System and method for integrating operation of an indoor golf facility into operation of an airport concourse

• US 6,308,160 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1999
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diane Rex
• Original Assignee: Rex Entertainment, Inc.
• Inventors: Rex, Diane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US09/437,610
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5, 705/6, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 707/10, 707/100-104
• US Class Current: 705/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for operating and integrating an indoor golf facility in the operations of airport terminals, airlines, and goods and service providers. An integrated management system is provided that includes a remote host computer communicatively linked to a local host computer of an included indoor golf facility. The indoor golf facility provides travelers access to golf simulators, golf practice greens, and golf lessons with golf professionals working at the golf facility. The remote host computer functions in part as central reservations system and is linked to travel agents and individual travelers who can make reservations for golf lessons and/or golf simulators at any of a number of golf facilities to suit their travel itinerary. Integration with goods and service providers is provided with links between the remote host, destination golf courses, hotels, and golf equipment manufacturers and retailers that allow a traveler to make reservations with the service providers and to place purchase orders with the goods providers. Upon check-in at the golf facility, the traveler is provided with a personal receiver, and the local host computer monitors flight information by accessing airlines'"'"' flight scheduling databases. The local host computer automatically informs the traveler via the personal receiver of their upcoming flight and of any pertinent changes in their travel itinerary.

Claims

1. A method for use in operating an entertainment facility within a terminal of an airport, comprising the steps of:

providing an entertainment facility within the airport terminal, said entertainment facility being accessible to customers, wherein said customers include travelers in the airport terminal during layover periods at the airport terminal and other individuals present in the airport terminal;

establishing a communications link between a flight scheduling system of an airline operating at the airport and said entertainment facility;

at said entertainment facility, receiving from a customer flight schedule information for travel with the airline;

determining a customer notification time based on said customer flight schedule information;

monitoring at least periodically after said determining flight schedules of the airline with said customer flight schedule information by accessing the flight scheduling system through said communications link;

updating said customer flight schedule information and said customer notification time based on said monitoring; and

notifying said customer at said customer notification time.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of storing said received customer flight schedule information and said determined customer notification time in a flight monitoring database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said updating step includes accessing said flight monitoring database to change said stored customer flight schedule information and customer notification time.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of establishing a communications link between said entertainment facility and a reservations and scheduling service and the step of making a reservation at said entertainment facility for a customer based on information received from the reservations and scheduling service over said communications link.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of providing the customer, who provided said customer flight schedule information in said receiving step, a personal receiver, and wherein said notifying step includes transmitting from a transmitter a notification signal to said personal receiver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said notification signal includes a portion of said updated customer flight schedule information, said personal receiver being adapted for displaying said portion to the customer.

7. An apparatus for use in operating an entertainment facility within an airport terminal, comprising:

an entertainment facility located within the airport terminal, said entertainment facility being accessible to customers including travelers and other individuals in the airport terminal and being configured for accepting customer reservations for use of portions of the entertainment facility; and

a reservation and data storage system communicatively linked to said entertainment facility and to service providers, wherein said reservation and data storage system includes a local computer terminal at said entertainment facility communicatively linked to a remote host computer, said local computer terminal including a reservations database for storing said customer reservations and said remote host computer including a customer information database for storing information on use by the customer of said entertainment facility;

wherein, said entertainment facility is operable to accept said customer reservations from said service providers through said reservation and data storage system.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further including customer notification means for notifying customers at a customer notification time.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said local computer terminal includes a flight monitoring database for storing customer flight schedule information and said customer notification time and wherein said local computer terminal is interconnected with a flight scheduling system of an airline operating at the airport terminal, said local computer terminal operating said customer notification means to notify customers based on said stored customer flight schedule information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said local computer terminal is operable to at least periodically access the airline flight scheduling system and to update said customer flight schedule information and said customer notification time.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said customer notification means includes a personal receiver that can be provided to the customers and a transmitter for transmitting a notification signal to said personal receiver.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said notification signal includes at least a portion of said customer flight schedule information, said personal receiver being adapted for displaying said portion to said customer.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said entertainment facility is an indoor golf facility, said portions being selected from the group consisting of golf simulators, practice putting greens, practice chipping greens, golf-orientated lounge, and golf training centers, said golf training centers including golf professional trainers and swing analysis equipment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said service provider being selected from the group consisting of travel agents, golf equipment manufacturers and distributers, hotels, individual customers, corporations, and destination golf courses.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said customer use information includes information selected from the group consisting of course simulation use, course scores, golf equipment preferences, training session information, and swing analysis results.

