Transmitting notifications to users in a venue based on locations of users within the venue

• US 10,015,270 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VenueNext, Inc. (Shift4 Payments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VenueNext, Inc. (Shift4 Payments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Paul, John M., Jhalani, Deepak, Yang, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajayi, Joel
• Application Number:
  US15/724,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20180048728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• Field of Search: 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes

Abstract

To improve communication with users, a venue management system is associated with the venue and allows an administrator to configure notifications to send to users at or near the venue. To configure a notification, the administrator provides to the venue management system notification information for presentation to users, criteria describing conditions need to be satisfied for the notification to be transmitted to users, and user targeting information identifying characteristics of users to receive the notification. Based on information gathered by the venue management system, the venue management system determines whether at least a threshold amount of the criteria of the notification are satisfied. If at least the threshold amount of the criteria of the notification are satisfied, the venue management system sends the notification to users having characteristics matching at least a threshold amount of the user targeting information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a venue management system associated with a venue, a notification including notification information for presentation to users of the venue management system and user targeting information identifying a parking lot associated with the venue;

storing, by the venue management system, criteria to be satisfied for the venue management system to provide the notification to the users;

receiving, by the venue management system, from a third party system information describing traffic in an area proximate to the venue;

determining a route from the parking lot associated with the venue to a highway nearest the venue based on the received information describing traffic in the area proximate to the venue;

including the determined route in the notification information of the notification;

determining, by the venue management system, the stored criteria are satisfied based on the vendor information;

responsive to determining that the stored criteria are satisfied,

identifying, by the venue management system, users within a threshold distance of the parking lot associated with the venue based on location information received by the venue management system from client devices associated with the users, and

identifying, by the venue management system, additional users assigned to locations within parking lot associated with the venue based on tickets to enter the venue obtained by the additional users; and

sending, by the venue management system, the notification to the client devices associated with the identified users and to client devices assoicated the additional users, the notification information of the notification including the determined route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a sporting event occurs at the venue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification information includes video identifying the determined route.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the venue comprises a stadium.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the venue comprises an arena.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the venue comprises a convention center.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

receive, by a venue management system associated with a venue, a notification including notification information for presentation to users of the venue management system and user targeting information identifying a parking lot associated with the venue;

storing, by the venue management system, criteria to be satisfied for the venue management system to provide the notification to the users;

receive, by the venue management system, from a third party system information describing traffic in an area proximate to the venue;

determine a route from the parking lot associated with the venue to a highway nearest the venue based on the received information describing traffic in the area proximate to the venue;

include the determined route in the notification information of the notification;

determine, by the venue management system, the stored criteria are satisfied;

responsive to determining that the stored criteria are satisfied,

identify, by the venue management system, users within a threshold distance of the parking lot associated with the venue based on location information received by the venue management system from client devices associated with the users, and

identify, by the venue management system, additional users assigned to locations within parking lot associated with the venue based on tickets to enter the venue obtained by the additional users; and

send, by the venue management system, the notification to the client devices associated with the identified users and to the client devices associated with the additional users, the notification information of the notification including the determined route.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein a sporting event occurs at the venue.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the notification information includes video identifying the determined route.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the venue comprises a stadium.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the venue comprises an arena.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the venue comprises a convention center.

13. A venue management system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and comprising computer program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive, by a venue management system associated with a venue, a notification including notification information for presentation to users of the venue management system and user targeting information identifying a parking lot associated with the venue;

store, by the venue management system, criteria to be satisfied for the venue management system to provide the notification to the users;

receive, by the venue management system, from a third party system information describing traffic in an area proximate to the venue;

determine a route from the parking lot associated with the venue to a highway nearest the venue based on the received information describing traffic in the area proximate to the venue;

include the determined route in the notification information of the notification;

determine, by the venue management system, the stored criteria are satisfied;

responsive to determining that the stored criteria are satisfied, identify, by the venue management system, users within a threshold distance of the parking lot associated with the venue based on location information received by the venue management system from client devices associated with the users, and identify, by the venue management system, additional users assigned to locations within parking lot associated with the venue based on tickets to enter the venue obtained by the additional users; and

send, by the venue management system, the notification to the client devices associated with the identified users and to the client devices associated with the additional users, the notification information of the notification including the determined route.

14. The venue management system of claim 13, wherein a sporting event occurs at the venue.

15. The venue management system of claim 13, wherein the venue comprises a stadium.

16. The venue management system of claim 15, wherein the venue comprises an arena.