Individual location selection and reservation system

• US 7,685,009 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2008
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CEATS Incorporated
• Inventors: Halavais, Richard Arthur, Chung, Tony Cheng-Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saliard; Shannon S
• Application Number:
  US12/244,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for interactively selecting one or more physical locations at a venue by an end user over a wide area network. The system or method transmits information relating to a set of available individual physical locations at a venue to an application running on a general purpose computer on the wide area network for display to the end user. The system or method also provides a graphical user interface on the computer that comprises an interactive map representing information relating to the set of available individual physical locations from which the end user can select one or more available individual physical locations, the graphical user interface providing additional current available physical location information on the set of available individual physical locations in response to a user interaction with the graphical user interface, the interaction being triggered when placing a mouse over the graphical user interface, wherein the mouse over causes the computer to display the additional current available physical location information indicating physical locations that have not been previously taken. In addition, the system or method receives from the end user a selection of one or more available individual physical locations, wherein the selection is based on a mouse click and accepts over the wide area network from the end user payment information for the one or more available individual physical locations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interactively selecting one or more physical locations at a venue by an end user over a wide area network, comprising:

transmitting information relating to a set of available individual physical locations at a venue to an application running on a general purpose computer on the wide area network for display to the end user;

providing web data to the computer, the web data comprising a graphical user interface that comprises an interactive map representing information relating to the set of available individual physical locations, the web data adapted to provide additional current available physical location information on the set of available individual physical locations in response to the end user placing a mouse indicator over the graphical user interface, wherein the mouse over causes the computer to display the additional current available physical location information indicating physical locations that have not been previously taken;

receiving from the end user a selection of one or more available individual physical locations, wherein the selection is based on a mouse click; and

accepting over the wide area network from the end user payment information for the one or more available individual physical locations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of available individual physical locations at a venue comprises one or more staterooms on a ship.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding the one or more-available individual physical locations to a list of selected seats.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending confirmation web data to the computer, the confirmation web data comprising to the end user a confirmation page that can be printed as a ticket voucher.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the web data comprises HTML code.

5. A system for interactively selecting one or more physical locations at a venue by a plurality of end users over a wide area network, comprising:

a database storing a plurality of entries denoting a plurality of available individual physical locations at the venue; and

a server programmed via executable instructions to;

query the database for information relating to the plurality of available individual physical locations at the venue;

transmit information relating to a plurality of available individual physical locations at the venue to an application running on a general purpose computer on the wide area network for display to the end user;

provide web data to the computer, the web data comprising a graphical user interface on the computer that comprises an interactive map representing information relating to available individual physical locations at the venue, the web data encoded to provide additional current available physical location information on the one or more available individual physical locations in response to a user interaction with the graphical user interface, the interaction comprising placing a mouse indicator over a portion of the graphical user interface, wherein the placement of the mouse indicator causes the computer to display the additional current available physical location information indicating physical locations that have not been previously taken;

receive from the end user a selection of one or more selected physical locations, wherein the selection is based on a mouse click; and

accept over the wide area network from the end user payment information for the one or more selected physical locations.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the plurality of available individual physical locations at a venue comprises one or more staterooms on a ship.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the server is further configured to add the one or more selected physical locations to a list of selected physical locations.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the server is further configured to send confirmation web data to the computer, the confirmation web data comprising to the general purpose computer a confirmation page that can be printed as a ticket voucher.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the web data comprises HTML code.

11. A computer-implemented method for interactively selecting one or more physical locations at a venue by an end user over a wide area network, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to a plurality of available individual physical locations at the venue on an application running on a general purpose computer on the wide area network for display to the end user;

providing a graphical user interface that comprises an interactive map representing information relating to available individual physical locations at the venue, the graphical user interface adapted to provide additional current available physical location information on the one or more available individual physical locations in response to a user interaction with the graphical user interface, the response being triggered when a mouse indicator is positioned over a portion of the graphical user interface, wherein the mouse over causes the computer to display the additional current available physical location information indicating physical locations that have not been previously taken; and

receiving from the end user a selection of one or more selected physical locations, wherein the selection is made with a mouse.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the web data comprises HTML code.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of available physical locations comprises a plurality of staterooms on a ship.