Amusement park system

• US 20050045710A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nicholas Burke
• Original Assignee: Nicholas Burke
• Inventors: Burke, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/722,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20050045710A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/02 related to amusement parks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

An amusement park wireless transceiver associated with a guest account designator for a plurality of attraction facilities comprises a central computer, and a plurality of attraction facility computers. Each of the attraction facility computers is associated with one of the attraction facilities. A plurality of communication channels couple information in two directions between the central computer and the plurality of attraction facility computers, An input device is provided for receiving information indicating the number of persons in a group entering the amusement park and for assigning a guest account designator to each group, and for assigning an individual guest identification designator. A detectable marker unit is adapted to be physically associated with each guest and encoded with the guest'"'"'s account designator. A wireless transceiver associated with the guest account designator communicates with the central computer to send and receive information.

Claims

1. An amusement park, comprising:

(a)

(g) a wireless transceiver associated with said guest account designator for a plurality of attraction facilities;

(b) a central computer;

(c) a plurality of attraction facility computers, each of said attraction facility computers being associated with one of said attraction facilities;

(d) a plurality of communication channels coupling information in two directions between said central computer and said plurality of attraction facility computers;

(e) an input device for receiving information indicating the number of persons in a group entering the amusement park and for assigning a guest account designator to each said group, and for assigning an individual guest identification designator;

(f) a detectable marker unit adapted to be physically associated with each guest and encoded with said guest'"'"'s guest account designator; and

communicating with said central computer to send and receive information.

2. An amusement park as in claim 1, further comprising;

(h) a charge card terminal or other cash crediting device for crediting an amount of money to said guest account designator; and

(i) a cash debiting device responsive to said detectable marker unit associated with a particular attraction facility for debiting dollar amounts associated with a said particular attraction facility.

3. An amusement park as in claim 1, wherein said detectable marker is a wrist band.

4. An amusement park as in claim 1, wherein said information received by said wireless transceiver relates to facility operations, the facility operations information being coupled by said attraction facility computers to said central computer.

5. An amusement park as in claim 1, wherein said detectable marker unit is associated with the characteristics of a guest.

6. An amusement park as in claim 1, further comprising:

(h) a grid of location detectors responsive to the proximity of said detectable marker units to determine the location of the individual guest associated with each detectable marker unit; and

(i) a transmitter coupled to receive the output of said location detectors and transmit detection of guests to said central computer.

7. An amusement park as in claim 6, wherein said server is responsive to guest location information received from said transmitter to determine the likelihood of a dangerous condition, said server being responsive to the detection of and elevated likelihood of a dangerous condition to communicate an alarm to said transceiver, said transceiver including an indicator device to signal set alarm.

8. An amusement park as in claim 7, wherein said indicator device is an audible alarm.

9. An amusement park as in claim 6, wherein said transceiver includes a display for sending and receiving messages and for displaying a map of said amusement park indicating the locations of people in the group associated with said transceiver and/or facilities which may be visited by people in said group.

10. An amusement park as in claim 1, wherein said transceiver is program with interactive games.

11. An amusement park as in claim 10, wherein said interactive games are games between participants holding their own transceivers.

12. An amusement park as in claim 1, further comprising:

(h) a charge card terminal or other cash crediting device for crediting an amount of money to said guest account designator;

(i) a cash debiting device responsive to said detectable marker unit associated with a particular attraction facility for debiting dollar amounts associated with said particular attraction facility;

(j) a grid of location detectors responsive to the proximity of said detectable a marker units to determine the location for the individual guest associated with each detectable market unit; and

(k) a transmitter coupled to receive the output of said location detectors and transmit detection of guests to said central computer.

13. An amusement park as in claim 12, wherein said detectable marker is a wrist band, said information received by said wireless transceiver relates to facility operations, the facility operations information being coupled by said attraction facility computers to said central computer, said detectable marker unit is associated with the characteristics of a guest, said server is responsive to guest location information received from said transmitter to determine the likelihood of a dangerous condition, said server being responsive to the detection of an elevated likelihood of a dangerous condition to communicate and alarm to said transceiver, said transceiver including an indicator device to signal set alarm, said indicator device being and audible alarm, said transceiver includes a display for sending and receiving messages and for displaying a map of said amusement park indicating the location of people in the group associated with said transceiver and/or facilities which may be visited by people in said group, and said transceiver is programmed with interactive games.

14. An amusement park as in claim 1, wherein said central server is a virtual set of connections between computing devices located at said attraction facility computers.

15. A method of hosting a guest at an amusement park, comprising:

(a) receiving a group of guests;

(b) assigning a transceiver device to said group of guests;

(c) collecting funds from said group of guests;

(d) identifying individual guests;

(e) associated each individual guests with an individual transponder in accordance with guest characteristics;

(f) assigning said funds among the transponder is associated with said transceiver device;

(g) periodically checking location of individual guests by monitoring transponder detectors;

(h) determining the existence of an elevated likelihood of a dangerous condition;

(i) sending an alarm in response to the detection of an elevated likelihood of a dangerous condition to the associated transceiver; and

(j) charging funds against a particular transponder in response to the use of a facility associated with said amusement park.

16. A method hosting a guest in an amusement park as in claim 15, further comprising:

(k) collecting an essential server information respecting a plurality of facilities in said amusement park;

(l) transmitting said information to said transceiver; and

(m) sending reservation and for purchase information to said facilities to said transceivers.