VIRTUAL QUEUING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160055429A1
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Schwartz, Justin Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/829,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055429A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• 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: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A system in accordance with present embodiments includes a plurality of virtual queuing stations associated with respective attractions within a theme park and a virtual queue control system configured to maintain respective virtual queues for the respective attractions and in communication with the plurality of virtual queuing 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 virtual queuing station associated with an individual attraction within a theme park;

a transceiver of the at least one virtual queuing station, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a wireless signal from a guest-associated device, wherein the wireless signal comprises identification information for a guest associated with a guest device; and

a virtual queue control system in communication with the at least one virtual queuing station and the active wearable, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to receive a communication comprising the identification information from the at least one virtual queuing station and wherein receiving the communication causes the virtual queue control system to add the wearer to a virtual queue for the individual attraction and to send a confirmation message to one or both of the at least one virtual queuing station or to the guest device that the guest has been added to the virtual queue.

2. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the at least one virtual queuing station is located in an area proximate to the individual attraction.

3. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system can only add the wearer to the virtual queue of the individual attraction based on the communication is from the at least one virtual queuing station.

4. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the individual attraction does not have a physical queue.

5. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the individual attraction has standby physical queue.

6. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a time stamp or a counter and wherein the wearer is added to the virtual queue based at least in part on the time stamp or the counter.

7. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the guest is added to a numbered position of the virtual queue.

8. The virtual queue system of claim 1, comprising a ride entry station associated with the individual attraction and configured to receive a ride entry signal from the guest device when the wearer enters the individual attraction.

9. The virtual queue system of claim 8, wherein the ride entry station is configured to communicate the ride entry signal to the virtual queue control system.

10. The virtual queue system of claim 8, wherein the guest is removed from the virtual queue based on the ride entry signal.

11. The virtual queue system of claim 1, comprising a ride entry station associated with the individual attraction, wherein the ride entry station is configured to permit entry to the individual attraction of a guest in a second position in the virtual queue when a guest in a first position is not present.

12. The virtual queue system of claim 1, comprising a display of the at least one virtual queuing station, wherein the display is configured to display the confirmation message.

13. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to provide one or more queue status messages to the guest device based on a change in a position in the virtual queue.

14. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to provide a message to the guest device to return to the individual attraction based on a position on the virtual queue.

15. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to provide a message to the guest to return to the individual attraction based on a position on the virtual queue and a location of the guest device within the theme park.

16. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to estimate a location of the guest device within the theme park based on one or more radio frequency signals from the active wearable or based on GPS information.

17. The virtual queue system of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to log interactions of the guest device with the at least one virtual queuing station and additional stations within the theme park.

18. A virtual queue system, comprising:

a plurality of virtual queuing stations associated with respective attractions within a theme park; and

a virtual queue control system configured to maintain respective virtual queues for the respective attractions and in communication with the plurality of virtual queuing stations, wherein 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.

19. The virtual queue system of claim 18, wherein the communications from an individual virtual queuing station are used to add guests to only one virtual queue.

20. The virtual queue system of claim 18, wherein the communications are based on signals from active wearables of the guests.

21. The virtual queue system of claim 18, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to allow an individual guest to be placed in no more than two virtual queues.

22. The virtual queue system of claim 18, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to allow an individual guest to be placed in three or more virtual queues.

23. The virtual queue system of claim 18, wherein the virtual queue control system is configured to allow an individual guest to be placed in a first virtual queue and a second virtual queue, wherein only one of the first virtual queue or the second virtual queue is designated as a low capacity ride.

24. A method, comprising:

providing a wireless signal using communication circuitry of an active wearable to a virtual queuing station associated with an individual attraction within a theme park, wherein the wireless signal comprises identification information for a guest associated with a guest device;

receiving a confirmation message via the communications circuitry confirming being added to a virtual queue of the individual attraction; and

receiving a status message via the communications circuitry related to a position in the virtual queue.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the status message comprises a reminder to return to the individual attraction.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the guest device is an active wearable worn by the guest.