U.S. patent application number 15/912415 was filed with the patent office on 2018-07-12 for system and methods for variable distribution and access control for purchased event tickets.
The applicant listed for this patent is eBay Inc.. Invention is credited to Cass Patrick Costello, Ashley Gibson, Julian Green, Geoffrey Wolfe.
Application Number | 20180197120 15/912415 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42221886 |
Filed Date | 2018-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180197120 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gibson; Ashley ; et
al. |
July 12, 2018 |
SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR VARIABLE DISTRIBUTION AND ACCESS CONTROL FOR
PURCHASED EVENT TICKETS
Abstract
A system and methods for providing variable distribution and
access control for purchased event tickets are described. In one
embodiment, a network-based system receives an order for electronic
tickets purchased by a buyer, receives one or more recipients other
than the buyer for one or more of the electronic tickets, receives
delivery options for the recipients from the buyer, receives
delivery information for the recipients from the buyer, and
delivers electronic ticket information to the recipients. Other
embodiments are described and claimed.
Inventors: |
Gibson; Ashley; (Pacifica,
CA) ; Costello; Cass Patrick; (Albany, CA) ;
Wolfe; Geoffrey; (Danville, CA) ; Green; Julian;
(San Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
eBay Inc. |
San Jose |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
42221886 |
Appl. No.: |
15/912415 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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|
14526331 |
Oct 28, 2014 |
9911086 |
|
|
15912415 |
|
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|
12325789 |
Dec 1, 2008 |
8870089 |
|
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14526331 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/12 20130101;
G06Q 20/3276 20130101; G07B 15/00 20130101; G06Q 20/045 20130101;
G06Q 20/1235 20130101; G06Q 10/02 20130101; G06Q 10/08
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/02 20120101
G06Q010/02; G06Q 20/12 20120101 G06Q020/12; G06Q 20/32 20120101
G06Q020/32; G06Q 10/08 20120101 G06Q010/08; G06Q 20/04 20120101
G06Q020/04 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A computer-implemented method for reducing network overhead
employed in a transaction involving variable distribution of a
plurality of electronic event tickets, the method comprising:
providing a user interface for display that contemporaneously
includes a plurality of delivery mode menus and a plurality of
delivery information fields, each delivery mode menu of the
plurality of delivery mode menus associated with a different
electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets and facilitating selection of a delivery mode from a
plurality of delivery modes, each delivery information field of the
plurality of delivery information fields facilitating input of
delivery information associated with a different delivery mode menu
of the plurality of delivery mode menus; receiving a plurality of
selected delivery modes and a plurality of delivery information
inputs, the plurality of selected delivery modes associated with
selections of delivery modes at the plurality of delivery mode
menus, the plurality of delivery information inputs associated with
inputs of delivery information at the plurality of delivery
information fields; and transmitting, according to an associated
selected delivery mode of the plurality of selected delivery modes
and an associated delivery information input of the plurality of
delivery information inputs, electronic event ticket information
for each electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic
event tickets, wherein the electronic event ticket information for
each electronic ticket of the plurality of electronic event tickets
includes control rights, including rights for a recipient of a
transmitted electronic event ticket to transfer the electronic
event ticket to a third party.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving confirmation
that the transmitted electronic event ticket information for at
least one of the plurality of electronic event tickets has been
accepted by a recipient.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of delivery modes
includes an email delivery mode, the plurality of delivery
information inputs includes an email address, and electronic event
ticket information associated with at least one electronic event
ticket of the plurality of electronic event tickets is transmitted
via email to the email address.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of delivery modes
includes a mobile device delivery mode, the plurality of delivery
information inputs includes a mobile device number, and electronic
event ticket information associated with at least one electronic
event ticket of the plurality of electronic event tickets is
transmitted via mobile device to the mobile device number.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user interface further
contemporaneously includes a plurality of recipient fields
facilitating input of recipient information for the plurality of
electronic event tickets.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting the
control rights to an event venue.
8. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving
confirmation that the transmitted electronic event ticket
information for at least one of the plurality of electronic event
tickets has been accepted by a recipient; and transmitting the
control rights to an event venue, wherein the user interface
further contemporaneously includes a plurality of recipient fields
facilitating input of recipient information for the plurality of
electronic event tickets, the plurality of delivery modes includes
an email delivery mode and a mobile device delivery mode, the
plurality of delivery information inputs including an email address
and a mobile device number, electronic event ticket information
associated with a first electronic event ticket of the plurality of
electronic event tickets is transmitted via email to the email
address, and electronic event ticket information associated with a
second electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets is transmitted via mobile device to the mobile device
number.
9. An electronic event ticketing system configured to reduce
network overhead employed in a transaction involving variable
distribution of a plurality of electronic event tickets, the
electronic event ticketing system configured to perform operations
comprising: providing a user interface for display that
contemporaneously includes a plurality of delivery mode menus and a
plurality of delivery information fields, each delivery mode menu
of the plurality of delivery mode menus associated with a different
electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets and facilitating selection of a delivery mode from a
plurality of delivery modes, each delivery information field of the
plurality of delivery information fields facilitating input of
delivery information associated with a different delivery mode menu
of the plurality of delivery mode menus; receiving a plurality of
selected delivery modes and a plurality of delivery information
inputs, the plurality of selected delivery modes associated with
selections of delivery modes at the plurality of delivery mode
menus, the plurality of delivery information inputs associated with
inputs of delivery information at the plurality of delivery
information fields; and transmitting, according to an associated
selected delivery mode of the plurality of selected delivery modes
and an associated delivery information input of the plurality of
delivery information inputs, electronic event ticket information
for each electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic
event tickets, wherein the electronic event ticket information for
each electronic ticket of the plurality of electronic event tickets
includes control rights, including rights for a recipient of a
transmitted electronic event ticket to transfer the electronic
event ticket to a third party.
10. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, the
operations further comprising receiving confirmation that the
transmitted electronic event ticket information for at least one of
the plurality of electronic event tickets has been accepted by a
recipient.
11. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, wherein the
plurality of delivery modes includes an email delivery mode, the
plurality of delivery information inputs includes an email address,
and electronic event ticket information associated with at least
one electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets is transmitted via email to the email address.
12. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, wherein the
plurality of delivery modes includes a mobile device delivery mode,
the plurality of delivery information inputs includes a mobile
device number, and electronic event ticket information associated
with at least one electronic event ticket of the plurality of
electronic event tickets is transmitted via mobile device to the
mobile device number.
13. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, wherein the
user interface further contemporaneously includes a plurality of
recipient fields facilitating input of recipient information for
the plurality of electronic event tickets.
14. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, the
operations further comprising transmitting the control rights to an
event venue.
15. The electronic event ticketing system of claim 9, the
operations further comprising receiving confirmation that the
transmitted electronic event ticket information for at least one of
the plurality of electronic event tickets has been accepted by a
recipient; and transmitting the control rights to an event venue,
wherein the user interface further contemporaneously includes a
plurality of recipient fields facilitating input of recipient
information for the plurality of electronic event tickets, the
plurality of delivery modes includes an email delivery mode and a
mobile device delivery mode, the plurality of delivery information
inputs including an email address and a mobile device number,
electronic event ticket information associated with a first
electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets is transmitted via email to the email address, and
electronic event ticket information associated with a second
electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets is transmitted via mobile device to the mobile device
number.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having encoded
therein programming code that when executed by at least one
processor cause or direct a system to perform operations to reduce
network overhead employed in a transaction involving variable
distribution of a plurality of electronic event tickets, the
operations comprising: providing a user interface for display that
contemporaneously includes a plurality of delivery mode menus and a
plurality of delivery information fields, each delivery mode menu
of the plurality of delivery mode menus associated with a different
electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic event
tickets and facilitating selection of a delivery mode from a
plurality of delivery modes, each delivery information field of the
plurality of delivery information fields facilitating input of
delivery information associated with a different delivery mode menu
of the plurality of delivery mode menus; receiving a plurality of
selected delivery modes and a plurality of delivery information
inputs, the plurality of selected delivery modes associated with
selections of delivery modes at the plurality of delivery mode
menus, the plurality of delivery information inputs associated with
inputs of delivery information at the plurality of delivery
information fields; and transmitting, according to an associated
selected delivery mode of the plurality of selected delivery modes
and an associated delivery information input of the plurality of
delivery information inputs, electronic event ticket information
for each electronic event ticket of the plurality of electronic
event tickets, wherein the electronic event ticket information for
each electronic ticket of the plurality of electronic event tickets
includes control rights, including rights for a recipient of a
transmitted electronic event ticket to transfer the electronic
event ticket to a third party.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the operations further comprise receiving confirmation that
the transmitted electronic event ticket information for at least
one of the plurality of electronic event tickets has been accepted
by a recipient.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the plurality of delivery modes includes an email delivery
mode, the plurality of delivery information inputs includes an
email address, and electronic event ticket information associated
with at least one electronic event ticket of the plurality of
electronic event tickets is transmitted via email to the email
address.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the plurality of delivery modes includes a mobile device
delivery mode, the plurality of delivery information inputs
includes a mobile device number, and electronic event ticket
information associated with at least one electronic event ticket of
the plurality of electronic event tickets is transmitted via mobile
device to the mobile device number.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the user interface further contemporaneously includes a
plurality of recipient fields facilitating input of recipient
information for the plurality of electronic event tickets.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,
wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the control
rights to an event venue.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/526,331, filed on Oct. 28, 2014; which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/325,789, filed
on Dec. 1, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,870,089, issued on Oct. 28,
2014; the disclosures of both of these applications and patents are
incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Computer systems and networks have facilitated the tasks of
buying, selling and transferring goods. For example, global
computer networks, such as the Internet, have allowed purchasers to
relatively quickly and efficiently seek and purchase goods online.
Similarly, global computer networks provide an efficient and
cost-effective medium for sellers to advertise, offer, provide, and
sell their goods. Electronic commerce companies provide buyers and
sellers with online services and the infrastructure to accept
orders of goods from remote purchasers, to perform the financial
transactions necessary to confirm and complete the sale of goods,
to ship or distribute the goods to remote purchasers, and to
perform other related logistics. For these reasons, sellers
actively use the Internet to offer, sell and distribute a wide
variety of goods to take advantage of the many benefits provided by
the Internet and electronic commerce.
[0003] One example of a market for goods within the realm of
electronic commerce is the online ticket. StubHub provides a
network-based system which implements an online ticket marketplace
for buyers and sellers of tickets for live events such as sports,
concerts, theater, and other entertainment events. The StubHub
online ticket marketplace enables legitimate, convenient, reliable,
and secure transactions at fair market value and provides ticket
fulfillment services, even for "sold out" events. Accordingly, the
StubHub online ticket marketplace provides benefits for fans who
wish to buy, sell or otherwise transfer tickets as well as for
teams, artists, and venues.
SUMMARY
[0004] A system and methods for providing variable distribution and
access control for purchased event tickets are described. In one
embodiment, a network-based system receives an order for electronic
tickets purchased by a buyer, receives one or more recipients other
than the buyer for one or more of the electronic tickets, receives
delivery options for the recipients from the buyer, receives
delivery information for the recipients from the buyer, and
delivers electronic ticket information to the recipients. Other
embodiments are described and claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages
of various embodiments will become more readily appreciated and
better understood by reference to the following detailed
description and the accompanying drawings.
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communications system
including a network-based system for providing online marketplace
and ticket fulfillment services in accordance with various
embodiments.
