Virtual queue system and method

• US 10,580,244 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• 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): Sandiford, Devan A
• Application Number:
  US16/210,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20190108705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• 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 method comprising:

receiving a communication from a near field communicator of at least one wearable device;

accessing a guest profile in response to receiving the communication to obtain a user identification;

assigning the user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on the communication from the at least one wearable device;

updating the assigned position in the virtual queue to an updated position;

outputting a position signal to one or both of a medium range communicator or a long range communicator of the at least one wearable device to cause the at least one wearable device to display a countdown on a display, wherein the position signal is indicative of the updated position in the virtual queue, and wherein the countdown is indicative of an estimated time remaining before valid entry to the attraction or the updated position in the virtual queue;

validating access to the attraction at an attraction station based on the updated position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction; and

providing instructions to cause one or both of the attraction station or the at least one wearable device to generate a notification that the at least one wearable device is associated with a valid access to the attraction based on the validating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the communication comprises receiving, via a queue entry post, a request from the near field communicator of the at least one wearable device to join the virtual queue.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising outputting a request signal from the queue entry post to a central virtual queue control system in response to the communication from the at least one wearable device to cause the assigning.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising determining that the position in the virtual queue is within a predetermined time of achieving the entry position to cause the outputting of the position signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the near field communicator is a passive RFID transceiver.

6. A method comprising:

communicating, via a near field communicator of a wearable device, a request to join a virtual queue of an attraction to a queue entry post, wherein the request comprises an identification associated with the wearable device;

receiving a signal at the wearable device that the request to join the virtual queue was granted;

changing a display of the wearable device based on the received signal;

receiving a position signal, via one or both of a medium range communicator or a long range communicator of the wearable device, wherein the position signal is indicative of a position in the virtual queue;

displaying a countdown on the display in response to receiving the position signal, the countdown indicative of an estimated time remaining before valid entry to the attraction or the position in the virtual queue; and

updating the countdown on the display at a time interval determined by a countdown update rate, and wherein the countdown update rate is configured to be adjusted based on the estimated time remaining before valid entry to the attraction.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising triggering a sound effect of the wearable device based on the signal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying the countdown on the display comprises displaying a numerical value indicative of the position of the wearable device within the virtual queue, and wherein the countdown is configured to update the numerical value based on movement within the virtual queue.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the countdown on the display is in response to the numerical value being less than or equal to a predetermined number.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising generating a notification on the wearable device in response to the numerical value being equal to the predetermined number.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying the countdown on the display comprises displaying the estimated time remaining based on the position of the wearable device within the virtual queue.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising dynamically updating the estimated time remaining based on an updated position of the wearable device within the virtual queue and historical virtual queue data associated with the attraction.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a communication from at least one wearable device;

assigning a user identification associated with the at least one wearable device to a position within a virtual queue for an attraction based on the received communication;

communicating the position within the virtual queue to one or both of a medium range communicator and a long range communicator of the at least one wearable device;

validating access to the attraction at an attraction station based on the position in the virtual queue corresponding to an entry position of the virtual queue for the attraction; and

activating a pre-programmed special effect at a special effects station in response to receiving a signal from a communicator of the at least one wearable device, wherein the pre-programmed special effect is a light show or a water effect.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pre-programmed special effect causes the special effects station to capture an image.