U.S. patent application number 13/653031 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-14 for remittance method and system for services.
This patent application is currently assigned to QUANTUM CORPORATION OF NEW YORK, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is QUANTUM CORPORATION OF NEW YORK, INC.. Invention is credited to Anthony G. Roth.
Application Number | 20130041701 13/653031 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38920190 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130041701 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roth; Anthony G. |
February 14, 2013 |
Remittance Method And System For Services
Abstract
Tokens containing a unique identification code that allow
admission/access to entertainment or personal services are
distributed. A seller-distributor node on a computer network
affects transactions that exchange tokens for payment. The tokens
represent remittance for services provided by service providers.
For each token obtained through the seller-distributor node, the
system allows a variable rate of redemption at the service
providers upon use by the (ticket) holder/user. The ticket
holder/user selects which one of the providers to request
remittance for services at the respective provider's rates.
Different rates exist for a same or equivalent service across at
least some of the service providers. Rendering of the token enables
remittance for service by the ticket holder/user selected service
provider at the selected service provider rate. The token may be in
the form of an electronic ticket, bar code, email message,
electronic message, code number, or machine readable data/code.
Inventors: |
Roth; Anthony G.; (Incline
Village, NV) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUANTUM CORPORATION OF NEW YORK, INC.; |
Incline Village |
NV |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
QUANTUM CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,
INC.
Incline Village
NV
|
Family ID: |
38920190 |
Appl. No.: |
13/653031 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11778423 |
Jul 16, 2007 |
8333319 |
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13653031 |
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11641304 |
Dec 19, 2006 |
7337949 |
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11778423 |
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|
11204803 |
Aug 15, 2005 |
7156294 |
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11641304 |
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10827737 |
Apr 20, 2004 |
7066383 |
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11204803 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 7/025 20130101;
G07F 17/42 20130101; G06Q 20/367 20130101; G06Q 20/342 20130101;
G07F 17/0014 20130101; G06Q 20/12 20130101; G06Q 10/02 20130101;
G06Q 20/045 20130101; G07B 15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/5 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/02 20120101
G06Q010/02 |
Claims
1. A data processing system providing processing of prepaid tokens
configured for use at a plurality of service providers, the data
processing system comprising: one or more processors configured to
process one or more of the prepaid tokens; and a token manager
responsive to processing of the one or more prepaid tokens, the
token manager configured to affect variable rate redemption of each
token by a respective user at any one of the plurality of service
providers upon user request, the user selecting one of the
plurality of service providers to request remittance for services
and each service provider of the plurality setting respective rates
of his services, such that different rates exist for a same or
equivalent service across at least some service providers, the
prepaid token configured to enable remittance for service by the
respective user selected service provider and at the respective
rate as set by the selected service provider.
2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the prepaid token
is redeemable for a certain service from the selected service
provider, as opposed to a cash sum.
3. The data processing system of claim 1 further including a
seller-distributing node is configured to distribute the prepaid
token, where the prepaid token is provided by one of a venue owner,
a ticket agent, a distributor of a service provider of the
plurality of service providers, and one or more of the service
providers.
4. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein services provided
by the plurality of service providers is any of movie showings, a
participatory sport session, a spectator sport event, a concert, an
entertainment session and a leisure session.
5. The data processing system of claim 4 wherein service of the
selected service provider has a certain seating limit per date and
time.
6. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the prepaid token
is any one or combination of an electronic ticket, a bar code, an
electronic message, an email message, a code number and a set of
machine readable code.
7. The data processing system of claim 6 wherein the user redeems
the token by any one or combination of: downloading to the selected
service provider, transmitting by facsimile, communicating by
electronic mail, or electronically rendering the token to the
selected service provider.
8. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein the prepaid token
is configured for redemption, such that a token distributor who
distributes the prepaid token absorbs any differences in prices
debited by the plurality of service providers for similar
service.
9. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein redemption is
configured for data transfer over a communications network capable
of recognizing a unique identifier of the prepaid token, the
communications network including any of a credit card network, a
debit network, and a financial transaction network.
10. The data processing system of claim 1 wherein services provided
by the plurality of service providers is any of movie showings, a
participatory sport session, a spectator sport event, a concert, an
entertainment session and a leisure session.
11. The data processing system of claim 9 wherein service of the
selected service provider has a certain seating limit per date and
time.
12. An apparatus to process prepaid ticketing configured for use at
a plurality of service providers, the data processing system
comprising: one or more processors configured to process prepaid
ticketing; and the prepaid ticketing configured to affect variable
rate redemption at any one of the plurality of service providers
upon user request, the user selecting one of the plurality of
service providers to request remittance for services and each
service provider of the plurality setting respective rates of his
services, such that different rates exist for a same or equivalent
service across at least some service providers, the prepaid
ticketing configured to enable remittance for service by the
respective user selected service provider and at the respective
rate as set by the selected service provider.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein services provided by the
plurality of service providers is any of movie showings, a
participatory sport session, a spectator sport event, a concert, an
entertainment session and a leisure session.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the prepaid ticketing may be
any one or combination of an electronic ticket, a bar code, an
electronic message, an email message, a code number and a set of
machine readable code.
15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user redeems the prepaid
ticketing by any of: downloading to the selected service provider,
transmitting by facsimile, communicating by electronic mail and
electronically rendering the prepaid ticketing to the selected
service provider.
16. A distributing node to process prepaid tokens configured for
use at a plurality of service providers, the data processing system
comprising: one or more processors configured to distribute the
prepaid tokens; and the prepaid tokens responsive to redemption,
such that the prepaid tokens are configured to affect variable rate
redemption at any one of the plurality of service providers upon
user request, the user selecting one of the plurality of service
providers to request remittance for services and each service
provider of the plurality setting respective rates of his services,
such that different rates exist for a same or equivalent service
across at least some service providers, the prepaid token
configured to enable remittance for service by the respective user
selected service provider and at the respective rate as set by the
selected service provider.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 11/778,423, filed Jul. 16, 2007, which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/641,304, filed
Dec. 19, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,949, which is a continuation
of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/204,803, filed Aug. 15, 2005, now
U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,294, which is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 10/827,737 filed on Apr. 20, 2004, now U.S.
Pat. No. 7,066,383.
