COMPUTER-BASED RIGHT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20100217629A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brett, Kenton F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1809 for auctioneering devices

Abstract

An automated ticket auctioning system receives and evaluates bid information records received from a plurality of remote terminals. Each bid information record corresponds to at least one bid for one or more desired seats at a venue. Each bid information record may also include a plurality of additional bids identified for different seats in the venue. The separate bids in each bid information record are prioritized. The automated ticket auctioning system includes a central controlling computer operable to receive the bid information records and determine, in order of priority, whether any of the bids in a bid information record is accepted. If one bid in a bid information record is accepted, all lower priority bids in that bid information record are dismissed.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a plurality of priority rights, the method comprising:

receiving over a network at a computing system a plurality of bid records from a plurality of users, the bid records including bid amount data, wherein the bid amount data is associated with a quantity of priority rights being bid on;

correlating, via the computing system, a selected bid record received from a selected user with a subset of priority rights, wherein;

(a) the subset of priority rights is selected from the plurality of priority rights at least partially based on the selected bid record bid amount data, and

(b) the subset of priority rights includes a quantity of priority rights that corresponds to the quantity of priority rights being bid on,

wherein the computing system is configured to perform such correlation; and

distributing the subset of priority rights to the selected user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of priority rights consists of one priority right.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving registration information over the network from the selected user before receiving the selected bid record from the selected user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bid records are received via the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of priority rights corresponds to a plurality of event tickets.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the selected bid record bid amount data with a minimum bid threshold and with a maximum authorization threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a bid status notification to the selected user over a network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving over the network from at least one user an indication that the at least one user agrees to a set of auction rules before accepting a bid from the at least one user.

9. A system configured to distribute a plurality of priority rights, the method comprising:

a computing device;

a program stored in tangible memory, that when executed by the computing device, is configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a plurality of bid records from a plurality of users, the bid records including bid amount data, wherein the bid amount data is associated with a quantity of priority rights being bid on;

correlating a selected bid record received from a selected user with a subset of priority rights, wherein;

(a) the subset of priority rights is selected from the plurality of priority rights at least partially based on the selected bid record bid amount data, and

(b) the subset of priority rights includes a quantity of priority rights that corresponds to the quantity of priority rights being bid on,

wherein the computing system is configured to perform such correlation; and

distributing the subset of priority rights to the selected user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the subset of priority rights consists of one priority right.

11. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising receiving registration information from the selected user before receiving the selected bid record from the selected user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bid records are received via the Internet.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of priority rights corresponds to a plurality of event tickets.

14. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising comparing the selected bid record bid amount data with a minimum bid threshold and with a maximum authorization threshold.

15. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising sending a bid status notification to the selected user over a network.

16. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising receiving over the network from at least one user an indication that the at least one user agrees to a set of auction rules before accepting a bid from the at least one user.

17. A computer readable medium storing instructions, that if executed by a computing device, are configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of bid records from a plurality of users, the bid records including bid amount data, wherein the bid amount data is associated with a quantity of priority rights being bid on;

correlating a selected bid record received from a selected user with a subset of priority rights, wherein

(a) the subset of priority rights is selected from the plurality of priority rights at least partially based on the selected bid record bid amount data, and

(b) the subset of priority rights includes a quantity of priority rights that corresponds to the quantity of priority rights being bid on, wherein the computing system is configured to perform such correlation; and

distributing the subset of priority rights to the selected user.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the subset of priority rights consists of one priority right.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving registration information from the selected user before receiving the selected bid record from the selected user.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bid records are received via the Internet.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of priority rights corresponds to a plurality of event tickets.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising comparing the selected bid record bid amount data with a minimum bid threshold and with a maximum authorization threshold.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising sending a bid status notification to the selected user over a network.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving over the network from at least one user an indication that the at least one user agrees to a set of auction rules before accepting a bid from the at least one user.