Restroom queue management

• US 9,965,938 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Cronin, John E., Reasner, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US14/798,210
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391, 34053911, 34053913
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The present invention includes systems and methods for managing restroom traffic at an event venue. Sensors at restroom facilities receive line and occupancy data and transmit the data to a system for processing. The system generates information regarding a travel time, a wait time, line length, and occupancy for each facility at the event venue. The generated information is transmitted to an event app associated with a ticket and a seat for an event at the venue. The system can notify the user when the combined travel time and wait time for a facility falls below a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A method for managing facility traffic, the method comprising:

capturing image data of an entrance a facility via a camera, wherein each facility is associated with a label;

analyzing the captured image data to identify a number of persons in line for the facility;

receiving occupancy data for the facility from a door counter, wherein the occupancy data is based on one or more lasers and one or more detectors indicating a number of people entering the facility and a number of people leaving the facility;

calculating a wait time for the facility based on the number of people in line for the facility as indicated by the line data and the number of people entering the facility and the number of people leaving the facility as indicated by the occupancy data;

receiving, from a user device, an alarm threshold;

identifying a location assigned to the user device using ticket data associated with the user device and stored in a ticket database;

calculating a travel time between the identified location and the facility;

causing the user device to emit an alarm signal when a sum of the wait time and the travel time is less than the alarm threshold; and

providing a text notification to the user device regarding the alarm associated with the facility as identified by the label.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text notification further includes at least one of the occupancy data, the line data, or the wait time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing second line data that includes a second number of persons in line for a second facility;

receiving second occupancy data for the second facility;

calculating a second wait time for the second facility using the second line data and the second occupancy data; and

calculating a second travel time to the second facility using the location of the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one of facility type information or facility identification information associated with the facility to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a process for performing one or more of capturing the image data, analyzing the image data, receiving the occupancy data, determining the wait time, receiving the alarm threshold, determining the travel time, or causing the user device to emit the alarm signal for a first event associated with the facility; and

disabling the process for a second event associated with the facility.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the occupancy data is associated with a timestamp.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying that the occupancy data has met a predefined benchmark regarding a level of occupancy.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined benchmark is based on a predefined maximum occupancy of the facility.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying that the line data has met a predefined benchmark regarding a line length.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting the wait time to one or more user devices in a venue associated with the facility.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing occupancy data and line data for a plurality of different facilities within a venue.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising updating the stored occupancy data and line at a predefined time interval.

6. A system for managing facility traffic, the system comprising:

a camera that captures image data of an entrance of a facility, wherein each facility is associated with a label;

a processor that executes instructions that stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor;

analyzes the captured image data to identify line data that includes a number of persons in line for the facility;

retrieves occupancy data for the facility from a door counter, wherein the occupancy data is based on one or more lasers and one or more detectors indicating a number of people entering the facility and a number of people leaving the facility;

receives, from a user device, an alarm threshold;

calculates a wait time for the facility based on the number of people in line for the facility as indicated by the line data and the number of people entering the facility and the number of people leaving the facility as indicated by the occupancy data;

identifies a location assigned to the user device using ticket data associated with the user device and stored in a ticket database;

calculates a travel time between the identified location and the facility;

causes the user device to emit an alarm signal when a sum of the wait time and the travel time is less than the alarm threshold; and

provides a text notification to the user device regarding the alarm associated with the facility as identified by the label.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the notification includes at least one of the occupancy data, the line data, or the wait time.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to:

capture second line data that includes a second number of persons in line for a second facility;

retrieve second occupancy data for the second facility;

calculate a second wait time for the second facility using the second line data and the second occupancy data; and

calculate a second travel time to the second facility using the location of the user device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to transmit at least one of facility type information or facility identification information associated with the facility to the user device.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to:

enable a process for causing one or more of the system to capture the image data,

analyze the image data, receive the occupancy data, determine the wait time, receive the alarm threshold, determine the travel time, or cause the user device to emit the alarm signal for a first event associated with the facility; and

disable the process for a second event associated with the facility.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for managing facility traffic, the method comprising:

capturing image data of a facility, wherein each facility is associated with a label;

analyzing the captured image data to identify a number of persons in line for the facility;

receiving occupancy data for the facility from a door counter, wherein the occupancy data is based on one or more lasers and one or more detectors indicating a number of people entering the facility and a number of people leaving the facility;

calculating a wait time for the facility based on the number of people in line for the facility as indicated by the line data and the number of people entering the facility and the number of people leaving the facility as indicated by the occupancy data;

receiving, from a user device, an alarm threshold;

identifying a location assigned to the user device using ticket data associated with the user device and stored in a ticket database;

calculating a travel time between the identified location and the facility;

causing the user device to emit an alarm signal when a sum of the wait time and the travel time is less than the alarm threshold; and

providing a text notification to the user device regarding the alarm associated with the facility as identified by the label.