[0002] The entire teachings of the above applications are
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention relates to marketing and distributing
services, especially participatory sports or entertainment
services, by collecting a prepayment and issuing to a customer a
ticket or similar indicia that can be redeemed for a particular
services. The service is one that can be obtained at the customer's
option from any of a plurality of distinct service providers,
including providers that normally charge more or less than others
for the particular service involved. The invention further involves
accounting for the usage and payment for services on this
basis.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Goods and services are typically obtained in exchange for
payment and the payment might be rendered in various ways and in
various amounts, such as by tender of cash currency, funds transfer
between accounts, debit card purchase and exhaustion, credit
arrangements involving future payment, barter or various other
techniques. The particular goods or services that a customer might
obtain from different providers differ. The reputations of
providers differ. The manner of providing services, such as the
time of day or as a function of demand or other aspects also
differ. Importantly, the providers also demand different
prices.
[0005] The differences between available offerings of goods and
services generally boil down to differences in the costs and
benefits of available goods and services that consumers have the
option to choose. The costs and benefits of the possible choices
are judged and compared by customers when making purchasing
decisions. The customers seek the greatest benefit per unit cost
and are free to make selections among a variety of different
providers' offerings and terms, or even to substitute one type of
service for another according to the customer's needs.
[0006] The relative merits and different options are perceived
differently by different consumers, such that some consumers are
willing to pay more or less than others for particular aspects of
goods or services. The confluence of offerings (including what is
offered and the terms of payment) with the selections made by
consumers is the nature of the market of supply and demand by which
resources are allocated among consumers in a market economy.
[0007] Not all consumer transactions are classic exercises of
supply and demand wherein the customer has the utmost control and
choice among differing alternatives with incrementally different
costs and/or different pricing and payment arrangements. One
example is a vendor's prepaid gift indicia, which can take various
forms ranging from an authorized numbered slip bearing the vendor's
name and a dollar amount to plastic cards bearing the vendor's logo
and having a magnetically readable strip with a predetermined
dollar value, each redeemable at the vendor's sales outlets. A
prepaid gift indicia is generally issued by a particular retailer
and can only be redeemed at that retailer's facilities. In this
situation, the person who purchases the gift indicia may exercise a
degree of choice, but the person who redeems it (typically the
recipient of the gift) has no choice except to use the issuing
retailer as the provider. Inasmuch as the issuer and the provider
are the same entity, the issuer/provider has full control of the
extent to which the selling price of the gift card corresponds to
the offering price of the goods or services that are delivered. It
is conceivable that the issuer/provider may include a premium or
discount to encourage patronage and/or purchase of gift indica, but
within the control of the issuer/provider, the goods or services
are provided in exchange for an amount that is related to the
issuer/provider's pricing schedules.
[0008] It is known that providers of personal entertainment and
sporting services, can issue a gift ticket that represents an
incremental cash value or an incremental quantity of their
services. This is possible because pricing and terms upon the sale
of the gift ticket are controlled by the same party that controls
the nature, quality and delivery terms of the services. As a
result, the issuer/provider can issue a gift ticket for a given
cash value or for a given increment of services. Thus a gift ticket
or coupon might be granted for one pass to a matinee show or one
Saturday afternoon bowling game, presumably with the ticket priced
at an amount related to the pricing of the associated service. If
the gift ticket is not defined as equal to a given service and/or
if the issuer offers different services at different prices, then
the gift ticket is denominated as a cash value and the user is
entitled to deduct from the value on the ticket when paying for
services, until the value associated with the ticket is
exhausted.
[0009] It would be advantageous if a convenient arrangement could
be organized whereby different potentially-competing suppliers of
services can all honor a coupon or gift ticket or similar indicia
of value that is denominated not in a monetary value but as a
particular service. It is not possible for the purchaser of a gift
ticket for a given increment of services from one establishment to
redeem the gift ticket at another establishment for comparable
services, because the services are not likely to be of the same
value to consumers, or offered at the same price by suppliers. If
such a system were envisioned, it would necessarily involve
exchanges of case value and not transactions for a given increment
of services regardless of where it is obtained.
[0010] A gift ticket system might be envisioned where one can buy a
gift ticket for an incremental entertainment service (a single
movie showing, for example), but if that gift ticket was to be
redeemable at any of a plurality of competing different movie
theaters, some provision would be needed to account for the fact
that some theaters are more comfortable, have larger screens and
better sound systems and consequently have higher ticket prices
than others. Such an arrangement would not likely be practical, or
at least would be less practical than using cash currency, and
would require a network of behind-the scenes fund transfers in
varying amounts per transaction, between establishments at which
the gift tickets are sold to customers and establishments at which
the customer redeems the tickets for more or less expensive
entertainment services. On the other hand, one could issue gift
tickets for an incremental amount of money, leaving it to the
consumer to decide where to expend the gift ticket, either wholly
or in some successive number of transactions that each represent
less than the full initial cost of the gift ticket.
[0011] Gift tickets can resemble debit cards and be presented by
customers for deduction of an incremental monetary value in
exchange for goods or services of that cost. It is known to have
the representation of value carried on the card itself (e.g., in
the case of a "smartcard" having security aspects). Alternatively,
it is known to have the card carry a serial number or address
associated with a record stored in a database in communication with
points of sale. These arrangements also require behind-the-scenes
transfer of funds among the entities selling the cards, perhaps the
customer, and the entities at which the card is redeemed for goods
or services.
[0012] It is known that credit cards can be issued that my be
selectively limited to certain vendors, either by the users (to
limit purchases by their children or others to whom the cards are
lent) or by corporations (for example to employees' limit meal and
entertainment expenses to certain establishments). See Cohen, U.S.
Pat. No. 6,422,462 "Apparatus and Methods for Improved Credit Cards
and Credit Card Transactions." Such cards are still redeemable,
however, for the cash value of purchases made and the users are
still responsible for paying for transactions on an as-used
basis.
[0013] An arrangement that requires such a network of funds
transfers is actually already in place. Credit card systems
including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, etc., deal
with goods/services providers across the board. They are available
for the most part to any customer and to any supplier. However,
existing credit card systems work because there is a medium of
exchange, namely dollars and cents (or other currencies), that is
the same as to all suppliers and all possible goods and services.
There is no practical way in which to supply a given service, such
as a round of golf or a theater ticket, that is free of association
with a particular supplier and might be redeemed by the customer at
any of a plurality of possible suppliers, even though their pricing
may differ, without relying on a backup funds transfer network
associated with the point of sale.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] An inventive system and method arrange for remittance for
services as represented by a token, or in other words, prepayment
by a customer of a predetermined sum for indicia such as a
one-time-use gift ticket. The ticket/token is redeemable for a
particular incremental quantity of services, as opposed to a cash
value. The ticket/token is redeemable at any of a plurality of
different providers that offer services that might be more or less
similar but that qualify as the stated sort of services. The system
and method are particularly applicable to personal services,
entertainment services and similar quantifiable services, e.g., a
movie pass (at any participating theater), a round of golf (at any
participating golf course), a spa treatment (at any participating
spa), etc.
