Dynamic group purchases using barcodes

• US 8,655,694 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wesley Boudville
• Original Assignee: Wesley Boudville
• Inventors: Boudville, Wesley John
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US13/506,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/1.1
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A movie theatre shows a barcode on an electronic screen separate from the projection screen, on a side wall of the movie room. The barcode lets a patron buy tickets to movies shown in trailers on the projection screen. The patron uses a mobile device, like a cellphone, to image the barcode and decode an URL to a web page. The electronic screen also shows a table of ticket purchases, with thresholds allowing for discounted prices. The purchases are mostly from patrons in the theatre, but could also include from patrons at other theatres seeing the same trailers. This allows dynamic group purchasing of tickets in an interactive feedback loop.

Claims

1. A method of selling movie tickets, comprising:

displaying a barcode in a theatre, visible by patrons, the barcode comprising an encoded uniform resource locator (URL) of a webpage, wherein the displaying the barcode is displayed on an electronic screen;

imaging and decoding the barcode with a mobile device connectable with the Internet;

opening a browser with the mobile device, wherein the browser displays the webpage according to the URL;

via the webpage, selling tickets to movies depicted in movie trailers shown on the electronic screen in the theatre,

displaying results of tickets sold to the movies depicted in the movie trailers as a consequence of the movie trailers shown in the theatre;

lowering ticket prices if the number of tickets sold as a consequence of the movie trailers shown in the theatre is greater than a threshold number; and

displaying the threshold number and current number of tickets sold as a consequence of the movie trailers shown in the theatre on the electronic screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the barcode in one or more theatres, wherein each of the one or more theatres shows a same movie trailer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

varying a plurality of movie trailers across the one or more theatres and/or across different movie sessions, thus maximizing revenue from ticket sales.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

playing a plurality of non-movie trailers in addition to the plurality of movie trailers, the one or more theatres varying an order of the plurality of non-movie trailers with the plurality of movie trailers, thus maximizing revenue from ticket sales.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold number varies as a function of an estimated number of patrons currently in attendance in the theatre, and/or a function of an estimated number of patrons previously attended in the theatre.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the barcode is displayed either before a movie is shown in the theatre or after the movie is shown in the theatre, wherein the ticket prices after the movie is shown are different from the ticket prices before the movie is shown.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a most revenue generating movie trailer by showing a plurality of different movie trailers in a plurality of theatres across a plurality of screenings; and

showing the most revenue generating movie trailer in future screenings.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing results pertaining to the most revenue generating movie trailer to movie studios; and

finalizing, by the movie studios, movies according to the results provided.

9. A method comprising:

displaying a barcode encoded with a uniform resource locator (URL) on an electronic display, the electronic display being connectable with the Internet;

imaging and decoding the barcode with the mobile device connectable with the Internet;

retrieving a webpage associated with the URL from a web server and displaying the webpage on the mobile device;

sending, by the web server, a signal to the electronic display, wherein the signal is adapted to alter an image displayed on the electronic display;

selling one or more movie tickets, via the webpage, to movies depicted in a movie trailer shown on the electronic display;

displaying results of the one or more movie tickets sold as a consequence of the movie trailers shown in the theatre to a plurality of users on the electronic display;

adjusting prices of the one or more movie tickets as a function of a number of movie tickets sold as a consequence of the movie trailers shown in the theatre, wherein if the number is greater than a threshold, a price of the one or more movie tickets are lowered; and

displaying the threshold and current number of the one or more movie tickets sold on the electronic display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic display is part of a billboard.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the billboard is a mobile billboard.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the billboard is at or near a location selected from the group consisting of:

a bus station, a train station, a stadium, a sporting event and a night club.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the web server comprises a blacklist of prohibited movie tickets from being displayed on the electronic display, wherein the blacklist of prohibited movie tickets is a function of a location of the electronic display.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the web server comprises a blacklist of prohibited retailers from displaying products on the electronic display, wherein the blacklist of prohibited retailers is a function of a location of the electronic display.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic display is a plurality of electronic displays, wherein the results of purchases is an aggregate of the purchases across the plurality of electronic displays.