Systems and methods for leveraging social queuing to facilitate event ticket distribution

• US 9,466,035 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Songkick.com B.V.
• Inventors: Merriman, Callum, Block, Joshua C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US14/595,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method for identifying a simulated social media account history is provided. The method may include querying a social media identification information (“social media ID”) to determine whether the account history includes one or more parameters that indicate whether the social media ID is related to an automated entity or a human entity. The parameters may include at least one of less than a threshold number of friends on the account. The parameters may include more than a threshold frequency of historic ticket purchases per unit time. The parameters may also include disparate location of historic ticket purchases per unit time. The parameters may also include a historic record of less than a threshold reaction time to a plurality of ticket offers.

Claims

1. An event ticket distribution system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a plurality of logins, each of the logins intended for an event ticket purchase;

a processor configured to retrieve social media account history or other data source information associated with each of the plurality of logins, wherein each of the social media account history, or other data source information, comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event, said at least one time-stamped indication of affinity comprising a time-stamp prior to the receipt of the login associated with the social media account history or other data source information;

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate an index value associated with the login, said index value being based, at least in part, on the retrieved account history or data source information; and

when the index value associated with a login is above a pre-determined threshold value, the processor is further configured to assign a priority flag to the login, wherein said priority flag enables a ticket event purchase in a first time window, when the index value is below the first threshold value but above a second threshold value, the processor is further configured to assign a non-priority flag, said non-priority flag that enables the login to make an event ticket purchase in a second time window, and when the index value is associated with a value under the second threshold value, the processor restricts the ticket purchasing rights associated with the login.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the account history or other data source information comprises at least one occurrence of a tagging of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the account history or other data source information comprises at least one occurrence of a linking of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event to the profile of a social media ID.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the account history or other data source information further comprises indication of a threshold amount of streaming audio time related to a performing entity associated with the event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the account history or other data source information further comprises one or more parameters that indicate whether each of the plurality of logins is related to an automated entity or a human entity.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the parameters include at least one of number of friends on the account, ticket purchasing frequency or location of historic ticket purchases and historic reaction time to ticket offers.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the logins includes social media identification information (“

social media ID”

).

8. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the code when executed by one or more processors for configuring a computer to execute a method to identify automated ticket purchasers, the method comprising:

using a receiver to receive a plurality of logins, each of the logins intended for an event ticket purchase, each of the logins corresponding, at least in part, to stored or retrieved social media identification information or other data source information (“

user information”

), wherein the user information, comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event, said at least one time-stamped indication of affinity comprising a time-stamp prior to the receipt of the login associated with the user information;

using a processor to retrieve account history associated with the user information;

using the processor to calculate an index value associated with the user information, said index value being based, at least in part, on the retrieved account history; and

when the index value associated with a login is above a pre-determined threshold value, using the processor to assign a priority flag to the login, wherein said priority flag enables a real-time ticket event purchase not available in real-time to a non-flagged login, when the index value is below the first threshold value but above a second threshold value, the processor enables a non-flagged login to purchase tickets after a pre-determined amount of time, and when the index value is associated with a value under the second threshold value, the processor restricts the ticket purchasing rights associated with the login.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the account history comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the account history comprises at least one occurrence of a tagging of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the account history comprises at least one occurrence of a linking of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event to the profile of the social media ID or data source identification information.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the account history further comprises indication of a threshold amount of streaming audio time related to a performing entity associated with the event.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the account history further comprises one or more parameters that indicate whether the user information is related to an automated entity or a human entity.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the parameters include at least one of number of friends on the account, ticket purchasing frequency or location of historic ticket purchases and historic reaction time to ticket offers.

15. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the code when executed by one or more processors for configuring a computer to execute a method to prioritize automated ticket purchasers, the method comprising:

using a receiver to receive a plurality of logins, each of the logins intended for an event ticket purchase, each of the logins corresponding, at least in part, to stored or retrieved data source information (“

user information”

), wherein the user information, comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event, said at least one time-stamped indication of affinity comprising a time-stamp prior to the receipt of the login associated with the user information;

using a processor to retrieve account history associated with the user information;

using the processor to calculate an index value associated with the user information, said index value being based, at least in part, on the retrieved account history; and

when the index value associated with a login is above a pre-determined first threshold value, using the processor to assign a priority flag to the login, wherein said priority flag enables an event ticket purchase from a first group of event tickets, and when the index value is below the first threshold value but above a second threshold value, using the processor to assign a non-priority flag to enable the login to make an event ticket purchase from a second group of event tickets, and when the index value is associated with a value under the second threshold value, the processor denies the login associated with a value under the second threshold value.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the account history comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the account history comprises at least one occurrence of a tagging of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the account history comprises at least one occurrence of linking of a photograph of a performing entity associated with the event to the profile of the social media ID or other data source identification information.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the code when executed by one or more processors for configuring a computer to execute a method to prioritize automated ticket purchasers, the method comprising:

using a receiver to receive a plurality of logins, each of the logins intended for an event ticket purchase, each of the logins corresponding, at least in part, to stored or retrieved data source information (“

user information”

), wherein the user information comprises at least one time-stamped indication of affinity for a performing entity associated with the event, said at least one time-stamped indication of affinity comprising a time-stamp prior to the receipt of the login associated with the user information;

using a processor to retrieve account history associated with the user information;

using the processor to calculate an index value associated with the user information, said index value being based, at least in part, on the retrieved account history; and

when the index value associated with a login is above a pre-determined threshold value, using the processor to assign a priority flag to the login, wherein said priority flag enables an event ticket purchase, and the processor eliminates ticket purchasing rights for a login associated with a value under the threshold value.