[0015] The providers are independent entities that determine the
nature of their own offerings and set their own prices. The gift
ticket issuer enlists a number of suppliers of services to be
obtained by redemption of the ticket for services, each having
offerings that have character, terms and pricing arrangements that
are approximately equal but may differ up to some threshold.
Enlisted service providers agree to participate in the program and
agree to accept the prepaid gift ticket as a payment method.
[0016] According to an inventive aspect, the enlisted service
providers are not required to accept some standard or negotiated
amount that is less than their regular price for services of the
type that are delivered. Instead, the service providers accept for
payment one time use tickets and process the transaction over an
existing credit card network or as some other financial transaction
(including such instant payment systems as Pay Pal, which allows
secured payment directly out of an existing bank account) in which
the account that is debited is the account of the entity that
issued the one-time-use ticket.
[0017] Gift tickets are sold through sales outlets, through the
Internet, b y telephone or in large blocks to institutional
purchasers. Participating merchants whose services may be redeemed
through the gift ticket system can also be empowered to sell the
tickets. The tickets can be retail items of purchase that are
activated at the point where the tickets are sold to customers.
[0018] The customers can use the gift tickets to redeem a stated
increment of services for themselves or can present the ticket as a
gift. The system is particularly applicable for use in giving gifts
or employee awards or incentives, because the emphasis is wholly on
redemption for the services and not on redemption of a given cash
value.
[0019] Gift tickets each contain a unique identification code and
are loaded with a predetermined value identified as a one-time use
at any customer-chosen one of the service providers who have agreed
to participate and who provide the pertinent goods or services that
are identified when the ticket is sold.
[0020] When a ticket is sold, it is activated by the seller, for
example by scanning a bar code associated with a uniform product
code or by swiping a magnetic strip on the ticket itself, and
notifying a ticket information manager of its sale. At that time,
the unique identification code of the ticket is noted in a memory
file by the ticket information manager. A predetermined portion of
the sale price (i.e. less any service fee to the vendor) can be
transferred by the vendor to the ticketing program manager at the
time of ticket activation. Another alternative is that the entire
purchase price is credited to an account maintained by or for the
ticketing program manager who then regularly compensates the vendor
for its participation, either on a flat-fee basis or as some
function of the number of tickets sold, including perhaps added
incentives at various sales level thresholds.
[0021] Gift tickets sold over the Internet or by telephone can be
mailed in an activated state or can employ security features
requiring the purchaser to activate the ticket (by Internet or
telephone) upon receipt, for example, by repeating a code that was
given to the purchaser at the time of the sale or by repeating a
password determined by the purchaser at the time of the sale.
[0022] The ticket can be purchased by the ultimate user or
advantageously is given by the purchaser to the end user, for
example as a gift, an employee or sales incentive award, a premium
item or the like. The gift ticket holder presents the ticket for
redemption of the particular service from one of a plurality of
agreed service providers. The identities of the agreed service
providers can be stored in an inclusion table that is employed by a
ticket information manager. The service provider verifies the
ticket's validity by checking with the ticket information manager
that the ticket's unique identification code is valid and that the
ticket has been activated, in a transaction that is much the same
as a credit card authorization, which can use the same point of
sale network communications as a credit card transaction.
[0023] According to another aspect, although the gift ticket is
issued as a one-time-use item, purchasers can choose to add
incremental value to upgrade the ticket at the time of purchase or
prior to redemption. This feature has two main applications. With
the capability of adding an incremental value, it is possible to
apply the invention to services of a given kind (such as a round of
golf, for example) that have more than some predetermined threshold
difference in value that prevents them from being peers. Thus, the
invention an be applied to an arrangement in which 18 holes at an
international golf course such as Pebble Beach of the Masters'
course in Augusta, for example, can be regarded as distinct
services from less prestigious local golf courses that represent
the norm. The customer can purchase an upgrade (or several
incremental upgrades if more than one is needed for a particular
provider) if desired, to the higher quality level in the same
category of "a round of golf," which can be redeemed at any of the
venues that fall into the higher classification.
[0024] Alternatively or in addition to providing upgrades for
moving upwardly between two or more classes of a given service that
might render two alternatives as peers, the holder of a ticket can
be permitted to obtain an upgrade that arranges a ticket issued for
one person for a given class of services to be redeemable for more
than one person, within the same class of services.
[0025] Upgrades as described can be purchased in a manner similar
to the initial transaction at which the ticket was originally
offered and sold. Alternatively, sales of upgrades can be made in
various other was, such as through an Internet web site with the
use of a credit card or by touch tone telephone through an
Interactive Voice Response system connected to the ticket
information manager's data storage system.
[0026] It is an aspect of the system and method that the purchase
price of the gift ticket is fixed, but the ticket holder can redeem
the ticket at any of a plurality of providers of a given service,
even though the service providers may normally assess different
prices. The service providers are credited in the redemption
process with their agreed payment price from the ticketing program
manager, so that the provider is paid in a normal manner when a
ticket user redeems a ticket for a service,. In this way, ticket
holders are fully as welcome at the provider's establishment as a
customer that might remit cash currency when obtaining the same
service. In one embodiment of the system, the ticket is recognized
by an existing credit card system such as American Express, Visa,
Master Charge, Discover, etc. (particularly, Discover, which
currently has the capability to distinguish among vendors in an
inclusion list), and can be swiped in existing point of sale
terminals, thus allowing for familiar use by the service provider
and instant payment to the service provider's account. The service
provider is credited for the price of its services in the usual
manner of a credit card network, but unlike the usual credit card
transaction, a charge is not levied against the user's account, but
is debited against an account held by the ticketing program
manager.
[0027] A system is also disclosed to implement the marketing, sale,
redemption and account management of a one-time-use gift ticket for
prepaid entertainment or personal services.
[0028] The above aspects and features of the invention will be
better understood from and are disclosed in further detail by
following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments of
the invention, provided in connection with the accompanying
drawings, forming a part of this written description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments
of the invention as well as other information pertinent to the
disclosure, in which:
[0030] FIG. 1 is a stylized block diagram overview of a prepaid
services system according to the invention; and,
[0031] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating steps of an exemplary
embodiment and method of administering a prepaid services
system.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a computer network in which
embodiments of the present invention may operate.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computer node of the network
of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] Referring to FIG. 1, a stylized overview of a prepaid
services system, 10, is provided. As described herein, the prepaid
services system includes seven primary parties: seller 20,
purchaser 30, ticket user 35, ticket information manager 70,
service provider 80, financial network and ticketing program
manager 95.
