System and method for determining validity of web content

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for determining whether an apparent booking is a genuine or actual booking. Bookings occur in all sorts of industries, such as travel, medical, entertainment, weddings, catering, and the like. In one embodiment, the method includes determining whether an apparent booking identified from a website calendar, and associated with a merchant, is a genuine booking of the merchant or is an unavailability of the merchant not related to a booking. For example, the genuineness of the booking may be determined based on additional information associated with the merchant, a geographic location, other merchants, and the like.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computing system comprising:
 a processor configured to
 extract web content from a website calendar at a first point of time, the website calendar associated with an item capable of being reserved, 
 extract web content from the website calendar at a second point of time that is subsequent to the first point in time, 
 detect a period of unavailability for reserving the item based on a content differential between the web content extracted at the first point in time and the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time; and 
   a storage device configured to store an identification of the item and the period of unavailability of the item.   
     
     
         2 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor detects different visual content at the period of unavailability within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time in comparison to the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         3 . The computing system of  claim 2 , wherein the processor detects the different visual content via at least one of a mark, a shade, and a line, within one or more days of the website calendar corresponding to the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         4 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor detects the period of unavailability via detection of a sequential block of days on the website calendar which include one or more of markings, lines, and shadings within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point of time, but not within the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         5 . The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify additional parameters of the detected period of unavailability, and the storage is configured to store the identified additional parameters with the identification of the item and the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         6 . The computing system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor identifies the additional parameters via identification of a length of the period of unavailability based on the content differential. 
     
     
         7 . The computing system of  claim 5 , wherein the additional parameters include an advanced purchased indicator which is identified by the processor based on the content differential, the advanced purchase indicator comprising an amount of time before the period of unavailability with respect to a current time. 
     
     
         8 . A method comprising:
 extracting web content from a website calendar at a first point of time, the website calendar associated with an item capable of being reserved;   extracting web content from the website calendar at a second point of time that is subsequent to the first point in time;   detecting a period of unavailability for reserving the item based on a content differential between the web content extracted at the first point in time and the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time; and   storing an identification of the item and the period of unavailability of the item.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the detecting comprise detecting different visual content at the period of unavailability within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time in comparison to the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the detecting the different visual content comprises detecting at least one of a mark, a shade, and a line, within one or more days of the website calendar corresponding to the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the detecting the period of unavailability comprises detecting a sequential block of days on the website calendar which include one or more of markings, lines, and shadings within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point of time, but not within the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising identifying additional parameters of the detected period of unavailability, and storing the identified additional parameters with the identification of the item and the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the identifying the additional parameters comprises identifying a length of the period of unavailability based on the content differential. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the identifying the additional parameters comprises identifying an advanced purchased indicator based on the content differential, the advanced purchase indicator comprising an amount of time before the period of unavailability with respect to a current time. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor cause a computer to perform a method comprising:
 extracting web content from a website calendar at a first point of time, the website calendar associated with an item capable of being reserved;   extracting web content from the website calendar at a second point of time that is subsequent to the first point in time;   detecting a period of unavailability for reserving the item based on a content differential between the web content extracted at the first point in time and the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time; and   storing an identification of the item and the period of unavailability of the item.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the detecting comprise detecting different visual content at the period of unavailability within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point in time in comparison to the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the detecting the different visual content comprises detecting at least one of a mark, a shade, and a line, within one or more days of the website calendar corresponding to the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the detecting the period of unavailability comprises detecting a sequential block of days on the website calendar which include one or more of markings, lines, and shadings within the web content subsequently extracted at the second point of time, but not within the web content extracted at the first point in time. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises identifying additional parameters of the detected period of unavailability, and storing the identified additional parameters with the identification of the item and the period of unavailability. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the identifying the additional parameters comprises identifying a length of the period of unavailability based on the content differential.