[0007] FIGS. 2-4 illustrate representations of user interfaces
displayed on a computer for providing variable distribution and
access control for purchased event tickets in accordance with
various embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 5 illustrates a logic flow including operations
performed by a computer to provide variable distribution and access
control for purchased event tickets in accordance with various
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Various embodiments are described for enabling an online
ticket marketplace to provide variable distribution and access
control for purchased event tickets. Numerous specific details are
set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that
the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances, well-known operations, components and circuits
have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the
embodiments. It can be appreciated that the specific structural and
functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do
not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments.
[0010] Reference throughout the specification to "various
embodiments," "some embodiments," "one embodiment," or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the
phrases "in various embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in one
embodiment," or "in an embodiment" in places throughout the
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or
characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or
more embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a communications system 100 suitable for
implementing various embodiments. The elements of the
communications system 100 generally may comprise physical or
logical entities for communicating information and, in some cases,
may be implemented as hardware, software, or combination thereof,
as desired for a given set of design parameters or performance
constraints. Although FIG. 1 includes a limited number of elements
for purposes of illustration, it can be appreciated that the
communications system 100 may include more or less elements as well
as other types of elements.
[0012] Various elements of the communications system 100 may be
implemented utilizing one or more computing devices having
computing and/or communications capabilities in accordance with the
described embodiments. Exemplary computing devices may include,
without limitation, a mobile device, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a mobile computing device, a communications device, a
telephone, a mobile telephone, a cellular telephone, a smart phone,
a handset, a one-way pager, a two-way pager, a messaging device, a
computer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a work
station, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer,
a handheld computer, a mini-computer, a network appliance, a web
appliance, a server, a server computer, a server array, a server
farm, an Internet server, a web server, a network server, a main
frame computer, a supercomputer, a distributed computing system,
multiprocessor system, processor-based systems, a control system,
consumer electronic equipment, a media device, a gaming device, a
television, a digital television, a set-top box (STB), wireless
access point, base station, subscriber station, mobile subscriber
center, radio network controller, a network access device, a
telephone network device, a mobile telephone network device, a VoIP
network device, a radio network device, a television network
device, a satellite network device, a router, a hub, a gateway, a
bridge, a switch, a machine, or combination thereof.
[0013] The computing devices utilized by the communications system
100 may be implemented by various hardware and/or software
components in accordance with the described embodiments. Exemplary
hardware components may include processing devices such as central
processing unit (CPU) and/or other processors, microprocessors,
application processors, radio processors, baseband processors,
digital signal processors (DSP), circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,
transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth),
integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits
(ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), a field programmable gate
array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips,
microchips, chip sets, memory such as volatile and/or nonvolatile
memory, a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or cathode
ray tube (CRT), input devices such a keyboard, mouse, stylus, touch
pad, and/or touch screen, networking devices such as ports, network
interface cards (NICs), transmitters, receivers, transceivers,
and/or antennas, as well as other components. Exemplary software
components may include computer programs, applications, application
programs, system programs, operating system (OS) software,
middleware, firmware, a software interface, a programmatic
interface, an application program interfaces (API), a network
interface, a web interface, a messaging interface, modules,
instruction sets, routines, subroutines, functions, calls,
computing code, or combination thereof.
[0014] Various elements of the communications system 100 may
support wired and/or wireless communications functionality in
accordance with the described embodiments. For example, some
computing devices may be arranged to communicate information over
one or more types of communication links such as a wire, cable,
bus, printed circuit board (PCB), backplane, switch fabric,
semiconductor material, twisted-pair wire, co-axial cable, fiber
optic connection, Ethernet connection, peer-to-peer (P2P)
connection, a data channel, a radio channel, a satellite channel, a
television channel, a broadcast channel, an infrared (IR) channel,
a radio-frequency (RF) channel, a portion of the RF spectrum, one
or more licensed or license-free frequency bands, and so forth.
[0015] Various elements of the communications system 100 may
support communication over one or more types of networks in
accordance with the described embodiments. For example, some
computing devices and networks may support communications over a
Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet, a telephone network (e.g.,
analog, digital, POTS, PSTN, ISDN, xDSL), a mobile telephone
network (e.g., CDMA, GSM, NDAC, TDMA, E-TDMA, NAMPS, WCDMA,
CDMA-2000, UMTS, 3G, 4G), a radio network, a television network, a
cable network, an optical network (e.g., PON), a satellite network
(e.g., VSAT), a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched
network, a public network, a private network, and/or other wired or
wireless communications network configured to carry data. Computing
devices and networks also may support wireless wide area network
(WWAN) communications services including Internet access such as
EV-DO, EV-DV, CDMA/1xRTT, GSMIGPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, and
others.
[0016] Computing devices and networks may support wireless local
area network (WLAN) and/or wireless metropolitan are network (WMAN)
data communications functionality in accordance with Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, protocols,
and variants such as IEEE 802.11 ("WiFi"), IEEE 802.16 ("WiMAX"),
IEEE 802.20x ("Mobile-Fi"), and others. Computing devices and
networks also may support short range communication such as a
wireless personal area network (WPAN) communication, Bluetooth(r)
data communication, infrared (IR) communication, near-field
communication, electro-magnetic induction (EMI) communication,
passive or active RFID communication, micro-impulse radar (MIR),
ultra-wide band (UWB) communication, automatic identification and
data capture (AIDC) communication, and others.
[0017] Further aspects and advantages of various embodiments will
become more readily appreciated and better understood by the
following description of the elements of the communications system
100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Although certain exemplary embodiments
and implementations may be illustrated and described as comprising
a particular combination of elements and performing a particular
set of operations, it is to be understood that the principles and
techniques discussed herein are not limited to such examples.
[0018] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the communications system
100 includes, among other elements, a client 102 which may comprise
or employ one or more client devices 104 such as a mobile computing
device, a PC, and/or any other computing device having computing
and/or communications capabilities in accordance with the described
embodiments. The client devices 104 generally may provide one or
more client programs 106 such as system programs and application
programs to perform various computing and/or communications
operations. Exemplary system programs may include, without
limitation, an operating system (e.g., MICROSOFT.RTM. OS, UNIX.RTM.
OS, LINUX.RTM. OS, Symbian OS.TM., Embedix OS, Binary Run-time
Environment for Wireless (BREW) OS, JavaOS, a Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP) OS, and others), device drivers, programming tools,
utility programs, software libraries, application programming
interfaces (APIs), and so forth. Exemplary application programs may
include, without limitation, a web browser application, messaging
applications (e.g., e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, telephone, voicemail,
VoIP, video messaging), contacts application, calendar application,
electronic document application, database application, media
application (e.g., music, video, television), location-based
services (LBS) application (e.g., GPS, mapping, directions,
point-of-interest, locator), and so forth. In some usage scenarios,
one or more of the client programs 106 may display various
graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to present information to and/or
receive information from one or more of the client devices 104.
[0019] As shown, the client 102 is communicatively coupled via one
or more networks 108 to a network-based system 110. The
network-based system 110 may be structured, arranged, and/or
configured to allow the client 102 to establish one or more
communications sessions with the network-based system 110 using
various computing devices 104 and/or client programs 106.
Accordingly, a communications session between the client 102 and
the network-based system 110 may involve the unidirectional and/or
bidirectional exchange of information and may occur over one or
more types of networks 108 depending on the mode of communication.
While the embodiment of FIG. 1 illustrates the communications
system 100 deployed in a client-server operating environment, it is
to be understood that other suitable operating environments and/or
architectures may be used in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0020] Data and/or voice communications between the client 102 and
the network-based system 110 may be sent and received over one or
more networks 108 such as the Internet, a WAN, a WWAN, a WLAN, a
mobile telephone network, a landline telephone network, a VoIP
network, as well as other suitable networks. For example, the
client 102 may communicate with the network-based system 110 over
the Internet or other suitable WAN by sending and or receiving
information via interaction with a web site, e-mail, IM session,
and/or video messaging session. The client 102 also may communicate
with the network-based system 110 via a telephone call to a
customer service agent and/or interactive voice response (IVR)
system made over a mobile telephone network, a landline network,
and/or a VoIP network. In wireless implementations, the client 102
may communicate with the network-based system 110 over the Internet
via a WLAN or mobile telephone network that supports WW AN
communications services. The client 102 also may communicate over a
mobile telephone network via SMS and/or MMS messaging. It is to be
appreciated that the embodiments are not limited in this
regard.
[0021] In various usage scenarios, communication sessions and/or
messaging between the client 102 and the network-based system 110
may involve multiple modes of communication and/or multiple
networks. In some cases, for example, the client 102 may initiate
communication with the network-based system 110 by interacting with
a web site. In response, the network-based system 110 may
communicate with the client 102 in a variety of ways such as via
the web site, e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and/or a telephone call from a
customer service agent and/or IVR system. The communication from
the network-based system 110 may comprise a message (e.g., e-mail,
IM, SMS, MMS) containing relevant static or dynamic content, an
embedded hyperlinked URL for directing the client 102 to a web
site, and/or a hyperlinked telephone number for allowing the client
102 to click and place a telephone call to an agent (e.g., customer
service agent and/or IVR system) of the network-based system
110.
[0022] When communicating with the network-based system 110, the
client 102 may employ one or more client devices 104 and/or client
programs 106. In various implementations, the client devices 104
and/or client programs 106 may host or provide one or more
interfaces for communicating with the network-based system 110.
Exemplary interfaces may include a web interface, an API interface,
a messaging interface, and/or other suitable communication
interface in accordance with the described embodiments. The client
programs 106 for communicating with the network-based system 110
may comprise, for example, pre-installed, authored, downloaded,
and/or web-based computer programs.
[0023] The client programs 106 provided by one or more of the
client devices 104 (e.g., mobile computing device and/or PC) may
include a web client. The web client may comprise, for example, a
desktop and/or mobile (e.g., WAP) web browser (e.g., Internet
Explorer.RTM., Mozilla.RTM., Firefox.RTM., Safari.RTM., Opera.RTM.,
Netscape Navigator.RTM., etc.) capable of rendering web pages
(e.g., HTML documents) and supporting various browser-based web
technologies and programming languages such as HTML, XHTML, CSS,
Document Object Model (DOM), XML, XSLT, XMLHttpRequestObject,
JavaScript, ECMAScript, J script, Ajax, Flash.RTM.,
Silverlight.TM., Visual Basic.RTM. (VB), VB Scripting Edition
(VBScript), PHP, ASP, Java.RTM., Shockwave.RTM., Python, Peri.RTM.,
C#/.net, and/or others.
[0024] In various usage scenarios, the client 102 may use a web
client to provide an interface (e.g., HTTP interface) for
navigating to a web site associated with the network-based system
110 and for requesting and receiving web page data from the
network-based system 110. For example, the client 102 may use the
web client to navigate to a web site associated with the
network-based system 110 by entering a URL into a web browser
address bar and/or by clicking on a hyperlinked URL delivered to
the client 102 via a web page, web-based application, e-mail, IM,
SMS, MMS, and/or other delivery mechanism.
[0025] In one or more embodiments, the web client may comprise or
be implemented as a web browser toolbar for communicating with the
network-based system 110. In such embodiments, the web browser
toolbar may include, for example, a button (e.g., dedicated,
customized, add-on) and/or a hyperlinked URL for navigating to a
web site associated with the network-based system 110. The web
browser toolbar also may implement enhanced features such as a
search engine interface (e.g., text entry box, input fields,
checkboxes, clickable hyperlinks) and/or one or more pull-down
menus for accessing the network-based system 110, sending
information (e.g., search query, keywords, user preferences, menu
selections) to the network-based system 110, and/or receiving
information (e.g., search results, relevant static or dynamic
content) from the network-based system 110.