[0035] Referring to the flow diagram of FIG. 2, at step 100, a
ticketing program manager 95 desiring to implement the one-time-use
gift ticket system of the invention, especially for a particular
type of entertainment or personal service but also potentially for
sale of goods, enlists a plurality of providers 80 or one or more
substantially comparable services. The ticketing program manager 95
negotiates if necessary with the providers to honor the
one-time-use ticket 40 according to the procedures described
herein, namely to accept the ticket in exchange for provision of
the provider's regular services and to seek remuneration for such
services from the system maintained by or for the ticketing program
manager.
[0036] It is advantageous for the ticketing program manager who
enlists the service provider to bring the provider on as a member
of a common group enterprise including, for example, advertising
the enterprise and the provider's membership in the enterprise and
the like. Likewise, membership in the enterprise can benefit
individual providers, through additional advertising, access to new
clientele and association with a product (the one-time-use ticket)
that may be promoted as having a certain desirable cachet in and of
itself. Additionally, it is desirable that the service providers
accept the ticket at all times they are open, so that a
"no-blackouts" feature of the gift ticket will enhance its
acceptance in the marketplace and add to the desirability of
receiving such a pass as a gift. However, it is not strictly
necessary for the provider to undertake any particular
responsibilities other than to provide the same services to gift
ticket users as the provider provides to regular cash
customers.
[0037] In this exemplary illustration of the invention, plural
service providers 80 all provide at least one same stated service
or article of goods, for example a round of golf, a day's worth of
skiing or treatment at a health spa or the like. A broad network of
providers of like services who accept the one-time-use ticket
improves the marketability of the ticket, since the ability for the
user to select among a variety of convenient providers is a
desirable feature and one which differentiates the ticket in the
present invention from ordinary gift cards or other indica
redeemable only at the retailers from whom it was purchased. It is
also expected that the various providers will provide somewhat
different services and may assess different charges, up to a
threshold of difference within which the providers are considered
to provide the "same" service as authorized and redeemable by
presenting the one time use gift ticket.
[0038] Therefore, while the particular service for which a ticket
is to be used is nominally the same service for that series of
ticket (i.e., for tickets sold for redemption for a uniquely named
or described service), the service providers need not all agree to
provide identical services or to charge a dictated price for their
services. Within the threshold of comparable pricing, differences
in services can be accommodated owing to such factors as specific
service component differences, location, prestige and quality, or
other differences, as well as arbitrary consumer preferences. It is
an inventive aspect of the subject system and method that service
providers are not required to each accept identical payment value
for their services, despite the fact that the gift ticket is sold
for a given price and is redeemable for such services at any of the
service providers.
[0039] The ticketing program manager sets the price charged by
seller 20 for sale and activation of the ticket, so as to
accommodate variations in actual service provider prices. One way
to do this is to set the ticket price in view of the most expensive
of all of the service providers, plus any service fee collected by
the ticketing program manager. Another method, that advantageously
allows a lower ticket price, and which can be expected to improve
sales, is to set the ticket selling price near to the average
charge incurred by all users of the service providers, plus costs
of operating the system and a reasonable return to the ticketing
program manager. Costs of operating the system can include items
such as a fee to the ticket information manager for maintaining a
processor to handle ticket information data storage and
verification and validation of tickets and costs associated with
the financial network, which might be a credit card network, in
which case the credit card company might receive a portion of the
sale price.
[0040] That is, the ticket selling price should be set and/or
periodically adjusted so that the use of the tickets integrated
over all the users and providers, has a sufficient surplus selling
price over the average cost of the service (which may or may not be
the same as the average provider price, given that users may
frequent certain providers more than others), to provide at least a
modest return on investment to the ticketing program manager. The
ticket selling price is determined so that any overage that
accumulates when a ticket is used to obtain the service from
providers whose services are priced at less than the ticket selling
price is balanced against the shortfall that arises when a ticket
is used to obtain the service from providers whose services are
priced higher than the ticket selling price. This calculation
advantageously takes into account the extent to which users may
prefer to patronize certain providers over others (e.g., providers
that are perhaps more prestigious, that advertise more, that have
been in business longer or that have locations that are convenient
to a larger number of users). The calculation also provides for a
return to the ticketing program manager over a break-even
number.
[0041] After the service provider relationships have been
established (step 100) or while that is occurring, the ticketing
program manager 95 establishes relationships with existing sales
outlets (step 110) who will sell the one-time-use tickets. The
sellers 20 have point of sale terminals 50 connected to an existing
network 60 that will allow fast, efficient communication with the
ticket information manager 70. This communication is desirable for
the transfer of the information required to initialize a ticket
once it has been purchased. If the existing network is connected to
a financial network 90, such as that maintained by a credit card
company, this can also facilitate the automatic transfer of funds
between the sellers 20 and the ticketing program manager 95 and
between the ticketing program manager and service providers 80. For
example, the credit card company can maintain an escrow account for
the ticketing program manager, into which funds are transferred
from the sellers and from which funds are withdrawn to pay service
providers. By using an existing credit card network as the
financial "rail" for the system, funds transfers can be managed
with minimal day-to-day involvement from the ticketing program
manager. While the use of an existing credit card network as the
communication network carriers certain advantages it is also
possible for the required communications to take place over an
Internet connection (for example to a secure web page hosted by the
account manager) or a telephone connection to either "live"
operators or an Interactive Voice Response system connected to the
ticket information manager's (70) data storage equipment.
[0042] In one exemplary embodiment, the ticket information manager
70 has a communications link or other access to a financial network
90 which is a credit card provider's network. When a ticket is
swiped on a point of sale terminal 50 at either the seller's end or
the service provider's end, the credit card network will
communicate with or otherwise access the ticket information
manager's equipment. All ticket verification or validation and
approval of service providers is handled directly by the ticket
information manager. The ticket information manager simply returns
an accept or reject message to the credit card network, which then
either causes the transaction to be processed at the point of sale
terminal or not.
[0043] In an alternative embodiment, the gift ticket issuer can be
a commercial organization other than a seller, with communications
equipment or the like to activate the ticket through communications
with the ticketing program manager.
