U.S. patent application number 16/814747 was filed with the patent office on 2020-07-23 for system and method for managing operations at an activity venue.
The applicant listed for this patent is FairwayIQ, Inc.. Invention is credited to Miro Jelicic, James K.B. Nunn, Lucius Riccio, David J. Vanslette.
Application Number | 20200234385 16/814747 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57984098 |
Filed Date | 2020-07-23 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200234385 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Vanslette; David J. ; et
al. |
July 23, 2020 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING OPERATIONS AT AN ACTIVITY VENUE
Abstract
A technologically improved system and corresponding method of
operation tracks and manages activities occurring at an activity
venue. The system operates to track locations and pace of play or
participation of the patrons at the activity venue and through
various improved technological processes and interactions enabled
by the unique hardware of the system, to provide the patrons with
feedback to manage their locations for an improved participation
experience. The system leverages collected information and data to
enable live traffic control of the patrons, provide predictive
analytics related to gameplay and flow of traffic, and provide
operators and patrons with information necessary to maximize a pace
of play while optimally maintaining the venue around the patrons
without interruption to the patrons and thereby improve the
experience of the patrons at the activity venue.
Inventors: |
Vanslette; David J.;
(Wayland, MA) ; Nunn; James K.B.; (Wayland,
MA) ; Riccio; Lucius; (New York, NY) ;
Jelicic; Miro; (Brookline, MA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FairwayIQ, Inc. |
Waltham |
MA |
US |
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|
Family ID: |
57984098 |
Appl. No.: |
16/814747 |
Filed: |
March 10, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15229415 |
Aug 5, 2016 |
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16814747 |
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62352548 |
Jun 20, 2016 |
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62338836 |
May 19, 2016 |
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62232744 |
Sep 25, 2015 |
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62202502 |
Aug 7, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/20 20130101;
H04W 4/023 20130101; H04W 4/021 20130101; G06Q 50/10 20130101; H04W
88/16 20130101; G06Q 10/067 20130101; G06Q 10/06312 20130101; G06Q
50/163 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/16 20060101
G06Q050/16; H04W 4/02 20060101 H04W004/02; H04W 4/021 20060101
H04W004/021; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06; G06Q 10/00 20060101
G06Q010/00; G06Q 50/10 20060101 G06Q050/10 |
Claims
1. A system for tracking movement and managing activity of a
plurality of patrons of an activity venue, the activity venue
including a plurality of sub-activities in which patrons
participate, the system comprising: points of entry, recognized by
the system, for each sub-activity of the plurality of
sub-activities for the plurality of patrons to embark on the
sub-activity; a wireless gateway; one or more patron sensor devices
for disposition and transportation throughout the activity venue by
the plurality of patrons, each of the one or more patron sensor
devices comprising: a location sensor configured to provide
real-time location data and time data indicating a location of the
one or more patron sensor devices at different points in time
within the activity venue; and a wireless communication device in
communication with the wireless gateway of the system, the
communication comprising transmitting the real-time location data
and time data from the one or more patron sensor devices to the
wireless gateway, enabling the system to establish a real-time
location of each of the one or more patron sensor devices within
the activity venue; a computing device in communication with the
wireless gateway of the system, the computing device executing a
tracking tool that receives the real-time location data for each of
the one or more patron sensor devices via the wireless gateway and
transforms the real-time location data into predictive data
indicating anticipated locations of each of the one or more patron
sensor devices within the activity venue at future times; wherein
the system identifies underutilized sub-activity areas of the
activity venue and correspondingly identifies the points of entry
for each underutilized sub-activity area; wherein the system
directs one or more patrons to identified points of entry for each
underutilized sub-activity area via a communication to the one or
more patron sensor devices.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more venue
asset devices or venue asset tags configured to communicate with
the wireless gateway and provide real-time location and time data
for the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein each venue asset device of the
one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags comprises a
microcontroller, a transceiver with antenna, a global positioning
system locator, a battery power source, a light emitting diode, and
a display, and each venue asset device is configured to gather
location data for each venue asset device and transmit the
real-time location data to the computing device, including a
timestamp and identifier data associated with each venue asset
device.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein a wireless gateway corresponding
