Apparatus and methods for providing queue messaging over a network

• US 7,945,463 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ticketmaster (Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated)
• Inventors: Denker, Dennis, Sussman, Adam, Bennett, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey S
• Application Number:
  US11/386,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705 5- 6
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for processing queue data and for providing queue messaging over a network. An illustrative queuing system includes a first queue configured to hold resource requests from a plurality of users, and program code stored in computer readable memory configured to determine or estimate whether a resource requested by a first resource request submitted by a first requester will be available when the first resource request will be serviced, and to transmit a message over a network to the first requester indicating that the requested resource will not be available when the queued request is serviced if it is estimated or determined that the requested resource will not be available when the first request is serviced.

Claims

1. A method of processing electronic queue data, the method comprising:

receiving electronic data messages from a plurality of online user terminals over a data network, wherein the electronic data messages include requests for tickets to attend an event;

storing electronic data from the received electronic data messages in a first electronic queue maintained in processor readable memory, wherein the electronic queue data comprises the stored electronic data, so that there is a number of ticket-related requests in the first electronic queue;

determining or estimating the number of online ticket-related requests that are in the first electronic queue using a system including one or more processors,

wherein the online ticket-related requests are for event tickets being offered for sale online via the system, wherein the event tickets are purchasable via the system;

based at least in part on the number of online ticket-related requests that are in the first electronic queue and historical queue abandonment data,

selecting, using the system, at least one of a plurality of displayable notification-types regarding the first electronic queue to be provided to at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the first electronic queue using the system,

wherein the plurality of displayable notification types include at least two of the following notification types;

a notification that does not include a queue wait time estimate for servicing of the online-ticket related request of the at least one user;

a notification that includes an indication as to whether an event ticket is likely to be unavailable when the online-ticket related request of the at least one user is serviced;

a notification that includes an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time presented as being less than a specified time duration;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time with a resolution in seconds;

and

transmitting over the data network a displayable notification corresponding to the at least one selected displayable notification-type to a user terminal associated with at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the first electronic queue,

wherein the at least one user submitted at least one online ticket-related request via the user terminal.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the selecting of at least one of a plurality of displayable notification-types for display to at least one user is also based at least in part on timing information, and

the selected notification-type is configured to include information, which once received by a plurality of users, that causes a statistical reduction in the number of users that abandon their queued online ticket-related request as compared to the number of users that abandon their queued online ticket-related request without having received the information included in the selected notification-type.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one selected displayable notification-type is used to present a visual representation of an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one selected displayable notification-type is used to present a visual representation of a queue wait time as being less than a specified time duration.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one selected displayable notification-type is used to present a visual notification regarding the first electronic queue that does not include queue wait time information.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one selected displayable notification-type is selected partly based on an historical average and/or standard deviation of length of time one or more users were willing to wait in queue before abandoning their queued online ticket-related requests.

7. A method of processing electronic queue data, the method comprising:

receiving electronic messages from a plurality of user terminals over a data network, wherein the electronic messages include requests for tickets to attend an event;

storing electronic data from the received electronic messages in at least one electronic queue maintained in processor readable memory, wherein the electronic queue data comprises the stored electronic data, so that there is a number of ticket-related requests in the first electronic queue;

accessing from computer readable memory historical queue abandonment data for the at least one electronic ticket queue using a system including one or more processors,

wherein the abandonment data relates to users abandoning queued online ticket-related requests, wherein the tickets are event tickets being sold online;

using the system, based at least in part on the historical queue abandonment data, selecting at least one of a plurality of displayable types of queue information that is to be provided to at least one user that has a queued online ticket-related request,

wherein the plurality of displayable notification types include at least two of the following notification types;

a notification that does not include a queue wait time estimate for servicing of the online-ticket related request of the at least one user;

a notification that includes an indication as to whether an event ticket is likely to be unavailable when the online-ticket related request of the at least one user is serviced;