[0026] In one or more embodiments, the web client may comprise or
be implemented as a widget such as a desktop or mobile widget for
communicating with the network-based system 110. In such
embodiments, the desktop or mobile widget may comprise web-based
code, an interpreter, a virtual machine, and/or an API
implementation to request, receive, present, and/or update content
hosted by the network-based system 110. The desktop or mobile
widget may comprise, for example, a client-side web application
displayed on the desktop or phone-top of one or more of the client
devices 104 implemented using various web technologies and
programming languages. In various implementations, the desktop or
mobile widget may be supported by a host runtime environment such
as a web browser or suitable rendering engine and/or may be
installed and run as a stand-alone application outside of a web
browser.
[0027] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
provide users with one or more client-side web applications as
described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/262,468
titled "System and Methods for Providing Location-Based Upcoming
Event Information Using a Client-Side Web Application Implemented
on a Client Device," which was filed on Nov. 31, 2008 and is
incorporated by reference in its entirety. In such embodiments,
once downloaded and installed on a client device (e.g., PC or
mobile device) of the user, the client-side web application may be
configured to provide upcoming event information based upon the
location of the user.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the communications system 100 includes,
among other elements, a third party 112 which may comprise or
employ a third-party server 114 hosting a third-party application
116. In various implementations, the third-party server 114 and/or
third-party application 116 may host a web site associated with or
employed by a third party 112 such as an affiliate, partner, or
other third-party entity or user in accordance with the described
embodiments. It can be appreciated that, in some implementations,
the third party 112 may provide the third-party application 116 for
promoting, enhancing, complementing, supplementing, and/or
substituting for one more services provided by the network-based
system 110. For example, the third-party server 114 and/or
third-party application 116 may enable the network-based system 110
to provide the client 102 with additional services and/or
information such as additional ticket inventory.
[0029] In some usage scenarios, one or more of the client programs
106 may be used to access the network-based system 110 via the
third party 112. For example, the client 102 may use a web client
to access and/or receive content from the network-based system 110
after initially communicating with a third-party web site. The web
site of the third party 112 (e.g., affiliate, partner) may
comprise, for example, a hyperlinked advertisement, a web widget,
and/or an API implementation comprising web-based code within a web
page to present static or dynamic content hosted by the
network-based system 110 and/or to provide programmatic access to
the network-based system 110.
[0030] It can be appreciated that the hyperlinked advertisement,
web widget, and/or API implementation for communicating with the
network-based system 110 may be hosted by various third-party web
sites such as an affiliate web site, a partner web site, an online
marketplace web site, an entertainment web site, a sports web site,
a media web site, a search engine web site, a social networking web
site, a blog, and/or any other corporate or personal web site or
web page in accordance with the described embodiments. In some
cases, the third party 112 may be directly or indirectly
compensated for directing traffic from the third-party web site to
the web site of the network-based system 110 and/or in the event
that an electronic commerce transaction results after a user is
directed from the third-party web sites to the web site of the
network-based system 110.
[0031] In various embodiments, the web client and/or the
network-based system 110 may provide the user with the ability to
receive and aggregate content and/or online marketplace and ticket
fulfillment services of the network-based system 110 and other
third-party services (eBay.RTM. services, Kijiji.TM. services,
PayPal.TM. services, etc.). For example, the web client may display
location-based upcoming event information that includes event
listings published by sellers via the online marketplace services
of the network-based system 110 as well as event listings published
by sellers via one or more third-party online marketplace services
(e.g., eBay.RTM. services, Kijiji.TM. services). In such
embodiments, the client-side web application may display an
aggregate of ticket inventory available from multiple online
marketplaces providing the user with multiple purchasing
options.
[0032] The client programs 106 executed by one or more of the
client devices 104 may include a programmatic client for accessing
and communicating with the network-based system 110. Along with
performing a certain set of functions, the programmatic client may
include, for example, an implementation of an API provided by the
network-based system 110 for enabling access to and/or
communication with various elements (e.g., servers, databases) of
the network-based system 110. In various embodiments, the API
implementation may comprise executable code in accordance with an
SDK provided by the network-based system 110.
[0033] In some usage scenarios, the programmatic client may be
implemented as a stand-alone or web based database, point-of-sale
(POS), and/or inventory management application for managing a large
volume of available inventory and communicating with the
network-based system 110. The programmatic client may be employed,
for example, by high-volume sellers to author, update, and manage a
large number of inventory listings. In some cases, a high-volume
seller may use the programmatic client to perform batch-mode
communication with the network-based system 110. The batch-mode
communication from the high-volume seller may comprise data for
numerous inventory items (e.g., hundreds, thousands) for
publication by the network-based system 110. The programmatic
client also may be used to communicate with the network-based
systems in real-time. For example, communications from the
high-volume seller may comprise real-time inventory updates so that
the listings published by the network-based system 110 accurately
reflect the available inventory of the high-volume seller.
[0034] The client programs 106 executed by one or more of the
client devices 104 (e.g., mobile computing device and/or PC) also
may include a messaging client. The messaging client may comprise,
for example, an application that supports one or more modes of
communication such as e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, telephone, VoIP, video
messaging, and so forth. It can be appreciated that some messaging
clients may required and/or launch an Internet connection in the
background when executed.
[0035] In accordance with various embodiments, the network-based
system 110 may communicate with and provide services to users such
as buyers and/or sellers of goods such as event tickets. For
example, the network-based system 110 may comprise or implement an
online ticket marketplace for buyers and sellers of tickets for
live events such as sports, concerts, theater, and other
entertainment events.
[0036] It is to be appreciated that goods for purchase and/or sale
may include both tangible goods (e.g., physical tickets, electronic
tickets), intangible goods (e.g., rights and/or licenses that are
afforded by the tickets), and other goods in accordance with the
described embodiments. It also is to be appreciated that users
other than buyers and/or sellers may communicate with the
network-based system 110. In some cases, for example, the client
102 may be associated with an administrator or customer service
agent and may communicate with the network-based system 110 to
monitor, update, and/or otherwise manage one or more computing
devices and/or services of the network-based system 110.
[0037] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the
network-based system 110 for providing online ticket marketplace.
As shown, the network-based system 110 may comprise or implement a
plurality of servers and/or software components that operate to
perform various methodologies in accordance with the described
embodiments. Exemplary servers may include, for example,
stand-alone and enterprise-class servers operating a server OS such
as a MICROSOFT.RTM. OS, a UNIX.RTM. OS, a LINUX.RTM. OS, or other
suitable server-based OS, It can be appreciated that the servers
illustrated in FIG. 1 may be deployed in other ways and that the
operations performed and/or the services provided by such servers
may be combined or separated for a given implementation and may be
performed by a greater number or fewer number of servers.
[0038] In various implementations, the servers of the network-based
system 110 may comprise or implement software components deployed
in a tiered environment, where one or more servers are used to host
server software running in each tier. For example, using a
three-tiered architecture, one or more server software components
may be hosted by front-end servers, one more server software
components may be hosted by a middle tier or middleware implemented
by application servers, and one more server software components may
be hosted by a back-end tier implemented by databases and/or file
systems. In some embodiments, servers of the network-based system
110 may be communicatively coupled with each other via a local area
network (LAN) and/or suitable intranet or back-end network.
[0039] The network-based system 110 may comprise one or more
communications servers 120 for providing suitable interfaces to
enable communication using various modes of communication and/or
via one or more networks 108. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the
communications servers 112 include a web server 122, an API server
124, and a messaging server 126 to provide interfaces to one or
more application servers 130. The application servers 130 of the
network-based system 110 may be structured, arranged, and/or
configured to provide various online marketplace and/or ticket
fulfillment services to users that access the network-based system
110.
[0040] In various usage scenarios, the client 102 may communicate
with the applications servers 130 of the network-based system 110
via one or more of a web interface provided by the web server 122,
a programmatic interface provided by the API server 124, and a
messaging interface provided by the messaging server 126. It can be
appreciated that the web server 122, the API server 124, and the
messaging server 126 may be structured, arranged, and/or configured
to communicate with various types of client devices 104 and/or
client programs 106 and may interoperate with each other in some
implementations.
[0041] The web server 122 may be arranged to host web pages (e.g.,
HTML documents) and provide an appropriate web interface (e.g.,
HTTP, CGI, etc.) for enabling data to be presented to and received
from entities via the Internet. The web server 122 may be arranged
to communicate with web clients and/or applications such as a web
browser, web browser toolbar, desktop widget, mobile widget,
web-based application, web-based interpreter, virtual machine, and
so forth. The web server 122 may provide a web interface to enable
access by the client 102 and/or the third party 112 to the various
services and functions provided by the application servers 130. For
example, the web server 122 may be arranged to receive data from
the client 102 and/or third party 112 and to pass the data to one
or more application servers 130 within the network-based system
110. The web server 122 also may present the client 102 and/or
third party 112 with relevant static and dynamic content hosted by
the network-based system 110 in response to various requests and/or
events.
[0042] The API server 124 may be arranged to communicate with
various client programs 106 and/or a third-party application 116
(e.g., third-party web site) comprising an implementation of API
for the network-based system 110. The API server 124 may provide a
programmatic interface to enable access by the client 102 and/or
the third party 112 to the various services and functions provided
by the application servers 130. For example, the programmatic
interface provided by the API server 124 may be used for batch-mode
and/or real-time communication with a high-volume seller for
receiving and updating inventory listings. The programmatic
interface provided by the API server 124 also may be used to
communicate relevant static or dynamic content hosted by the
network-based system 110 to an API implementation of one or more
client programs 106 and/or a third-party application 116 (e.g.,
third-party web site). The API implementation may comprise, for
example, executable code in accordance with a SDK provided by the
network-based system 110.
[0043] The messaging server 126 may be arranged to communicate with
various messaging clients and/or applications such as e-mail, IM,
SMS, MMS, telephone, VoIP, video messaging, and so forth. The
messaging server 126 may provide a messaging interface to enable
access by the client 102 and/or the third party 112 to the various
services and functions provided by the application servers 130. For
example, the messaging interface provided by the messaging server
126 may be used to communicate with the client 102 and/or the third
party 112 in a variety of ways such as via e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS,
video messaging, and/or a telephone call (e.g., landline, mobile,
VoIP) with a customer service agent and/or IVR system.
[0044] When implemented as an online ticket marketplace, the
application servers 130 of the network-based system 110 may provide
various online marketplace and ticket fulfillment services
including, for example, account services, buying services, selling
services, listing catalog services, dynamic content management
services, delivery services, payment services, and notification
services. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the
application servers 130 may comprise an account server 132, a
buying server 134, a selling server 136, a listing catalog server
138, a dynamic content management server 140, a payment server 142,
a notification server 144, and a delivery server 146 structured and
arranged to provide such online marketplace and ticket fulfillment
services.
[0045] The application servers 130, in turn, may be coupled to and
capable of accessing one or more databases 150 including a
subscriber database 152, an active events database 154, and a
transaction database 156. The databases 150 generally may store and
maintain various types of information for use by the application
servers 130 and may comprise or be implemented by various types of
computer storage devices (e.g., servers, memory) and/or database
structures (e.g., relational, object-oriented, hierarchical,
dimensional, network) in accordance with the described
embodiments.
Account Services
[0046] The account server 132 implemented by one or more of the
application servers 130 may allow a user to establish and/or manage
a subscriber account with the network-based system 110. For
example, while some services provided by the network-based system
110 may be generally accessible, a user may be required to access
an existing subscriber account or register a new subscriber account
with the network-based system 110 in order to receive certain
customized and/or subscriber-specific services.
