Paperless venue entry and location-based services

• US 10,891,562 B1
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2021
• 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): Harrington, Michael P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirk, Bryan J
• Application Number:
  US14/272,170
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 705 5
• 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. In conventional systems, once validated, the scanner prints a paper stub that typically includes seat location data. Production of this paper stub can be dispensed with, and the associated data conveyed by the paper stub as well as additional information not contemplated or possible with paper stubs can be conveyed by an electronic stub or e-stub that resides on a device of the attendee, generally the same device employed to present the ticket information.

Claims

1. A venue entry and location based services system, comprising:

a plurality of venue beacon devices configured to emit acoustic signals;

a computer system;

non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by the computer system, cause the venue entry and location based services system to perform operations, comprising;

transmitting a challenge communication to a phone of a user;

receiving a challenge response from the phone, the challenge response including a device identifier associated with the phone;

using the challenge response received from the phone, comprising the device identifier, to identify ticket information associated with an account to determine if the phone is associated with venue access privileges;

in response to the determining, using the challenge response, that the phone is associated with venue access privileges, transmitting locator data comprising redemption data, the locator data enabling the user to access the venue by causing a certification code to be displayed by the phone wherein other applications hosted on the phone are inhibited from gaining access to the displayed certification code, and wherein the locator data enables at least one item to be redeemed;

using at least one venue beacon device of the plurality of beacon devices to send, using a beacon device speaker, an acoustic signal beyond range of human hearing to the phone, or to receive an acoustic signal beyond the range of human hearing to enable a location of the phone to be determined,

enabling the determined location of the phone to be used to generate location data, wherein the location data is displayed by the phone;

using a second venue beacon device associated with a defined area within the venue of the plurality of beacon devices to send an acoustic signal beyond the range of human hearing to the phone or, to receive an acoustic signal beyond the range of human hearing to enable a location of the phone to be determined to thereby cause admission content to be displayed granting the user access to the defined area, the admission content different than the certification code;

enabling the phone to provide information relating to the redemption data, included in the locator data transmitted to the phone in response to determining, using the challenge response, that the phone is associated with venue access privileges, at least partly in response to the phone being in proximity to a location at which the redemption data can be used to redeem the at least one item.

2. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 1, the operations further comprising causing the phone to display venue location information associated with the ticket after determining that the phone is associated with venue access privileges, wherein the venue location information identifies a seat location within the venue.

3. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 1, the operations further comprising causing, using a third venue beacon, the phone to display a second certification code indicating that the user bearing the phone is permitted to access a defined area of the venue, wherein entry to the defined area is permitted in response to an additional privilege that is in addition to the privilege to enter the venue, and wherein entry to the defined area is denied without the additional privilege.

4. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 1, the operations further comprising causing the phone to display locator data associated with the ticket after determining that the phone is associated with venue access privileges, wherein the venue comprises interior checkpoints that verify the locator data and the certification code.

5. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 1, the operations further comprising causing the phone to display locator data associated with the ticket after determining that the phone is associated with venue access privileges, wherein the locator data further comprises redemption data representing a value redeemable for a good or service associated with the venue.

6. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise enabling target location data representing a target location, and map data representing a map of the venue to be displayed on the phone.

7. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 6, wherein enabling target location data representing a target location, and map data representing a map of the venue to be displayed on the phone comprises enabling a representation of the map data and visual indicia that accentuates the target location to be displayed on the phone.

8. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 6, wherein the map is an orthogonal representation.

9. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 6, wherein the map is heads-up display (HUD) representation.

10. The venue entry and location based services system of claim 9, wherein the HUD representation includes a presentation of video data received from a camera of the phone and wherein the operations further comprise presenting, on the HUD representation, user interface elements that indicate a path to the target location.

11. A system, comprising:

a plurality of venue beacon devices associated with a venue and configured to emit acoustic signals;

a device including a processor;

non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, by the device cause the system to perform operations, comprising;

transmitting a challenge communication to a user device of a user;

receiving a challenge response from the user device, the challenge response comprising data associated with a ticket;

using the received challenge response from the user device to identify ticket information associated with an account to determine if the user device is associated with venue access privileges for the venue;

in response to determining, using the received challenge response from the user device, that the user device is associated with venue access privileges, transmitting locator data comprising redemption data to the user device, the locator data enabling the user to access the venue by causing a certification code to be provided by the user device, wherein the locator data comprises redemption data that enables at least one item to be redeemed;

determining, using an acoustic signal communicated via at least a first venue beacon device to the user device or received from the user device, the acoustic signal beyond range of human hearing, a location of the user within the venue;

based at least in part on the determined location of the user, causing related information to be displayed by the user device; and

enabling the user device to provide information relating to the redemption data, included in the locator data transmitted to the user device in response to determining, using the challenge response, that the user device is associated with venue access privileges, at least partly in response to the user device being in proximity to a location at which the redemption data can be used to redeem the at least one item.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information related to the determined location of the user comprises guidance information.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein a certification is configured for presentation at the user device in connection with a presentation of locator data.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting map data representing a map of the venue to the user device, the map indicating the location of the user determined using the acoustic signal communicated via at least the first venue beacon device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise determining guidance data representing navigation from the location of the user determined using the acoustic signal communicated via at least the first venue beacon device to a target location and transmitting the guidance data to the user device.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

transmitting a challenge communication to a user device of a user;

receiving a challenge response from the user device, at a computer system comprising computing devices, the challenge response comprising data associated with a ticket;

using, by the computer system, the received challenge response from the user device to identify ticket information associated with an account to determine if the user device is associated with venue access privileges with respect to a venue;

in response to determining, using the data obtained via the audio-based acoustic signal from a speaker of user device, that the user device is associated with venue access privileges, transmitting locator data comprising redemption data to the user device, the locator data enabling the user to access the venue by causing a certification code to be provided by the user device, wherein the locator data comprises redemption data that enables at least one item to be redeemed;

determining, using an acoustic signal communicated via at least a first venue beacon device to the user device or received from the user device, the acoustic signal beyond range of human hearing, a location of the user within the venue;

based at least in part on the determined location of the user, causing related information to be displayed by the user device; and

enabling the user device to provide information relating to the redemption data, included in the locator data, at least partly in response to the user device being in proximity to a location at which the redemption data can be used to redeem the at least one item.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the venue comprises interior checkpoints that verify locator data representing a location associated with the venue access privilege.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating and providing to the user device target location data representing a target location, and map data representing a map of the venue.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising causing a representation of the map data and visual indicia that accentuates the target location to be displayed on the user device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining guidance data representing navigation from the location of the user within the venue, determined using the acoustic signal communicated via at least the first venue beacon device, of the user device to the target location.