to the computing device and the wireless communication device
communicate over any combination of communication mediums
comprising one or more of a long range wide area network (LoRa)
gateway, Wi-Fi, M1 cellular, 5G cellular, or radio frequency
communication protocols for transmission by a transceiver to the
computing device.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein a computing device records,
stores and provides information related to at least one of:
sub-activity time management, participant matching, live traffic
control, statistics related to tracked movements of a plurality of
patrons, predictive analytics of the plurality of patrons, layout
of the activity venue, and maintenance of the activity venue to at
least an operator of the activity venue.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a
cloud-based computing device infrastructure.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: two or more virtual
cages designated for each sub-activity of the activity venue, the
two or more cages defined by geolocation boundaries; the wireless
gateway configured to receive location data from the one or more
patron sensor devices; a tracking tool configured to track
movements of each of the one or more patron sensor devices over a
period of time based on received location data; a management tool
configured to: identify when one of the one or more patron sensor
devices crosses into an area defined by one of the geolocation
boundaries for one of the two or more cages based on data aggregate
received location data and tracked movements to determine
instructions to optimize traffic patterns and reduce playtimes of
patrons of the activity venue; record a clock time for a crossing
into an area and an identifier of the one of the one or more patron
sensor devices; determine a pace of play for a patron carrying the
one of the one or more patron sensor devices based on the recorded
clock time; and transmit instructions to the one or more patron
sensor devices and/or an operator to implement optimized traffic
patterns and reduce playtimes based on the determined pace of
play.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the recorded clock time is
recorded each time a patron enters and exits each of the two or
more virtual cages on a golf course.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein arcs covering predefined areas
and/or boundaries, comprising a predetermined distance radius from
a point of interest, define locations for the two or more virtual
cages further defined by geolocation boundaries setup using
unlinked sensor devices, comprising one or more venue asset devices
or one or more venue asset tags, each configured to communicate
with a wireless gateway and provide real-time location data for the
one or more venue asset devices or one or more venue asset tags
that are unassociated with any patron devices; wherein virtual
cages and/or arcs are utilized in combination to gather data for
the system to track and record events and derive metrics related to
virtual cages and arcs, tracked events including when a patron or
group of patrons enters, crosses or exits a boundary defined by one
or more of the two or more virtual cages and/or arcs and where and
when a patron or group of patrons is located in relation to other
patrons; wherein the computing device analyzes collected location
data, time data, and other information and then provides
information related to at least one of: pace of play for the each
sub-activities, sub-activity start times, statistics, instructions
and/or feedback information and weather to one or more patrons of
the one or more patron sensor devices, the unlinked sensor devices,
or one or more operator devices, within the activity venue, wherein
crossing of a boundary of an arc or a virtual cage of the two or
more virtual cages is tracked by recording a location of a patron
or group of patrons at a particular point in time by periodically
pinging a linked patron sensor device, where after each ping, the
system determines whether the patron or group of patrons are
located within or outside that virtual cage or arc and records
location and a clock time when a patron or group of patrons first
identified as being located in that virtual cage and/or arc and a
clock time when that patron or group of patrons leaves that virtual
cage and/or arc after recording a ping inside that virtual cage
and/or arc.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising one or more venue
asset tags configured to communicate with the wireless gateway and
provide real-time location data for the one or more venue asset
tags the computing device executing the tracking tool is configured
to determine that one or more patron sensor devices have been
linked in a group, and the system tracks how long a group of
patrons spends in a particular virtual cage and/or arc and derives
a dwell time wherein the system stores a first crossing reading as
a minimum crossing time and then a subsequent crossing time is
stored as a maximum crossing time with each new crossing time
replacing previously stored maximum crossing times, then the system
subtracts a minimum crossing time from a maximum crossing time to
derive the dwell time as L(i,k,j,n)=Pmax(i,k,j,n)-Pmin(i,k,j,n),
where i is a group number, k is a partron number in group i, j is a
hole number, n is a virtual cage number on the hole j, L(i,k,j,n)
is the dwell time at virtual cage n on hole j for group i,
Pmax(i,k,j,n) is a final crossing clock time for patron k in group
i, on hole j for exiting virtual cage n, and Pmin(i,k,j,n) is the
first crossing clock time for patron k in group i, on hole j for
entering virtual cage n.