[0047] To create a subscriber account, a user may provide the
network-based system 110 with account information such as a unique
username, e-mail address, password, name, location (e.g., address,
city, country, and/or zip code), telephone numbers (e.g., home,
work, and/or mobile), and/or other required information for
identifying and/or authenticating the user. After receiving the
required account information and instructions from the user to
create the subscriber account, the network-based system 110 may
create the subscriber account and store the account information in
the subscriber database 152.
[0048] After a subscriber account is created, the user may view
and/or make changes to account information, add or edit existing
contacts, retrieve or change the password, view and edit sources of
funds and/or financial value on file, view and edit payment
options, and/or otherwise manage the subscriber account.
[0049] To effectuate the buying or selling of goods such as event
tickets, the user may be required to link the subscriber account of
to a source of funds and/or financial value for completing
different transactions via the network-based system 110. It can be
appreciated that the user may provide various types of entities or
third-party financial accounts capable of supplying or receiving
funds and/or financial value in accordance with the described
embodiments. Exemplary entities and/or third-party financial
accounts may include, without limitation, a bank, bank account,
lender, line-of-credit, credit card company, credit card account,
debit card, prepaid debit card account, third-party payment
services account (e.g., PayPal.TM. account), payroll account,
check, money order, or any other suitable source of financial
value.
[0050] Additionally or alternatively to linking the subscriber
account to a source of financial value based on a commercial
currency (e.g., U.S. dollar), a user may link to the subscriber
account to a source of financial value based on a proprietary
and/or promotional currency (e.g., points, rewards, coupons)
capable of accumulation and/or redemption by the user to pay for
goods or services. It can be appreciated that multiple sources of
funds and/or financial value associated with the user may be linked
to the subscriber account enabling the user to select among such
sources to effectuate different payment transactions via the
network-based system 110.
[0051] The user may select various options for receiving payment
when a sale is effectuated via the network-based system 110. For
example, the user may request payment for sales via check, deposit
to a third-party payment services account (e.g., PayPal.TM.
account) or Season Ticket Account, and/or other type of source
capable of receiving funds and/or financial value in accordance
with the described embodiments. In some implementations, the user
may select to donate some or all of the proceeds of a sale to a
third-party such as a non-profit organization or entity (e.g.,
charity, foundation, fund, alliance, society) as described in
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/697,850 titled
"System and Method for Providing Logistics for a Sale or Transfer
of Goods with Proceeds Provided to a Third Party," which was filed
on Oct. 30, 2003 and is incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
[0052] When accessing the subscriber account, the user may view
and/or manage various details of past and pending transactions. For
example, the subscriber account may provide a seller with details
regarding past and pending ticket sale listings (e.g., shipped,
canceled, inactive, expired, deleted, active, pending confirmation,
awaiting shipment) and may allow the user to track event listings,
modify the prices of event listings, view and confirm received
orders, view and confirm orders to ship, print or reprint shipping
labels, view shipped orders, view canceled orders, view the status
of payments and edit payment options, view past payments, and so
forth. The subscriber account also may provide a buyer with details
regarding past and pending ticket purchase transactions (e.g., past
orders, purchased, delivered, canceled, expired, order status,
delivery status, active bids, auctions lost) and may allow the user
to view order history, track active bids, modify offers, download
and print electronic tickets, view and edit payment options, and so
forth.
[0053] In various implementations, the user may customize a
subscriber account with one or more interests and ticketing
preferences. For example, the user may add and edit information
associated with the subscriber account regarding one or more
cities, venues, artists, teams and sporting events, theaters, and
season ticket and packages of interest to the user.
[0054] The user also may customize a subscriber account with one or
more notification preferences. For example, the user may configure
the subscriber account to receive notifications, change
notifications, and/or discontinue notifications. In some cases, the
user may request to receive promotions via an e-mail newsletter
featuring events happening in a particular location. The user also
may subscribe to receive customized alert notifications in a
variety of ways such as via e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and/or other
suitable delivery mechanism. In addition to receiving such
notifications via e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, the user may access the
subscriber account and view recent notifications such as alert
notifications and other messages received in the past week.
Selling Services
[0055] The selling server 134 implemented by one or more of the
application servers 130 may allow a user to offer goods for sale
via an online marketplace provided by the network-based system 110.
To list goods for sale such as a single or multiple event tickets,
a seller may provide the network-based system 110 with required
event information such as event, location of the tickets, sale
type, ticket quantity, seating details (e.g., section, row, seat,
comments), price, and payment method. After receiving the required
event information and instructions from the seller to publish an
event listing, the network-based system 110 may create an active
event and store the event information in the active events database
154 for publication to users of the network-based system 110. It
can be appreciated that upon the sale of the tickets, one or more
delivery options may be available depending on the locations of the
buyer and the seller, the time remaining before the event, and/or
the form of the tickets (e.g., physical tickets, electronic
tickets).
[0056] In various embodiments, a seller may post an event for
publication as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/689,787 titled "System and Method for Posting Multiple Items
for Sale," which was filed on Mar. 22, 2007 and is incorporated by
reference in its entirety. In such embodiments, the seller may
select the appropriate type of event, city, or venue for event
tickets being offered for sale, and then may be queried or prompted
to select a specific event after making selections from various
categories and subcategories presented via a set of interactive
pull-down menus.
[0057] In one implementation, for example, a seller may be
presented with a pull-down menu listing categories such as sports
tickets, concert tickets, theater and arts tickets, and ticket gift
certificates. If the seller selects the sports tickets category, a
pull-down menu listing sports tickets such as baseball tickets,
basketball tickets, football tickets, and other types of sports
tickets is presented. If the seller then selects football tickets,
a pull-down menu listing sports subcategories such as NFL tickets,
CFL tickets, and NCAA tickets is presented. If the seller selects
the NFL tickets, a pull-down menu listing ticket subcategories such
as NFL regular season tickets, NFL playoff tickets, and NFL pro
bowl tickets is presented. If the seller selects the NFL regular
season tickets, a pull-down menu listing NFL teams is presented.
Once the seller selects tickets for particular NFL team, a listing
of available events including event details (e.g., team and
opponent, date, time, venue name) for the team are displayed which
can be sorted by event, date, and venue. The seller may then select
an event from the listing of available events. It can be
appreciated that appropriate sets of pull-down menus for listing
categories and successive subcategories may be presented for any
type of event ticket in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0058] After an event has been selected, the seller may provide the
network-based system 110 with the shipping location of the tickets
and verify current contact information (e.g., address and telephone
phone number). The seller may provide a sale type such as a fixed
price sale (e.g., set price capable of subsequent modification), a
declining price sale (e.g., automatically decreasing price over
time from maximum price to minimum), or an auction sale (e.g.,
buyers bid from a starting price during an open period with the
highest bidder placing an order when the auction closes).
[0059] The seller may provide the ticket quantity for specific
seats or general admission. The seller may provide the ticket
quantity and may allow the quantity of offered tickets to be split
among several buyers in multiples of two. The seller may provide
seating and ticket details for the offered tickets such as section,
row, seat numbers, and may provide other comments. In some cases,
the seller may select to prevent buyers from viewing the specific
seat numbers when the event listing is published by the
network-based system 110.
[0060] The seller may provide the price per ticket and the ending
date of the sale when the event listing is to be removed from
publication. For some events, the event listing may expire three
business days before the event. In certain markets, tickets may be
sold on consignment and the listing may remain until the start of
the event.
[0061] The seller may provide a selected payment method for the
sale of the tickets such as via check, deposit to a third-party
payment services account (e.g., PayPal.TM. account), Season Ticket
Account, and/or other type of source capable of receiving funds
and/or financial value, and/or donation to a third-party such as a
nonprofit organization or entity.
Buying Services
[0062] The buying server 136 implemented by one or more of the
application servers 130 may allow a user to locate goods offered
for sale via an online marketplace provided by the network-based
system 110. To find goods for sale such as a single or multiple
event tickets, a buyer may view active event listing published by
the network-based system 110.
[0063] In accordance with various embodiments, information may be
presented to and/or received from information from the user via one
or more user interfaces presented on the display of a client device
(e.g., PC or mobile device). The user interfaces presented to the
user by a client-side web application may comprise a search engine
interface (e.g., text entry boxes, input fields, checkboxes,
clickable hyperlinks, pull-down menus, etc.) for allowing the user
to provide event criteria for searching and/or filtering event
listings. The user interfaces presented to the user also may
comprise search results including upcoming event listings that
satisfy the event criteria.
[0064] For example, the buyer may browse active event listings by
clicking and following links for various event categories and
subcategories such as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater
tickets, cities, sports, teams, artists, show type (e.g., Broadway,
opera, ballet, comedy), event names, and so forth. The buyer also
may search for events using a search engine interface and/or one or
more pull-down menus. For example, the buyer may enter one or more
keywords into a search engine text entry box and view results
comprising active events that satisfy the query. In various
implementations, the buyer may be presented with a ticket finder
screen comprising a plurality of pull-down menus for allowing the
buyer to quickly formulate a search by selecting a category (e.g.,
sports, concert, theater, etc.), a location (e.g., city), and a
number of tickets from the pull-down menus.
[0065] In some embodiments, a user may search for and/or request
upcoming event information based on a variety of event criteria
such as an event name, category, city, venue, artist, genre, team,
player (e.g., starting pitcher, favorite player), theater, date
range, date, number of tickets, price range, ticket attributes
(e.g., zone range, zone, section range, section, row range, row,
seat number range, seat number), and/or combination thereof.
Accordingly, the event criteria included in a search query may
comprise ticket attributes as well as one or more conditions
associated with the event parameters for requesting information for
such upcoming events only when such conditions are met.
[0066] It can be appreciated that various combinations of event
criteria are possible in accordance with the described embodiments.
For example, a user may request upcoming event information
specifying combinations such as a certain number of tickets and a
maximum price, a particular artist and a certain city, a certain
player and a particular event venue, and so forth. A user also may
request upcoming event information based on one or more ticket
attributes. For instance, a user may request a certain number of
tickets for an upcoming event in one or more specified zones,
sections, rows, and/or or seats. Additionally, event criteria may
be applied alone or in combination across one or more events. A
user may request, for example, tickets in a certain row (e.g.,
front row) or row range (e.g., rows 1-5) within a specified zone
(e.g., club infield) or section (e.g., section 224) for a
designated team (e.g., professional baseball team) and/or for one
or more games (e.g., particular opponent, rivalry game). The
embodiments are not limited in the regard.
[0067] It can be appreciated that in some cases, an upcoming event
may not satisfy all event criteria specified by the user. For
example, tickets for an upcoming event may be available but not
within a price range specified by the user. Additionally, there may
be no upcoming events that satisfy the event criteria specified by
the user when there are no available tickets such as when no
sellers have listed tickets for an event and/or before tickets for
an event go on sale. In such cases, the client-side web application
may inform the user that there are no search results satisfying the
search criteria and then perform a new search with relaxed search
criteria. Alternatively or additionally, the client-side web
application may automatically relax the search criteria and attempt
another search.
[0068] Once a buyer has located and selected an event, the tickets
being offered for sale for the event may be presented to the buyer.
In various embodiments, the user may view the details of tickets
being offered for sale and the location of tickets in the event
venue as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/552,782 titled "Method and System for Illustrating Where a
Ticket is Located in an Event Venue," which was filed on Oct. 25,
2006 and is incorporated by reference in its entirety. In such
embodiments, the buyer may be presented with an interactive event
venue seat map and details of available tickets according to
criteria specified by the buyer.
