Processing and Optimizing Travel Insurance Transactions

Abstract

A method and system are provided for processing communications between travel service providers and travel insurers where travel service providers use different messaging formats. A travel service provider transmits itinerary data to a travel insurer in one messaging format. The travel insurer may then convert the itinerary data into a format compatible with the travel insurer's system and determine an optimal policy choice based on the itinerary data. The travel insurer may then transmit this choice to the travel service provider in the travel service provider's preferred messaging format, and the travel service provider offers the product to the consumer through the travel service provider's interface.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for processing transactions involving a travel insurer and a travel service provider, comprising:
 receiving, by a travel insurer computing device, itinerary data in a travel service provider messaging format generated by the travel service provider;   converting, by the travel insurer computing device, the itinerary data in the travel service provider messaging format to itinerary data in a travel insurer messaging format based on a mapping of the travel service provider messaging format to the travel insurer messaging format, wherein the mapping is one of a plurality of mappings between messaging formats associated with travel service providers and the travel insurer messaging format;   determining, by the travel insurer computing device, a travel insurance policy based on the itinerary data in the travel insurer messaging format; and   transmitting, by the travel insurer computing device, information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy to a customer computing device for presentation to a customer of the travel service provider.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy is presented to the customer on the customer computing device via a user interface associated with the travel service provider. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the travel insurer messaging format is a messaging format compatible with a rating and issuance engine of the travel insurer, and wherein the determining utilizes the rating and issuance engine. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the travel service provider messaging format is one of the group consisting of: XML, HTML, and delimited text. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 converting the information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy into a messaging format compatible with the travel service provider before the transmitting.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the customer computing device, a customer response corresponding to the determined travel insurance policy, wherein the customer response includes payment information; and   converting, by the travel insurer computing device, the customer response including payment information into a corresponding travel insurer messaging format.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 selecting an advertisement for presentation to the consumer based on the itinerary data; and   transmitting the selected advertisement or an indication of the selected advertisement to the customer computing device for presentation of the selected advertisement to the customer.   
     
     
         28 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, part of a travel insurer computing system, having processor-executable instructions stored thereon for processing transactions involving a travel insurer and a travel service provider, the processor-executable instructions including instructions for:
 receiving itinerary data in a travel service provider messaging format generated by the travel service provider;   converting the itinerary data in the travel service provider messaging format to itinerary data in a travel insurer messaging format based on a mapping of the travel service provider messaging format to the travel insurer messaging format, wherein the mapping is one of a plurality of mappings between messaging formats associated with travel service providers and the travel insurer messaging format;   determining a travel insurance policy based on the itinerary data in the travel insurer messaging format; and   transmitting information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy to a customer computing device for presentation to a customer of the travel service provider.   
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy is presented to the customer on the customer computing device via a user interface associated with the travel service provider. 
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the travel insurer messaging format is a messaging format compatible with a rating and issuance engine of the travel insurer, and wherein the determining utilizes the rating and issuance engine. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the travel service provider messaging format is one of the group consisting of: XML, HTML, and delimited text. 
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , the processor-executable instructions further comprising instructions for:
 converting the information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy into a messaging format compatible with the travel service provider before the transmitting.   
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , the processor-executable instructions further comprising instructions for:
 receiving, from the customer computing device, a customer response corresponding to the determined travel insurance policy, wherein the customer response includes payment information; and   converting the customer response including payment information into a corresponding travel insurer messaging format.   
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , the processor-executable instructions further comprising instructions for:
 selecting an advertisement for presentation to the consumer based on the itinerary data; and   transmitting the selected advertisement or an indication of the selected advertisement to the customer computing device for presentation of the selected advertisement to the customer.   
     
     
         35 . A travel insurer computing system for processing transactions involving a travel insurer and a travel service provider, comprising:
 a travel insurer server, configured to:
 receive itinerary data in a travel service provider messaging format generated by the travel service provider; 
 convert the itinerary data in the travel service provider messaging format to itinerary data in a travel insurer messaging format based on a mapping of the travel service provider messaging format to the travel insurer messaging format, wherein the mapping is one of a plurality of mappings between messaging formats associated with travel service providers and the travel insurer messaging format; 
 determine a travel insurance policy based on the itinerary data in the travel insurer messaging format; and 
 transmit information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy to a customer computing device for presentation to a customer of the travel service provider; and 
   a database, configured to store the plurality of mappings between messaging formats associated with travel service providers and the travel insurer messaging format.   
     
     
         36 . The travel insurer computing system of  claim 35 , wherein the travel insurer messaging format is a messaging format compatible with a rating and issuance engine of the travel insurer, and wherein to determine the travel insurance policy, the travel insurer server is configured to execute the rating and issuance engine. 
     
     
         37 . The travel insurer computing system of  claim 35 , wherein the travel service provider messaging format is one of the group consisting of: XML, HTML, and delimited text. 
     
     
         38 . The travel insurer computing system of  claim 35 , wherein the travel insurer server is further configured to:
 convert the information pertaining to the determined travel insurance policy into a messaging format compatible with the travel service provider before the transmitting.   
     
     
         39 . The travel insurer computing system of  claim 35 , wherein the travel insurer server is further configured to:
 receive, from the customer computing device, a customer response corresponding to the determined travel insurance policy, wherein the customer response includes payment information; and   convert the customer response including payment information into a corresponding travel insurer messaging format.   
     
     
         40 . The travel insurer computing system of  claim 35 , wherein the travel insurer server is further configured to:
 select an advertisement for presentation to the consumer based on the itinerary data; and   transmit the selected advertisement or an indication of the selected advertisement to the customer computing device for presentation of the selected advertisement to the customer.