Systems and methods for providing a player's ticket

• US 7,850,523 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sportware LLC
• Original Assignee: Sharad A. Ghosh
• Inventors: Ghosh, Sharad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall, Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US12/644,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20100099488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 22, 463 24- 29, 463/33, 463 42- 43, 463/47, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/141.A, 273/269, 273454-456, 273/460, 283/49, 283/903, 700 91- 93, 705/14.1, 705/14.12, 705/14.22, 705/14.3, 705/14.38
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0221 Re-usable coupons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

Ticketing systems and methods are provided specifically relating to a player'"'"'s ticket. A player'"'"'s ticket references at least one player and allows the player'"'"'s ticket holder to attend all sporting events played in by the at least one player referenced on the player'"'"'s ticket. Information about a tournament, including the players, the tournament draw, and historical data, is acquired and used to determine the probabilities of players winning matches in the tournament. Event admissions for the player'"'"'s ticket may be allocated by determining a probability distribution for accommodating all player'"'"'s ticket holders and determining a profitability of the players ticket.

Claims

1. A method configured to provide player'"'"'s tickets, the method comprising:

receiving, using a player'"'"'s ticketing server, a request for a player'"'"'s ticket, wherein the received request comprises an indication of at least one player and an indication of at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing;

in response to receiving the request, providing, using the player'"'"'s ticketing server, a player'"'"'s ticket that permits entry to at least one match of the at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing; and

in response to providing the player'"'"'s ticket, allocating event admissions for the player'"'"'s ticket for the at least one match of the at least one tournament, wherein allocating event admissions for the player'"'"'s ticket comprises;

determining probability distributions configured to accommodate all player'"'"'s ticket holders, and determining a profitability of all player'"'"'s tickets, wherein determining the profitability comprises maximizing a total profit based on total revenue less total cost; and

determining a price for the provided player'"'"'s ticket, the price based at least in part on the profitability of all of the player'"'"'s tickets.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request comprises a round indication and the player'"'"'s ticket permits entry only to matches of the at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing that are associated with the round indication.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request in advance of the start of the at least one match of the at least one tournament.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising allocating event admissions for player'"'"'s tickets for the at least one match of the at least one tournament, wherein allocating event admissions for player'"'"'s tickets comprises determining the probability of the at least one player winning at least one match of the at least one tournament.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a price for the provided player'"'"'s ticket, wherein determining a price for the provided player'"'"'s ticket comprises determining, based at least in part on historical data, the number of matches the at least one player is expected or projected to play in the at least one tournament.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if there exists a shortfall or an excess of seats for player'"'"'s tickets for a particular match of the more than one match; and

in response to determining that there exists a shortfall or an excess of seats, implementing a mitigation technique to manage the shortfall or the excess of seats, wherein the mitigation technique is selected from the group consisting of;

selling the excess of seats as ordinary tickets, repackaging the excess of seats as part of new player'"'"'s tickets, re-allocating unsold tickets for player'"'"'s tickets, and buying back unsold ordinary tickets and reallocating the unsold ordinary tickets as player'"'"'s tickets.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining if there exists a shortfall of seats for player'"'"'s tickets for a particular match; and

in response to determining that there exists a shortfall of seats, implementing a mitigation technique to compensate for the shortfall of seats, wherein the mitigation technique is selected from the group comprising;

buying back an ordinary ticket seat, buying back a player'"'"'s ticket seat, exchanging the player'"'"'s ticket for a voucher, providing a credit to the player'"'"'s ticket holder, providing a ticket option for another match.

8. A system configured to provide player'"'"'s tickets and determining event admissions for player'"'"'s tickets, the system comprising a server at which a ticketing application has been implemented to configure the server to:

receive a request for a player'"'"'s ticket, wherein the received request comprises an indication of at least one player and an indication of at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing;

in response to receiving the request, provide a player'"'"'s ticket that permits entry to at least one match of the at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing; and

in response to providing the player'"'"'s ticket, allocate event admissions for the player'"'"'s ticket for the at least one match of the at least one tournament, wherein allocating event admissions for the player'"'"'s ticket comprises;

determining probability distributions configured to accommodate all player'"'"'s ticket holders, and determining a profitability of all player'"'"'s tickets, wherein determining the profitability comprises maximizing a total profit based on total revenue less total cost; and

determine a price for the provided player'"'"'s ticket, the price based at least in part on the profitability of all of the player'"'"'s tickets.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the request comprises a round indication and the player'"'"'s ticket permits entry only to matches of the at least one tournament in which the at least one player is playing that are associated with the round indication.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request in advance of the start of the at least one match of the at least one tournament.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the ticketing application is further configured to allocate event admissions for player'"'"'s tickets for the at least one match of the at least one tournament by determining the probability of the at least one player winning at least one match of the at least one tournament.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the ticketing application is further configured to determine a price for the provided player'"'"'s ticket based at least in part on historical data, the number of matches the at least one player is expected or projected to play in the at least one tournament.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the ticketing application is further configured to:

determine if there exists a shortfall or an excess of seats for player'"'"'s tickets for a particular match of the more than one match; and

in response to determining that there exists a shortfall or an excess of seats, implement a mitigation technique to manage the shortfall or the excess of seats, wherein the mitigation technique is selected from the group consisting of;

selling the excess of seats as ordinary tickets, repackaging the excess of seats as part of new player'"'"'s tickets, re-allocating unsold tickets for player'"'"'s tickets, and buying back unsold ordinary tickets and reallocating the unsold ordinary tickets as player'"'"'s tickets.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the ticketing application is further configured to:

determine if there exists a shortfall of seats for player'"'"'s tickets for a particular match; and

in response to determining that there exists a shortfall of seats, implementing a mitigation technique to compensate for the shortfall of seats, wherein the mitigation technique is selected from the group comprising;

buying back an ordinary ticket seat, buying back a player'"'"'s ticket seat, exchanging the player'"'"'s ticket for a voucher, providing a credit to the player'"'"'s ticket holder, providing a ticket option for another match.