System and method for managing airline seat reservations

• US 8,219,448 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Inventors: Chung, Tony Cheng-Tong, Halavais, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US12/953,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20110071863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

This invention relates to an electronic means by which people can select the exact seat or seats they want for any type of event or reserve an appointment for any activity. More specifically, a customer or a ticket re-seller or a venue operator can go, for example, to the internet and select the event or activity for which he wants a ticket or tickets or reserve a time and reserve and order the exact seat or seats or the time of his choosing directly online. The seat or seats or reserved time he selects is then removed from the inventory for that activity or event and made not available for any other buyer and such is so indicated by a graphical representation or other such indicator on the online map or picture representing availability of seating or time for that event.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user computing device, a selection of a venue;

retrieving positional seat information associated with the selected venue, the positional seat information comprising position data indicating the relative position of each seat of a plurality of seats, the positional seat information further comprising availability data indicating whether each seat of the plurality of seats is available;

constructing displayable content configured to display, on the first user computing device, a graphical representation of the positional seat information, the graphical representation reflecting the position data indicating the relative position of each seat of the plurality of seats;

performing, for each seat of the plurality of seats, a method comprising;

determining, based on the availability data of the positional seat information, whether the seat of the plurality of seats is available;

configuring the displayable content to graphically indicate that the seat is available, if the seat is determined to be available;

configuring the displayable content to graphically indicate that the seat is unavailable, if the seat is determined to be unavailable;

identifying, using the processor, a first seat that the user has selected at the venue;

storing, on a data storage system a record associated with the selected first seat;

receiving from the first user computing device data relating to payment for the first seat at the venue;

processing the payment data;

based on confirmation of the payment data, updating the record to become permanent;

transmitting, to the first user computing device, data indicating confirmation of a reservation relating to the selected first seat;

transmitting, to the first user computing device of the user, data including a status of the first seat selected by the user, the data including a unique identifier, wherein the unique identifier is associated, in the data storage system, with the record associated with the selected first seat;

transmitting, to the first user computing device, data associated with a reservation of a second seat which is available at a second venue relating to a second event, service or activity, the data associated with the reservation of the second seat being configured to display, on the first user computing device, one or more events, services or activities available to the user relating to the second venue;

wherein

the transmission of the data associated with the reservation of the second seat is based at least in part on the receipt by the first user computing device of the confirmation of the first seat; and

transmitting data to a second user computing device indicating that the selected first seat is unavailable.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving, from the first user computing device, data comprising information associated with a selection of the one or more events, services or activiities available to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user computing device is remotely located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data including the status of the first seat selected by the user comprises transmitting web page data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first seat was selected by one or more mouse clicks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first seat was selected by a touch screen input.

7. A system comprising:

a data storage system; and

one or more processors, configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving, from a first user computing device, a selection of a venue;

retrieving, from the data storage system, positional seat information associated with the selected venue, the positional seat information comprising position data indicating the relative position of each seat of a plurality of seats, the positional seat information further comprising availability data indicating whether each seat of the plurality of seats is available;

constructing displayable content configured to display, on the first user computing device, a graphical representation of the positional seat information, the graphical representation reflecting the position data indicating the relative position of each seat of the plurality of seats;

performing, for each seat of the plurality of seats, a method comprising;

determining, based on the availability data of the positional seat information, whether the seat of the plurality of seats is available;

configuring the displayable content to graphically indicate that the seat is available, if the seat is determined to be available;

configuring the displayable content to graphically indicate that the seat is unavailable, if the seat is determined to be unavailable; and

identifying, using the processor, a seat that the user has selected at the venue;

storing, on the data storage system, a record associated with the selected seat;

receiving from the first user computing device data relating to payment for the seat at the venue;

processing the payment data;

based on confirmation of the payment data, updating the record to become permanent;

transmitting, to the first user computing device. data indicating a confirmation of a reservation relating to the selected seat;

transmitting data to a second user computing device indicating that the selected seat is unavailable; and

transmitting, to the first user computing device data associated with a reservation at a second venue relating to a second event, service or activity, the data being configured to display, on the first user computing device, one or more events, services or activities available to the user relating to the second venue;

wherein

the transmission of the data associated with the reservation at a second venue is based at least in Part on the receipt by the first user computing device of the confirmation of the seat.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to perform receiving, from the first user computing device, data comprising information associated with a selection of the one or more events, services, or activities available to the user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first user computing device is remotely located.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the data indicating confirmation of a reservation relating to the selected seat comprises web page data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the web page data comprises javascript.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the data storage system comprises a database.

13. A method comprising:

identifying, using a computer processor, a seat that a user has selected at a venue;

storing, on a data storage system, a record associated with the selected seat;

receiving, from a first user computing device, data relating to payment for the selected seat;

processing the payment data;

based on confirmation of the payment data, updating the data storage system to remove the selected seat from available inventory;

transmitting data to a second user computing device indicating that the selected seat is unavailable based on the removal of the selected seat from available inventory; and

transmitting, to the first user computing device, additional data being configured to display, on the first user computing device, one or more services, activities, or events available to the user;

wherein the transmitting of additional data is based at least in part on receipt, by the first user computing device, of data reflecting a confirmation of the selected seat.

14. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising receiving, from the first user computing device, data comprising information associated with a selection of the one or more services, activities, or events-available to the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first user computing device is located remotely.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional data comprises web page data.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the seat was selected by one or more mouse clicks.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the seat was selected by a touch screen input.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting data to the second user computing device indicating that the selected seat is unavailable based on the removal of the selected seat from available inventory comprises transmitting data configured to display an interactive seating map comprising a representation of the selected seat in the interactive seating map indicating the selected seat is unavailable.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein updating the data storage system to remove the selected seat from available inventory comprises updating the record to indicate the selected seat is no longer available for future selection.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein processing the payment data comprises updating the record to indicate that payment has been approved.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the seat was selected by a touch screen input.

22. A system comprising:

a data storage system;

and one or more processors, configured to perform a method comprising;

identifying, using the one or more processors, a seat that a user has selected at a venue;

storing, on the data storage system, a record associated with the selected seat;

receiving, from a first user computing device, data relating to payment for the selected seat;

processing the payment data;

based on confirmation of the payment data, updating the data storage system to remove the selected seat from available inventory;

transmitting data to a second user computing device indicating that the selected seat is unavailable based on the removal of the selected seat from available inventory; and

transmitting, to the first user computing device, additional data being configured to display, on the first user computing device, one or more services, activities, or events available to the user;

wherein

the transmitting of the additional data is based at least in part on receipt, by the first user computing device, of data reflecting a confirmation of the selected seat.

23. The system of claim 22, the method further comprising receiving, from the first user computing device, data comprising information associated with a selection of the one or more services, activities, or events available to the user.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the first user computing device is remotely located.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the additional data comprises web page data.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the seat was selected by one or more mouse clicks.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein transmitting data to the second user computing device indicating that the selected seat is unavailable based on the removal of the selected seat from available inventory comprises transmitting data configured to display an interactive seating map comprising a representation of the selected seat in the interactive seating map indicating the selected seat is unavailable.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein updating the data storage system to remove the selected seat from available inventory comprises updating the record to indicate the selected seat is no longer available for future selection.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein processing the payment data comprises updating the record to indicate that payment has been approved.