Computer-implemented systems and methods for resource allocation

• US 7,865,379 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Inventors: Denker, Dennis, Sussman, Adam, Bennett, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jung; Allen J
• Application Number:
  US11/699,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/35, 705/1, 705/5, 705/400, 719/318
• US Class Current: 705/5
• 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 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for processing queue data and for providing queue messaging over a network. An illustrative queuing system includes a first queue configured to hold resource requests from a plurality of users, and program code stored in computer readable memory configured to determine or estimate whether a resource requested by a first resource request submitted by a first requester will be available when the first resource request will be serviced, and to transmit a message over a network to the first requester indicating that the requested resource will not be available when the queued request is serviced if it is estimated or determined that the requested resource will not be available when the first request is serviced.

Claims

1. A method of setting a ticket price, the method comprising:

storing in computer readable memory a first size estimate corresponding to a first set of potential event attendees,

wherein members of the first set are characterized by a first level of income;

storing in computer readable memory a second size estimate corresponding to a second set of potential event attendees,

wherein members of the second set are characterized by a second level of income;

storing in computer readable memory a first value providing a first indication as to an event ticket price for at least a portion of members of the first set, the first set characterized by the first level of income, wherein the first value is at least partly based on a survey;

storing in computer readable memory a second value providing a second indication as to an event ticket price for at least a portion of members of the second set, the second set characterized by the second level of income, wherein the second value is at least partly based on the survey;

accessing from memory, via a system including one or more processors, the first size estimate, the second size estimate, the first value, and the second value;

accessing historical ticket sales data; and

based at least in part on the historical data, the first size estimate corresponding to the first set of potential event attendees, wherein members of the first set are characterized by the first level of income, the second size estimate corresponding to the second set of potential event attendees, wherein members of the second set are characterized by the second level of income, the first value providing the first indication, and the second value providing the second indication, setting, by said one or more processors, at least a first event ticket price for a first set of tickets prior to offering the first set of tickets for sale.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein members of the first set of potential event attendees are associated with a first motivation for attending the event.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein information accessed from memory that indicates how many potential event attendees are likely to purchase expensive event seats to impress others is used in setting at least the first event ticket price.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein information accessed from memory that indicates how many potential event attendees are likely to attend the event with the intention of socializing with others is used in setting at least the first event ticket price.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein information accessed from memory that indicates how many potential event attendees are likely to only purchase inexpensive event tickets.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the members of the first set of potential event attendees have high incomes or a relatively large amount of disposable income as compared to other potential attendees, or high incomes and a relatively large amount of disposable income as compared to other potential attendees.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the members of the first set of potential event attendees have low incomes as compared to other potential attendees.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein members of the first set of potential event attendees include ticket brokers that resell tickets.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing a first parameter associated with patience with respect to ticket acquisition associated with members of the first set of potential event attendees,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the first parameter.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

reading a first limit on how many event tickets a user can purchase,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the first limit.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

reading a first minimum permissible event ticket price,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the first minimum permissible ticket price.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing event cost data,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the event cost data.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing historical ticket sales data related to resold tickets,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical ticket sales data related to resold tickets.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing from memory a median ticket price at which it is estimated that at least a first portion of the first set of potential event attendees would be willing to pay,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the median ticket price.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing historical sales data related to concessions sold at least one event,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical sales data related to concessions.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing historical sales data related to event income,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical income data.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising setting the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical sales data related to concessions.

18. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising setting ticket prices for a plurality of venue areas at least partly based on historical sales data related to concessions and tickets.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising accessing cost data related to putting on the event, wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the cost data.

20. A system, comprising:

a computer system including one or more processors;

computer readable memory that stores;

historical ticket sales data;

a first size estimate,

wherein the first size estimate corresponds to a first set of potential event attendees,

wherein members of the first set are characterized by a first level of income;

a second size estimate,

wherein the second size estimate corresponds to a second set of potential event attendees,

wherein members of the second set are characterized by a second level of income;

a first value providing a first indication as to an event ticket price for at least a subset of members of the first set, the first set characterized by the first level of income, wherein the first value is at least partly based on a survey;

a second value providing a second indication as to an event ticket price for at least a subset of members of the second set, the second set characterized by the second level of income, wherein the second value is at least partly based on the survey; and

code stored in computer readable memory, that when executed by the computer system is configured to at least partly set a first event ticket price for a plurality of tickets prior to offering the plurality of tickets for sale, using;

the historical ticket sales data;

the first size estimate corresponding to the first set of potential event attendees, wherein members of the first set are characterized by the first level of income,

the second size estimate corresponding to the second set of potential event attendees, wherein members of the second set are characterized by the second level of income,

the first value providing the first indication, and

the second value providing the second indication.

21. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as being associated with a first identified motivation for attending the event, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the first identified motivation indication, at least one event ticket price.

22. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as being more likely to purchase expensive event seats to impress others relative to members of at least one other set, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the more likely to purchase expensive event seats to impress others indication, at least one event ticket price.

23. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as being more likely to attend the event with the intention of socializing with others relative to members of at least one other set, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the more likely to attend the event with the intention of socializing with others indication, at least one event ticket price.

24. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as being likely to only purchase inexpensive event tickets, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the more likely to only purchase inexpensive event tickets indication, at least one event ticket price.

25. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as:

(a) having high incomes, or

(b) a large amount of disposable income, or

both (a) and (b)

wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on (a) or (b), or (a) and (b), at least one event ticket price.

26. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the members of the first set are identified via an indication stored in memory as having low incomes, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the low income indication, at least one event ticket price.

27. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein members of the first set include members identified via an indication stored in memory as ticket brokers that resell tickets, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set, based in part on the ticket brokers indication, at least one event ticket price.

28. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to:

access a first parameter associated with patience with respect to ticket acquisition associated with members of the first set, wherein the first parameter is related to a probability of an individual attempting another transaction if a first transaction fails because a price associated with a ticket presented to the individual is too high for the individual; and

at least partly set the first event ticket price at least partly based on the first parameter.

29. The system as defined in claim 28, wherein the first parameter is a geometrically time decaying parameter.

30. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to:

read a first limit on how many event tickets a user can purchase,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the first limit.

31. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to:

access historical ticket sales data related to resold tickets,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical ticket sales data related to resold tickets.

32. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to:

access from memory a median ticket price that it is estimated that at least a first portion of the first set would be willing to pay,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the median ticket price.

33. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein in the code is configured to at least partly set at least one ticket price using:

a specified first minimum permissible event ticket price;

historical ticket sales data related to resold tickets for one or more past events;

historical sales data related to event income, including;

historical sales data related to concessions;

historical sales data related to tickets; and

historical ticket sales data related to sales of tickets to ticket brokers that resell tickets.

34. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to:

access historical sales data related to concessions sold at least one event,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical sales data related to concessions.

35. The system as defined in claim 20 wherein the code is configured to:

access historical sales data related to event income,

wherein the first event ticket price is set partly based on the historical income data, including at least historical income data related to concessions and parking.

36. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the code is configured to at least partly set ticket prices for a plurality of venue areas, wherein the set tickets prices do not maximize revenues from ticket sales.