System and methods for mapping price and location of tickets in an event venue

• US 8,024,234 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StubHub, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StubHub, Inc.
• Inventors: Thomas, Eric, Ramamurthy, Ganesh, Han, David, Salles, Benjamin, Sambhus, Mihir
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIASZEK, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/544,615
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system and methods for mapping price and location of tickets in an event venue are described. An interactive event venue seat map is provided by a network-based system that implements an online marketplace for tickets for upcoming events. The interactive event venue seat map enables sellers to view pricing information and transaction information for both sold and current event listings for any section or zone in an event venue. The interactive event venue seat map allows sellers to browse and click on sections to see sold and listed data for any section and zone in the event venue and to compare a proposed sale price to available pricing information of sold and current event listings in comparable sections. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, by a network-based system, one or more user interfaces to be displayed on a computing device of a seller for creating an event listing comprising ticket details and pricing information for one or more tickets to an upcoming event at an event venue;

receiving ticket details including section, row, and quantity for the one or more tickets entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces;

obtaining, by the network-based system, available pricing information for the event based on sold prices for sold ticket listings and listed prices for active ticket listings; and

providing, by the network-based system, at least one user interface for receiving pricing information for the event listing from the seller that includes a compare prices feature that, when selected, presents an overlay including an interactive event venue seat map comprising;

a layout of the event venue indicating sections of the event venue for which tickets are listed; and

a window overlaying a portion of the interactive event venue seat map that identifies the section of the seller and that is configured to display available pricing information for the section of the seller based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings and the listed prices for active ticket listings, wherein the overlay provides event information, ticket details, and an event summary including an average price for tickets to upcoming event, a number of active listings, and a number of sold listings.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the available pricing information for the section of the seller includes a highest price, a lowest price, and an average price.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the window is configured to provide ticket details and transaction information for the sold event listings and the active event listings;

the ticket details for the sold event listings include row and quantity, and the transaction information for the sold event listings includes the sold date and price paid; and

the ticket details for the active event listings include row and quantity, and the transaction information for the active event listings includes the listed price per ticket.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the window comprises:

a sold tab for providing available pricing information based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings; and

an active tab for providing available pricing information based on the listed prices for the active ticket listings.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the window is configured to display available pricing information for another section selected by the seller from the interactive event venue seat map and to display available pricing information for a zone selected by the seller from the interactive event venue seat map.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive event venue seat map identifies comparable sections based on a price per ticket entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces and provides available pricing information for the comparable sections.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive event venue seat map is configured to present a mouseover box in response to mouseover of a particular section in the layout of the event venue, the mouseover box displaying a name of the particular section, an average sold price for tickets in the particular section, and an average listed price for tickets in the particular section.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the overlay provides pricing trend information based on one or more of change in the average price, change in the number of active listings, and change in the number of sold listings.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable computer program instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a computer to:

provide one or more user interfaces to be displayed on a computing device of a seller for creating an event listing comprising ticket details and pricing information for one or more tickets to an upcoming event at an event venue;

receive ticket details including section, row, and quantity for the one or more tickets entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces;

obtain available pricing information for the event based on sold prices for sold ticket listings and listed prices for active ticket listings; and

provide at least one user interface for receiving pricing information for the event listing from the seller that includes a compare prices feature that, when selected, presents an overlay including an interactive event venue seat map comprising;

a layout of the event venue indicating sections of the event venue for which tickets are listed; and

a window overlaying a portion of the interactive event venue seat map that identifies the section of the seller and that is configured to display available pricing information for the section of the seller based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings and the listed prices for active ticket listings, wherein the window comprises a sold tab for providing available pricing information based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings and an active tab for providing available pricing information based on the listed prices for the active ticket listings.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the available pricing information for the section of the seller includes a highest price, a lowest price, and an average price.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein:

the window is configured to provide ticket details and transaction information for the sold event listings and the active event listings;

the ticket details for the sold event listings include row and quantity, and the transaction information for the sold event listings includes the sold date and price paid; and

the ticket details for the active event listings include row and quantity, and the transaction information for the active event listings includes the listed price per ticket.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the window is configured to display available pricing information for another section selected by the seller from the interactive event venue seat map and to display available pricing information for a zone selected by the seller from the interactive event venue seat map.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the interactive event venue seat map identifies comparable sections based on a price per ticket entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces and provides available pricing information for the comparable sections.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the interactive event venue seat map is configured to present a mouseover box in response to mouseover of a particular section in the layout of the event venue, the mouseover box displaying a name of the particular section, an average sold price for tickets in the particular section, and an average listed price for tickets in the particular section.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the overlay provides event information, ticket details, and an event summary including an average price for tickets to upcoming event, a number of active listings, and a number of sold listings.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the overlay provides pricing trend information based on one or more of change in the average price, change in the number of active listings, and change in the number of sold listings.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing, by a network-based system, one or more user interfaces to be displayed on a computing device of a seller for creating an event listing comprising ticket details and pricing information for one or more tickets to an upcoming event at an event venue;

receiving ticket details including section, row, and quantity for the one or more tickets entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces;

obtaining, by the network-based system, available pricing information for the event based on sold prices for sold ticket listings and listed prices for active ticket listings; and

providing, by the network-based system, at least one user interface for receiving pricing information for the event listing from the seller that includes a compare prices feature that, when selected, presents an overlay including an interactive event venue seat map comprising;

a layout of the event venue indicating sections of the event venue for which tickets are listed; and

a window overlaying a portion of the interactive event venue seat map that identifies the section of the seller and that is configured to display available pricing information for the section of the seller based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings and the listed prices for active ticket listings, wherein the window comprises a sold tab for providing available pricing information based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings; and

an active tab for providing available pricing information based on the listed prices for the active ticket listings.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the overlay provides event information, ticket details, and an event summary including an average price for tickets to upcoming event, a number of active listings, and a number of sold listings.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable computer program instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a computer to:

provide one or more user interfaces to be displayed on a computing device of a seller for creating an event listing comprising ticket details and pricing information for one or more tickets to an upcoming event at an event venue;

receive ticket details including section, row, and quantity for the one or more tickets entered by the seller into at least one of the user interfaces;

obtain available pricing information for the event based on sold prices for sold ticket listings and listed prices for active ticket listings; and

provide at least one user interface for receiving pricing information for the event listing from the seller that includes a compare prices feature that, when selected, presents an overlay including an interactive event venue seat map comprising;

a layout of the event venue indicating sections of the event venue for which tickets are listed; and

a window overlaying a portion of the interactive event venue seat map that identifies the section of the seller and that is configured to display available pricing information for the section of the seller based on the sold prices for the sold ticket listings and the listed prices for active ticket listings, wherein the overlay provides event information, ticket details, and an event summary including an average price for tickets to upcoming event, a number of active listings, and a number of sold listings.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the overlay provides pricing trend information based on one or more of change in the average price, change in the number of active listings, and change in the number of sold listings.