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the pace of play of the patron
is calculated by determining a difference of recorded clock times
for each patron throughout a golf course.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the pace of play of the patron
is determined in accordance with: TT(i,j)=T(i,j)-WW(i,j) where i is
a group number, j is a hole number, n is a cage number, TT(i,j) is
a play time minus a wait time to play hole j by group i, T(i,j) is
an actual time duration group i took to play hole j, and WW(i,j) is
a total wait time for group i on hole j for all cages on hole
j.
13. The system of claim 7, wherein locations of patrons are tracked
through identification of recorded clock times and a statistical
regression analysis is performed on recorded clock times for
patrons crossing geolocation boundaries of the two or more virtual
cages to calculate a patron pace rating for each of the patrons
based on pace of play for each patron associated with the one or
more patron sensor devices.
14. The system of claim 7, wherein the management tool determines a
relative pace of play of a patron in completing one or more
sub-activities, incrementing a success level by one when the patron
is ahead of relative pace on a particular sub-activity or
decrementing a success level by one when the patron is behind the
relative pace on the particular sub-activity, wherein upon
completion of a group of particular sub-activities a score is
tallied and displayed to the patron that reflects the success level
for an expected period of time, and wherein the patron is prevented
from the decrementing of a success level value when the reduced
pace of the patron is caused by slow pace of other patrons ahead of
the patron.
15. The system of claim 7, wherein the system calculates a
deviation value, written as D(-1,j), for any deviation from a
schedule or deviation value by taking a difference between patron
or group standard play times and a hole milestone and/or a
hole-by-hole schedule.
16. The system of claim 7, wherein the system detects, using
sensors whether there are other devices, carried by other patrons,
immediately ahead of a particular patron sensor device or located
in a next adjacent cage or arc from the particular patron sensor
device, and when there are, the system instructs the particular
patron sensor device to wait for other patrons to exit an area
immediately ahead or the next cage or arc, and the system initiates
relative pace analysis at the particular patron sensor device,
wherein the relative pace analysis comprises an adjusted patron or
group pace comprising wait time, to be displayed to the particular
patron or group thereof.
17. The system of claim 7, wherein the system utilizes a deviation
value to determine whether a patron or group is being impeded by
other patrons or groups, wherein a deviation value identifies a
time difference for a group ahead for hole j, being a hole that
group i just finished, such that when the deviation value is
negative or zero, group i has not been impeded by a group ahead,
and when the deviation value is positive, group i has been impeded
and the system labels a particular patron or group as impeded.
18. The system of claim 7, wherein when the system does not detect
other devices immediately ahead of a particular patron sensor
device or located in a next adjacent cage or arc, then the system
instructs the particular patron sensor device to make forward
progress, and thereafter, any time the patron or group takes to
complete a hole without any other devices immediately ahead or in a
next adjacent cage or arc is charged to the particular patron
sensor device as impeding other patrons.
19. The system of claim 7, wherein system calculations include a
margin of acceptance such that when D(i,j) is less than one minute,
group i is still considered, by the system, to be on schedule.
20. The system of claim 7, wherein the system calculations are be
performed using patron or group adjusted play times in place of the
patron or group standard play times to account for impeded wait
times caused by other patrons and the system combines metrics
related to on-schedule, on-pace, impeded, and impeding to provide
instructions, relative pace of play information, and pace of play
ratings to the one or more patron sensor devices.
