Secure targeted personal buying/selling method and system

• US 8,484,133 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movione Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MoviePass, Inc.
• Inventors: Stacy, Spikes, Watt, Hamet
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/654,263
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/39, 705/44
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include a buying and selling method including receiving a request from a user to book a ticket for an event, determining a time for the event and a venue for the event, detecting when the user is at the venue for the event, and in response, electronically funding a user account with an amount sufficient to buy a ticket for the event. The user is notified that funds are available for the ticket. Embodiments further include, after the end of the event, detecting whether the funds were redeemed and determining whether there is a balance remaining over the funded amount. If the funds were redeemed by the user before the event, event data is collected, including a time of the event, a type of the event, a name of the event, and a location of the venue. The event data is associated with user data.

Claims

1. A ticketing system comprising:

a plurality of databases coupled via a network;

a plurality of processors coupled to the plurality of databases; and

at least one user device coupled to the processors and the databases via the network, wherein the at least one user device comprises at least one of a smart phone, a handheld mobile device with communication capability, and a personal computer;

wherein the plurality of processors are configured to;

present a user interface (UI) on the at least one user device, wherein the UI comprises a description of a plurality of events;

via the network and the UI, receive a user request to book a ticket for one of the plurality of events;

determine a venue and a start time for the event;

receive a notification from the user via a mobile device of the at least one user devices indicating that the user is at the venue;

in response to the notification from the user, verify that the user is at the venue, wherein verifying that the user is at the venue comprises locating the mobile device;

if the user is verified to be at the venue, fund a user account wherein funding the user account comprises placing an amount of funds in the user account sufficient to pay for the ticket;

a predetermined amount of time after funding the user account, determine whether the amount of funds is still in the account;

if the amount of funds is not in the account after the predetermined amount of time, add an event restriction, wherein the event restriction prohibits the user from booking another ticket for the event; and

collect and store data related to the user in the databases, wherein the data comprises names of events attended by the user, venues of the events attended by the user, types of events attended by the user, times of day of attendance by the user, and frequency of attendance by the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processors are further configured to communicate with a third-party servicer to create the user account and fund the user account.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user account comprises a pre-paid, reloadable credit card.

4. A computer-implemented method for targeted selling, comprising:

storing, by a service provider system comprising one or more computers, user data comprising a name, an age, a gender, a home address, an email address, a phone number, product preferences, and names of friends;

presenting a user interface (UI) to the user on a user device, wherein the UI comprises at least one list of events;

receiving, by the service provider system via the UI, a request from the user to book a ticket for one of the listed events;

determining, by the service provider system, a time for the event and a venue for the requested event;

receiving from the user, via the UI and a mobile user device, an indication that the user is at the venue, and in response detecting, by the service provider system via the mobile user device, whether the user is at the venue;

in response to detecting the user at the venue,

using, by the service provider system, the received request, the time and venue, and a location of the user at the venue to transfer information causing a user account to be electronically funded with an amount sufficient to buy a ticket for the event; and

notifying, by the service provider system, the user that funds are available for the ticket;

in response to detecting that the user is not at the venue, notifying the user that the user must be closer to the venue before the user account is funded;

within a predetermined time after the time of the event, detecting, by the service provider system, whether the funds were redeemed, including determining, by the service provider system, whether the amount was redeemed by the user before the event, and determining, by the service provider system, whether there is a balance remaining over the funded amount;

in response to determining the amount was redeemed by the user before the event, collecting, by the service provider system, event data, including a time of the event, a type of the event, a name of the event, a ticket price for the event, and a location of the venue;

associating, by the service provider system, the event data with the user data; and

storing, by the service provider system, the event data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting whether the funds were redeemed further comprises, if the funds were not redeemed, allowing, by the service provider system, the user to request to book another ticket for the event.

6. The method of claim 4, further wherein detecting whether the funds were redeemed further comprises, if the funds were redeemed, disallowing, by the service provider system, the user to request to book another ticket for the same event.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising, if a balance is remaining over the funded amount after the funds were redeemed, removing, by the service provider system, the balance from the user account.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising, if a balance is remaining over the funded amount after the funds were redeemed, adjusting, by the service provider system, the ticket price to reflect an accurate ticket price.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

inviting, by the service provider system, the user to associate via a social networking site to become a networked user;

providing, by the service provider system, a networked user a facility to invite friends to an event via the social networking site;

receiving, by the service provider system, a list of friends invited to the event by the networked user;

collecting friend data, by the service provider system, regarding invited friends of the user, comprising which friends accepted invitations, and which friends are also users;

associating the friend data, by the service provider system, with the user data;

storing, by the service provider system, the friend data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating data reports, by the service provider system, from the user data, the event data, and the friend data.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising creating, by the service provider system, the user account on behalf of the user, wherein the account comprises a pre-paid reloadable credit card account.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting when the user is at the venue for the event comprises receiving data, by the service provider system, from a global positioning system (GPS) application on a mobile user device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data from the GPS application comprises receiving the data, by the service provider system, via a third-party location-based service.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving data from the GPS application comprises receiving the data, by the service provider system, via a browser application on the mobile user device.

15. The method of claim 4, further comprising allowing, by the service provider system, the user to book a predetermined number of events over a predetermined time period for a fixed price.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising tracking, by the service provider system, a number of events booked in the time period and disallowing requests to book events over the predetermined number of events over the predetermined time period.

17. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting whether the funds were redeemed further comprises determining, by the service provider system, whether the funds were redeemed at a location that is not the venue.

18. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after the event is scheduled to be over, sending a message, by the service provider system, to the user with a request to review the event.

19. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after the event is scheduled to be over, sending a message, by the service provider system, to the user with at least one offer to purchase items related to the event.