16. A method of operating an indoor golf facility within a airport terminal including at least one airline using a computer reservation and data storage system including a CPU and memory having a reservation database, comprising the steps of:

interconnecting said computer reservation and data storage system, said indoor golf facility, the airline, and at least one service provider with a communications link;

receiving with said computer reservation and data storage system a reservation request from the service provider for a customer or directly from the customer to use a portion of said indoor golf facility;

operating said computer reservation and data storage system to access said reservation database, to process said reservation request, and to make a reservation for the customer, based on said reservation request, to use said portion of said indoor golf facility;

receiving from the customer at said indoor golf facility flight schedule information for customer'"'"'s travel with the airline;

determining a customer notification time based on said customer flight schedule information; and

notifying the customer at said customer notification time.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the steps of monitoring flight schedules of the airline by accessing a flight scheduling system of the airline and updating said customer flight schedule information and said customer notification time based on said monitoring.

18. The method of claim 16, further including the step of providing the customer a personal receiver, and wherein said notifying step includes transmitting from a transmitting device of said computer reservation and data storage system a notification signal to said personal receiver.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said notification signal includes a portion of said customer flight schedule information and said personal receiver includes a display for displaying said portion to the customer.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said computer reservation and data storage system includes a local computer terminal located at said indoor golf facility communicatively linked to a host computer located remotely relative to said indoor golf facility, said local computer terminal including said reservations database for storing said customer reservations and said remote host computer including a customer information database for storing information on use by the customer of said indoor golf facility.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said indoor golf facility, said portion being selected from the group consisting of golf simulators, practice putting greens, practice chipping greens, golf-orientated lounge, and golf training centers, said golf training centers including golf professional trainers and swing analysis equipment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said customer use information includes information selected from the group consisting of course simulation use, course scores, golf equipment preferences, training session information, and swing analysis results.

23. The method of claim 20, further including the step of providing access to at least one of the service providers and the customer to said customer use information stored in said customer information database.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said communications link comprises at least one of the following:

a telephone link, a satellite link, a radio-frequency link, an infra-red link, an Internet link, a facsimile link, a fiber-optic link, a coaxial link, and a television link.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said communications link includes an Internet link and said computer reservation and data storage system is adapted for accessing an Internet web site that is accessible to the service provider and the customer, said receiving step including accessing said Internet web site to retrieve said reservation request.

26. The step of claim 16, further comprising the step of interconnecting said computer reservation and data storage system to a second indoor golf facility located within a second airport terminal.

27. A system for operating an indoor golf facility within an airport terminal or concourse, comprising:

an indoor golf facility positioned within an airport concourse or an airport terminal, the airport terminal housing at least one airline;

a computer reservation and data storage system having memory for storing a reservation file; and

a communications system for communicatively linking the computer reservation and data storage system, the indoor golf facility, the airline, and at least one service provider;

wherein the computer reservation and data storage system is adapted for receiving a reservation request from the service provider for a customer or directly from the customer to use a portion of the indoor golf facility, for accessing the reservation file, for processing the reservation request, for making a reservation for the customer based on the reservation request to the portion, for receiving from the customer at the indoor golf facility flight schedule information for the customer'"'"'s travel with the airline, for determining a customer notification time based on the customer flight schedule information, and for notifying the customer at the customer notification time.