[0044] Once relationships with the sellers 20 and service providers
80 are established, the ticketing program manger distributes
one-time-use tickets (step 120). Preferably the tickets are
distributed at first in an un-initialized state, namely functional
but not yet validated for use. A validation process includes
placing suitable codes or notations on the tickets or storing codes
in the tickets or elsewhere in a data storage medium that is
accessible over a communication network. These codes can be checked
when determining whether to permit use of the tickets.
[0045] In one embodiment, the tickets have a preprinted unique
identification code and a magnetic strip or other means of
recording information. The strip or other means can be prerecorded
with a unique or at least substantially unique identification code
for each ticket. The unique identification code may be an
alphabetic code, a numeric code, an alpha numeric code, or other
appropriate identification code capable of uniquely identifying an
individual ticket, and perhaps also identifying the related type of
service (e.g., golf, spa, etc.). In an alternate embodiment, the
tickets do not have a preprinted or prerecorded identification
code, but do contain a recordable medium such as a magnetic strip
or an electronic storage device, which may be loaded with a unique
code preliminarily or may have an area in which such a code is
inserted as apart of the initialization procedure.
[0046] According to an advantageous aspect, the issued ticket is
configured and formatted with certain indicia characteristic of a
standard credit card. This can include, without limitation, printed
or embossed account identification numbers, a magnetic strip or on
board integrated circuit memory, a one or two dimensional optical
bar code, etc. The information can be prerecorded or at least
partly recordable. Two or more redundant means for storing the same
information, such as an account number or the like, can be provided
for data entry in different optional ways, of the different storage
techniques can be used for information that is otherwise cross
referenced. Advantageously, the ticket has sufficient information
carried thereon to permit use of the ticket substantially in the
same physical manner as a standard credit card, namely using
equipment conventionally provided at a point-of-sale terminal 50
(scanners, magnetic strip swipe readers, keyboards, etc.).
[0047] In one embodiment, the ticketing program manager has
reserved for itself a series of digits or numbers or number
combinations in a standard credit card format that are unique to
the account manager and identify one or more accounts associated
with the ticketing program manager. Initialization and validation
steps, which are processed by a ticket information manager 70 can
be undertaken over an existing communication network 60, which
advantageously is a network that processes conventional credit
cards, or can be another public or private data communication
network. Other types of communication devices may be used instead
of or in addition to a standard point-of-sale terminal programmed
to handle credit cards, so long as the device is capable of
communicating sufficient ticket information over an operable
communications network to effect the steps as described herein. For
example, in another form of the invention, the ticket information
can be transmitted between the seller and the ticket information
manager by telephone either by voice in association with a live
operator or through a telephone keypad to an Interactive Voice
Response system.
[0048] The one-time-use ticket proceeds through several steps
associated with initial issue, sale (preferably with validation
concurrently upon sale), and later presentation as an
identification of value used to present remittance for a service.
At step 130, the purchaser 30 selects a gift ticket for purchase
and pays the seller 20 some agreed purchase price 31. This
transaction can be a conventional retail, wholesale or other
transaction in which one or more tickets are exchanged for cash or
credit or other remuneration.
[0049] At step 131, the seller 20 activates the ticket, preferable
including transmitting an identification code that is or becomes
associated with the ticket (e.g., is at least partly read from or
written onto the ticket). The identification code is at least
substantially unique to the ticket and is transmitted over the
existing communications network 60 to the ticket information
manager 70 or to a data store associated with the ticket
information manager 70. If the system is such that the ticket
already has a preprinted or recorded identification number, the
ticket information manager compares this number with the numbers of
tickets that is has previously distributed to sellers as one step
in determining validity. If the ticket has a valid number that has
not already been processed, the ticket information manger records
the ticket's number, noting for example in a data memory that the
ticket has now been purchased and should be authorized for use.
Other information is also preferable recorded, including at least
the purchase price and the date of the sale transaction (step 132).
The ticket information manager preferably acknowledges by
communication back to the seller that the ticket is valid and now
has been initialized (step 133), although the acknowledgement can
be deferred or accomplished off line.
[0050] The seller then accepts payment 31 from the purchaser 30
(who might or might not be the ultimate ticket user). At some
point, the seller transfers payment 21 to the ticketing program
manager, preferable through a financial network such as a credit
card network. If a credit card network is used, funds can be
automatically transferred to an escrow account maintained with the
credit card company for the ticketing program manager. Although the
seller could have previously paid the ticketing program manager in
full for the tickets and then resells them to customers, it is
preferable that payment to the ticketing program manager's escrow
account is made from funds received from the customer. Therefore,
payment is transferred to or for the benefit of the ticketing
program manager when payment is tendered by the customer. The
payment to the ticketing program manger (or it's escrow account) is
the payment tendered, less a portion of the sale price that is due
to the seller (step 134) in consideration of making the sale.
[0051] In an embodiment wherein the communication network 60 is an
existing credit card network, credit can be transferred immediately
to the ticketing program manger's account. In another embodiment,
the initialization process can take place over the Internet, e.g.,
via a secure web page hosted by the ticketing program manager or
another party providing account transfer services. For example,
payment to the ticketing program manager's escrow account can be
effected through available Internet payment mechanisms such as Pay
Pal, which provides for value transfer to user's accounts.
[0052] Otherwise, the seller 20 can remit funds owed to the
ticketing program manager 95 on an invoiced or other basis. Because
the initialization of the ticket (steps 131-133) must be done
through the ticket information manager 70, an exact, up-to-date
record is maintained of how many tickets each seller has sold, and
at what price. This facilitates accountability and correct payment
to the ticketing program manager or into its escrow account.
[0053] Once a customer has purchased a ticket, the ticket may be
used by the purchaser 30 or by someone to whom the purchaser has
conveyed the ticket, for example as a premium or as a gift for
redemption, etc. The ticket is used as a representation of value
used as remittance at any of the agreed service providers 80.
(Inasmuch as the user 35 might or might not be the same party as
the purchaser 30, for the purpose of this description, the term
"user" should be construed to encompass an initial purchaser or
anyone to whom the purchaser has conveyed the ticket.)
[0054] A ticket user 35 presents the ticket to a service provider
at step 150 in order to redeem the indicated service. At step 151,
the service provider preferably verifies the validity of the ticket
by data transfer with the ticket information manager 70 over the
communications network 60. If the communications network is one
that is maintained by a credit card provider, the credit card
provider's equipment would recognize the unique identification code
as being not an ordinary credit card but a one-time-use ticket and
would contact the ticket information manager to perform
verification of both the service provider's inclusion in the
program and the validity of the individual ticket. As a first
check, the ticket information manager will verify that the service
provider is among those who have agreed to accept the tickets.
