Apparatus and method for retrieving a boarding pass

• US 8,959,585 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CWT Digital Limited
• Original Assignee: Worldmate Incorporated
• Inventors: Gur, Nadav, Kirshenboim, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US14/047,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/3, 713/185
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A system for retrieving and presenting a boarding pass includes a mobile computer apparatus configured to monitor incoming messages for boarding pass information from an entity issuing a boarding pass and send a request for a boarding pass to a remote server in response to detecting boarding pass information. The request includes the detected boarding pass information and a display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus. The system further includes a remote server configured to use the boarding pass information to retrieve additional boarding pass information from the entity issuing the boarding pass, in response to receiving the request. The remote server is further configured to generate a new boarding pass formatted for presentation via the mobile computer apparatus based on the display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus and the boarding pass retrieved from the entity issuing the boarding pass.

Claims

1. A mobile computer comprising:

a data storage device;

a display; and

processing electronics comprising;

a message detecting module configured to monitor messages received by the mobile computer apparatus for boarding pass information from an entity issuing a boarding pass;

a transmitting module configured to send a request for a boarding pass to a remote server in response to detecting boarding pass information, wherein the request is detected boarding pass information and includes a display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus;

a downloading module configured to receive, from the remote server, a new boarding pass transformed according to the display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus;

a storing module configured to store the new boarding pass in the data storage device; and

an access module configured to retrieve the new boarding pass from the data storage device and present the new boarding pass via the display in response to an occurrence of an event, according to a predetermined rule, wherein the occurrence of the event is a change in boarding status for a transportation vehicle associated with the boarding pass and the predetermined rule comprises a rule which causes a graphical option for presenting the new boarding pass to be provided on the display in response to the boarding status changing to allow boarding of the transportation vehicle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing electronics further comprising:

a processing module configured to extract a link to the boarding pass from the detected boarding pass information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the boarding pass comprises a numeric code and wherein the mobile computer apparatus further comprises a transmitting device configured for transmitting the numeric code to a reader.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the boarding pass comprises a barcode.

5. The apparatus of according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting device is an NFC device and wherein the reader is an NFC reader.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the messages received by the mobile computing apparatus are selected from a group consisting of email messages, SMS messages, NFC messages, WAP push messages, and MMS messages.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the event is determined in response to a Wi-Fi communication received by the mobile computer apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the event is determined in response to a cellular communication received by the mobile computer apparatus.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the occurrence of the event is determined in response to a Near Field Communication received by the mobile computer apparatus.

10. A system for retrieving and presenting a boarding pass, the system comprising:

a mobile computer apparatus configured to monitor incoming messages for boarding pass information from an entity issuing a boarding pass and send a request for a boarding pass to a remote server in response to detecting boarding pass information, wherein the request includes the detected boarding pass information and a display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus; and

a remote server configured to use the boarding pass information to retrieve additional boarding pass information from the entity issuing the boarding pass, in response to receiving the request, wherein the remote server is further configured to generate a new boarding pass formatted for presentation via the mobile computer apparatus based on the display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus and the boarding pass retrieved from the entity issuing the boarding pass;

wherein the mobile computer apparatus is configured to store the new boarding pass in local non-volatile of the mobile computer apparatus and present the new boarding pass in response to an occurrence of an event, according to a predetermined rule, wherein the occurrence of the event is a change in boarding status for a transportation vehicle associated with the boarding pass and the predetermined rule comprises a rule which causes a graphical option for presenting the new boarding pass to be provided on a display of the mobile computer apparatus in response to the boarding status changing to allow boarding of the transportation vehicle.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the occurrence of the event is a change in location of the mobile computer apparatus and the predetermined rule comprises a rule which causes a graphical option for presenting the new boarding pass to be provided on a display of the mobile computer apparatus in response to the location of the mobile computer apparatus becoming within a threshold distance of a location associated with the boarding pass.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein presenting the new boarding includes retrieving the new boarding pass from the local non-volatile memory of the mobile computer apparatus and does not require an active communications link between the mobile computer apparatus and either of the remote server or the entity issuing the boarding pass.

13. A mobile computer comprising:

a data storage device;

a display; and

processing electronics comprising;

a message detecting module configured to monitor messages received by the mobile computer apparatus for boarding pass information from an entity issuing a boarding pass;

a transmitting module configured to send a request for a boarding pass to a remote server in response to detecting boarding pass information, wherein the request is detected boarding pass information and includes a display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus;

a downloading module configured to receive, from the remote server, a new boarding pass transformed according to the display characteristic of the mobile computer apparatus;

a storing module configured to store the new boarding pass in the data storage device; and

an access module configured to retrieve the new boarding pass from the data storage device and present the new boarding pass via the display in response to an occurrence of an event, according to a predetermined rule, wherein the occurrence of the event is a change in location of the mobile computer apparatus and the predetermined rule comprises a rule which causes a graphical option for presenting the new boarding pass to be provided on the display in response to the location of the mobile computer apparatus being within a threshold distance of a location associated with the boarding pass.