System and method for reallocating and/or upgrading and/or selling tickets, other event admittance means, goods and/or services

• US 7,216,109 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fintegraph, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Irah H. Donner
• Inventors: Donner, Irah H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Application Number:
  US10/697,089
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/64, 705/5, 340/825
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• 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: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A method, system, server architecture and/or tangible medium upgrade and award admittance of events to an event customer, preferably via a data communication network. The method includes, for example, receiving a communication from the event customer, the communication including a request to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication also including an identifier associated with the event customer, admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request, and updating a database indicating that the request was processed. The method also includes determining first predetermined criteria associated with the event indicative of at least one other event customer not attending the event, releasing an allocation associated with the at least one other event customer, and notifying at least another of the event customers to perform the upgrade and/or reallocation. Various optional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically at least one of allocating, upgrading and awarding admittance to events to an event customer via a data communication network, said data communication network optionally comprising a server, workstations operably connectable to said server, one or more databases operably connectable to said server and said workstations, said workstations optionally including a web browser interface facilitating communication with said server, a point of sale server operably connectable to the server, a point of sale system operably connectable to the point of sale server, and wireless devices operably connectable to said server, said wireless devices including at least one of a smart card, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephones, and a mobile data device, said wireless device comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving means and transceiver means for receiving and transmitting signals, said method comprising the at least one of the sequential, non-sequential and sequence independent steps of:

(a) at least one of receiving a communication from and transmitting the communication to the event customer, the communication including a request to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication optionally including an identifier associated with with the communication;

(b) at least one of updating and creating an account associated with the request;

(c) at least one of accessing and verifying the account optionally by utilizing the identifier stored on the identification device at the point of sale system upon presentation of the identification device to verify the request;

(d) admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request;

(e) determining an available allocation associated with the event and notifying at least one of the event customers that are at least one of currently attending the event, and registered for at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding responsive to said determining the available allocation;

(f) accepting by at least one of the event customers said at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding in accordance with predetermined criteria;

(g) transmitting a confirmation to the at least one wireless device confirming to the at least one event customer the at least one of said at least one of;

allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding;

(h) determining event customers to be notified via the at least one wireless device, and notifying the event customers responsive to customer profiles comprising at least one of communication, patron satisfaction communication, additional revenue, additional advertising, and advertising sponsorship for advertising on the wireless device;

(i) polling the wireless devices of a plurality of users for additional communications including additional requests for at least one of additional movie tickets, additional sporting event tickets, additional concessions, additional services, additional offers, additional entertainment services and additional merchandise;

(j) billing the at least one of the event customers in at least one of real-time or at a later time for said at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding in accordance with the second predetermined criteria; and

(k) paying by the at least one of the event customers responsive to said billing step (g).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication includes at least one of payment information, an event selection, a venue selection, a concession selection, and a merchandise selection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification device comprises a memory medium for storing the identifier, and wherein said accessing step further comprises reading said identifier from said identification device with a reading device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the account is stored in at least one of the server, the identification device, and the point of sale server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the account includes a list of purchased items.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comprises at least one of a movie ticket, a sporting event ticket, a concession, or merchandise.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving demographic information from the event customer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one of a physical receipt, a confirmation, and an electronic confirmation with at least one of the identification device and the point of sale server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating at least one of a physical receipt, a confirmation, and an electronic confirmation with at least one of the identification device and the point of sale server, and the at least one of the physical receipt, the confirmation, and the electronic confirmation comprises at least one of reserved seating and purchase information.

10. A method of dynamically at least one of allocating, upgrading and awarding admittance to events to an event customer via a data communication network, said data communication network optionally comprising a server, workstations operably connectable to said server, one or more databases operably connectable to said server and said workstations, said workstations optionally including a web browser interface facilitating communication with said server, a point of sale server operably connectable to the server, a point of sale system operably connectable to the point of sale server, and wireless devices operably connectable to said server, said wireless devices including at least one of a smart card, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephones, and a mobile data device, said wireless device comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving means and transceiver means for receiving and transmitting signals, said method comprising the at least one of the sequential, non-sequential and sequence independent steps of:

(a) at least one of receiving a communication from and transmitting the communication to the event customer, the communication including a request for at least one of a movie ticket, a sporting event ticket, a concession, or merchandise to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication also including an identifier associated with an identification device;

