Homeaway.com, Inc.

Homeaway, Inc.

Ryan Hedley Turner

Daniel Steven Haligas

Alex Holm Devine

Velayudhan Pillai Venugopal

Review data associated with a guest experience at an event, such as a vacation rental, for example, is transmitted over a communications network to one or more networked computing devices for processing the review data into a review data file for publication. The review data may be generated by an application executing on a processor of a client device such as a smartphone, tablet or pad. The review data may include access credentials and location data that may be processed to validate that the review data is legitimate. The review data may include media content captured in-situ at the event while the guest is experiencing the event. Prior to publishing a review data file, an owner may receive a notice and/or a copy of the pending review data file and the owner may take action to cure a less than stellar review and/or amend the review prior to publication.

System and methods to facilitate in-situ evaluations

A computing device may be configured to transition control over one or more functions of a rental unit to a user (e.g., a traveler) based on one or more of time, geo-location and access credentials. Access may be granted to the traveler to use one or more home automation functions including a HVAC system, a thermostat, lighting, security alarm, automated door locks, etc. An owner of the rental unit may have access to some or all of the home automation functions blocked during the traveler's stay at the rental unit, and at an end of the stay owner access to those functions may be enabled. Some functions may be activated prior to the traveler's arrival at the unit based on a time to arrival and/or distance from the unit. An application on a traveler's computing device may be configured to summon a repair service for the unit.

Application and platform for temporary control over property access functions

Various embodiments relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, and wearable computing devices for identifying activities and/or destinations of relative importance. More specifically, a system, a device and a method are provided to determine interactions at a mobile computing device predict activities based on one or more types of interactions. Examples of activities include preferential activities available at a geographic region association with lodging. In one or more embodiments, a method can include receiving data representing an interaction with a user interface, generating data summarizing the interaction to include an interaction type, and determining data representing a prioritized value indicative of a degree of the interaction. The method also may include predicting participation in an activity as a function of the prioritized value, and generating customized advisory data based on prioritized values of one or more interaction types.

Methods and mobile devices to implement traveler interactions and activity to channelize customized data

Aggregated traveler data may be accessed by subscribers to a content management system. Subscriber data in access requests from one or more subscribers may be used to describe a pool of travelers in the aggregated traveler data that may be concentrated in a geographic location. Location data, temporal data or both, from one or more electronic sources and/or data stores may be processed to determine if a selected traveler will be positioned within a threshold of an allowable distance from an allowable event in the geographic location at a time coincident with an event time window for the allowable event. Selected travelers who meet location and/or temporal parameters may be targeted to receive customized content for events including activities, services, goods, suggestions, and recommendations from subscribers. A subscriber may own a rental property in the geographic location that is rented by a selected traveler.

Platform to influence channelization of customized information to a user

Various embodiments relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, and wearable computing devices for identifying activities and/or destinations of relative importance. More specifically, a system, a device and a method provide to predict activities (e.g., preferential activities) available at a geographic region association with lodging and to adaptively generate advisory data. In one or more embodiments, a method can include accessing traveler profile data associated with a user, identifying data representing a portion of traveler attributes associated with a geographic region including lodging for the user, and receiving data indicative of locality-related characteristics. The method also includes predicting a first activity as a function of a locality-related characteristic and a travel attribute, and generating customized advisory data configured to engage in an activity.

Adaptive advisory engine and methods to predict preferential activities available at a region associated with lodging

Various embodiments relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, and wearable computing devices for identifying activities and/or destinations of relative importance. More specifically, a system, a device and a method are provided to predict a type of companion with whom a traveler collaborates to, among other things, predict activities (e.g., preferential activities) available at a geographic region association with lodging. In one or more embodiments, a method can include determining a location at which a user computing device associated with a user is disposed, and calculating that a computing device associated with a candidate companion is within a region coterminous with the location. Also, the method may include predicting data representing a companionship type for data representing the candidate companion based at least the location at which the user and the candidate companion are co-located.

Predicting companion data types associated with a traveler at a geographic region including lodging

A wireless mobile device in data communication with a platform may present on a display of the wireless mobile device graphic images and/or icons that may represent different information as a function of time, location, type of activity, type of event, anonymized trend data, push notifications and electronic messages. The graphic images and/or icons may be selectably visible on the display based on context-relevance of the information being displayed relative to an event, such as a rental of property by a traveler, for example. The graphic images and/or icons displayed may be determined by a data file that includes information configured to cause a visual characteristic of the graphic images and/or icons to dynamically change during different periods associated with an event, such as a pre-event, during-event, and post-event periods. Image/icon color, shape, size, opacity, position, transparency, intensity, invisibility, or other visual characteristics may be changed among images/icons being displayed.

Dynamic interface to present customized information contextually in relation to access to a property

Credential and/or location data included in data received by a networked system from a device that communicated the data to the networked system may be processed to determine if the credential data and/or location data validate an identity of a user (e.g., a guest, traveler, patron) and/or a location of the user based on a location of the device when the data is communicated. The data may be review data and the credential and/or location data may be included in review data. The device and/or the networked system may generate a location history database from location data from the device or other system that is periodically logged from multiple locations at different times during an event (e.g., a stay at a vacation rental). Data from the database may be used to determine if a location for a communication is with a threshold of an allowable distance from an allowable location.

Systems and methods to authenticate identity for selective access to information relating to property

Various embodiments relate generally to electrical and electronic hardware, computer software, wired and wireless network communications, and wearable computing devices for identifying activities and/or destinations of relative importance. More specifically, a system, a device and a method are provided to determine interactions at a mobile computing device predict activities based on one or more types of interactions. Examples of activities include preferential activities available at a geographic region association with lodging In one or more embodiments, a method can include receiving data representing an interaction with a user interface, generating data summarizing the interaction to include an interaction type, and determining data representing a prioritized value indicative of a degree of the interaction. The method also may include predicting participation in an activity as a function of the prioritized value, and generating customized advisory data based on prioritized values of one or more interaction types.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Ryan Hedley Turner