(Step 152). This may be accomplished by the storage of an inclusion
table by the ticket information manager. If the communications
network is also a credit card network, the initial screening for
whether a service provider is listed in an inclusion table can also
be made by the credit card service provider. The unique
identification code associated with the ticket is then transmitted
to the ticket information manager. At step 153, the ticket code is
compared with a list of codes stored in a data base maintained by
(or for) the ticket information manager, namely a list of valid
ticket codes for initialized but as-yet-unused tickets. If the
ticket code is valid and the ticket has not yet been used, the
ticket information manager returns a message to the service
provider (via the credit card network if employed as part of the
system) that the ticket is valid, indicating that the user may
redeem a single use of the service provider's services, such as the
aforementioned round of golf, day of skiing or treatment at a
health spa or the like. The ticket information manager then records
data referenced to the ticket code to represent that the ticket has
been used, so that the ticket may not be used validly again (step
154).
[0055] By communicating to the service provider 80 that the ticket
is valid, the ticket information manager 70 basically indicates
that the ticketing program manager 95 will remit payment 81 to the
service provider 80 the purchase price of the service for which the
ticket user 35 has presented the ticket. If a credit card provider
is serving as the financial network and the communications network,
the ticket information manager can signal the credit card provider
to release funds from an escrow account maintained for the
ticketing program manager directly to the service provider's
account. To facilitate validation, it is possible for a service
provider that offers various services to report to the ticket
information manager that a particular service is being redeemed,
whereby the ticketing program manager can account for the amount to
be remitted. Finally, the ticket information manager sends a
notification to the financial network that a ticket has been
redeemed, at which point the financial network provider transfers
payment 81 from the ticketing program manager's account to the
service provider's account. (Step 155).
[0056] In the embodiment wherein the communications network 60 is
(or links with) an existing credit card network, credit for the
funds may be transferred from the ticketing program manager (or its
escrow account maintained by the credit card network) to the
service provider's account immediately in the same way as a credit
card transaction, but customer is not privy to the accounting
details of price and the like, and preferably is not required to
present identification or sign receipts or the like, because the
monetary transaction is between the ticketing program manager and
the service provider.
[0057] Although a credit card network can be used, the
communications network can be another public or private data
communications network, such as an Internet connection to a web
page hosted by (or for) the ticket information manager or
alternatively by the ticketing program manager. The ticketing
program manager can transfer funds to the service provider using a
variety of Internet-based services, such as Pay Pal, Bill Point,
etc. Otherwise, the ticketing program manager can make payment by
check or other means to service providers on a periodic basis to
account for the number of users that have used that service
provider's services since last payment. It will be recognized that
the separate functional blocks depicted in FIG. 1 as ticket
information manager 70 and ticketing program manager 95 may be
performed by the same entity. It should be recognized that an
escrow account cam be maintained either by the ticketing program
manager as depicted in FIG. 1 or by the financial network 90 on
behalf of the ticketing program manager.
[0058] If, at step 153, the ticket information manager determines
that the ticket does not have a valid identification code, or has a
code for a ticket that has already been used once, then a message
is returned to the service provider indicating that the ticket is
not valid and that the service provider should not accept the
ticket as payment for services. A similar message would result if,
at step 152, the ticket information manager does not recognize the
service provider as one who has agreed to participate in the
prepaid leisure activity services system. That is, the service
provider is not listed in the ticket information manager's
inclusion table.
[0059] It is an aspect of the invention that the gift ticket
carries information and functions as a means for the user to obtain
and remit for an incremental service, as opposed to an incremental
sum of money. The various service providers may actually charge
different amounts for services. A given service provider may assess
different charges at different times. Likewise the retailer that
originally sold the ticket to the customer may have more or less of
a markup. From the user's standpoint, the system treats the ticket
as the means to provide an increment of services (or possibly
goods) apart from these pricing considerations, which is
advantageous. At step 160, after the system has been in operation
for some period of time, the ticketing program manager can compare
and reconcile any overage/underage on proceeds received on tickets
presented for higher or lower priced service providers and/or sold
by sellers with higher or lower markups, and adjust pricing and
payment strategies or provider membership arrangements, if
necessary. These differences are absorbed and averaged by the
ticketing program manager, who can make certain decisions about how
the system is run and priced. For example, the ticketing program
manager may decide based on experience to adjust the sale price of
future tickets or may determine that certain sellers and/or
providers will or will not become or remain active, competition and
supply and demand causing the market to reach an equilibrium.
However, because the gift ticket represents credit for a service
and not a monetary value to the users, a change in price for new
ticket purchases will not affect the redeem-ability of tickets
already purchased.
[0060] In another embodiment of the invention, the purchasers or
ticket users are provided a capability to add a limited amount of
incremental value to the ticket (an upgrade), either at time of
purchase or at any time after purchase and prior to redemption of
the ticket for services (step 140). The addition of incremental
value can be employed at least two ways. The feature incorporating
the addition of incremental value can apply to allow use of the
ticket at service providers whose services are priced significantly
higher than the initial value of the ticket, e.g., services that
are substantially different and that might be expected to be priced
very differently from other services of the same category. If a
user wants to redeem the ticket at one of these service providers,
incremental value must first be added to the ticket. Incremental
value need not necessarily be an integer multiple of the ticket's
initial value, but can be a fraction of the initial value. However,
it is a particular feature of the invention that the ticket always
reflects incremental values, or credits, to the user, and not
monetary value. While the ticket information manager may store for
each ticket data representing the actual monetary value that has
been purchased by the ticket user, any features that allow the user
to retrieve information about the ticket (such as Interactive Voice
Response or Internet access described more fully below) will always
return incremental credit information and not monetary value to the
user. This distinction reinforces the premise that the ticket
represents the ability to redeem a service from agreed providers
regardless of the cost of that service.
[0061] In another method, additional incremental value is used to
allow the user to redeem the ticket to accommodate providing the
service to additional people at the time of redemption, for
example, so that the user and a guest or guests can pay for all of
their rounds of golf on the ticket. According to a preferred
arrangement, a ticket with additional incremental value, like an
initial ticket, cannot be presented on more than one occasion.
Instead, the ticket is marketed and used as a one-time-use ticket
for a given service, and adding increments refers to adding (or
perhaps changing) the service that is provided when the single use
is redeemed by one or more associated users. It will be recognized
that the incremental upgrades for higher-priced service providers
and for allowing additional guests can also be combined to allow
either or both options as part of the method.
