Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Discount or incentive
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-14
2003-10-07
Poinvil, Frantzy (Department: 3628)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Discount or incentive
C705S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06631355
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for providing incentives to persons who book travel-related reservations by awarding credits to those persons based upon the travel-related reservations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Travel agents and similar persons book most travel-related reservations. As an example, consider hotel reservations. Many customers book hotel reservations through a travel agent when the customer, for example, reserves airline tickets. Travel agents have a certain amount of discretion to recommend various hotels to travelers. Therefore, hotel companies have a strong interest in providing incentives for travel agents to recommend their hotels.
An incentives system that provides rewards to travel agents on a random basis is the World of Winners sweepstakes program, developed by Radisson Hotels International, Inc., the assignee of the present application. In the World of Winners sweepstakes program, for example, every tenth reservation booked in a particular hotel results in the travel agent receiving a reward or prize. The random nature of the World of Winners sweepstakes programs, however, reduces the incentive of travel agents to book travel-related reservations for particular hotels. When participating in such programs, travel agents do not know with certainty whether booking a hotel reservation for a particular hotel will result in an award.
Some systems have provided incentives to travel agencies based on booked reservations. These systems, however, do not necessarily provide personal incentives to individual travel agents, since the systems are not on-line and the agency itself receives any awards or prizes based on booked reservations. Companies providing travel services thus do not necessarily gain significant benefits from these programs, since the individual travel agents have much discretion in making reservations and are not necessarily motivated by incentives and awards for the agency.
Therefore, a need exists for a system which provides incentives for travel agents and similar persons to book particular travel-related reservations by awarding cumulative credits to those travel agents based upon the bookings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A computerized awards credits to persons who book travel-related reservations. The system receives a booking format which includes a plurality of fields. At least one of the fields includes information identifying a travel-related reservation. The system further transmits a code which identifies a person who created or initiated the travel-related reservation. Upon receiving the travel-related reservation, the system cumulatively assigns credits to the person identified by the code based upon the travel-related reservation. Therefore, persons who enter travel-related reservations may build up credits over time and use those credits to receive a particular incentive such as an award or prize.
The computerized method can also verify the credits according to predefined criteria, classify the credits as pending or redeemable, provide on-line feedback regarding credits which could have been assigned if the person did not elect to receive credits, or automatically provide an indication of incremental credits assigned for a travel-related reservation.
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Business Travel, “A new way to Purchase Travel”, Business Travel News, Issue 158, Nov. 6, 1989.*
Radisson Hotels International Press Release,Radisson Hotels International and Visa U.S.A. Unveil World's First On-Line Frequency Program for Travel Agents, Sep. 22, 1992.
A Page From Curt's Book, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Sep. 25, 1992.
Jennifer Dorsey,Radisson Officials to Call on Agencies, Launch Incentive Plan, Travel Weekly, Sep. 28, 1992.
David Phelps,A Little Incentive, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sep. 28, 1992.
Radisson Hotels International and Visa U.S.A. Unveil World's First On-Line Frequency Program for Travel Agents, PR Newswire, Sep. 22, 1992.
Affidavit of Mark W. Bassinger, pp. 1-7 (May 15, 1997).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding Travel Agency Frequency Program, 1 page (Oct. 2, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding Radisson/Visa World of Winners Sweepstakes, 1 page (Jul. 12, 1990).
Radisson Hotels International World of Winners Sweepstakes Official Rules. 3 pages (Jun. 27, 1990).
Sorum, E. et al., “Travel Agent Frequency Program”, pp. 1-12 (Jun. 30, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding ROI for WOW/TA Frequency, 1 page (Aug. 14, 1992).
Deposition of Scott Heintzeman, 9 pages (Jan. 16, 1996).
Deposition of Thomas William Storey, 8 pages (Dec. 10, 1996).
Communication from Tom Storey, 2 pages (Sep. 22, 1992).
Deposition of Lance L. Vietzke, 4 pages (May 13, 1997).
Tom Polski Script Radisson News Conference 1992 ASTA World Congress, Cairo, Egypt, 3 pages (Sep. 22, 1992).
Radisson Inter-office communication regarding BI Feedback on Visa Program. 1 page (Aug. 14, 1992).
Radisson Announcement Letter, 1 page (Oct. 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Sales Blitz—Sep. 1, 1992 Meeting Recap. 3 pages (Sep. 3, 1992).
ASTA Marketing Services letter, 1 page (Oct. 2, 1992).
Memorandum regarding T.A. Frequency Program, 3 pages (Sep. 29, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding Look to Book—Australia, 1 page (Oct. 15, 1992).
Various newspaper articles based on news release, 8 pages (1992).
Radisson Inter-office communication regarding Sales Blitz for T.A. Frequency Launch, 1 page (Aug. 4, 1992).
Radisson Inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Program Update, 1 page (Sep. 8, 1992).
Look to Book announcement, 1 page (Oct. 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Update Meeting—Oct. 7, 2 pages (Oct. 7, 1992).
Spreadsheet from Radisson: Travel Agent Promotion—Quarter IV 1992, 1 page (1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding Travel Agency Sales Call List, 1 page (Oct. 21, 1992).
Deposition of Maureen A. O'Hanlon, 2 pages (Feb. 7, 1997).
Deposition of Julie Wilcox, 3 pages (Feb. 27, 1997).
Radisson “Look to Book” Frequency Program Announcement Video—Part One, 8 pages (Sep. 2, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication from Tom Storey, 1 page (Date Unknown).
Letter from Thomas W. Storey to Adam Aron, 9 pages (Sep. 16, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Program, 3 pages (Aug. 21, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding AVIS, 1 page (Sep. 17, 1992).
Letter from Kevin J. Danaher to Jeri Jo Poshkoff, 1 page (Sep. 17, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency—Communications Plan, 2 pages (Oct. 5, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency—800# Training, 1 page (Oct. 9, 1992).
Trade Advertisement, 2 pages (Date Unknown).
Trademark Application for the mark Look To Book & Design, 6 pages (Feb. 9, 1993).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Program Update, 5 pages (Sep. 8, 1992).
Affidavit of Jennifer Riesselman, 13 pages (Jun. 12, 1997).
Deposition of Scott Heintzeman, 17 pages (Jan. 15, 1997).
Deposition of Gregory A. Malark, 9 pages (Dec. 16, 1996).
Deposition of Barbara Eileen Monson, 13 pages (Nov. 14, 1996).
Deposition of Ellen M. Sorum, 2 pages (Feb. 10, 1997).
Deposition of Thomas William Storey, 17 pages (Dec. 10, 1996).
Affidavit of Maureen O'Hanlon and Exhibits C,D,E, and F, 29 pages (Jun. 16, 1997).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Program, 2 pages (Jul. 10, 1992).
Radisson inter-office communication regarding TA Frequency Program Bid Specs, 6 pages (Jul. 10, 1992).
Letter from Th
Heintzeman Scott B.
Malark Gregory A.
Medina Steven J.
Monson Barbara
Storey Thomas W.
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Poinvil Frantzy
Radisson Hotels International, Inc.
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