System and method for providing concierge services to a mobile device user

• US 8,472,924 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Watson, Scott, Santana, Armando, Trowbridge, Robert Scott, Shively, Orrin J., Swirsky, Robert, Gilbert, Jonathan, Brown, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/313,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20090233584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4143
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

There is provided a method for providing concierge services to a mobile device user. The method comprises receiving a concierge identification code sent from a mobile device; authenticating activation of concierge services for the concierge identification code; assigning the mobile device to the concierge identification code; sending a confirmation message to the mobile device; receiving a concierge command from the mobile device; obtaining concierge command results from a local services network; sending the concierge command results to the mobile device; and terminating activation of concierge services after an activation period corresponding to the concierge identification code.

Claims

1. A system for providing concierge services to a mobile device user, the system comprising:

a communications server accessible by a mobile device of the mobile device user;

a local services network connected to the communications server;

a concierge application resident on the communications server, the concierge application configured to;

receive a concierge identification code from the mobile device, wherein the concierge identification code is provided to the mobile device user for use as a guest of a recreational venue to obtain the concierge services using the mobile device;

assign the mobile device to the concierge identification code in response to receiving the concierge identification code from the mobile device;

activate the concierge services for the mobile device user in response to receiving the concierge identification code from the mobile device;

assign one or more other mobile devices to the concierge identification code forming a group including the mobile device and the one or more other mobile devices;

receive a concierge command from the mobile device, after activating the concierge services, requesting to be placed in a quiet mode relative to messages for the group;

obtain a message for the group; and

send the message to the group except the mobile device, in response to the requesting to be placed in the quiet mode relative to messaging for the group.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the concierge services provided by the system includes assignment of a human concierge agent to coordinate the delivery of concierge services to the mobile device user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to support concierge messaging via short message service (SMS) text messaging.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to support concierge messaging via email.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to support concierge messaging via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messaging.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to support concierge messaging via Instant Messaging (IM).

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a concierge communication control software capable of being downloaded to the mobile device;

the concierge communication control software configured to enable concierge messaging among the communications server, the local services network, and the mobile device over a local area network (LAN).

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the concierge application is further configured to:

receive a concierge command from the mobile device, after activating the concierge services, requesting a wait time for an attraction within the recreational venue;

obtain the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue in response to the concierge command from the local services network;

send the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue in response to the concierge command to the mobile device; and

alert the mobile device when the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue drops below a specified threshold.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the LAN comprises a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network or a Wi-Fi network.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the LAN comprises a Bluetooth network.

11. The system of claim 1, the venue corresponds to the local services network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the venue is a theme park or a destination resort.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the concierge identification code has a corresponding activation period, and wherein the concierge application is further configured to terminate the activating of the concierge services for the mobile device user using the concierge identification code upon an expiration of the activation period corresponding to the concierge identification code.

14. A method for providing concierge services to a mobile device user, the method comprising:

receiving a concierge identification code sent from a mobile device of the mobile device user, wherein the concierge identification code is provided to the mobile device user for use as a guest of a recreational venue to obtain the concierge services using the mobile device;

assigning the mobile device to the concierge identification code in response to the receiving of the concierge identification code from the mobile device;

activating the concierge services for the mobile device user in response to the receiving of the concierge identification code from the mobile device;

assigning one or more other mobile devices to the concierge identification code forming a group including the mobile device and the one or more other mobile devices;

receiving a concierge command from the mobile device, after activating of the concierge services, requesting to be placed in a quiet mode relative to messages for the group;

obtaining a message for the group; and

sending the message to the group except the mobile device, in response to the requesting to be placed in the quiet mode relative to messaging for the group.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

assigning a human concierge agent to coordinate the delivery of concierge services to the mobile device user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein communications received from the mobile device user comprise short message service (SMS) text messages.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein communications received from the mobile device user comprise email messages.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein communications received from the mobile device user comprise Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein communications received from the mobile device user comprise Instant Messaging (IM) messages.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

providing a concierge communication control software capable of being downloaded to the mobile device, the group communication control software configured to enable concierge messaging among a communications server, a local services network, and the mobile device over a local area network (LAN).

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the LAN is one of a Wi-Fi network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, and a Bluetooth network.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprises:

receiving a concierge command from the mobile device, after activating the concierge services, requesting a wait time for an attraction within the recreational venue;

obtaining the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue in response to the concierge command from the local services network;

sending the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue in response to the concierge command to the mobile device; and

alerting the mobile device when the wait time for the attraction within the recreational venue drops below a specified threshold.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the venue is a theme park or a destination resort.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the concierge identification code has a corresponding activation period, and wherein the method further comprises:

terminating the activating of the concierge services for the mobile device user using the concierge identification code upon an expiration of the activation period corresponding to the concierge identification code.