SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN A NETWORKED ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110072139A1
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Inventors: Levin, Kip, Denker, Dennis, Scarborough, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

Methods and systems for allocating resources, such as computer controlled resources, in a networked system are described. In an example embodiment, a plurality of requests to select one or more resources are received from distributed computer systems over a network at a receiving computer system. The receiving computer system allocates resource selection time windows to at least a portion of the requests based on one or more allocation criteria, and transmits information regarding the allocated resource selection time windows to corresponding requesting computer systems. A load balancer balances request loads among a plurality of servers. A web proxy processor is configured to selectively block or route an inbound user browser request. A cache cluster system is configured to cache data and states for access by other system components,

Claims

1. A resource allocation system, comprising:

a first network interface;

a web proxy processor configured to selectively block an inbound user browser request or route an inbound user browser request to a destination server;

a cache system configured to cache data for access by one or more system components;

a data store storing information regarding a plurality of resources, including rankings of rights to select resources; and

program code stored in computer readable memory which, when executed by a computing device, is configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving requests from users for at least one right to select a resource from a set of resources,

wherein the requests are associated with one or more corresponding rankable attributes;

ranking the users'"'"' requests based at least on the corresponding one or more rankable attributes;

allocating the ranked rights to select resources to at least a portion of the users'"'"' requests based at least in part on the respective ranking of the requests.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

transmitting to a first user a communication including a first code that identifies a first right to select a resource;

receiving at a first chronological time from the first user a first indication that the first user wants to make a resource selection,

wherein the first indication is associated with the first code;

determining if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection based at least in part on the first chronological time; and

3. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

at least partly in response to receiving a resource request from a first user at a first chronological time,

wherein the first user has been allocated at least one right to select a resource within a specified time window,

the specified time window excluding the first chronological time,

transmitting a denial notification to the first user,

wherein the denial notification indicates that the first user is not authorized to make a resource selection at the first chronological time.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

transmitting to a first user a communication including a first code that identifies a first right to the select, wherein the system is configured to transmit the first code via email.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

transmitting to a first user a communication including a first code that identifies a first right to the select, wherein system is configured to transmit the first code via an instant message or an SMS message.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

transmitting to at least one user a plurality of time windows from which to select at least one right to select a resource.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, where at least a first of the rights to select resources is a right to select an event seat.

8. A method of allocating computer resources:

receiving, from a plurality of requesting systems, over a network at a resource allocation system requests for one or more rights to select resources,

wherein the requests are associated with corresponding rankable criteria;

ranking the requests based at least in part on the rankable criteria;

storing in computer readable memory rankings for the rights to select resources;

allocating one or more ranked rights to select resources to the requests based at least in part on the rankable criteria;

transmitting over the network information regarding the allocated rights to select to the requesting processor-based systems, the information including time information related to when requestors can perform resource selections;

receiving over the network at a first time from a first requester an indication that the first requester wants to make a resource selection;

determining if the first requester is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time;

if the first requester is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time;

enabling the first requester to select a resource;

receiving over the network a resource selection from the first requester;

storing in memory an indication that the selected resource has been selected by the first requester;

removing the selected resource from a pool of available resources.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein if the first requester is not authorized to make a resource selection during the first time, a denial notification is transmitted over the network to the first requester.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the denial notification informs the first requester of a time period in which the first requester is authorized to make a resource selection.

11. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the ranked criteria relate to something of value being offered by requesters.

12. The method as defined in claim 8, the method further comprising informing the first requester of an alternate time window if a first time window allocated to the first requester in which to make a resource selection has passed.

13. The method as defined in claim 8, the method further comprising transmitting to at least one requester a plurality of time windows from which to choose wherein the at least one requester is to make a resource selection in the chosen time window.

14. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the one or more rights to select resources includes a right to select an event seat.

