Methods and systems for access control using a networked turnstile

• US 9,286,592 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirose, Shigeki, Wall, Jonathan Scott, Denker, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleischer, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/951,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,022 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/26, 705/14.51, 705/6, 705/7.11, 709/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00

Abstract

The present invention is related to systems and methods for providing access control to a venue or other location using a networked system. Described is a computer controlled turnstile system, comprising a turnstile, including a computer interface, and a computer system coupled to the turnstile and to user terminals. Program code is configured to receive a query from a user for a plurality of admissions to an event, wherein the query is received from a user terminal, associate the plurality of admissions with a single first token, provide a user interface via which the user can re-associate a first quantity of the plurality of admissions with a second token, store in memory information related to the re-association, at least partly in response to information obtained from the second token at a venue associated with the event, access the information and enable the turnstile to admit a number of persons that corresponds to the first quantity.

Claims

1. A computer controlled turnstile system, comprising:

a turnstile; and

a computer system coupled to the turnstile and to user terminals, wherein the computer system includes program code configured to cause the computer system to perform operations, comprising;

receive an order from a user for a first plurality of admissions each of first plurality of admissions granting access to at least one seat to a first event, wherein the order is received from a user terminal;

associate the first plurality of admissions to the first event with a first ticket;

provide a user interface configured to enable a user to instruct the computer controlled turnstile system to;

associate a second plurality of admissions to the first event with the first ticket, the second plurality of admissions being a first subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event, and

associate a second subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event with a second ticket;

receive information read from the second ticket at a venue associated with the first event; and

determine using the information read from the second ticket, that the second ticket entitles a number of people corresponding to the second subset of the first plurality of admissions access to the first event; and

a turnstile interface configured to, in response to the determination, enable the system to enable the turnstile to admit a number of people to the first event corresponding to the determination as to how many admissions to the first event are associated with the second ticket.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a reading device including a display, wherein the reading device is configured to display how many admissions are associated with a ticket read by the reading device.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the system is configured to provide a recipient with a barcode in association with the second ticket and to store an association between the barcode and the first quantity.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the system is configured to provide the barcode to a mobile phone associated with the recipient.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the system is configured to associate the second ticket with a preexisting physical device associated with a designated recipient of the second ticket, so that the preexisting physical device is configured to provide admission to the first event.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the preexisting physical device is a driver license, a credit card, a loyalty card, or a membership card.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to enable an operator to instruct the system to specify restrictions related to a limit on a quantity of admissions permitted to be associated with a single ticket for a given event.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first ticket is associated with multiple admissions to each of a first plurality of events.

9. A networked access control system comprising:

an entry control device;

a network interface configured to receive user communications over a network and to receive ticket data read from tickets via a ticket reader located at an event venue;

instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, configured to cause a computing system including one or more computing devices to perform operations, comprising;

receive a request for a first plurality of admissions, each of which grants access to at least one seat to a first event, from a user;

cause, a user interface to be presented configured to enable a user to instruct the networked access control system to associate a second plurality of admissions to the first event, wherein the second plurality of admissions is a first subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event, with a first ticket, and associate a second subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event with a second ticket, wherein each admission associated with the first subset and the second subset grants access to at least one seat to the first event;

in response to receiving a user instruction provided via the user interface, associate a first number of admissions with the first ticket and store the association of the first number of admissions with the first ticket in memory, wherein the first number of admissions corresponds to the first subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event, and associate a second number of admissions with the second ticket and store the association of the second number of admissions with the second ticket in memory,

wherein the second number of admissions corresponds to the second subset of the first plurality of admissions to the first event;

receive data from the ticket reader corresponding to the first ticket; and

use the first ticket data read from the first ticket and the stored association of the first number of admissions with the first ticket to determine how many admissions to the first event are associated with the first ticket; and

an entry control device interface configured to, in response to the determination, enable the system to enable the entry control device to admit a number of people to the first event corresponding to the determination as to how many admissions to the first event are associated with the first ticket.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the entry control device includes a turnstile.

11. The system as defined in claim 10, wherein the entry control device interface enabling the entry control device to admit the number of people to the first event comprises, enabling the turnstile to turn for a number of times corresponding to the number of people.

12. The system as defined in claim 9, the system further comprising a display configured to display to a gate keeper the number of admissions to the first event associated with at least one ticket read by the ticket reader.

13. The system as defined in claim 9, the system further comprising a display located at the venue configured to display which events are associated with at least one ticket read by the ticket reader.

14. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the program code is further configured to reduce the number of admissions associated with the first ticket when a person associated with the first ticket is being admitted to the first event.

15. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the program code is further configured to cause the number of admissions associated with the first ticket to be displayed on a terminal located at the first event venue.

16. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the program code is further configured to determine whether a second user is authorized to re-associate admissions from the first ticket and/or second ticket to another ticket.

17. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the program code is further configured to provide the first ticket to the user via a mobile device.

18. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the first ticket comprises an identifier associated with a preexisting card.

19. The system as defined in claim 9, the system further comprising a user interface configured to enable the user to instruct the networked access control system to enter an electronic address associated with a recipient of the second ticket.

20. The system as defined in claim 9, the program code further configured to associate admissions to a plurality of events with the first ticket in response to a user action.

21. The system as defined in claim 9, the program code further configured to:

cause the user to be presented with information regarding seats associated with the first ticket in response to the first ticket being read at the first event venue; and

cause a user interface to be presented to the user configured to enable the user to instruct the networked access control system to select which event venue seat is to be utilized by the user from the seats associated with the first ticket.