Enterprise Travel Email Filtering Dashboard

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Business enterprises face challenges in identifying, filtering, and managing travel-related information from employee emails to comply with company policies, budgets, and duty-of-care considerations due to the ease of independent travel booking through various online platforms.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for enterprise-wide travel email filtering, processing, and visualization that involves receiving, parsing, and storing travel-related information from employee emails, generating user interfaces as a travel information dashboard accessible to the company, and distributing data to relevant stakeholders.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If employees book travel independently through online platforms, then ease of travel booking is improved, but employer knowledge of travel information deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of travel bookingVSAvoidemployer knowledge of travel information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by automatically capturing travel booking information from employee email accounts and forwarding it to a centralized dashboard. The email filtering system monitors incoming emails for travel-related content, extracts relevant data, and presents it to employers through the web-based dashboard, creating a continuous information feedback loop that maintains employer awareness without interfering with employee booking freedom

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary email filtering system that acts as a mediator between employees and employers. This intermediary automatically processes employee emails, identifies travel-related information, extracts key data points, and delivers them to the employer dashboard, enabling indirect information transfer without requiring direct employee-employer communication or restricting employee booking autonomy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If manual tracking of travel information is used, then data accuracy is improved, but time consumption deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata accuracyVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by enabling automatic extraction and processing of travel information from employee emails without requiring manual human intervention. The email filtering system autonomously identifies travel-related emails, extracts relevant data using automated parsing techniques, and populates the dashboard, eliminating the need for manual data entry while maintaining high data accuracy through systematic processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical data collection methods with automated electronic processing. Instead of employees or administrators manually tracking travel information through spreadsheets or manual entry, the system uses automated email filtering, pattern recognition algorithms, and data extraction software to capture and process travel data, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive email monitoring is implemented, then travel information identification is improved, but system complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetravel information identificationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies segmentation by dividing the email monitoring process into distinct functional modules: an email filtering component that identifies travel-related messages, a data extraction component that parses specific information fields, and a dashboard presentation component that displays processed data. This modular segmentation reduces overall system complexity by making each component independent and manageable while collectively achieving comprehensive travel information identification

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If centralized travel dashboard is implemented, then information accessibility is improved, but data security risks deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessibilityVSAvoiddata security risks
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements copying by creating a centralized dashboard that replicates travel information from multiple employee email accounts in a single accessible location. Rather than requiring employers to access individual employee accounts or physical documents, the dashboard generates copies of relevant travel data that can be viewed centrally, improving accessibility while maintaining security through controlled data replication rather than centralized account access

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS11328258B2System and method for enterprise-wide travel email filtering, processing, visualization, and data distribution
Publication Date: 2022.05.10 TRAXO
  • US11328258B2 patent drawing
  • US11328258B2 patent drawing
  • US11328258B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method includes receiving, at a service provider, each of multiple email messages from an email system of a company after the email system determines that each email message includes travel information associated with business travel of an employee of the company, wherein the company is a client or customer of the service provider. The method also includes parsing and filtering, by the service provider, each email message to obtain the travel information. The method also includes storing, by the service provider, the travel information in a data repository. The method also includes generating, by the service provider, one or more user or data interfaces associated with the travel information, wherein the one or more user or data interfaces are arranged as a travel information dashboard accessible to the company.