[0062] The feature incorporating the addition of incremental value
can apply to allow use of the ticket at service providers whose
services are priced significantly higher than the initial value of
the ticket, e.g., services that are substantially different and
that might be expected to be priced very differently from other
services of the same category. If a user wants to redeem the ticket
at one of these service providers, incremental value must first be
added to the ticket. Incremental value need not necessarily be an
integer multiple of the ticket's initial value, but can be a
fraction of the initial value. However, it is a particular feature
of the invention that the ticket always reflects incremental
values, or credits, to the user, and not monetary value. While the
ticket information manager may store for each ticket data
representing the actual monetary value that has been purchased by
the ticket user, any features that allow the user to retrieve
information about the ticket (such as Interactive Voice Response or
Internet access described more fully below) will always return
incremental credit information and not monetary value to the user.
This distinction reinforces the premise that the ticket represents
the ability to redeem a service from agreed providers regardless of
the cost of that service.
[0063] In another embodiment of the invention, a user can purchase
additional incremental value directly from the ticketing program
manager, or an agent of the ticketing program manager. This can be
implemented in various ways, including via telephone or the
Internet.
[0064] A telephone-based method for allowing purchase of additional
incremental value can be implemented either with "live" operators
who respond to users' telephone calls or with Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) equipment. In a live operator system, the operators
will have access to the ticket information manager's database of
ticket (and, if applicable, user) information and can search,
access and modify the information via a computer terminal or like
device. Another option provides for the ticket information manager
(or, alternatively the ticketing program manager) to maintain an
(IVR) system that is entirely computerized. Users who call to add
additional value to their tickets will do so by entering numbers on
the telephone keypad, in response to computer-generated messages,
such as "Please enter 1 to add value to your ticket. Now enter your
16 digit ticket number followed by the pound sign." Ticket
information can be read back to the user with voice simulation or
prerecorded messages stored as a part of the IVR system. It is also
possible to combine live and IVR systems so that users have the
option of performing the transaction with a person or a
computer.
[0065] A further embodiment of the system provides for
Internet-based account management. The ticket information manager
(or, alternatively the ticketing program manager) can maintain
computers connected to the Internet and programmed to allow users
to access and update ticket information or upgrade ticket value via
a web page. The web address can be preprinted on the tickets or on
the packaging with which the tickets are sold. Upon entering the
ticket information manager's secure web site, users will be asked
to enter the unique identification code of their ticket. The ticket
information manager's computer will check the ticket number against
the database of valid ticket numbers and if the number is valid,
allow the user to add value to the ticket, and pay for the
transaction through a standard credit card. The ticket information
manager's database will then be updated to reflect the additional
value added to the user's ticket and credit will be added to the
ticketing program manager's account. In an Internet-based option,
the user can also use the Internet to simply verify ticket value or
expiration date and once connected to the ticket information
manager's web page also search for service providers in the user's
locality, or in a travel destination where the user expects to
redeem the ticket. This feature gives added value to service
providers since the web access gives the service providers an
opportunity to provide web page links with customized advertising
or other information in addition to standard information provided
by the ticketing program manager's web site.
[0066] In any embodiment of the invention that allows user
retrieval of ticket information, the actual cash value that has
been purchased in connection with the ticket is never available to
the user, only the number of incremental credits loaded onto the
ticket.
[0067] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the ticket
information manager's database can be set up to store information
beyond the ticket number and value associated with a ticket. For
example, user identification information such as name, address and
e-mail address can be stored at the time a user purchases a ticket.
Storage of this information would, for example, allow the ticketing
program manager to replace a lost ticket upon presentation by the
user of such personal identification information. The ticket
information manager can search its database for a user's name and
determine whether the user's ticket has been redeemed. If the
ticket has not yet been redeemed, then the lost ticket number can
be canceled and a new ticket issued to the user. This transaction
could be implemented either in person through a seller or with the
ticketing program manager (or, alternatively, the ticket
information manager) via telephone or the Internet as described
above. Recordation of user information can also provide a valuable
feature to service providers who, if given access to such
information (either for a fee or by other agreement with the
ticketing program manager) can access that information for
marketing purposes, and can target marketing specifically to users
who have redeemed their tickets at that particular service
provider.
[0068] In the case where a ticket can have additional incremental
value added, part of step 153 would include not only verifying that
the ticket is valid, but determining the total value of the ticket.
Again, the ticket's value as seen by a user is not intended to be
in monetary units, but incremental credits. For example, a ticket
may be initialized with one credit at time of sale (a base value),
and be valid for a single use at all service providers who accept
the base value. Additional credits can be fractions of the base
value. For example, additional increments might be one quarter of
the initial value. A user can then purchase four additional
increments to take a guest if that is a feature of the system, or
might purchase only the number of incremental credits to be able to
use the ticket at a service provider who does not accept the base
value of the ticket. In this embodiment of the invention, the
service provider will verify the ticket's validity and its value at
time of redemption. Because the ticket is a one-time-use ticket,
any additional value on the ticket that exceeds that needed for the
user to redeem the service will be lost to the user.
[0069] According to the foregoing principals, other embodiments of
the present invention may operate on a global computer network such
as the Internet or the like. The seller 20 and point of sale 50 may
be a venue owner with an online box office or the like. Thus seller
20 and point of sale 50 in the description of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be
a home site (of the venue owner) or node on the global computer
network.
[0070] Further the purchaser 30 may be a distributor or ticket
agent of the venue owner 20 and possibly of other venue owners. The
ticket agent 30 himself may have a home site/node on the global
computer network for selling tickets 40 to ticket users 35. This is
particularly ideal for venues with limited or certain seating
capacity (number of seats) per event (date/time). Examples include
concert halls, sports arenas, theatre houses/cinemas and other
spectator sports, leisure or entertainment facilities. Each ticket
is thus sold for a seat or certain date/time access to a showing,
session, event, appointment or the like.
[0071] In this case, seller/venue owner 20 computer node 501a and
purchaser/distributor agent 30 computer node 501b communicate with
one or more server(s) 601 operating ticket information manager 70
and ticketing program manager 95 as illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3
illustrates a computer network or similar digital processing
environment in which the present invention may be implemented.
[0072] Client computer(s)/devices 501 and server computer(s) 601
provide processing, storage, and input/output devices executing
application programs and the like. Client computer(s)/devices 501
can also be linked through general communications network 170 to
other computing devices, including other client devices/processes
501 and server computer(s) 601. General communications network 170
can be part of a remote access network, a global network (e.g., the
Internet), a worldwide collection of computers, Local area or Wide
area networks, and gateways that currently use respective protocols
(TCP/IP, Bluetooth, etc.) to communicate with one another. Other
electronic device/computer network architectures are suitable.
