System and method for minimizing a physical queue

• US 10,121,170 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NBC Universal Media LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: DuLeone, Matt, Inayatullah, Azfar
• Primary Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US14/575,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

A method for minimizing a physical queue for a first guest attraction, the method including storing a guest identifier corresponding to a guest in a first virtual queue, wherein a position of the guest within the first virtual queue is associated with an estimated wait time for the first guest attraction, updating the first virtual queue when the position of the guest within the first virtual queue is changed, providing a notification to the guest to enter the physical queue when the position of the guest in the first virtual queue is less than or equal to a threshold position of the first virtual queue, removing the guest identifier from the first virtual queue in response to an indication to dequeue the guest from the first virtual queue, storing the guest identifier in a second virtual queue corresponding to the physical queue, and removing the guest identifier from the second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is exiting the physical queue.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing a physical queue for a first guest attraction, the method comprising:

storing a guest identifier corresponding to a guest in a first virtual queue, wherein a position of the guest within the first virtual queue is associated with a first estimated wait time for the first guest attraction;

updating the position of the guest when the first virtual queue is changed;

providing a notification to a terminal associated with the guest for the guest to enter the physical queue when the position of the guest in the first virtual queue is less than or equal to a threshold position of the first virtual queue, wherein when a notification lock indicator is set for the guest identifier, the notification is delayed until the notification lock indicator expires;

removing the guest identifier from the first virtual queue and storing the guest identifier in a second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is physically present at the first guest attraction, wherein a specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue corresponds to a specific position of the guest in the physical queue and the specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue is associated with a second estimated wait time for the first guest attraction; and

removing the guest identifier from the second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is exiting the physical queue,

wherein the notification lock indicator is set when a guest completes a guest attraction and expires after a preset minimum delay time between attractions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold position is determined based on a threshold estimated wait time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold position is updated at preset intervals of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining physical location information of the guest;

determining a travel time of the guest to the physical queue based on the obtained physical location information; and

adjusting the threshold position based on the determined travel time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical information of the guest is obtained from at least one sensor configured to detect a presence of the terminal associated with the guest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first virtual queue comprises a plurality of identifiers each corresponding to one of a plurality of guests; and

the first virtual queue is updated when a guest of the plurality of guests is dequeued from the first virtual queue or in response to a request to remove a guest of the plurality of guests from the first virtual queue.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a placeholder identifier not associated with any guest in the first virtual queue inserted in a position ahead of the position of the guest to increase the first estimated wait time to reflect a delay at the first guest attraction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining second guest attraction information comprising a position of the guest within a queue for a second guest attraction; and

adjusting the threshold position based on the obtained second guest attraction information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining second guest attraction information comprising a position of the guest within a queue for a second guest attraction; and

delaying the notification to the guest based on the obtained second guest attraction information.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing information in a database associated with the first guest attraction, wherein the stored information is related to time the guest was in the first and second virtual queues.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing guest information in a database, wherein the guest information is related to attraction activities of the guest.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the notification to a terminal associated with the guest via a wireless communication interface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification lock indicator corresponds to an elapsed time since the guest exited another guest attraction and expires when the elapsed time reaches the preset minimum delay time.

14. A system for minimizing a physical queue for a first guest attraction, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store information;

a communication interface configured to transmit and receive information; and

a controller configured to;

cause the memory to store a guest identifier corresponding to a guest in a first virtual queue, wherein a position of the guest within the first virtual queue is associated with a first estimated wait time for the first guest attraction;

update the position of the guest when the first virtual queue is changed;

cause the communication interface to transmit a notification to a terminal associated with the guest for the guest to enter the physical queue when the position of the guest in the first virtual queue is less than or equal to a threshold position of the first virtual queue, wherein when a notification lock indicator is set for the guest identifier, the notification is delayed until the notification lock indicator expires;

cause the memory to remove the guest identifier from the first virtual queue and store the guest identifier in a second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is physically present at the first guest attraction, wherein a specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue corresponds to a specific position of the guest in the physical queue and the specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue is associated with a second estimated wait time for the first guest attraction; and

cause the memory to remove the guest identifier from the second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is exiting the physical queue,

wherein the notification lock indicator is set when a guest completes a guest attraction and expires after a preset minimum delay time between attractions.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the threshold position is determined based on a threshold estimated wait time.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the threshold position is updated at preset intervals of time.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the threshold position is updated in response to a change of the position of the guest.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

obtain physical location information of the guest;

determine a travel time of the guest to the physical queue based on the obtained physical location information; and

adjust the threshold position based on the determined travel time.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the physical information of the guest is obtained from at least one sensor configured to detect a presence of the terminal associated with the guest.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first virtual queue comprises a plurality of identifiers each corresponding to one of a plurality of guests; and

the controller is further configured to update the first virtual queue when a guest of the plurality of guests is dequeued from the first virtual queue or in response to a request to remove a guest of the plurality of guests from the first virtual queue.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the memory to store a placeholder identifier not associated with any guest in the first virtual queue inserted in a position ahead of the position of the guest to increase the first estimated wait time to reflect a delay at the first guest attraction.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

obtain second guest attraction information comprising a position of the guest within a queue for a second guest attraction; and

adjust the threshold position based on the obtained second guest attraction information.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

obtain second guest attraction information comprising a position of the guest within a queue for a second guest attraction; and

delay the notification to the guest to enter the physical queue based on the obtained second guest attraction information.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the memory to store information in a database associated with the first guest attraction,

wherein the stored information comprises a length of time the guest was in the first virtual queue or a length of time the guest was in the second virtual queue.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the memory to store guest information comprising information related to actions of the guest with respect to the first guest attraction.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the notification lock indicator corresponds to an elapsed time since the guest exited another guest attraction and expires when the elapsed time reaches the preset minimum delay time.

27. A machine-readable non-transitory medium having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

storing a guest identifier corresponding to a guest in a first virtual queue, wherein a position of the guest within the first virtual queue is associated with a first estimated wait time for the first guest attraction;

updating the position of the guest when the first virtual queue is changed;

providing a notification to a terminal associated with the guest for the guest to enter the physical queue when the position of the guest in the first virtual queue is less than or equal to a threshold position of the first virtual queue, wherein when a notification lock indicator is set for the guest identifier, the notification is delayed until the notification lock indicator expires;

removing the guest identifier from the first virtual queue and storing the guesting identifier in a second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is physically present at the first guest attraction, wherein a specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue corresponds to a specific position of the guest in the physical queue and the specific position of the stored guest identifier in the second virtual queue is associated with a second estimated wait time for the first guest attraction; and

removing the guest identifier from the second virtual queue in response to an indication that the guest is exiting in the physical queue,

wherein the notification lock indicator is set when a guest completes a guest attraction and expires after a preset minimum delay time between attractions.

28. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 27, wherein the threshold position corresponds to a threshold estimated wait time.

29. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 28 further having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

obtaining physical location information of the guest;

determining a travel time of the guest to the physical queue based on the obtained physical location information; and

adjusting the threshold position based on the determined travel time.

30. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 27 further having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for:

obtaining second guest attraction information comprising a position of the guest within a queue for a second guest attraction; and

adjusting the threshold position based on the obtained second guest attraction information.

31. The machine-readable non-transitory medium of claim 27, wherein the notification lock indicator corresponds to an elapsed time since the guest exited another guest attraction and expires when the elapsed time reaches the preset minimum delay time.