Scannerless venue entry and location techniques

• US 10,878,648 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2019
• Issued: 12/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flash Seats LLC (Anschutz Company)
• Original Assignee: Flash Seats LLC (Anschutz Company)
• Inventors: Gerace, Samuel, Rojas, Michael, Servant, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US16/661,813
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 11/00 Apparatus for validating or cancelling issued tickets
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

When attending an event at a venue, the attendee typically presents ticket information that is scanned by a venue scanner. The process associated with scanning can be dispensed with, which can improve attendee experiences, reduce costs associated with managing a venue, as well as other advantages. For example, instead of scanning a ticket at a point of ingress to the venue, a device of the user can self-scan the ticket, and then present indicia that indicates this process has occurred. The indicia can be presented to a guest services representative, who can verify that a valid ticket was redeemed by merely observing the indicia and without scanning.

Claims

1. An attendee device, comprising:

a processor-readable, non-transitory memory that stores computer executable components; and

a processor that executes the following computer executable components stored in the memory;

a communication component configured to receive ticket data indicative of a privilege to enter a venue for one or more people;

a first component configured to detect receipt of proximity data from a venue beacon;

a redemption component configured to, in response to detection of the proximity data from the venue beacon;

perform a self-validation procedure in which the attendee device validates the ticket data, and

in response to the ticket data being validated, generate at least a portion of verification data that is representative of an indication the ticket data was self-validated; and

a presentation component that instructs the attendee device to present the verification data, wherein the verification data comprises a code indicating a validity duration and indicates that one or more people are associated with a privilege to enter the venue.

2. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the verification data comprises an indication as to how many people are associated with the verification data.

3. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the attendee device is configured to manage entry privileges for multiple attendees.

4. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the attendee device is configured to enable a user to designate which or how may tickets of a set of tickets to redeem at the venue.

5. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the verification data comprises certification data that is designed to thwart forwarding or copying.

6. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the code indicating a validity duration comprises a code valid for a day.

7. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the proximity data indicates that the attendee device is near to a point of ingress to the venue.

8. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the privilege to enter the venue is in connection with a specific event being held at the venue and wherein the self-validation procedure further comprises:

comparing current time information with time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue; and

validating the ticket data partly in response to determining that the current time corresponds to the time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue.

9. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the privilege to enter the venue is in connection with a specific event being held at the venue and wherein the self-validation procedure further comprises:

comparing current time information with time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue; and

validating the ticket data partly in response to determining that the current time is within a defined temporal range with respect to the time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue.

10. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the verification data presented by the attendee device comprises an image.

11. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the verification data presented by the attendee device comprises acoustic indicia.

12. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the attendee device is configured to receive and render navigation-related alerts from a venue device.

13. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the verification data is configured to grant access to the venue without being scanned by a scanner.

14. The attendee device as defined in claim 1, wherein the ticket data comprises ticket data for a plurality of venue entry privileges and wherein the redemption component is configured to self-validate the ticket data for the plurality of venue entry privileges.

15. A computer implemented method, comprising:

employing an attendee device comprising a processor to execute instructions of an application to;

detect receipt of a signal from a venue device, wherein the signal from the venue device is not perceptible using human senses;

determine that ticket data is present on the attendee device, the ticket data indicative of a privilege to enter a venue;

at least partly in response to determining that the ticket data is present on the attendee device,

perform a self-validation procedure in which the attendee device validates the ticket data, and

in response to the ticket data being validated using the self-validation procedure, cause at least a portion of verification data, that is representative of an indication the ticket data was self-validated, to be presented by the attendee device, wherein the verification data comprises a code valid for a first period of time wherein the code indicates that one or more people are associated with a privilege to enter the venue.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data comprises an indication as to how many people are associated with the verification data.

17. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the attendee device is configured to manage entry privileges for multiple attendees.

18. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the attendee device is configured to enable a user to designate which or how may tickets of a set of tickets to redeem at the venue.

19. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data comprises certification data that is designed to thwart forwarding or copying.

20. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the signal from the venue device comprises an audio signal that has a frequency that is outside a human perceptible frequency range.

21. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data comprises a user identifier.

22. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the privilege to enter the venue is in connection with a specific event being held at the venue, the method further comprising employing the attendee device to:

compare current time information with time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue; and

self-validate the ticket data partly in response to determining that the current time corresponds to the time information associated with the specific event being held at the venue.

23. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data presented by the attendee device comprises an image.

24. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data presented by the attendee device comprises acoustic indicia.

25. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data comprises certification data valid for a specific period of time.

26. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data comprises certification data valid for a specific period of time, wherein the certification data comprises an image.

27. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the verification data is configured to grant access to the venue without being scanned by a scanner.

28. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the ticket data comprises ticket data for a plurality of venue entry privileges and wherein the attendee device is used to self-validate the ticket data for the plurality of venue entry privileges.

29. The method as defined in claim 15, the method further comprising employing the attendee device to receive and render navigation-related alerts from a venue device.

30. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause an attendee device including a processor to perform operations, comprising:

detect receipt of a data signal from a venue device, wherein the data signal from the venue device is not perceptible using human senses;

determine that ticket data is present on the attendee device, the ticket data indicative of a privilege to enter a venue;

at least partly in response to determining that the ticket data is present on the attendee device,

perform a self-validation procedure in which the attendee device validates the ticket data, and

in response to the ticket data being validated using the self-validation procedure, cause at least a portion of verification data, that is representative of an indication the ticket data was self-validated, to be presented by the attendee device, wherein the verification data comprises a code valid for a first period of time wherein the code indicates that one or more people are associated with a privilege to enter the venue.