[0073] FIG. 4 is a diagram of the internal structure of a computer
(e.g., client processor/device 501 or server computers 601) in the
computer system of FIG. 3. Each computer 501, 601 contains system
bus 79, where a bus is a set of hardware lines used for data
transfer among the components of a computer or processing system.
Bus 79 is essentially a shared conduit that connects different
elements of a computer system (e.g., processor, disk storage,
memory, input/output ports, network ports, etc.) that enables the
transfer of information between the elements. Attached to system
bus 79 is I/O device interface 82 for connecting various input and
output devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, displays, printers,
speakers, etc.) to the computer 501, 601. Network interface 86
allows the computer to connect to various other devices attached to
a network (e.g., network 170 of FIG. 3). Memory 901 provides
volatile storage for computer software instructions 921 and data
941 used to implement an embodiment of the present invention (e.g.
ticket information manager 70, ticketing program manager 95 and the
steps of FIG. 2 detailed above). Disk storage 951 provides
non-volatile storage for computer software instructions 921 and
data 941 used to implement an embodiment of the present invention.
Central processor unit 84 is also attached to system bus 79 and
provides for the execution of computer instructions.
[0074] In one embodiment, the processor routines 921 and data 941
are a computer program product (generally referenced 921),
including a computer readable medium (e.g., a removable storage
medium such as one or more DVD-ROM's, CD-ROM's, diskettes, tapes,
etc.) that provides at least a portion of the software instructions
for the invention system. Computer program product 921 can be
installed by any suitable software installation procedure, as is
well known in the art. In another embodiment, at least a portion of
the software instructions may also be downloaded over a cable,
communication and/or wireless connection. In other embodiments, the
invention programs are a computer program propagated signal product
107 embodied on a propagated signal on a propagation medium (e.g.,
a radio wave, an infrared wave, a laser wave, a sound wave, or an
electrical wave propagated over a global network such as the
Internet, or other network(s)). Such carrier medium or signals
provide at least a portion of the software instructions for the
present invention routines/program 921.
[0075] In alternate embodiments, the propagated signal is an analog
carrier wave or digital signal carried on the propagated medium.
For example, the propagated signal may be a digitized signal
propagated over a global network (e.g., the Internet), a
telecommunications network, or other network. In one embodiment,
the propagated signal is a signal that is transmitted over the
propagation medium over a period of time, such as the instructions
for a software application sent in packets over a network over a
period of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or longer. In another
embodiment, the computer readable medium of computer program
product 921 is a propagation medium that the computer system 501
may receive and read, such as by receiving the propagation medium
and identifying a propagated signal embodied in the propagation
medium, as described above for computer program propagated signal
product.
[0076] Generally speaking, the term "carrier medium" or transient
carrier encompasses the foregoing transient signals, propagated
signals, propagated medium, storage medium and the like.
[0077] Ticket end-user 35 accesses the distributing agent node 501b
through global computer network 170. In particular, end user 35
computer 501c employs a browser to search, find and interactively
communicate with distributor agent home site at 501b. In turn, end
user 35 is able to log on to the distributor agent home site and
order desired electronic tickets 40. The electronic tickets
represent remittance for services and may be in non-paper
(electronic) form only. Distributor agent home site/node 501b in
communication with invention servers 601 effects steps 130-134 of
FIG. 2 discussed above.
[0078] Likewise, ticket end-user 35 may access the venue owner
(seller) 20 node 501a through global computer network 170. Through
his computer 501c browser, the ticket end-user 35 interactively
communicates with venue owner network site 501 a and purchases
desired electronic tickets 40. Venue owner network site/computer
node 501 a (in electronic-communication with server 601) effects
steps 130-134 of FIG. 2 described above with the purchasing party
being the ticket end-user 35.
[0079] Meanwhile the online transaction with the ticket end user 35
results in the end user 35 obtaining an electronic ticket 40 (in
the form of machine readable electronic code or data (e.g.
barcode), email confirmation, an electronic message, a pass number,
and the like) which is usable for remittance for services at the
particular service provider 80. A printable or other form of the
ticket 40 may also be supplied. Each form of ticket 40 represents
remittance for the user ordered services (i.e. certain concert,
movie, entertainment production, game/match, appointment,
reservation, etc.). In that sense, the electronic ticket 40 is a
"token" having a unique identification code as discussed above
which is used or associated with the electronic code data, email
confirmation, electronic message, pass number, etc.
[0080] To redeem the electronic ticket/token 40, the user presents
or otherwise communicates the electronic ticket (corresponding
electronic code data, email confirmation, electronic message, pass
number, etc.) to the service provider 80. This may include
electronic mailing, facsimile, text message or other digital
communication of the electronic ticket/token 40 data from the user
to the service provider 80. In case the end user forgets hard copy
of the ticket, he may have an electronic copy on a portable device
(for example) download, transmit or otherwise communicate the
ticket/token to the service provider for redemption. The
transaction with the service provider 80 affects steps 150-155 of
FIG. 2 as discussed above where invention servers 601 are
effectively coupled to the communication or credit card network 60.
The invention server node 601 affects step 160 of FIG. 2.
[0081] While this invention has been particularly shown and
described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the
scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
[0082] For example, the present invention may be implemented in a
variety of computer architectures. The computer network of FIGS. 3
and 4 are for purposes of illustration and not limitation of the
present invention. Servers 601 may be parallel processors, may
employ distributed processing or other configurations.
[0083] The term "distributor" may be a dedicated distributor of one
or more service providers 80, or may be a general distributor
across many and varied other providers and business entities.
Likewise, the term "ticket agent" may be a third party broker type
agent or more closely related agent of a service provider 80. It is
understood that various other parties may play effectively similar
roles or functions to those described above and are intended to
generally be covered by one of these terms.
[0084] Further the above terms describing the various services
and/or service providers and venues are for purposes of
illustration and not limitation. Given the foregoing examples, one
of ordinary skill will easily see application of the present
invention to numerous other industries, such as, but not limited
to, health and wellbeing services (hair
dresser/manicure/electrolysis appointments, chiropractor
appointments, spiritual or psychological session appointments,
etc.), private or group scheduled lessons or tutors (tennis/golf
lessons, music lessons, driving lessons, etc.) and industries which
utilize reservations, and so on.
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