21. The system of claim 7, wherein the geolocation boundaries for
the two or more virtual cages are positioned around a tee off area
and a green area on each hole of a golf course.
22. The system of claim 7, wherein the geolocation boundaries for
the two or more virtual cages are positioned around at least one
fairway area on at least one hole of a golf course.
23. The system of claim 7, wherein the geolocation boundaries for
the two or more virtual cages are positioned at designated areas
other than a tee off area, a green area, and at least one fairway
area.
24. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least two virtual
arcs designated on each hole of a golf course.
25. The system of claim 7, wherein at least two virtual arcs
designate a position of geolocation boundaries for virtual cages on
a fairway of a hole on a golf course, and wherein the position is
identified by points in which two of the at least two virtual arcs
overlap.
26. The system of claim 1, wherein instructions are transmitted to
the one of the one or more patron sensor devices and are related to
the patron being on pace or behind pace.
27. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more patron sensor
devices each comprise a light-emitting diode (LED), the LED
configured to change color based on an actual pace of a patron
carrying the one or more patron sensor devices relative to another
patron or group of patrons carrying one or more patron sensor
devices ahead of the patron and a target pace for the patron.
28. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more patron sensor
devices each comprise an electronic ink (e-Ink) display, the e-Ink
display configured to display instructions and/or a distance to
another one of one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags,
one or more patron sensor devices, or one or more sensor
devices.
29. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device provides
information related to at least one of: pace of play for each of
the sub-activities, sub-activity start times, statistics including
statistics for a golf course and individual holes, and weather to
the plurality of patrons of the one or more patron sensor devices
within the activity venue.
30. The system of claim 1, wherein the management tool instructs
patrons participating in a particular sub-activity, via one or more
devices, that said patrons will have to skip a subsequent
sub-activity if their pace does not improve.
31. The system of claim 1, wherein the management tool assigns
golfers together in groups of golfers that share similar historical
pace of play times based on compatible availability and historical
pace of play.
32. The system of claim 1, wherein the real-time locations of
patrons on a golf course are utilized by the system for real-time
adjustment of a tee time based on current throughput, wherein
spacing between start times is increased or decreased according to
a level of congestion, wherein a management tool tracks historical
usage patterns and predictive analytics to determine optimal tee
times for golfers, wherein a smaller start time gap between golfers
is provided for golfers with efficient pace of plays than for
golfers with slower pace of play times.
33. The system of claim 1, wherein the system performs various
analytics comprising determined pace of play to calculate metrics
based on location data and time data of patrons throughout the
activity venue, to assign the one or more patron sensor devices to
perform sub-activities during identified and/or predicted gaps at
the activity venue.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein historical data is used in
conjunction with the live data to create metrics and measurements
for analytics wherein a management tool: receives, monitors,
aggregates. and stores locations and timestamps for real-time
location data and time data from each of the one or more patron
sensor devices and one or more venue asset devices or venue asset
tags throughout the activity venue and associates the locations and
timestamps with the identifiers associated with each respective
device; uses the real-time location data and time data to identify
and/or predict gaps in usage of each sub-activity of the plurality
of sub-activities or underutilized sub-activity areas throughout
the activity venue based on the location data and time data for
each of the one or more patron sensor devices or the one or more
venue asset devices or venue asset tags, wherein a venue asset
device or venue asset tag is in local communication with at least
one patron sensor device of the one or more patron sensor devices
and enables calculation of a distance between the one or more venue
asset devices or venue asset tags and the at least one patron
sensor device without use of an intermediary device; calculates a
time and duration of time that the identified gaps will remain open
at the locations between scheduled tasks, activities,
sub-activities or patrons and until a patron occupies each of the
locations, using a typical duration to perform a particular
sub-activity wherein a displayed distance is a distance; and
assigns patrons to those identified gaps and/or predicted gaps, and
schedules sub-activities to be performed, start times, and points
of entry, dispatching one or more patron sensor devices determined
based on one or more of patron sensor device proximity to the gap,
availability of the patron, a skill level or rating, or a
combination thereof.