[0069] In one implementation, for example, after selecting an event
the buyer may be presented with an interactive event venue seat map
and an initial listing of all event tickets for sale. The event
listings may include details such as section, row, quantity, and
price and may be sorted by the buyer according to such details. The
sections of the interactive event venue seat map for which tickets
are available may be displayed in color while sections having no
available tickets may be displayed in white.
[0070] Within the interactive event venue seat map, comparable or
similarly-located (e.g., upper level) sections having available
tickets may be displayed in the same color while sections having
available tickets that are not comparable or similarly-located may
be displayed in different colors. For example, the colors used in
the sections may correspond to zones for the sections with each
zone comprising several comparable or similarly-located sections.
Along with the interactive event venue seat map, the buyer may be
presented list comprising the different zone names and the color
used for each zone. The names of zones having available tickets may
be displayed in black text, while the names of zones having no
available tickets may be displayed in gray text.
[0071] When presented with the interactive event venue seat map,
the buyer may roll over a particular section causing a roll-over
screen to appear indicating the quantity and price range of tickets
available in that section. By clicking on a particular section, the
event listings may be filtered to display only the event listings
in the selected section along with the specific details (e.g.,
section, row, quantity, price) for such tickets. The buyer also may
zoom-in, zoom-out, drag, and/or rotate the interactive event venue
seat map.
[0072] When presented with the initial listing of all event tickets
for sale, the buyer may filter the initial listing by inputting
criteria such as one or more price ranges (e.g., $75-$286,
$286-$349, $349-$442, $442-$559, and $559 and up). Once the buyer
selects a price range, the event listings are filtered to display
only the event listings in the selected price range. Additionally,
the interactive event venue seat map is modified to display
sections in color for which tickets are available in the selected
price range.
[0073] Each event listing may include ticket attributes such as
section, row, quantity, and price. Each listing also may include a
link to view additional details that when clicked may display the
ticket attributes along with further ticket details (e.g., seat
numbers, time remaining to purchase the tickets, seller comments,
delivery options), a selectively enlargeable image of the event
venue for reviewing the location of the seats, and an action button
for initiating purchase of the tickets.
[0074] To place an order for the tickets, the buyer may provide a
delivery location, select a method of payment (e.g., credit card),
confirm the transaction details (e.g., description of the tickets,
delivery method, delivery location, payment amount, and method of
payment), and the complete the purchase. When the buyer places the
order, a confirmation e-mail is sent to the buyer, and the seller
is notified of the order request via e-mail and requested to
confirm the availability and delivery of the tickets. Upon
receiving confirmation from the seller that the tickets have been
sent, the buyer is notified as to when delivery can be expected. It
can be appreciated that upon the sale of the tickets, one or more
delivery options may be available depending on the locations of the
buyer and the seller, the time remaining before the event, and/or
the form of the tickets (e.g., physical tickets, electronic
tickets).
Listing Catalog Services
[0075] The listing catalog server 138 implemented by one or more of
the application servers 130 may be arranged to receive and respond
to queries and/or to provide access to event information stored in
the active events database 154. A query to the listing catalog
server 138 may comprise, for example, a search query, web query,
web feed request (e.g., RSS feed request, ATOM feed request), API
request, HTTP request (e.g., Get, Post, etc.), a web form
submission (e.g., XHTML/HTML form), and/or suitable request
mechanism in accordance with the described embodiments. In various
implementations, a query may be submitted to the listing catalog
server 138 via one or more communications servers 120 from one or
more client devices 104, client programs 106, a third-party server
114, and/or a third-party application 116. Queries also may be
submitted to the listing catalog server 138 internally from other
application severs 130 of the network-based system 110.
[0076] In one embodiment, the listing catalog server 138 may be
implemented by a distributed architecture comprising a plurality of
distributed indexing modules. Each of the distributed indexing
modules may provide an interface for receiving queries from
front-end servers such as the communications servers 120. The
distributed indexing modules may store and build updatable indexes
against which a query can be checked to expedite retrieval of a
query result. The indexes may comprise, for example, common
keywords or search teens and event IDs linked to such keywords or
search terms. The distributed indexing modules also may cache
common query results.
[0077] The distributed indexing modules may be arranged to receive
updated indexing information brokered via a message bus from a
local gatherer module, The local gatherer, in turn, may be coupled
to and collect indexing information from the active events database
154. The indexing modules may update and/or filter the indexes
based on the updated information received from the local gatherer
module and/or information from other indexing modules.
[0078] The local gatherer module may be arranged to periodically
scan items stored in the active events database 154 and obtain
updated indexing information. For example, the local gatherer
module may request items from the active events database 154 that
have changed within a given time period. The event information
stored in the active events database 154 may change frequently as
new event listings for upcoming events are added and then removed
when the tickets for such events listings are purchased.
Furthermore, the active events database 154 may store relatively
static information for an event such as category (e.g., sports,
concerts, theater), as well as real-time dynamic information such
as current event listings and true levels of ticket inventory. It
can be appreciated that the event information maintained by the
active events database 154 may be extremely dynamic especially in
cases where LMS and electronic ticketing services are provided by
the network-based system 110.
[0079] The listing catalog server 138 may receive and respond to
the queries with event information for upcoming events that satisfy
such queries. The event information may be provided locally from
the listing catalog server 138, if available (e.g., cached), and/or
may be retrieved by the listing catalog server 138 from the active
events database 154. In various implementations, event information
from the listing catalog server 138 may be communicated via one or
more communications servers 120 to one or more client devices 104,
client programs 106, a third-party server 114, and/or a third-party
application 116. The event information from the listing catalog
server 138 also may be provided internally to other application
severs 130 of the network-based system 110.
[0080] Exemplary event information parameters that may be included
in the response from the listing catalog server 138 are described
below in the following table.
TABLE-US-00001 Event Information Parameter Table Event Parameter
Details act_primary Home Team Mascot act secondary Away Team Mascot
active_type 1 = active event 0 = inactive event allowedtosell 1 =
general public allowed to sell tickets 0- generatl public not
allowed to sell tickets ancestorGenrelds List of parent IDs, in
order of hierarchy, identifying browsing path to reach the node
ancestorGeolds List of geography IDs, in order of hierarchy,
identifying browsing path to reach the geography node canceled 1 =
event has been canceled 0 = event has not been canceled channel
Name of the top level genre in the breadcrumb trail tied to the
event channelId ID of the top level genre in the breadcrumb trail
tied to the event channelUr1Path URL path for the top level genre
in the breadcrumb trail tied to the event channel_facet_str ID and
Name of the top level genre in the breadcrumb trail tied to the
event city City of the event date_last modified Time of last change
to the event description Name of the event eventDate_facet_str
Month and year of the event, numeric (yyyy-mm) and alpha (month,
yyyy) eventGeoDescription Name of venue event_date Date and time of
the event (GMT) event_date_local yyyy-mm-dd of the event event_date
time Date and local time of the event event id Unique ID of the
event event timejocal Local time of the event genreUrlPath URL path
for the parent genre of the event genre parent ID of the parent
genre of the event geoUrlPath URL path for the venue of the event
geography parent ID of the parent geo of the venue hide_event_date
1 = event date hidden 0 = event date not hidden id ID of the event
last_chance Date and time to delist the event used in place of the
actual event date due to shipping rules maxPrice Highest ticket
price for the event maxSeatsTogether Maximum number of successive
seats that can be purchased together minPrice Lowest ticket price
for the event name_primary Event match-up using team mascots (e.g.,
Mets vs Braves) name_secondary Full name of the away team (e.g.,
New York Mets) spark event_flag Event marked as a "hot" event state
State of the event totalPostings Number of actual postings for the
event totalTickets Actual number of tickets listed for the event
venue config_id Configuration of the venue for the event
[0081] It can be appreciated that, in some implementations, not all
of the event information parameters included in the table may be
necessary to present the requested upcoming event information to
the user. Accordingly, when all of the event information parameters
are included, the response may be parsed to extract only those
event information parameters that are needed. Alternatively, the
query and/or the response may be configured to request and respond
with only those event information parameters necessary to display
the requested upcoming event information. It also can be
appreciated that the response may include different event
information parameters and/or additional event information
parameters than those described in the table.
Dynamic Content Management Services
[0082] The dynamic content management server 140 implemented by one
or more of the application servers 130 may be arranged to provide a
user with relevant and/or related dynamic content customized
according to a particular context of the user. The dynamic event
information may comprise, for example, event information that
changes as new event listings for upcoming events are added and as
event listings are removed when the tickets for such events
listings are purchased and real-time event-specific information
such as current event listings, price ranges, and true levels of
ticket inventory. Relevant or related dynamic content may comprise,
for example, dynamic content customized according to the location
of the user such as location-based advertising content (e.g.,
banner ads), relevant and/or related categories and subcategories
(e.g., links for local sports teams, artists performing in the
location, theater shows playing in the location), a list of event
names and dates for upcoming events in the location arranged by
category, and/or other type of dynamic featured content that
changes according to the location of the user.
[0083] In some implementations, the appearance of a user interface
displayed to the user may be customized or branded with dynamic
content based on the location of the user and/or event criteria
specified by the user. For example, a web page or web client may
comprise a comprise a header, skin, or other designated area that
dynamically displays different graphics (e.g., pictures, logos,
backgrounds, etc.), advertisements, news, and/or other featured
content received from the network-based system 110 according to the
location and/or event criteria of the user.
[0084] In various embodiments, the dynamic content management
server 140 may be structured, arranged, and/or configured to bind
dynamic information to a particular node and/or combination of
nodes defining the context of the user. Exemplary nodes may
include, for example, geography nodes (e.g., event cities),
category nodes (e.g., sports, concerts, theater), sports nodes
(e.g., baseball, football, basketball), sports subcategory nodes
(e.g., professional, college), music genre nodes (e.g., jazz, rock,
alternative), theater subcategory nodes (e.g., musical, comedy),
ticket subcategory nodes (e.g., regular season, playoff, bowl),
conference nodes, team nodes, artist nodes, theater show nodes,
venue nodes, event nodes, and so forth. It can be appreciated such
nodes may be arranged (e.g., hierarchically) and/or in other ways
in accordance with the described embodiments.
[0085] The dynamic content management server 140 may be configured
bind dynamic content such as relevant and/or related categories and
subcategories, event listings for upcoming events, promotional or
advertising content, UI graphics, and/or various other types of
customized content to a node or combination of nodes. When
navigating a web site provided by the network-based system 110, for
example, the user may be presented with links for selecting from
among various locations, categories, and/or subcategories and for
viewing content associated with such selections. When the user
makes a particular selection, the context of the user may be
defined by one or more nodes associated with such selection, and
the user may be presented with dynamic content customized to the
context of the user.
[0086] In various embodiments, the dynamic content management
server 140 may implement a front-end query tool and presentation
layer to query the listing catalog server 138 according to the
context of the user. In response to the query, the dynamic content
management server 140 may receive dynamic content (e.g., XML
content) from the listing catalog server 138 and provide the
dynamic content to one or more dynamic content modules embedded in
a web page presented to the user. Accordingly, the content
associated with event listings may change based on the context of
the user, configurable parameters, and/or available inventory.
[0087] In one example, a user selects a particular city, and the
dynamic content management server 140 has bound dynamic content to
a geography node associated with the particular city. Upon
selection of the particular city by the user, the context of the
user may be defined at least in part by the geography node of the
selected city, and the user may be presented with the dynamic
content that is bound to the geography node. In this case, the user
may be presented with a web page including dynamic content
customized for the particular city such as graphics (e.g.,
pictures, background) and advertising content (e.g., banner ads)
for the particular city, relevant and/or related categories and
subcategories (e.g., links for local sports teams, artists
performing in concert in the city, theater shows playing in the
city), a list of event names and dates for upcoming events in the
city arranged by category, and/or other type of dynamic content
that changes according to the city selected by the user.
