URL-Embedded Identifier for Centralized Travel Data Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small and medium companies face challenges in tracking business travel data when employees book travel directly with individual airlines or hotels, as there is no centralized channel to consistently receive and manage travel information, leading to incomplete tracking of employee travel details and expenses.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses a consolidation server to generate a unique identifier for users, embedding it in a URL to interact with supplier servers, allowing for automatic integration of travel data into a tracking system without requiring loyalty program membership or login credentials, enabling seamless tracking of bookings and updates to expense reports and dashboards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If employees book travel directly with individual airlines or hotels, then employees have choice and flexibility in booking, but the company cannot consistently receive and track travel data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a consolidation server as an intermediary between employees and multiple travel suppliers. The server generates unique identifiers and embeds them in URLs that redirect employees to supplier websites. When employees book through these redirected URLs, the consolidation server receives booking confirmations and automatically integrates the travel data into the company's tracking system, thus maintaining data tracking capability while allowing employee choice.
2Loss of information
If a single mandatory channel is used for booking, then the company can consistently receive travel data, but employees lose flexibility and choice
Solution Approach 1:
The consolidation server performs multiple functions: it generates unique identifiers for tracking, creates redirected URLs for employee access, receives booking confirmations from various suppliers, and integrates data into the company system. This multi-functional approach allows the system to handle diverse booking channels while maintaining centralized data collection.
3Loss of information
If employees manually update tracking systems, then travel data can be captured, but effort and resources are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic data capture where the consolidation server self-services by receiving booking confirmations directly from suppliers and automatically integrating the data into the company's tracking system. This eliminates the need for employees to manually update records, as the system autonomously captures and processes travel information through the unique identifier tracking mechanism.
4Reliability
If loyalty program membership or login credentials are required, then supplier authentication is ensured, but user effort and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The consolidation server performs preliminary actions by generating unique identifiers and embedding them in URLs before employees visit supplier websites. This pre-configured tracking mechanism is in place before the booking process begins, allowing automatic identification and data capture without requiring employees to perform additional authentication steps or remember credentials during the booking process.
Data Source
AI summary
A server machine is configured to map an identifier of a user to an account of the user within a database. The server machine also embeds the identifier within a uniform resource locator (URL) that, when operated by a browser of the user, causes the browser to interact with a supplier server machine. The server machine later receives interaction result data from the supplier server machine, and the interaction result data includes the identifier of the user and an interaction detail resultant from the interaction initiated by the browser with the supplier server machine. A machine then detects that the interaction detail corresponds to the account of the user based on the identifier being both received in the interaction result data and mapped to the account of the user. Accordingly, the server machine causes inclusion of the interaction detail within an information entry that corresponds to the user.