Virtual queue system and method

• US 10,152,840 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Geraghty, Thomas, Schwartz, Justin Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu, Sanh
• Application Number:
  US15/460,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20170270734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/02 related to amusement parks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3861 carried in a hand or on fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system in accordance with present embodiments includes a plurality of wearable devices and a virtual queue control system configured to maintain respective virtual queues for respective attractions and in communication with the plurality of virtual queuing attraction stations. The virtual queue control system is configured to receive communications from the plurality of virtual queuing stations and add guests to the respective virtual queues based on the communications.

Claims

1. A virtual queue system comprising:

at least one wearable device comprising;

a near field communicator;

a medium range communicator;

a long range communicator; and

a display;

a control system storing instructions that, when executed, cause the control system to;

assign a user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on communication with the near field communicator; and

communicate to one or both of the medium range communicator and the long range communicator the position assigned to the user identification within the virtual queue to cause the at least one wearable device to display a countdown on the display indicative of an estimated time remaining before valid entry to the attraction; and

an attraction station located proximate the attraction and comprising a station near field communicator configured to validate access to the attraction based on confirmation of the user identification, received from the at least one wearable device via the near field communicator, being associated with the position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction; and

wherein one or both of the at least one wearable device or the attraction station is configured to generate a notification that the at least one wearable device is associated with a valid access to the attraction.

2. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the attraction station is located at an entrance to the attraction.

3. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the attraction station grants access to a load platform to users in the virtual queue.

4. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the position is a numbered position of the virtual queue.

5. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the entry position is a numbered position of less than 10.

6. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the user identification is removed from the virtual queue based on a signal received at the attraction station.

22. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the countdown is configured to update at a time interval determined by a countdown update rate.

23. The virtual queue system of claim 22, wherein the countdown update rate is configured to adjust based on the estimated time remaining before valid entry to the attraction.

24. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the countdown is configured to display a message indicative of the valid entry.

25. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the estimated time remaining is based on the position assigned to the user identification within the virtual queue.

7. A virtual queue system comprising:

at least one wearable device comprising;

a near field communicator;

a medium range communicator;

a long range communicator; and

a display;

a control system storing instructions that, when executed, cause the control system to;

assign a user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on communication with the near field communicator; and

communicate to one or both of the medium range communicator and the long range communicator, the position assigned to the user identification within the virtual queue to cause the at least one wearable device to display a countdown on the display when the position is within a predetermined time from valid entry to the attraction; and

an attraction station proximate the attraction and comprising;

a station near field communicator configured to validate access to the attraction based on confirmation of the user identification, received from the at least one wearable device via the near field communicator, being associated with the position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction.

8. The virtual queue system of claim 7, wherein the countdown is automatically displayed on the display when the position is within the predetermined time from valid entry to the attraction.

9. The virtual queue system of claim 7, wherein the countdown comprises one or more of a numeric countdown, a graphical display, a message, or a color display.

10. The virtual queue system of claim 7, wherein the countdown starts counting down from the predetermined time.

11. The virtual queue system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined time is an estimated time to the entry position based on the position within the virtual queue.

12. The virtual queue system of claim 11, wherein the estimated time is based on historical virtual queue data associated with the attraction.

13. The virtual queue system of claim 11, wherein the estimated time is fixed.

14. The virtual queue system of claim 11, wherein the estimated time dynamically updates based on new data.

15. A virtual queuing system comprising:

at least one wearable device comprising;

a near field communicator;

a medium range communicator;

a long range communicator; and

a display;

a virtual queue station comprising a station near field communicator that receives a user identification from the near field communicator of the at least one wearable device; and

a virtual queue control system configured to receive the user identification, wherein receiving the user identification causes the virtual queue control system to execute instructions to;

assign the user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on communication with the station near field communicator; and

communicate to one or both of the medium range communicator and the long range communicator the position within the virtual queue assigned to the user identification and positions of other wearable devices associated with the user identification to cause the at least one wearable device to display the position and the wearable devices associated with the user identification.

16. The virtual queue system of claim 15, wherein the long range communicator is a passive RFID transceiver.

17. The virtual queue system of claim 15, wherein the medium field communicator is a transmitter and does not include a receiver.

18. The virtual queue system of claim 15, wherein the near field communicator is an RFID transceiver.

19. A virtual queue system comprising:

at least one wearable device comprising;

a near field communicator

a medium range communicator;

a long range communicator; and

a display;

a control system storing instructions that, when executed, cause the control system to;

assign a user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on communication with the near field communicator; and

communicate to one or both of the medium range communicator and the long range communicator the position assigned to the user identification within the virtual queue to the at least one wearable device associated with the user identification;

an attraction station located proximate the attraction and comprising a station near field communicator configured to validate access to the attraction based on confirmation of the user identification, received from the at least one wearable device via the near field communicator, being associated with the position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction;

wherein one or both of the at least one wearable device or the attraction station is configured to generate a notification that the at least one wearable device is associated with a valid access to the attraction; and

a special effects station configured to trigger a pre-programmed special effect in response to receiving a signal from the near field communicator, wherein the pre-programmed special effect is a light show or a water effect.

20. The virtual queue system of claim 19, wherein the special effects station does not store the user identification.

21. The virtual queue system of claim 19, wherein the at least one wearable device communicates directly with the special effects station to trigger the pre-programmed effect or to validate the user identification.

26. A virtual

queue system comprising:

at least one wearable device comprising;

a near field communicator

a medium range communicator;

a long range communicator; and

a display;

a control system storing instructions that, when executed, cause the control system to;

assign a user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on communication with the near field communicator; and

communicate to one or both of the medium range communicator and the long range communicator the position assigned to the user identification within the virtual queue to the at least one wearable device associated with the user identification;

an attraction station located proximate the attraction and comprising a station near field communicator configured to validate access to the attraction based on confirmation of the user identification, received from the at least one wearable device via the near field communicator, being associated with the position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction;

wherein one or both of the at least one wearable device or the attraction station is configured to generate a notification that the at least one wearable device is associated with a valid access to the attraction; and

a special effects station configured to trigger a pre-programmed special effect in response to receiving a signal from the near field communicator, wherein the pre-programmed special effect causes the special effects station to capture an image.

27. The virtual queue system of claim 26, wherein the special effects station does not store the user identification.

28. The virtual queue system of claim 26, wherein the at least one wearable device communicates directly with the special effects station to trigger the pre-programmed effect or to validate the user identification.