Dynamic interactive seat map

• US 9,367,848 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SubHub, Inc. (ARC Document Solutions, Inc.), StubHub, Inc.
• Original Assignee: StubHub, Inc.
• Inventors: Salles, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUERTAS TORRES, AYESHA E
• Application Number:
  US12/979,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing an interactive seat map showing locations of available tickets in an event venue are described. A client computer receives, from a network-based system, a base map illustrating locations of sections within the event venue, a coded image map for building a map overlay having a polygon for each section depicted in the base map, and an inventory for an event at the event venue. The inventory provides, for each section, section data that includes available tickets for each section within the event venue. The client computer displays an interactive seat map by loading the base map and building the map overlay on top of the base map so that each polygon of the map overlay aligns with the respective section of the base map. The client computer determines one or more characteristics for each polygon of the map overlay based on the received section data corresponding to each polygon. The client computer applies the one or more characteristics to each polygon of the map overlay, and links each polygon of the map overlay that includes available tickets to the section in the inventory.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing an interactive seat map showing locations of available tickets in an event venue, the method comprising:

receiving, at a client computer device from a network-based computer system, a base map illustrating locations of sections within the event venue;

receiving, at the client computer device from the network-based computer system, a predefined coded image map for building a map overlay, the predefined coded image map comprising predetermined polygon coordinates for each section depicted in the base map;

receiving, at the client computer device from the network-based computer system, an inventory for an event at the event venue, the inventory providing, for each section, section data that includes available tickets for each section within the event venue;

displaying, at the client computer device, the interactive seat map by loading the base map and by building the map overlay on top of the base map at the client device using the predefined coded image map so that each polygon of the map overlay aligns with a respective section of the base map;

displaying, at the client computer device, blocks of ticket listings for a plurality of the sections next to the interactive seat map prior to receiving a selection via the map overlay, each block of ticket listings comprising available tickets for an associated section within the event venue from sellers associated with a plurality of online marketplace services;

determining, at the client computer device, a plurality of characteristics for each polygon of the map overlay based on matching a section identifier of each section in the event venue with the received section data corresponding to each polygon of the map overlay, the plurality of characteristics for each polygon comprising a fill color, a stroke color, and a transparency to apply to each polygon of the map overlay;

applying, at the client computer device, the plurality of characteristics determined for each polygon to each polygon of the map overlay;

linking, at the client computer device, each polygon of the map overlay having available tickets to a corresponding block of displayed ticket listings associated with a section of a respective polygon, the block of ticket listings for each section being displayed among the blocks of ticket listings for each of the other sections having available tickets next to the interactive seat map;

receiving, at the client computer device, a selection of a section from a user via the map overlay; and

redirecting, using an established link between a polygon and a block of ticket listings associated with the selected section, a display of the client computer device to present the block of ticket listings for the selected section, the block of ticket listings already being situated among the blocks of ticket listings next to the interactive seat map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a polygon of the map overlay.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the base map is a JPEG image file format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the base map is formed without the use of vector graphics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the base map is formed using raster graphics.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the received section data includes one or more of a section identification, a section title, and ticket information for tickets available for the section.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the linking of each polygon of the map overlay having available tickets further comprises displaying the block of ticket listings for the section corresponding to a polygon after receiving a selection of the polygon at the client computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each block of ticket listings for each section comprises a plurality of different ticket groups offered at different prices.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein ticket information includes one or more of a location of a ticket within the section, a price of a ticket within the section, and a quantity of a ticket available in the section.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the different ticket groups offered at different prices in the respective blocks of ticket listings is associated with a corresponding selectable link that allows the user to purchase the associated group of tickets.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable computer program instructions that, when executed by a client computer system, cause the client computer system to:

receive, from a network-based system, a base map illustrating locations of sections within the event venue;

receive, from the network-based system, a predefined coded image map for building a map overlay, the predefined coded image map comprising predetermined polygon coordinates for each section depicted in the base map;

receive, from the network-based system, an inventory for an event at the event venue, the inventory providing, for each section, section data that includes available tickets for each section within the event venue;

display an interactive seat map by loading the base map and by building the map overlay on top of the base map at the client device using the predefined coded image map so that each polygon of the map overlay aligns with the respective section of the base map;

display blocks of ticket listings for a plurality of the sections next to the interactive seat map prior to receiving a selection via the map overlay, each block of ticket listings comprising available tickets for an associated section within the event venue from sellers associated with a plurality of online marketplace services;

determine a plurality of characteristics for each polygon of the map overlay based on matching a section identifier of each section in the event venue with the received section data corresponding to each polygon of the map overlay, the plurality of characteristics for each polygon comprising a fill color, a stroke color, and a transparency to apply to each polygon of the map overlay;

apply the plurality of characteristics determined for each polygon to each polygon of the map overlay;

link each polygon of the map overlay having available tickets to a corresponding block of displayed ticket listings associated with a section of a respective polygon, the block of ticket listings for each section being displayed among the blocks of ticket listings for each of the other sections having available tickets next to the interactive seat map;

receive a selection of a section from a user via the map overlay; and

redirect, using an established link between a polygon and a block of ticket listings associated with the selected section, a user interface of the client computer system to present the block of ticket listings for the selected section, the block of ticket listings already being situated among the blocks of ticket listings next to the interactive seat map.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the client computer system further:

receives a selection of a polygon of the map overlay.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the base map is formed without the use of vector graphics.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the base map is formed using raster graphics.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the received section data includes one or more of a section identification, a section title, and ticket information for tickets available for the section.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the linking of each polygon of the map overlay having available tickets further comprises displaying the block of ticket listings for the section corresponding to a polygon after receiving a selection of the polygon at the client computer.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein ticket information includes one or more of a location of a ticket within the section, a price of a ticket within the section, and a quantity of a ticket available in the section.

17. A network-based system comprising:

one or more servers to;

transfer, to a client computer system, a base map illustrating locations of sections within an event venue;

transfer, to the client computer system, a predefined coded image map for building a map overlay, the predefined coded image map comprising predetermined polygon coordinates for each section depicted in the base map;

transfer, to the client computer system, an inventory for an event at the event venue, the inventory providing, for each section, section data comprising available tickets for each section within the event venue for the event and additional data to allow the client computer system to determine a plurality of characteristics for each polygon associated with a respective section by matching a section identifier of each section in the event venue with the section data received for each section in the base map, the plurality of characteristics for each polygon comprising a fill color, a stroke color, and a transparency to apply to each respective polygon in the base map;

receive, from the client computer system, a selection of one or more available tickets from a selection of a section of an interactive seat map built and displayed at the client computer system using the map overlay constructed from the predefined coded image map and the base map;

linking each polygon associated with a section having available tickets to a corresponding block of ticket listings associated with a section of a respective polygon, the block of ticket listings for each section to be displayed among blocks of ticket listings for other sections having available tickets next to the interactive seat map; and

providing, to the client computer system, two or more blocks of the ticket listings associated with respective polygons of the map overlay for display next to the interactive seat map at the client computer.