35. The system of claim 34, wherein calculation of a distance
comprises a distance to a pin with a venue asset tag located on a
current hole on a golf course.
36. The system of claim 34, wherein the computing device
identifies, from multiple points of entry to begin a sub-activity,
points of entry closest to the identified gaps or underutilized
sub-activity areas and directs one or more patron sensor devices to
those points of access.
37. The system of claim 1, wherein a management tool transforms the
real-time location data and time data into predictive data by
estimating completion times for a set of sub-activities based on
based on data aggregated from throughout the activity venue
comprising one or more of historical data, venue data, maintenance
data, location condition data, tracked grass length, projected
paces of play, and live traffic, or weather data.
38. The system of claim 1, wherein the system identifies areas of
congestion of patrons at the activity venue and directs the
plurality of patrons to the underutilized sub-activity areas away
from the areas of congestion of patrons.
39. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device optimizes a
schedule comprising a set of sub-activities for the one or more
patron sensor devices scheduled to play, and/or idle patrons
unassigned to any sub-activities, wherein a management tool
maintains a list of tasks or sub-activities to be completed at
various locations at the activity venue and a duration of time
needed to complete those tasks or sub-activities; wherein the
management tool performs, utilizing the schedule, the list of tasks
or sub-activities and the predicted and identified gaps, matching
the appropriate patron to tasks or sub-activities to be performed
at one or more predicted and identified gaps, adjusting or
re-assigning, using the one or more patron sensor devices, based on
matching, the set of patrons to perform the set of sub-activities,
and sending updated instructions to the one or more patron sensor
devices for the set of patrons comprising one or more of
sub-activities location, timing, and target completion.
40. The system of claim 39, wherein the computing device and the
management tool continue monitoring the location and time data
provided by the one or more patron sensor devices progressing
through the activity venue and re-optimizes, wherein the management
tool: aggregates all patron, staff, and operator location and time
data associated with the one or more patron sensor devices, sensor
devices, and one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags;
updates historic data by storing aggregated patron, staff, and
operator location and time data in the historic data based on
parameters, and stores, using a database or data storage device,
updated historic data; forecasts future paces, wait times,
identified gaps, and bottleneck issues before they occur,
incorporates such data into the analytics, and reschedules and
adjusts or re-assigns the one or more patron sensor devices,
issuing additional proactive instructions to the one or more patron
sensor devices, based on: a current location of the one or more
patron sensor devices and/or the one or more venue asset devices or
venue asset tags; and an estimated time of completion computed for
an assignable one or more patron sensor devices, a location of a
sub-activity, and location conditions derived from the updated
historic data.
41. The system of claim 1, wherein the system determines and
provides from predictive analytics for proactive management of
patrons, notifications or instructions to the one or more patron
sensor devices, that provide dispatch to start play at a particular
location or recommended points of entry for sub-activities within
the activity venue at future times during the identified gaps
and/or the identified predictive gaps in usage of each sub-activity
based on the location data for each of the one or more patron
sensor devices, wherein the identified gaps and/or the identified
predictive gaps in which to perform sub-activities with a time
interval larger than a duration between an estimated start time and
the estimated time of completion computed for assigned patron,
assigned vehicle or equipment, assigned location, and location
conditions derived from the updated historic data.
42. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device provides
feedback to the patrons with identified predictive gaps in usage/
based on the completed analysis in such a way that maximizes a
number of the plurality of patrons engaging in each sub-activity of
a plurality of sub-activities and minimizes a number of the
plurality of patrons waiting to engage in usage of each
sub-activity due to the sub-activity being utilized by other of the
plurality of patrons, reduce wait times during activities,
optimally maintain the venue itself, and maximize profitability for
the activity venue.
