Methods and systems for validating real time network communications

• US 8,775,519 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ticketmaster LLC (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Michael, Giannantonio, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US13/606,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20120330697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/217, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing network communications are described. An example resource management system includes a communications manager configured to access information regarding communication protocols used by corresponding broker systems and to provide message translations based on an origin and/or destination of the message to be transmitted. A message processor is coupled to the communications manager and is configured to serialize incoming and/or outgoing broker messages and to facilitate queuing of incoming and outgoing message traffic with broker systems. A communications configurer is configured to track one or more communication attributes of broker systems and changes thereto to ensure communications between the resource management systems are broker systems are conducted in accordance with the communication attributes of the broker systems. A communications rules provider is configured to determine which broker system is to be communicated with in order to fulfill a resource request.

Claims

1. A method for managing network communications, comprising:

receiving at a ticket management system over a network from a plurality of broker systems substantially real-time status information regarding tickets managed by the broker systems;

maintaining a ticket data store storing ticket identifiers and associated real-time status information;

monitoring the communication status with the plurality of broker systems;

if the communication status of a given broker system is determined to be unsatisfactory, storing an indication that the status of tickets managed by the given broker system is not reliable and inhibiting the offering of tickets from the given broker;

receiving a request for a first ticket from a first requester at the ticket management system;

identifying a first broker system controlling the first ticket using the ticket data store;

formatting a message including an identifier associated with the first ticket and an identifier associated with the first requester;

transmitting the message over the network to the first broker system;

receiving an indication from the first broker system as to whether a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester; and

if an indication is received from the broker system that a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester, facilitating the transfer of the first ticket to the first requester.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving communication protocol information from a plurality of broker systems, wherein at least one broker system uses a different communication protocol than at least one other broker system;

at least partly based on the received protocol information, identifying a communication protocol associated with the first broker; and

formatting the message in accordance with the identified protocol.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first request specifies a quantity of tickets greater than one.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the message is a serialized XML message.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising assigning unique ticket identifiers to corresponding tickets from the plurality of broker systems.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first ticket is an event admission voucher.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first ticket is a ticket.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first ticket includes an association between a user identification device and a right to access an event stored in a data store.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising at least partly causing at least one software application on the first broker system to be updated.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising receiving an indication that a software configuration of the first broker system has changed.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a first request for a ticket includes:

a ticket quantity; and

a ticket identifier.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a first request for a ticket includes:

a seat section;

a starting seat; and

an ending seat.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising processing ticket request responses from a plurality of broker systems, wherein a first plurality of ticket responses include the following status:

success;

insufficient quantity;

requested tickets do not exist;

requested tickets already on hold.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating that seats corresponding to the at least one request are contiguous.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating a ticket ship date.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating an order cross reference identifier.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising automatically tracking the configuration or a plurality of broker systems and facilitating the provision of software updates to the broker systems at least partly based on configuration changes.

18. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the management system initiates communication with the first broker system.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing broker defined rules for a plurality of rules;

receiving a second request from a second requester for a second ticket, wherein the second requester is a broker;

identifying a second ticket broker that controls the second ticket;

accessing a rule defined by the second broker, wherein the second broker defined rule indicates whether the second broker will approve an order from another broker; and

applying the second broker rule to the second request.

20. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing information regarding:

the percentage and/or number of brokers available to accept ticket orders;

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not reported information regarding their ticket inventory for one or more specified periods of time;

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not upgraded a first software to a first software version;

the number of brokers utilizing a first version of the first software;

a unique identifier associated with a first broker associated with the first broker system;

a time the first broker system last connected to and/or provided an inventory updates to the ticket management system.

21. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a report indicating the percent of tickets sold in a specified time period using a specified process.

22. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a report indicating the percent of an inventory of tickets that is eligible to be sold using a specified process.

23. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a report indicating the success rate for a plurality of brokers relating to completion of ticket transactions.

24. The method as defined in claim 1 the method further comprising providing a report indicating an amount of time that a given broker is connected to the management system.

25. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising transmitting code configured to execute on the broker system, wherein the code marks a specified ticket as sold in response to a communication from the ticket management system.

26. A ticket management system configured to manage network communications, comprising:

a computing system;

non-transitory computer readable memory storing instructions that when executed by the computing system are configured to causing the computing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving over a network from a plurality of broker systems substantially real-time status information regarding tickets managed by the broker systems;

maintaining a ticket data store storing ticket identifiers and associated real-time status information;

monitoring the communication status with the plurality of broker systems;

if the communication status of a given broker system is determined to be unsatisfactory, storing an indication that the status of tickets managed by the given broker system is not reliable and inhibiting the offering of tickets from the given broker;

receiving a request for a first ticket from a first requester;

identifying a first broker system controlling the first ticket using the ticket data store;

formatting a message including an identifier associated with the first ticket and an identifier associated with the first requester;

transmitting the message over the network to the first broker system;

receiving an indication from the first broker system as to whether a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester; and

if an indication is received from the broker system that a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester, facilitating the transfer of the first ticket to the first requester.

27. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising:

receiving communication protocol information from a plurality of broker systems, wherein at least one broker system uses a different communication protocol than at least one other broker system;

at least partly based on the received protocol information, identifying a communication protocol associated with the first broker; and

formatting the message in accordance with the identified protocol.

28. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein the first request specifies a quantity of tickets greater than one.

29. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein the message is a serialized XML message.

30. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising assigning unique ticket identifiers to corresponding tickets from the plurality of broker systems.

31. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein the first ticket is an event admission voucher.

32. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein the first ticket includes an association between a user identification device and a right to access an event stored in a data store.

33. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising at least partly causing at least one software application on the first broker system to be updated.

34. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising receiving an indication that a software configuration of the first broker system has changed.

35. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein a first request for a ticket includes:

a ticket quantity; and

a ticket identifier.

36. The system as defined in claim 26, wherein a first request for a ticket includes:

a seat section;

a starting seat; and

an ending seat.

37. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising processing ticket request responses from a plurality of broker systems, wherein a first plurality of ticket responses include the following status:

success;

insufficient quantity;

requested tickets do not exist;

requested tickets already on hold.

38. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating that seats corresponding to the at least one request are contiguous.

39. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating a ticket ship date.

40. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising processing at least one response to a ticket request for a ticket from at least one broker system indicating an order cross reference identifier.

41. The system as defined m claim 26, the operations further comprising automatically tracking the configuration or a plurality of broker systems and facilitating the provision of software updates to the broker systems at least partly based on configuration changes.

42. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising initiating a communication with the first broker system.

43. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising:

storing broker defined rules for a plurality of rules;

receiving a second request from a second requester for a second ticket, wherein the second requester is a broker;

identifying a second ticket broker that controls the second ticket;

accessing a rule defined by the second broker, wherein the second broker defined rule indicates whether the second broker will approve an order from another broker; and

applying the second broker rule to the second request.

44. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising determining:

the percentage and/or number of brokers available to accept ticket orders;

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not reported information regarding their ticket inventory for one or more specified periods of time;

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not upgraded a first software to a first software version;

the number of brokers utilizing a first version of the first software;

a unique identifier associated with a first broker associated with the first broker system;

a time the first broker system last connected to and/or provided an inventory updates to the ticket management system.

45. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising providing a report indicating the percent of tickets sold in a specified time period using a specified process.

46. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising providing a report indicating the percent of an inventory of tickets that is eligible to be sold using a specified process.

47. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising providing a report indicating the success rate for a plurality of brokers relating to completion of ticket transactions.

48. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising providing a report indicating an amount of time that a given broker is connected to the management system.

49. The system as defined in claim 26, the operations further comprising transmitting code configured to execute on the broker system, wherein the code marks a specified ticket as sold in response to a communication from the ticket management system.

50. The system as defined in claim 26, further comprising a communications manager configured to access information regarding communication protocols used by corresponding broker system and to provide message translations based on an origin and/or a destination of the message to be transmitted.

51. The system as defined in claim 26, further comprising a message processor system configured to serialize incoming and/or outgoing broker messages.

52. The system as defined in claim 26, further comprising a communications rules system configured to determine which broker system is to be communicated with in order to fulfill at least one ticket request.

53. Non-transitory computer readable memory storing instructions that when executed by a computing system are configured to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving over a network from a plurality of broker systems substantially real-time status information regarding tickets managed by the broker systems;

maintaining a ticket data store storing ticket identifiers and associated real-time status information;

monitoring the communication status with the plurality of broker systems;

if the communication status of a given broker system is determined to be unsatisfactory, storing an indication that the status of tickets managed by the given broker system is not reliable and inhibiting the offering of tickets from the given broker;

receiving a request for a first ticket from a first requester;

identifying a first broker system controlling the first ticket using the ticket data store;

formatting a message including an identifier associated with the first ticket and an identifier associated with the first requester;

transmitting the message over the network to the first broker system;

receiving an indication from the first broker system as to whether a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester; and

if an indication is received from the broker system that a hold has been placed on the first ticket for the first requester and/or the first ticket has been identified as sold for the first requester, facilitating the transfer of the first ticket to the first requester.

54. The non-transitory computer readable memory as defined m claim 53, the operations further comprising:

receiving communication protocol information from a plurality of broker systems, wherein at least one broker system uses a different communication protocol than at least one other broker system;

at least partly based on the received protocol information, identifying a communication protocol associated with the first broker; and

formatting the message in accordance with the identified protocol.

55. The non-transitory computer readable memory as defined in claim 53, the operations further comprising at least partly causing at least one software application on the first broker system to be updated.

56. The non-transitory computer readable memory as defined in claim 53, the operations further comprising receiving an indication that a software configuration of the first broker system has changed.

57. The non-transitory computer readable memory as defined m claim 53, the operations further comprising determining:

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not reported information regarding their ticket inventory for one or more specified periods of time;

the percentage and/or number of brokers that have not upgraded a first software to a first software version;

a unique identifier associated with a first broker associated with the first broker system;

a time the first broker system last connected to and/or provided an inventory updates to the ticket management system.