(b) updating an account associated with said identifier to reflect the request;

(c) at least one of accessing and verifying the account, optionally by utilizing the identifier stored on the identification device at the point of sale system upon presentation of the identification device to verify the request;

(d) admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request;

(e) determining an available allocation associated with the event and notifying at least one of the event customers that are at least one of currently attending the event, and registered for at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding responsive to said determining the available allocation;

(f) accepting by at least one of the event customers said at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding in accordance with predetermined criteria;

(g) transmitting a confirmation to the at least one wireless device conforming to the at least one event customer the at least one of said at least one of;

allocating, provision, upgrading and awarding;

(h) determining event customers to be notified, and notifying the event customers responsive to customer profiles comprising at least one of communication, patron satisfaction communication, additional revenue, additional advertising, and advertising sponsorship for advertising on the wireless device; and

(i) polling a plurality of users for additional communications including additional requests for at least one of additional movie tickets, additional sporting event tickets, additional concessions, additional services, additional offers, additional entertainment services and additional merchandise.

11. A system of dynamically at least one of allocating, upgrading and awarding admittance to events to an event customer via a data communication network, said data communication network optionally comprising a server, workstations operably connectable to said server, one or more databases operably connectable to said server and said workstations, said workstations optionally including a web browser interface facilitating communication with said server, a point of sale server operably connectable to the server, a point of sale system operably connectable to the point of sale server, and wireless devices operably connectable to said server, said wireless devices including at least one of a smart card, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephones, and a mobile data device, said wireless device comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving means and transceiver means for receiving and transmitting signals, said system comprising:

(a) means for at least one of receiving a communication from and transmitting the communication to the event customer, the communication including a request for at least one of a movie ticket, a sporting event ticket, a concession, or merchandise to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication also including an identifier associated with an identification device, and said means for receiving step further including equivalents thereof;

(b) means for at least one of updating and creating an account associated with the request;

(c) means for at least one of accessing and verifying the account, optionally by utilizing the identifier stored on the identification device at the point of sale system upon presentation of the identification device to verify the request;

(d) means for admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request;

(e) means for determining an available allocation associated with the event and notifying at least one of the event customers that are at least one of currently attending the event, and registered for at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding responsive to said determining the available allocation;

(f) means for accepting by at least one of the event customers said at least one of allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding in accordance with predetermined criteria;

(g) means for transmitting a confirmation to the at least one wireless device confirming to the at least one event customer the at least one of said at least one of;

allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding;

(h) means for determining event customers to be notified, and notifying the event customers responsive to customer profiles comprising at least one of communication, patron satisfaction communication, additional revenue, additional advertising, and advertising sponsorship for advertising on the wireless device; and

(i) means for polling a plurality of users for additional communications including additional requests for at least one of additional movie tickets, additional sporting event tickets, additional concessions, additional services, additional offers, additional entertainment services and additional merchandise.

12. A system to upgrade and award admittance to events to an event customer, said system comprising:

a server comprising a processor and a memory medium, said server connected to a data communication network, said memory medium containing instructions for controlling said processor, wherein said processor receives a communication from the event customer, the communication including a request to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication optionally including an identifier associated with the event customer, updates a database indicating that the request was processed, determines first predetermined criteria associated with the event indicative of at least one other event customer not attending the event, releases an allocation associated with the at least one other event customer responsive to said determining step, notifies at least another of the event customers to at least one of upgrade and award the at least another of the event customers with the allocation, transmits a confirmation to the at least one wireless device confirming to the at least one event customer the at least one of said at least one of;

allocating, provisioning, upgrading and awarding, determines event customers to be notified via the at least one wireless device, notifies the event customers responsive to customer profiles comprising least one of communication, patron satisfaction communication, additional revenue, additional advertising, and advertising sponsorship for advertising on the wireless device, and polls the wireless devices of a plurality of users for additional communications including additional requests for at least one of additional movie tickets, additional sporting event tickets, additional concessions, additional services, additional offers, additional entertainment services and additional merchandise; and

a plurality of wireless devices operably connectable to said server, said wireless devices including at least one of a smart card, a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephone, and a mobile data device, said wireless device comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving means and transceiver means for receiving and transmitting signals to and from said server, including accepting by the at least another of the event customers said at least one of the upgrade and award for the reallocation via at least one of said wireless devices.