier data after standardization. This multi-functional capability allows the system to maintain carrier-specific processing accuracy while operating through a single unified path.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8280870B2Search engine and associated method

Publication Date: 2012.10.02 AMADEUS SAS

AI summary

A method of searching for a entity amongst a plurality of entities, wherein all the entities are linked by at least one criterion in common and have a plurality of data formats, wherein each entity comprises a set of data which can be searched by means of criteria entered by a user; and wherein each entity has a data format; and further wherein a specific one of the data formats defines a standard record format; the method comprising the steps of: determining the data format of an entity; if the data format of the entity does not match the standard record format, passing the entity to a pre-processing engine; if the data format of the entity does match the standard record format, passing standard record format data of the entity to a main processing engine; in the pre-processing engine comparing the entity data format to the standard record format and applying a conversion to the entity set of data; converting the entity set of data to the standard record format based on the conversion to form a converted set of data; passing the converted set of data to the main processing engine; in the main processing engine receiving the standard record format entity set of data and the converted set of data; and producing a set of results combining the converted set of data and the standard record format data for selection by a user of a preferred entity.