[0088] In another example, a user selects a particular football
team, and the dynamic content management server 140 has bound
dynamic content to a team node associated with the particular
football team. Upon selection of the team by the user, the context
of the user may be defined at least in part by the team node, and
the user may be presented with the dynamic content that is bound to
the team node. In this case, the user may be presented with a web
page including dynamic content customized for the particular team.
For example, the web page presented to the user may be dynamically
branded with graphics (e.g., pictures, background), advertising
content (e.g., banner ads), and/or news associated with the
particular team. The user also may be presented with event listings
for upcoming games for the team as well as relevant and/or related
categories and subcategories (e.g., links for road games, playoff
games) for the team. In this implementation, the context of the
user may be defined by one or more other nodes in a hierarchical
path to the team node such as a category node (e.g., sports),
sports nodes (e.g., football), sports subcategory node (e.g.,
professional), and ticket subcategory node (e.g., regular season).
As such, the user may be presented with dynamic content bound to
one or more of such nodes such as links to other professional
football teams for which regular season tickets are available.
[0089] It can be appreciated that the embodiments are not limited
to the foregoing examples and that dynamic content may be bound to
a particular nodes and/or a combination of nodes for customizing
that content displayed to a user based on the context of the user.
Accordingly, the dynamic content management server 140 may be used
to create dynamic content campaigns including a various types of
static and dynamic content and to bind such campaigns to nodes or
groups of nodes that define a context of the user. It also can be
appreciated that a node and/or combination of nodes can be detected
as a user selects one more links and/or in other ways such as when
a query is submitted (e.g., text entry, selection of checkboxes,
selection from a pull-down menu), a search result is returned, or
in any other way in accordance with the described embodiments.
Payment Services
[0090] The payment server 142 implemented by one or more of the
application servers 130 may be arranged to effectuate and/or manage
payments between buyers and sellers and to post and track financial
transactions for users of the network-based system 110. Transaction
information for past and pending transactions may be stored by the
network-based system 110 in the transaction database 156. The
payment server 142 also may provide dispute resolution mechanisms
to handle payment disputes arising between transacting parties
and/or fraud prevention mechanisms to prevent fraudulent
transaction, unauthorized use of financial instruments,
non-delivery of goods, abuse of personal information, and so forth.
While the payment server 142 is shown in FIG. 1 as forming part of
the networked-based system 110, it will be appreciated that the
payment server 142 may form part of a third-party payment system
that is separate and distinct from the network-based system 110 in
alternative embodiments.
[0091] In various implementations, the payment server 142 may
account for a transfer of funds and/or financial value by debiting
the a source of funds and/or financial value linked to the
subscriber account of the buyer and crediting a source of funds
and/or financial value linked to the subscriber account of the
seller. For example, the network-based system may securely
communicate with one or more financial institutions such as a bank
or credit card company over one or more networks 108 and arrange
the transfer of funds and/or financial value from the buyer to the
seller. It can be appreciated that while certain settlement
mechanisms may be described for purposes of illustration, the
embodiments are not limited in this regard, and a variety of
settlement networks and modalities may be used in accordance with
the described embodiments.
[0092] In one embodiment, after the buyer reviews and confirms an
order, the account (e.g., credit card) of the buyer is verified,
and the sale amount (e.g., ticket price plus delivery cost) is
authorized. The seller is notified of the proposed purchase by
email or other notification mechanism and requested to confirm that
the tickets are still available and that the transaction can be
completed.
[0093] Upon receiving confirmation from the seller, the account
(e.g., credit card) of the buyer is charged. Funds from the account
of the buyer may be electronically transferred into a merchant
account associated with the network-based system 110, and a
transaction fee may be deducted. The remaining proceeds are then
directed to the seller by issuing a payment in accordance with the
payment method selected by the seller such as via check, deposit to
a third-party payment services account (e.g., PayPal.TM. account),
Season Ticket Account, and/or other type of source capable of
receiving funds and/or financial value, and/or donation to a
third-party such as a non-profit organization or entity.
[0094] It can be appreciated that the network-based system 110 may
provide a "double blind" complete ticket-sale transaction without
interaction between buyer and seller. Namely, the network-based
system 110 may facilitate an entire ticket-sale transaction without
requiring any interaction between the seller and the buyer. The
network-based system 110 controls and/or facilitates the entire
sale and purchase process and serves as an intermediary between the
buyer and seller effectively isolating the participation of the
seller in the transaction from the participation of the buyer in
the transaction. Accordingly, the identity of one transacting party
can remain concealed from the other.
Notification Services
[0095] The notification server 144 implemented by one or more of
the application servers 130 may be arranged to generate and send
various types of notifications to users of the network-based system
110. The notification server 144 may communicate with users over
one or more types of networks 108 (e.g., the Internet, a WAN, a
WWAN, a WLAN, a mobile telephone network, a landline telephone
network, a VoIP network, etc.) via interfaces provided the
communications servers 120 such as the web server 122, API server
124, and/or messaging server 126, It can be appreciated that, in
some implementations, notifications may be forwarded to users via
an intermediary such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP), online
service provider (OSP), web-based e-mail service provide, message
aggregator (e.g., SMS aggregator), mobile transaction network
entity, and so forth.
[0096] The notifications may comprise messages delivered to users
via e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, video message, telephone call as well as
messages delivered to the subscriber account of the user. In some
cases, the notifications may provide the user with information
related to various online marketplace transactions. For example,
notifications may be sent to sellers for indicating the status of
event listings, informing the seller of offers (e.g., auction bids)
for event listings or sales of similar tickets and allowing the
user to modify the prices of event listings, notifying the seller
of placed orders and requesting confirmation of the availability of
tickets for such orders, providing delivery instructions and
requesting confirmation of delivery, tracking shipped orders,
providing the status of payments, and so forth. Notifications may
be sent to buyers for tracking ticket purchase transactions (e.g.,
active bids, auctions lost) for event listings and allowing the
buyer to modify offers, confirming an order and delivery, tracking
shipped orders, providing pick-up instructions and requesting
confirmation of receipt, downloading and print electronic tickets,
and so forth.
[0097] In various embodiments, the user may subscribe to receive
customized alert notifications for upcoming events as described in
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/262,468 titled
"System and Methods for Upcoming Event Notification and Mobile
Purchasing," which was filed on Oct. 31, 2008 and is incorporated
by reference in its entirety. In such embodiments, the notification
server 144 may be arranged to generate and send an alert
notification comprising a text message including relevant static or
dynamic event information as well as an embedded hyperlink. The
hyperlink may comprise a hyperlinked telephone number for allowing
the user to place a telephone call to an agent of the network-based
system 110 for transacting a mobile purchase. Alternatively or
additionally, the hyperlink may comprise a URL or URI for
navigating to the network-based system 110 for transacting the
mobile purchase.
[0098] It can be appreciated that in some cases, an upcoming event
may not satisfy all event criteria specified by the user. In some
implementations, when there are no upcoming events that satisfy all
the event criteria specified by the user, the user may select to
receive alert notifications for one or more upcoming events
conditioned on the complete satisfaction of the event criteria. In
such implementations, the network-based system 110 may allow the
user to select to receive an alert notification whenever an
upcoming event that substantially and/or completely satisfies the
search criteria is listed. For example, the user may select to
receive "on sale" alert notifications when tickets that satisfy one
or more preferences of the user become available. The network-based
system 110 also may provide the user with various capabilities
(e.g., preference settings and options) to allow the user to
receive "on sale" alert notifications for preferred tickets and to
allow the user to automatically and/or optionally purchase such
preferred tickets.
Delivery Services
[0099] The delivery server 146 implemented by one or more of the
application servers 130 may arrange the delivery of goods from the
seller to the buyer. For the delivery of time-sensitive goods such
as a single or multiple event tickets, the network-based system 110
may determine and present delivery options that ensure that an
event ticket is delivered to the buyer before an event and the
costs associated with such delivery options.
[0100] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
coordinate the delivery of event tickets as described in co-pending
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/867,171 titled "System and
Method for Providing Logistics for a Sale of Goods," which was
filed on Sep. 27, 2001 and is incorporated by reference in its
entirety. In such embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
automatically arrange and/or facilitate the logistics for the
delivery of event tickets from the seller to the buyer.
[0101] In one implementation, for example, when the buyer places an
order, available delivery options are presented to the buyer that
ensure that the event tickets can be delivered before the event
either to the buyer or to a pick-up location (e.g., event venue
will call or an office of the network-based system 110) in
proximity to the buyer. The network-based system 110 may determine
all available delivery options based on the foul` of the tickets
(e.g., physical tickets, electronic tickets), the time remaining
before the event, the location of the goods, the location of the
buyer, pick-up locations in proximity to the buyer, and/or the
capabilities one or more couriers (e.g., air/land couriers, express
couriers, local couriers or "runners") that can execute the
delivery within the time remaining before the event.
[0102] When a physical ticket is to be delivered, the network-based
system 110 may determine and present shipping options to the buyer.
The buyer may provide a delivery or pick-up location, and the
network-based system 110 may automatically determine couriers
capable of ensuring delivery and present a list identifying the
couriers, the available shipping methods (e.g., two day, one day,
overnight, same day) for each courier, and the associated cost of
each shipping method.
[0103] When a courier and shipping method is selected by the buyer,
the seller may be notified and presented with a printable shipping
label for the courier and logistics for providing the tickets to
the courier. For example, the network-based system 110 may
automatically determine the closest courier facility in proximity
to the seller and may allow and arrange for the courier to retrieve
the tickets. In such cases, the network-based system 110 may
communicate relevant information (e.g., seller address, delivery
address, pick-up day and time frame) to the courier in order to
coordinate ticket retrieval. If the courier cannot service any of
the selected locations at any of the selected times, the
network-based system 110 may require the seller to drop off the
tickets at the nearest courier facility. The seller also may select
to drop off the tickets at the nearest courier facility. If the
seller selects or is required to drop off the tickets, the buyer
may be provided with the location of the courier facility, driving
or walking directions to the courier facility, and/or a map showing
the courier facility.
[0104] Upon confirmation by the seller that the tickets have been
sent or picked up, the network-based system 110 may communicate
delivery tracking information to the buyer and/or seller. The
network-based system 110 may notify the buyer of the delivery
location and expected time and date of delivery. If the delivery
location is at a pick-up location such as the event venue will call
or an office associated with the network-based system 110, the
buyer may be provided with the pick-up location, driving or walking
directions to the pick-up location, and/or a map showing the
pick-up location.
[0105] To ensure delivery to the buyer before an event, a last sale
time may be associated with an event listing. In some cases, for
example, the last sale time for an event listing may be three
business days before the event to provide sufficient transit time
to ensure completion of delivery. In such cases, the event listing
will expire at the last sale time.
Last Minute Services
[0106] It can be appreciated that both sellers and buyers may
desire the last sale time to be as close to the event start time as
possible in order to maximize the opportunity to make a sale and
the opportunity to witness an event. Accordingly, the network-based
system 110 may provide sellers and buyers with various last minute
services (LMS) for maintaining an event listing and the ability to
sell and purchase listed tickets right up to the start of the
event.
[0107] In one implementation, for example, the network-based system
110 may allow tickets to be sold on consignment and may maintain an
event listing until the start of the event. When a seller requires
delivery of physical tickets for an upcoming event, the seller may
select to sell the tickets using LMS provided by the network-based
system 110. The seller may request LMS and provide the
network-based system 110 with contact information (e.g., name,
address, telephone number, e-mail address), ticket information
(e.g., event name, event venue, ticket event dates, closest city to
the event), and authorization to release the tickets.
