System and method for theme park line queue management

• US 8,200,515 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Natsuyama, Keizo, Blum, Steven C., Schwartz, Justin Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Application Number:
  US13/297,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/5, 705/6, 340/286.06, 370/412
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a method for managing theme park ride lines by providing an identifying device to a guest, the device configured to uniquely identify the guest, using the identifying device to ascertain an amount of time a guest spends at a predetermined location and reducing the amount of time a guest spends in a line queue for a predetermined ride by the amount of time the guest spends at the predetermined location. A system for managing theme park ride lines is also provided.

Claims

1. A system for managing attraction queues comprising:

a device-reader system configured to communicate monetary transaction information with an identification device at one or more accrual locations and/or configured to ascertain an amount of time spent by the identification device at one or more accrual locations; and

a processor configured to receive data indicative of a purchase by a guest at a particular accrual location and/or configured to receive data indicative of the amount of time spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations from the device-reader system, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest a location within a queue of an attraction at a redemption location such that a wait time in the queue for the guest is reduced relative to an otherwise available wait time by an amount of time correlative to the amount of time spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations and/or by an amount of time correlative to the purchase.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest the location within the queue such that the wait time in the queue is reduced for the guest relative to the otherwise available wait time by an increment of time for each particular amount of money spent on the purchase or by an increment of time associated with an assigned level of the purchase.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest the location within the queue such that the wait time in the queue is reduced for the guest by one minute for every dollar of money spent on the purchase.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest the location within the queue such that the wait time in the queue is reduced for the guest by an increment of time for every point accrued by the identification device, and wherein the processor is configured to assign different amounts of points for time spent at different accrual locations and/or different amounts of money spent at the different accrual locations to the identification device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to assign more points for time spent or money spent at a first accrual location than for time spent or money spent at a second accrual location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive data indicative of a priority use purchase by the guest to move the guest ahead in the queue.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest the location within the queue of the attraction at the redemption location by alerting an operator to an equivalent wait time to credit to the guest or alerting the operator to a physical location to place the guest between other guests in the line.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more accrual locations comprise a ride or a restaurant and the processor is configured to reduce the wait time in the queue for the guest based on time spent waiting to get on the ride or to be seated at the restaurant.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to assign the guest the location within the queue of the attraction at the redemption location during an initial visit by the guest to the redemption location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more accrual locations comprise primary accrual locations and secondary accrual locations, and wherein the processor is configured to reduce the wait time in the queue for the guest more heavily for time spent by the identification device at the secondary accrual locations than for time spent by the identification device at the primary accrual locations.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to reduce the wait time in the queue for the guest in a one-to-one ratio based on time spent waiting at the one or more accrual locations.

12. A system for managing attraction queues comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive data indicative of an amount of money spent using an identification device assigned to a guest at one or more accrual locations; and

assign a location within a queue of an attraction at a redemption location to a guest that has been assigned the identification device such that a wait time in the queue for the guest is reduced relative to an otherwise available wait time by an amount of time correlative to the amount of money spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to receive data indicative of an amount of time spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations and reduce the wait time in the queue for the guest based the amount of time spent.

14. The system of claim 12, comprising a device-reader system configured to:

communicate with the identification device;

ascertain an amount of time and/or the money spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations; and

communicate the amount of time and/or the amount of money spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations to the processor.

15. The system of claim 12, comprising a cash register configured to communicate the data indicative of the amount of money spent with the identification device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the amount of money spent using the identification device at the one or more accrual locations comprises an amount of money spent using the identification device at a first accrual location and an amount of money spent using the identification device at a second accrual location.

17. A method of queue management, comprising:

monitoring an identification device assigned to a guest by a monitoring system to ascertain an amount of money spent using the identification device at one or more accrual locations; and

assigning the guest a location within a queue of an attraction at a redemption location by a processor such that a wait time in the queue for the guest is reduced relative to an otherwise available wait time by an amount of time correlative to the amount of money spent using the identification device at the one or more accrual locations.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising determining the amount of time correlative to the amount of money spent based on money spent at a first accrual location multiplied by a first multiplier assigned to the first accrual location, and based on money spent at a second accrual location multiplied by a second multiplier assigned to the second accrual location.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising informing the guest of the location within the queue via the monitoring system.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising monitoring a location of the identification device and time spent by the identification device at the one or more accrual locations.