43. The system of claim 1, wherein mitigating instructions comprise
information related to placement location and placement time of
patrons comprising golfers on a golf course including instructions
issued to start play at a particular gap in the golf course or tee
off on holes that have a gap in play between existing groups of
patrons on the course instructions allocating additional patron
start time spacing or time between tee offs, based on congestion of
patrons comprising golfers on the golf course.
44. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device optimizes a
schedule for a set of patrons, based on real-time location data and
historical location data for patrons at the activity venue, wherein
optimization reduces one or more of playtimes, duration of
operation, overall completion time, patron completion time,
sub-activity completion time, distance traveled, travel time
between sub-activities, time idle comprising dwell time while
patron sensor device is not being operated, wait times, or a
combination thereof.
45. The system of claim 1, wherein optimization maximizes scheduled
number of patrons playing on a course at any given time,
distributing the patrons evenly throughout the holes of a golf
course, such that each patron can play with reduced wait times and
a reduction in overall playtime, or maximizes revenue from patron
participation for the activity venue by maximizing throughput.
46. The system of claim 45, wherein analytics based on location and
time data of the one or more patron sensor devices are used to
implement revenue models based on one or more of duration,
completing a number of sub-activities at the activity venue, or
supply and demand, reducing prices to attract patrons, during slow
periods, wherein a management tool adjusts prices based on a
number, or predicted number, of patrons participating at the
activity venue including where patrons pay per hole or pay per an
amount of time on a golf course, regardless of a number of holes
completed.
47. The system of claim 1, wherein instructions are transmitted to
one of one or more operations staff operator devices and are
related to the patron being on pace or behind pace, wherein based
on pace of play determinations and locations of patrons, proactive
instructions are conveyed to one or more maintenance staff operator
devices to mitigate potential bottleneck issues.
48. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more venue asset tags
and/or the one or more patron sensor devices each comprise a motion
sensor, and when the motion sensor for one or more venue asset tags
or a patron sensor device does not detect motion for a predefined
period of time, one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor
device enters a low power state, and upon a detection of motion,
one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor device is woken
from the low power state and transmits corresponding data to the
computing device.
49. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device provides an
interactive course map for the live traffic control a
representation of a flow of traffic of individuals or subgroups of
individuals throughout the activity venue comprising any
combination of patrons, operators, and staff members at the
activity venue, including heat maps comprising features to assist
in visualizing patron locations, patron traffic flow and congestion
to users comprising operators and/or patrons.
50. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity venue is a golf
course and wherein each sub-activity of the plurality of
sub-activities is a single hole of the golf course.
51. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more patron
sensor devices can be at least one of a golf bag tag, a key chain,
a card, a club grip, and a ball mark repair tool
52. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more venue asset tags are
attachable to or integrated into at least one of a flag stick, a
golf cart, a piece of maintenance equipment, a maintenance vehicle,
a yardage marker, sprinkler heads, and a sign.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a division of, and claims priority to,
and the benefit of co-pending patent application Ser. No.
15/229,415 filed Aug. 5, 2016, which claimed priority to
Provisional Application 62/202,502 filed Aug. 7, 2015, Provisional
Application 62/232,744, filed Sep. 25, 2015, Provisional
Application 62/338,836 filed May 19, 2016, and Provisional
Application 62/352,548 filed Jun. 20, 2016. The disclosures of all
said applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to addressing managing a
plurality of patrons at an activity venue by implementing a
technological solution that improves an experience of the patrons
at the activity venue. In particular, the present invention relates
to a system that operates to track locations and pace of play or
participation, e.g. time, of the patrons at the activity venue and
through various improved technological processes and interactions
enabled by the unique technological hardware of the system, provide
the patrons with feedback to manage their locations for an improved
participation experience.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Generally, activity venues make a profit by providing
entertainment to a maximum number of patrons over a period of time.
