Assigning and managing patron reservations for distributed services using wireless personal communication devices

• US 7,895,066 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lo-Q PLC
• Original Assignee: Lo-Q PLC
• Inventors: Waytena, William, Sachs, Robert R., Raubvogel, Amir H.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US12/392,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for assigning and managing patron reservations to one or more of a plurality of attractions receive reservation requests at personal communication devices (PCDs). Reservation requests are transmitted to a computer associated with the selected attraction, which determines a proposed reservation time based on information describing the attraction, the patron, previously-made reservations maintained in a virtual queue, and the current state of a physical queue associated with the attraction. Proposed reservation time is transmitted to the PCD for confirmation or rejection by the patron. Confirmed reservations are entered in the virtual queue. Patrons are alerted by the PCD when their reservation time is approaching.

Claims

1. A method of assigning and managing patron reservations to an attraction, at an attraction computer associated with the attraction, the attraction allowing admittance through a physical queue and through patron reservations, the method comprising:

maintaining a virtual queue comprising reservation information for a plurality of reservations for the attraction;

receiving a request for a new reservation from a personal communications device;

determining, by a computer, an interleave ratio based on the relative sizes of the physical queue and the virtual queue, the interleave ratio identifying a projected ratio of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the virtual queue and patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the physical queue; and

establishing a reservation time for the new reservation, based upon the reservation information in the virtual queue and the determined interleave ratio.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the new reservation is received wirelessly.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the physical queue size.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the physical queue size is carried out by a physical queue monitor, the physical queue monitor comprising one of:

a series of photoelectric cells; and

a turnstile.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring the physical queue size comprises identifying changes in the physical queue size, the method further comprising;

selectively updating the virtual queue responsive to identified changes in the physical queue size.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the interleave ratio is determined on the basis of an additional factor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional factor is at least one of:

an attraction throughput; and

an attraction staffing level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

varying the interleave ratio dynamically on the basis of the relative sizes of the physical queue and the virtual queue.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the interleave ratio is based upon a ratio of an average number of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the virtual queue and an average number of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the physical queue over a predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the interleave ratio is fractional.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the virtual queue comprises a time duration between a reservation being received and the established reservation time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the physical queue comprises a waiting time for a patron in the physical queue.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual queue comprises a set of records, each record relating to a respective reservation for the attraction and identifying:

a personal communications device associated with the reservation; and

a time or position in the virtual queue for the reservation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the established time for the new reservation is a proposed reservation time, further comprising:

alerting the patron when the proposed reservation time is within a predetermined time interval from a current time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the proposed reservation time is established when the request for the new reservation is received.

16. An attraction computer for assigning and managing patron reservations to an attraction, the attraction allowing admittance through a physical queue and through patron reservations, the attraction computer comprising:

a communications module programmed to receive a reservation request from a personal communications device;

a virtual queue programmed to store reservation information for a plurality of reservations for the attraction associated with the computer; and

a request processor coupled to the communication module and the virtual queue, programmed to determine a reservation time for the received request responsive to the reservation information in the virtual queue and based upon an interleave ratio, the interleave ratio based on the relative sizes of the physical queue and the virtual queue, the interleave ratio identifying a projected ratio of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the virtual queue and patrons to be admitted to the attraction from a physical queue.

17. The attraction computer of claim 16, further comprising:

a wireless communications module for receiving the reservation request.

18. The attraction computer of claim 17, further comprising a physical queue monitor, configured to monitor the physical queue size.

19. The attraction computer of claim 18, wherein the physical queue monitor comprises one of:

a series of photoelectric cells; and

a turnstile.

20. The attraction computer of claim 18, wherein the physical queue monitor is configured to monitor a waiting time for a patron in the physical queue.

21. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the physical queue monitor is configured to identify changes in the physical queue size and further comprising:

a queue updater coupled to the virtual queue, for updating the virtual queue responsive to identified changes the physical queue size.

22. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the request processor is arranged to determine the interleave ratio on the basis of an additional factor.

23. The attraction computer of claim 22, wherein the additional factor is at least one of:

an attraction throughput; and

an attraction staffing level.

24. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the request processor is further adapted to vary the interleave ratio dynamically on the basis of the relative sizes of the physical queue and the virtual queue.

25. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the interleave ratio is based upon a ratio of an average number of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the virtual queue and an average number of patrons to be admitted to the attraction from the physical queue over a predetermined period of time.

26. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the request processor is arranged to determine the interleave ratio such that it is fractional.

27. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the size of the virtual queue comprises a time duration between a reservation being received and the established reservation time.

28. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the virtual queue comprises a set of records, each record relating to a respective reservation for the attraction and identifying:

a personal communications device associated with the reservation; and

a time or position in the virtual queue for the reservation.

29. The attraction computer of claim 16, wherein the request processor is configured to establish a proposed reservation time for the new reservation, the attraction computer further comprising:

a reservation alert module for sending a signal to a personal communications device to output a reservation alert, responsive to a reservation time being within a predetermined length of time from current time.

30. The attraction computer of claim 29, wherein the request processor is configured to establish the proposed reservation time when the request for the new reservation is received.

31. The attraction computer of claim 16, further comprising:

an attraction control interface, for monitoring and selectively updating each virtual queue and information describing each attraction.