[0108] In response to the LMS request, the seller may be contacted
by an agent of the network-based system 110 via telephone or other
contact method and provided with additional selling information.
Depending on the time remaining before the event, the seller may be
instructed to ship or physically deliver the tickets to an LMS
center associated with the network-based system 110. Typically, the
location of the LMS center will be in close proximity to the event
venue. The seller also may select to physically deliver the tickets
to the LMS center. When physical delivery of the ticket to the LMS
center is required or selected, the seller may be provided with the
location of the LMS center, driving or walking directions to the
LMS center, and/or a map showing the LMS center.
[0109] Once the tickets are delivered to the LMS center, the event
listing may be maintained until the start of the event and the
subsequent delivery of the tickets to a buyer is handled by the
network-based system 110. For example, the LMS center and/or the
network-based system 110 may handle the responsibility of shipping
the tickets to the buyer, delivering the tickets to the event venue
will call, and/or the keeping the tickets at the LMS center until
pick-up by the buyer. It can be appreciated that the LMS provided
by the network-based system 110 may facilitate delivery and allow
the network-based system 110 to defer the last sale time until the
start of the event.
Electronic Ticketing Services
[0110] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
provide electronic ticketing services for allowing a buyer to
purchase one or more electronic tickets that can be used at the
event venue. It can be appreciated that providing such electronic
ticketing services may allow the network based system 110 to defer
the last sale time until the start of the event.
[0111] When the user selects an upcoming event from event listings
published by the network-based system 110, a web page may be
presented to the user that includes event information for the
selected upcoming event such as the name of the event, the date and
time of the event, the event venue, available ticket listings
including ticket attributes (e.g., section, row, quantity, price),
and so forth. In some cases, a purchaser of event tickets may
provide the event information to the network-based system 110 in
order to list the tickets for sale on a secondary market. In other
cases, the venue, event promoter, or other type of ticket issuer
may provide the network-based system 110 with event details such as
event description, event venue, event date and time, artist, and so
forth. In response, the network-based system 110 may manage the
event, enable the venue to sell tickets for the event, manage the
generation and distribution of electronic tickets, and facilitate
the use of electronic tickets for access control to the venue. For
example, the network-based system 110 may create an event listing,
generate electronic tickets, publish available tickets for sale,
and coordinate the sale of the electronic tickets.
[0112] In various embodiments, a web page presented to a user may
comprise the event information along with a link to purchase
electronic tickets and/or a link to view additional details. By
clicking the link to purchase electronic tickets, the user may
initiate a purchase of one or more electronic tickets. By clicking
the link to view additional details, a subsequent web page may be
displayed including ticket attributes along with further ticket
details (e.g., seat numbers, time remaining to purchase the
tickets, seller comments, delivery options), a selectively
enlargeable image of the event venue for reviewing the location of
the seats, and an action button for initiating purchase of the
tickets. In some cases, one or more web pages may include a link to
view delivery options such as a location of, driving or walking
directions to, and/or a map showing a pick-up location.
[0113] To effectuate an electronic ticket purchase, the user may be
prompted to enter account information such as a unique username or
e-mail address and a password. Upon receiving the required account
information, the user is authenticated with the network-based
system 110 and may initiate an electronic ticket purchase. After
authentication, the network-based system 110 may transact the
purchase using a source of financial value linked to the subscriber
account of the user or may request the user to supply payment
information (e.g., credit card account, PayPal.TM. account, etc.)
for the transaction.
[0114] In various embodiments, a user may purchase electronic
tickets and/or save electronic ticket information using a web
client such as a web browser, web browser toolbar, and/or a desktop
or mobile widget. For example, a user may save an electronic ticket
and/or a hyperlink to a file associated with the electronic ticket
in a subscriber account, in the web browser toolbar, and/or within
a desktop or mobile widget. The user also may display information
for and differentiate among purchased electronic tickets on a
client device (e.g., PC or mobile device) via the web client.
[0115] The buyer may purchase one or more electronic tickets using
a credit card or other source of funds or financial value linked to
the subscriber account of the buyer. In one or more embodiments,
the network-based system 110 may provide variable distribution and
access control for purchased electronic tickers. For example, the
network-based system 110 may provide the buyer with various
delivery options for receiving and/or delivering the purchased
electronic tickets.
[0116] The network-based system 110 may allow the buyer to have the
electronic tickets delivered to an e-mail address associated with
the buyer. The buyer may access the e-mail account, display the
electronic tickets, and print out paper copies of the electronic
tickets. Each of the paper copies of the electronic tickets may
include a bar code which can be scanned at the event venue to allow
access.
[0117] Alternatively or additionally, the buyer may instruct the
network-based system 110 to send an electronic ticket to a mobile
device (e.g., mobile phone or PDA) associated with the buyer. For
example, the buyer may receive the electronic ticket at the mobile
device and display a bar code of the electronic ticket on a screen
of the mobile device which may be scanned at the event venue to
grant access. In some usage scenarios, the buyer may receive an SMS
message sent to a mobile device that includes a link to a web page
to render a ticket. In other usage scenarios, the buyer may receive
an MMS message sent to a mobile device that includes an image of
the ticket. When the buyer chooses delivery to a mobile device, the
buyer also may receive the ticket via email as a backup in case the
buyer wants to print out a paper copy to bring to or use at the
event venue. The buyer may receive a text message at the time of
ticket purchase and, if the tickets are purchased more than a
predetermined time before the event (e.g., two days before the
event), a reminder text message just before (e.g., one day prior
to) the event.
[0118] In various embodiments, when the buyer purchases electronic
tickets using a credit card, the buyer may access the venue by
swiping the credit card used to make the purchase at the event
venue. Alternatively or additionally, the buyer may use a driver's
license to validate the ticket at the event venue. In some
implementations, only the buyer may use the credit card used to
make the purchase or a driver's license as a means of entry at the
event venue. It can be appreciated that in such implementations,
the buyer may validate his/her ticket at the venue as well as
validate other purchased tickets for other people who are present
with the buyer at the time of entry into the event venue.
[0119] The network-based system 110 also may provide the buyer with
various delivery options for splitting the distribution of a single
order of multiple electronic tickets among one or more recipients
in addition to and/or other than the buyer. In some cases, for
example, a buyer may purchase multiple electronic tickets (e.g.,
block of four electronic tickets) at once in a single order. In
such cases, the buyer may choose from the provided options for
variably distributing one or more of the purchased electronic
tickets and/or the underlying rights associated with one or more of
the purchased electronic tickets to different end recipients using
different delivery mechanisms.
[0120] In various implementations, when a buyer purchases more than
one ticket, the buyer may choose to have the tickets delivered
directly to one or more other recipients for use at the event
venue. For example, when multiple tickets are purchased in one
order, the buyer can decide how individual tickets will be
delivered electronically to another person. Upon delivery, each
ticket may be used by the recipient independently of the buyer
arriving at the event so that the entire party does not need to be
present to enter the event venue.
[0121] In one or more embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
allow the buyer to have an electronic ticket delivered to an e-mail
address associated with a recipient other than the buyer. In such
embodiments, the buyer may be presented with a user interface
(e.g., web page) listing the purchased tickets (e.g., Ticket 1,
Ticket 2, . . . Ticket N) and comprising input fields for providing
the name of a recipient for each ticket. For example, the buyer may
type the name of a recipient into a text entry box, select the name
of a recipient from a contact list pull-down menu, and/or provide a
name or other identifier for a recipient in any other suitable
manner in accordance with the described embodiments.
[0122] The user interface presented to buyer may comprise input
fields for selecting delivery options. For example, the buyer may
select an electronic delivery option such as E-mail or Mobile
Device from a pull-down menu for each ticket to specify how the
ticket is to be delivered to the recipient. In some usage
scenarios, the buyer may instruct the network-based system 110 to
send an electronic ticket to an e-mail address associated with the
recipient. Alternatively or additionally, the buyer may instruct
the network-based system 110 to send an electronic ticket to a
mobile device (e.g., mobile phone or PDA) associated with the
recipient. The user interface presented to buyer also may comprise
input fields for providing delivery information. For example, the
buyer may input an e-mail address or mobile number for each
recipient depending on whether the selected delivery option is
e-mail or mobile device, respectively. When the buyer chooses to
deliver one or more tickets to one or more other recipients, the
buyer also may receive an e-mail for each ticket as a backup.
[0123] The network-based system 110 may coordinate the delivery of
the electronic tickets to the one or more recipients designated by
the buyer. In various implementations, the network-based system 110
may be configured to deliver the electronic ticket information to
the one or more recipients via e-mail, SMS message, MMS message, or
other suitable delivery mechanism in accordance with the described
embodiments. In some cases, the electronic ticket information may
comprise a link to electronic ticket and/or the electronic ticket
itself. When the electronic ticket information is delivered via
e-mail, the recipient may access the e-mail account, display the
electronic ticket, and print out a paper copy of the electronic
ticket. The paper copy of the electronic ticket may include a bar
code which can be scanned at the event venue to allow the recipient
to access the event venue independently of the buyer.
[0124] When the electronic ticket information is delivered to a
mobile device, the recipient may receive the electronic ticket at
the mobile device and display a bar code of the electronic ticket,
on a screen of the mobile device which may be scanned at the event
venue to grant access to the recipient independently of the buyer.
In some usage scenarios, the recipient may receive an SMS message
sent to a mobile device that includes a link to a web page to
render a ticket. In other usage scenarios, the recipient may
receive an MMS message sent to a mobile device that includes an
image of the ticket. Each recipient and/or the buyer may receive a
text message at the time of ticket purchase and, if the tickets are
purchased more than a predetermined time before the event (e.g.,
two days before the event), a reminder text message just before
(e.g., one day prior to) the event.
[0125] In various embodiments, the electronic ticket information
may comprise event information and a request to accept the
electronic ticket. In such embodiments, the network-based system
110 may defer delivery of and/or access to the electronic ticket
until the recipient confirms acceptance. The recipient may confirm
acceptance by sending a reply message (e.g., e-mail message, text
message), navigating to a web page, clicking a hyperlink, and/or in
other suitable ways in accordance with the described embodiments.
In some cases, for example, the recipient may be requested to
access or create a subscriber account with the network-based system
110 associated with the e-mail address or mobile device number
provided by the buyer. If the recipient is a current subscriber,
the network-based system 110 may request the recipient to log in
and accept the ticket. If the recipient is not a current
subscriber, the network-based system 110 may request the recipient
to create a regular subscriber account or a temporary account with
the network-based system 110 for confirming acceptance.
[0126] In some implementations, the electronic ticket information
may comprise a randomly-generated alphanumeric character string
associated with the electronic ticket. For example, the recipient
may be provided with a link comprising the character string that
when clicked confirms acceptance of the electronic ticket. In some
cases, the recipient may be provided with a link for navigating to
a web page and inputting the character string into a text entry box
to confirm acceptance of the electronic ticket. When delivery is to
a mobile device, the recipient may be requested to send the
character string in a reply text message to a number (e.g., common
short code) associated with the network-based system 110.
[0127] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
allow the buyer to assign access rights for the electronic tickets.
The mode of delivery and/or the underlying rights associated with
an electronic ticket may be assigned to an end user by the buyer
during the initial purchase. The buyer also may subsequently access
his/her subscriber account to assign access rights to or remove
access rights from one or more recipients. In this way, the buyer
may control how many tickets will be used at the time the buyer
enters the event venue.