a notification that includes an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time presented as being less than a specified time duration;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time with a resolution in seconds;

and

transmitting over the data network a displayable notification including information corresponding to the at least one selected displayable type of queue information to a user terminal having a display associated with at least one user that has a queued online ticket-related request, wherein the at least one user submitted at least one online ticket-related request via the user terminal.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein selecting of at least one of a plurality of displayable notification-types for display to at least one user is also based at least in part on timing information, and

wherein the selected notification-type is configured to include information, which once received by a plurality of users, that causes a statistical reduction in queue abandonment of ticket requests as compared to the number of users that abandon their queued online ticket-related request without having received the information included in the selected notification type.

9. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the at least one selected displayable type of queue information includes an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute.

10. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the at least one selected displayable notification presents a queue wait time as being less than a specified time duration.

11. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the at least one selected displayable type of queue information does not include queue wait time information.

12. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the at least one selected displayable type of queue information is selected partly based on an historical average and/or standard deviation of length of time one or more users were willing to wait in a queue before abandoning their queued online ticket-related requests.

13. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the online ticket-related request is a request to purchase at least one ticket.

14. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the online ticket-related request is a request to view ticket availability.

15. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the online ticket-related request of the at least one user is for a ticket that grants access to an event.

16. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving electronic messages from a plurality of user terminals over a data network, wherein the electronic messages include requests for tickets to attend an event;

storing electronic data from the received electronic messages in a first electronic queue maintained in processor readable memory, wherein the electronic queue data comprises the stored electronic data, so that there is a number of ticket-related requests in the first electronic queue;

analyzing how many online ticket-related requests are in the first electronic queue, wherein the tickets are event tickets being sold over the data network;

based at least in part on how many online ticket-related requests are in the first electronic queue and on historical queue abandonment data accessed from computer readable memory, selecting at least one of a plurality of displayable notification-types regarding the first electronic queue to be provided to at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the first electronic queue,

wherein the plurality of displayable notification types include at least two of the following notification types;

a notification that does not include a queue wait time estimate for servicing of the online-ticket related request of the at least one user;

a notification that includes an indication as to whether an event ticket is likely to be unavailable when the online-ticket related request of the at least one user is serviced;

a notification that includes an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time presented as being less than a specified time duration;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time with a resolution in seconds; and

transmitting over the data network to a user terminal having a display associated with the at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the queue a displayable notification corresponding to the at least one selected displayable notification-type, wherein the ticket-related request from the at least one user was received from the user terminal.

17. A system configured to provide electronic notifications, comprising:

a computing device;

a tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising;

receiving electronic messages from a plurality of user terminals over a data network, wherein the electronic data messages include requests for tickets to attend an event;

storing electronic data from the received electronic messages in a first electronic queue maintained in processor readable memory, wherein the electronic queue data comprises the stored electronic data, so that there is a number of ticket-related requests in the first electronic queue;

analyzing how many online ticket-related requests are in the first electronic queue, wherein the tickets are event tickets being sold online;

based at least in part on how many online ticket-related requests are in the first electronic and on historical queue abandonment data accessed from computer readable memory, selecting at least one of a plurality of displayable notification-types regarding the first electronic queue to be provided to at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the first electronic queue, wherein the plurality of displayable notification types include at least two of the following notification types;

a notification that does not include a queue wait time estimate for servicing of the online-ticket related request of the at least one user;

a notification that includes an indication as to whether an event ticket is likely to be unavailable when the online-ticket related request of the at least one user is serviced;

a notification that includes an estimated queue wait time rounded up to the nearest minute;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time presented as being less than a specified time duration;

a notification that includes the estimated queue wait time with a resolution in seconds; and

transmitting over the data network to a user terminal associated with the at least one user that has an online ticket-related request in the queue a displayable notification corresponding to the displayable notification-type, wherein the online ticket-related request from the at least one user was received from the user terminal.