System and method for selecting and reserving airline seats

• US 8,244,561 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Inventors: Halavais, Richard A., Chung, Tony Cheng-Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell, Shannon
• Application Number:
  US13/368,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 188 Days
• Field of Search: 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 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 may be displayed on a personal computing device, and additional information about the seat or seats may be displayed in response to the customer or ticket re-seller or venue operator placing a location indicator over a portion of the interactive seating display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interactively providing seating information to an end user over a network, the method comprising:

transmitting first data to an application running on a home or office personal computing device, the first data including information descriptive of available individual seats at a venue, the first data configured to enable the application to generate an interactive seating display on the home or office personal computing device representing individual seats at the venue, the first data enabling the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to the end user placing a location indicator over a portion of the interactive seating display;

receiving second data representing a seat selected by the end user;

receiving from the home or office personal computing device third data representing payment information;

requesting acceptance of the received payment information; and

if the received payment information is accepted, then transmitting fourth data to a personal computing device associated with a second user, the fourth data including information indicating that the seat selected by the end user is no longer available.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, if the received payment information is accepted, transmitting fifth data to the end user, the fifth data including information that can be printed as an admission document or voucher.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data is transmitted to a home or office or remotely located computer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the home or office personal computing device is stationary.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein requesting acceptance of the received payment information comprises transmitting encrypted payment information to a validation server.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein placing a location indicator comprises placing a mouse indicator over a portion of the interactive seating display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein placing a location indicator comprises placing a location indicator over a portion of the interactive seating display by a touch screen input.

8. A system for interactively providing seating information to an end user over a network, the system comprising:

a data storage system storing a plurality of entries denoting a plurality of available individual seats at a venue; and

a server programmed via executable instructions to;

query the data storage system for information descriptive of available individual seats at the venue;

transmit first data to an application running on a home or office personal computing device, the first data including information descriptive of available individual seats at the venue, the first data configured to enable the application to generate an interactive seating display on the home or office personal computing device representing individual seats at the venue, the first data capable of enabling the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to the end user placing a location indicator over a portion of the interactive seating display;

receive second data representing a seat selected by the end user;

receive from the home or office personal computing device third data representing payment information;

request acceptance of the received payment information; and

if the received payment information is accepted, then transmit fourth data to a personal computing device associated with a second user, the fourth data including information indicating that the seat selected by the end user is no longer available.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server is further programmed to transmit, if the received payment information is verified, fifth data to the application running on the home or office personal computing device, the fifth data including information that can be printed as an admission document or voucher.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first data is transmitted to a home or office or remotely located computer.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the home or office personal computing device is stationary.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein requesting acceptance of the received payment information comprises transmitting encrypted payment information to a validation server.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein placing the location indicator comprises placing a mouse indicator over the portion of the interactive seating display.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein placing the location indicator comprises placing the location indicator over the portion of the interactive seating display by a touch screen input.

15. A computer-implemented method running on a home or office personal computing device for interactively providing seating information to an end user over a network, the method comprising:

receiving, via an application running on the personal computing device from a server coupled to the personal computing device over the network, first data including information descriptive of available individual seats at a venue, the first data processed by the application to generate an interactive seating display on the personal computing device representing individual seats at the venue, each of the individual seats at the venue being associated with one of a plurality of seating types, the interactive seating display indicating the seating type of each of the individual seats, the first data processed by the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to a location indicator being positioned over a portion of the interactive seating display;

transmitting second data representing a seat selected by the end user;

transmitting third data representing payment information;

if the transmitted payment information is accepted, receiving fourth data, the fourth data including information that can be printed as an admission document or voucher.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the personal computing device is stationary.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first data is received by a home or office or remotely located computer.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first data is processed by the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to a mouse indicator being positioned over a portion of the interactive seating display.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first data is processed by the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to a location indicator being positioned over a portion of the interactive seating display by one or more mouse clicks.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the first data is processed by the application to generate an additional display of information about one or more of the individual seats in response to a location indicator being positioned over a portion of the interactive seating display by a touch screen input.