[0128] In various implementations, the network-based system 110 may
communicate the access rights to an electronic ticketing system at
the event venue to associate the electronic ticket with the buyer
and/or one or more recipients. Access control at the event venue
may be done by a scanner that will read a bar code contained on the
ticket sent as described above. In some cases, the buyer may access
the venue by swiping the credit card used to make the purchase at
the event venue or a driver's license. The buyer also may validate
other purchased tickets for other people who are present with the
buyer at the time of entry into the event venue. Each ticket
delivered to a recipient may be used independently of the buyer
arriving at the event so that buyer does not need to be present for
the recipient to enter the event venue.
[0129] As the purchaser, the buyer may retain ownership and control
of the distribution of the tickets. The network-based system 110
allows the purchased tickets to be easily delivered to different
end recipients and may be configured to distribute the purchased
electronic tickets and/or the underlying rights associated with
electronic tickets differently based on ownership. In various
embodiments, the tickets and/or the underlying rights associated
with the tickets may be distributed to different end recipients by
the network-based system 110 without affecting ownership, without
relisting the tickets, and/or without requiring the recipients to
purchase the tickets.
[0130] It can be appreciated that when ownership and control of the
tickets is retained by the purchaser, the ability of a recipient to
resell the tickets may be restricted. In some cases, however, the
purchaser may choose to transfer complete ownership of an
electronic ticket and/or the underlying rights associated with the
electronic ticket to a recipient. In various embodiments, the
network-based system 110 may be configured to support and broker
the transfer of electronic tickets from the purchaser to multiple
end recipients as well as from a recipient to another individual
(e.g., buyer or other recipient). For example, the network-based
system 110 may allow a recipient to list a received ticket for sale
and may automatically handle the assignment of rights to a
subsequent buyer when the ticket is purchased.
[0131] In cases where ownership and the underlying rights of an
electronic ticket are transferred from the purchaser, the
network-based system 110 may communicate access rights to an
electronic ticketing system at the event venue to associate the
electronic ticket with a different individual (e.g., recipient or
subsequent buyer). In some embodiments, the network-based system
110 may instruct the ticketing system to activate new electronic
tickets with new bar codes and to deactivate the original
electronic tickets and original bar codes of the purchaser. The new
electronic tickets can be delivered by the network-based system 110
and/or the electronic ticketing system for use by the recipient or
subsequent buyer.
[0132] Alternatively or additionally, the network-based system 110
may instruct the ticketing system to associate new identification
and/or authorization information (e.g., credit card, swipe card,
password, pin code) with the electronic tickets and to deactivate
identification and/or authorization information of the purchaser
from the electronic tickets. Upon providing the required
identification and/or authorization information to the electronic
ticketing system, to a kiosk at the event venue, and/or to the
network-based system 110, the recipient or subsequent buyer can use
the electronic ticket to access the event venue.
[0133] In one or more embodiments, the network-based system 110 may
allow the buyer to list one or more of the purchased tickets for
resale. In such embodiments, a user interface (e.g., web page) may
be presented that lists the purchased tickets (e.g., Ticket 1,
Ticket 2, . . . Ticket N) and allows the buyer to select an option
for publishing one or more of the tickets for resale via the
network-based system 110. For example, the buyer may select a
resell option from a pull-down menu and/or otherwise identify a
ticket for resale in any other suitable manner in accordance with
the described embodiments. When published and resold via the
network-based system 110, the distribution (e.g., electronic
delivery) of such tickets may be completely managed by the
network-based system 110. It can be appreciated that when the
network-based system 110 manages the distribution of tickets in
this way, the need for the buyer to confirm the sale of the tickets
may be eliminated.
[0134] As described above, the network-based system 110 may
communicate with users over one or more types of networks 108 via
interfaces provided the communications servers 120 and provide
various services to users such as online marketplace and ticket
fulfillment services via the application servers 130 and databases
150. When servicing a user, the network-based system 110 may
present information to and/or receive information from the user in
a variety of ways such by displaying and receiving information via
user interfaces (e.g., web pages, interactive screens), sending and
receiving messages (e.g., e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, video message),
placing and/or receiving telephone calls (e.g., landline, mobile,
VoIP, IVR calls), and so forth. User interfaces also may be
displayed to a user via one or more client programs 106 such as a
web client (e.g., web browser, desktop or mobile widget, web
browser toolbar) and/or a third-party application 116.
[0135] Exemplary representations of user interfaces displayed on a
computer for providing variable distribution and access control for
purchased event tickets are described below with reference to FIGS.
2-4. It is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to
such exemplary representations. Furthermore, it is to be understood
that while a particular user interface may be described as
comprising a certain set of features and functions, a user
interface may comprise fewer features and functions, additional
features and functions, and/or a combination of various features
and functions of different user interfaces in accordance with the
described embodiments.
[0136] FIG. 2 illustrates a representation of a user interface 200
for providing variable distribution and access control for
purchased event tickets in accordance with various embodiments.
With reference to FIG. 1, the user interface 200 may be displayed
by one or more of the client devices 104 (e.g., PC or mobile
device) and may be presented via a web browser and/or a client-side
web application. It can be appreciated that the embodiments are not
limited to this context or to this representation.
[0137] As shown, the user interface 200 comprises the name of the
event, the date and time of the event, the event venue, event
listings including ticket attributes (e.g., section, row, quantity,
price), a link 202 to purchase electronic tickets, and a link 204
to view additional details for a particular event listing. By
clicking the link 202 to purchase electronic tickets, the user may
initiate a purchase of one or more electronic tickets.
[0138] By clicking the link 204 to view additional details, a
subsequent web page may be displayed including ticket attributes
along with further ticket details (e.g., seat numbers, time
remaining to purchase the tickets, seller comments, delivery
options), a selectively enlargeable image of the event venue for
reviewing the location of the seats, and an action button for
initiating purchase of the tickets. In some cases, one or more web
pages may include a link to view delivery options such as a
location of, driving or walking directions to, and/or a map showing
a pick-up location.
[0139] FIG. 3 illustrates a representation of a user interface 300
for providing variable distribution and access control for
purchased event tickets in accordance with various embodiments.
With reference to FIG. 1, the user interface 300 may be displayed
by one or more of the client devices 104 (e.g., PC or mobile
device) and may be presented via a web browser and/or a client-side
web application. It can be appreciated that the embodiments are not
limited to this context or to this representation.
[0140] In various implementations, the user interface 300 may be
displayed in response to the user clicking the link 204 of FIG. 2
to view additional details about a particular event listing. As
shown, the user interface 300 comprises the name of the event, the
date and time of the event, the event venue, ticket attributes
(e.g., section, row, quantity, price), and an action button 302 for
initiating purchase of the tickets. The user interface 300 also
comprises a link 304 to view delivery options (e.g., location of a
LMS center, driving or walking directions to the LMS center, and/or
a map showing the LMS center) and an enlargeable event venue seat
map 306 for reviewing the location of the seats.
[0141] FIG. 4 illustrates a representation of a user interface 400
for providing variable distribution and access control for
purchased event tickets in accordance with various embodiments.
With reference to FIG. 1, the user interface 400 may be displayed
by one or more of the client devices 104 (e.g., PC or mobile
device) and may be presented via a web browser and/or a client-side
web application. It can be appreciated that the embodiments are not
limited to this context or to this representation.
[0142] As shown, the user interface 400 comprises a listing of
purchased tickets (e.g., Ticket 1, Ticket 2, . . . Ticket N) and
recipient input fields 402-1-N for providing the name of a
recipient for each ticket, where N is a positive integer
corresponding to the number of purchased tickets. The user
interface 400 also comprises delivery option pull-down menus
404-1-N for selecting an electronic delivery option such as E-mail
or Mobile Device to specify how each ticket is to be delivered to
each recipient. The user interface 400 also comprises delivery
information input fields 406-1-N for providing delivery information
such as an e-mail address or mobile device number for each
recipient depending on whether the selected delivery option is
e-mail or mobile device, respectively.
[0143] FIG. 5 illustrates a logic flow 500 including operations
performed by a computer to provide providing variable distribution
and access control for purchased event tickets in accordance with
various embodiments. The logic flow 500 may be performed by various
systems and/or devices and may be implemented as hardware,
software, firmware, and/or any combination thereof, as desired for
a given set of design parameters or performance constraints. For
example, the logic flow 500 may be implemented by a logic device
(e.g., computer and/or processor) and/or logic (e.g., computer
executable program instructions) to be executed by a logic
device.
[0144] As shown, the logic flow 500 may comprise receiving an order
for electronic tickets (block 510), receiving recipients for the
electronic tickets (block 520), receiving delivery options for the
recipients (block 530), receiving delivery information for the
recipients (block 540), delivering electronic ticket information to
the recipients (block 550), receiving confirmation of acceptance
{block 560), assigning access rights for the electronic tickets
(block 570), and communicating the access rights to an event venue
(block 580).
[0145] It can be appreciated that while the logic flow 500 may
illustrate a certain sequence of steps, other sequences of steps
may also be performed in accordance with the described embodiments.
Moreover, some individual steps of the logic flow 500 may include
multiple sub-steps that may be performed in various sequences as
appropriate to the individual step. Furthermore, additional steps
may be added or some steps may be removed depending on the
particular implementation.
[0146] In various embodiments, one or more operations of the logic
flow 500 may comprise, or be implemented as, executable computer
program instructions. The executable computer program instructions
may be implemented by software, a software module, an application,
a program, a subroutine, instructions, an instruction set,
computing code, words, values, symbols or combination thereof. The
executable computer program instructions may include any suitable
type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code,
executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. The
executable computer program instructions may be implemented
according to a predefined computer language, manner or syntax, for
instructing a computer to perform a certain function. The
executable computer program instructions may be implemented using
any suitable programming language in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0147] In various embodiments, one or more operations of the logic
flow 500 may comprise, or be implemented as, executable computer
program instructions stored in an article of manufacture and/or
computer-readable storage medium. The article and/or
computer-readable storage medium may store executable computer
program instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the
computer to perform methods and/or operations in accordance with
the described embodiments. The article and/or computer-readable
storage medium may be implemented by various systems and/or devices
in accordance with the described embodiments.
[0148] The article and/or computer-readable storage medium may
comprise one or more types of computer-readable storage media
capable of storing data, including volatile memory or, non-volatile
memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable
memory, writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. Examples of
computer-readable storage media may include, without limitation,
random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate
DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM),
read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable
programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM
(EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., NOR or NAND flash memory), content
addressable memory (CAM), polymer memory (e.g., ferroelectric
polymer memory), phase-change memory, ovonic memory, ferroelectric
memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory,
magnetic or optical cards, or any other suitable type of
computer-readable storage media in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0149] Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described
as comprising exemplary functional components or modules performing
various operations, it can be appreciated that such components or
modules may be implemented by one or more hardware components,
software components, firmware components, and/or combination
thereof.
[0150] Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated
that terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating,"
"determining," or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of
a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing
device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as
physical quantities (e.g., electronic) within registers and/or
memories into other data similarly represented as physical
quantities within the memories, registers or other such information
storage, transmission or display devices.
[0151] It is worthy to note that some embodiments may be described
using the expression "coupled" and "connected" along with their
derivatives. These tennis are not intended as synonyms for each
other. For example, some embodiments may be described using the
terms "connected" and/or "coupled" to indicate that two or more
elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each
other. The term "coupled," however, also may mean that two or more
elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still
co-operate or interact with each other. With respect to software
elements, for example, the term "coupled" may refer to interfaces,
message interfaces, API, exchanging messages, and so forth.
[0152] While certain features of the embodiments have been
illustrated as described above, many modifications, substitutions,
changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art.
It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are
intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within
the true spirit of the embodiments.
* * * * *