15. A method of allocating resources, the method comprising:

receiving from a first processor-based system over a network at a resource allocation system a first request from a first user for the right to select a resource from a pool of resources,

wherein the first request is associated with a first rankable attribute;

receiving from a second processor-based system over the network at the resource allocation system a second request from a second user for the right to select a resource from the pool of resources,

wherein the second request is associated with a second rankable attribute;

ranking the first request and the second request using at least the first rankable attribute and the second rankable attribute;

allocating a first ranked right to select a resource from the pool of resources to the first request and a second ranked right to select a resource from the pool of resources to the second request based at least in part on the ranking of the first request and the ranking of the second request;

transmitting to the first user a communication that identifies the first ranked right to select;

transmitting to the second user a communication that identifies the second ranked right to the select,

wherein the first ranked right to select entitles the first user to make a resource pool selection before second user.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising:

receiving over the network at a first time from the first user a first indication that the first user wants to make a resource selection,

wherein the first indication is associated with a first code;

determining if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time;

if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time, enabling the first user to select at least one resource from the pool of resources;

receiving over the network at a second time from the second user a second indication that the second user wants to make a resource selection,

wherein the second indication is associated with a second code;

determining if the second user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time; and

if the second user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time, enabling the second user to select a resource from the pool of resources.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein if the first user is not authorized to make a resource selection during the first time, a denial notification is transmitted to the first user.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the denial notification informs the first user of the time window the first user is authorized to make a resource selection.

19. The method as defined in claim 16, the method further comprising informing the first user of an alternate time window if a first time window assigned to the first user has passed.

20. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising:

receiving over the network a resource selection from the first user; and

removing the selected resource the pool of resources.

21. The method as defined in claim 20, the method further comprising transmitting a ticket corresponding to the selected resource to the first user.

22. The method as defined in claim 20, the method further comprising transmitting a token corresponding to the selected resource to the first user.

23. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the pool of resources includes the right to use a physical location.

24. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the first criterion relates to an item of value.

25. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the first right to select relates to selecting an event seat.

27. The system as defined in claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving over the network at a first time from the first user a first indication that the first user wants to make a resource selection, determining if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time;

if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first time, enabling the first user to select at least one resource from the pool of resources;

receiving over the network at a second time from the second user a second indication that the second user wants to make a resource selection,

determining if the second user is authorized to make a resource selection during the second time; and

if the second user is authorized to make a resource selection during the first second, enabling the second user to select a resource from the pool of resources.

28. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the pool of resources includes event seats.

26. A resource allocation system, comprising:

a first network interface;

a data store storing information regarding a plurality of resources, including rights to select resources rankings;

a computing device; and

program code stored in computer readable memory, which, when executed by the computing device, performs operations comprising;

receiving from a first processor-based system over a network at a resource allocation system a first request from a first user for the right to select a resource from a pool of resources,

wherein the first request is associated with a first rankable attribute;

receiving from a second processor-based system over the network at the resource allocation system a second request from a second user for the right to select a resource from the pool of resources,

wherein the second request is associated with a second rankable attribute;

ranking the first request and the second request using at least the first rankable attribute and the second rankable attribute;

allocating a first ranked right to select a resource from the pool of resources to the first request and a second ranked right to select a resource from the pool of resources to the second request based at least in part on the ranking of the first request and the ranking of the second request;

transmitting to the first user a communication that identifies the first ranked right to select;

transmitting to the second user a communication that identifies the second ranked right to the select,

wherein the first ranked right to select entitles the first user to make a resource pool selection before second user.

29. A resource allocation system, comprising:

a first network interface;

a data store storing information regarding a plurality of resources, including rights to select resources rankings;

a computing device; and

program code stored in computer readable memory, which, when executed by the computing device, performs operations comprising;

receiving requests from users for the right to select a resource from a pool of resources,

wherein a given request is associated with a respective rankable attribute;

ranking the users'"'"' requests using at least the respective rankable attribute of the requests;

allocating the ranked rights to select resources to at least a portion of the requests using the ranking of the users'"'"' requests.

30. The system as defined in claim 29, the operations further comprising transmitting to a first user a communication including a first code that identifies a first right to the select.

31. The system as defined in claim 30, the operations further comprising:

receiving at a first chronological time from the first user a first indication that the first user wants to make a resource selection,

wherein the first indication is associated with the first code; and

determining if the first user is authorized to make a resource selection based at least in part on the first chronological time.

32. The system as defined in claim 31, the operations further comprising transmitting a denial notification to the first requester at least partly in response to determining if first user is not authorized to make a resource selection based at least in part on the first chronological time, wherein the denial notification is configured to indicate that the first user is not authorized to make a resource selection at the first chronological time.

33. The system as defined in claim 30, wherein the system is configured to transmit the first code via email.

34. The system as defined in claim 30, wherein the system is configured to transmit the first code via an instant message or an SMS message.

35. The system as defined in claim 30, wherein at least a first of the rights to select resources rankings is a right to select an event ticket.