Method, apparatus, and program for pre-selling tickets to effect a booking of an event

• US 8,630,881 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMDb.com, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IMDb.com, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neulight, Joseph Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Vetter, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/620,946
• Time in Patent Office: 486 Days
• Field of Search: 705 5- 6, 705/7.32
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and program for pre-selling tickets to determine whether to book an event or activity, and for facilitating the sale of those tickets. Consumers who pre-purchase a ticket are plainly notified if an event has not yet been booked. They are also shown the progress toward the likely booking of the event. A successful pre-sale of tickets triggers the booking of the event. An unsuccessful pre-sale results in the event not being booked. Consumers who help effect an event booking may be given privileges over those who purchase traditional tickets for the same event after it has already been booked.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of determining whether to book an event, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a critical mass criteria and a critical date criteria for an event, the critical mass criteria indicating a minimum number of tickets that must be pre-sold by a critical date deadline of the critical date criteria in order for a booking of the event to occur;

transmitting, to one or more customers and prior to the critical date deadline, (a) a blinded version of the critical date criteria that withholds the critical date deadline but enables the one or more customers to ascertain whether the critical date deadline has passed and (b) an indication that the booking of the event will occur when the critical mass criteria is achieved prior to the blinded version of the critical date criteria;

receiving a request, from at least one of the one or more customers, to pre-purchase a ticket to the event; and

triggering the booking of the event when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are achieved.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving payment information to be used to purchase the ticket; and

storing the payment information for later processing when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are achieved.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing information about a future fulfillment of the ticket to the at least one of the one or more customers.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the information about the future fulfillment of the ticket comprises a graphical gauge indicating progress towards satisfying the critical mass criteria.

5. A computerized system for booking an event, comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive critical mass criteria and critical date criteria for a booking of one or more events, the critical date criteria including a critical date deadline;

transmit information about the one or more events to a user prior to the critical date deadline, the information including a blinded version of the critical date criteria that withholds the critical date deadline but enables the user to ascertain whether the critical date deadline has passed, the information further including an indication that the booking of the event will occur when the critical mass criteria is satisfied prior to the blinded version of the critical date criteria;

receive a request to pre-purchase a ticket of at least one of the one or more events from the user; and

trigger the booking of the at least one of the one or more events when the request causes the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria to be satisfied.

6. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

receive payment information to the used to purchase the ticket; and

store the payment information for later processing when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are satisfied.

7. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

create a competition for the booking of the one or more events among a plurality of constituencies.

8. The computerized system of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

determine a winner of the competition for the booking of the event based on a highest number of pre-sold tickets for the event among one of the plurality of constituencies.

9. The computerized system of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

determine multiple winners of the competition for the booking of the event among the plurality of constituencies.

10. The computerized system of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

determine no winner of the competition for the booking of the one or more events when none of the plurality of constituencies satisfy the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria.

11. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

charge the user a reduced ticket price to pre-purchase the ticket when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are not vet satisfied.

12. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

provide the user a discount to pre-purchase the ticket when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are not yet satisfied.

13. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

award the user with affinity program points to pre-purchase the ticket when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are not yet satisfied.

14. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the at least one processor to:

withhold a discount from the user to pre-purchase the ticket when the critical mass criteria is not yet satisfied but the critical date criteria is satisfied.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having collectively thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed on one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to collectively, at least:

receive a critical mass criteria and a critical date criteria for a booking of an event, the critical date criteria including a critical date deadline;

transmit information about the event to a user prior to the critical date deadline, the information including a blinded version of the critical date criteria that withholds the critical date deadline but enables the user to ascertain whether the critical date deadline has passed and an indication that the booking of the event will occur when the critical mass criteria satisfied prior to the blinded version of the critical date criteria;

receive a request to pre-purchase a ticket of the event from the user; and

trigger the booking of the event when the request causes the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria to be satisfied.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more computers to collectively, at least:

receive payment information to be used to purchase the ticket; and

store the payment information for later processing when the critical mass criteria and the critical date criteria are satisfied.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the critical date criteria are satisfied when the critical mass criteria are satisfied prior to the critical date deadline.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 17 wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more computers to collectively, at least:

provide a notification that the event has not yet been booked distinct from a notice of cancellation, the notification that the event has not yet been booked including the blinded version of the critical date criteria.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the information includes a blinded version of the critical mass criteria.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the critical mass criteria are satisfied when a threshold number of pre-sold tickets or a threshold total cash value of pre-sold tickets is exceeded.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the critical mass criteria specify a threshold number of pre-sold tickets, a threshold total cash value of pre-sold tickets, and a priority with respect to the threshold number of pre-sold tickets and the threshold total cash value of pre-sold tickets.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media according to claim 15, wherein the event comprises a ticket regulated activity.