Typically, patrons can arrive at an activity venue and pay a fee to
participate in an activity for a period of time or for a
predetermined quantity of sub-activities. For example, golfers can
reserve a scheduled tee time to play a round of golf at a golf
course. Traditionally, tee times are assigned to patrons using a
predicted offset of time to create an offset between golfing
parties (e.g., 15 minute increments). Tee times can be assigned, by
reservation or by walk-in, on a first come first served basis for
time slots that are available at the time of reservation. Other
activity venues schedule their activities for patrons based on
similar scheduling systems or simply using a first come first
served queue (e.g., at venues providing entertainment related to
mini golf, skiing, amusement parks, etc.).
[0004] However, these methodologies experience some shortcomings.
The use of scheduled predetermined time slots or first come first
served type queues can make it difficult for operators to manage a
flow of patrons at periods of high volume (e.g., summer months,
weekends, Friday night, etc.) and make it difficult for patrons to
accurately predict the amount of time it will take to complete
their activities at the venue. In other words, traditional
methodologies do not take into account current traffic flow of the
patrons throughout the entire venue and do not compensate for
bottlenecks causing extended wait times or gaps that could be
filled by patrons that otherwise would be waiting to participate.
For example, the first come first served model merely places
patrons at an initial starting point (e.g., at the first hole of a
golf course) upon their arrival at the activity venue, which can
lead to backups and extended wait times while patrons wait for the
group(s) in front of them to finish the current sub-activity (i.e.,
the first hole of a three, nine, or eighteen hole golf course).
Similarly, predetermined time slots can cause unnecessary delays or
large time gaps based on a time of day, week, or month. For
example, time slots for early afternoon on a weekday may not be as
convenient for patrons as the time slots for weekend afternoons,
causing large swings in the number of people on a course at any one
time. Additionally, these conventional methods lack the tools
necessary to track data related to the traffic of patrons and to
use the data to maximize the throughput of the patrons. Instead,
any adjustments made by operators at an activity venue rely solely
upon in-person observations of the activities and patrons, and
making the adjustments according to such in-person observations.
Likewise, the adjustments that can be done based on such in-person
observations are insufficient to address the existing shortcomings
of such methodologies.
[0005] Moreover, today's culture and lifestyles have changed,
leaving less leisure time, which must be balanced against other
priorities. Younger generations expect a lifestyle that is managed
digitally in real-time. Accordingly, activity venues that are not
optimized for efficiency to meet today's demands and/or are not
able to offer expedited entertainment for patrons, can suffer
financial losses. For example, in today's culture, golfers are
finding it increasingly difficult to play golf because rounds could
last over 4 hours 15 minutes, which is too much of a time
commitment. Conventional golf courses lack a means to convey to
golfers how long a round of golf will take for them to complete,
making it difficult to schedule a round of golf in condensed
schedules. Similarly, in addition to an expedited entertainment
experience, patrons want more budget friendly options to fit their
schedules. For example, a golfer may only have time to play golf
for 90 minutes, which may only be enough to play 6 holes, but they
do not want to have to pay for a full 9 or 18 holes (and it is
unconventional to be able to pay for a number of holes at a full
size golf course that is less than 9 holes). Problems similar to
the above-noted issues can lead to patron frustration, hindering in
the overall experience, a decrease in new players, and an overall
decline in the number of participating patrons at the venue.
Further, during extremely slow times, a golfer may want to play a
particular hole multiple times to practice a skill required to
effectively play a challenging part of the course, such as laying
up in front of a hazard, clearing an obstacle, or finding the best
approach to executing a curved fairway, typically referred to as a
"dog leg". This type of flexibility and individualized billing is
impossible with current activity models.
[0006] Additionally, during periods of high volume of patrons, it
is difficult for the staff to maintain the venue around patrons.
Typically the staff is inefficient as they have to wait to perform
maintenance tasks in between patron use. At large venues like golf
courses, performing maintenance between patrons is extremely
challenging because it is unclear where all of the patrons are at
any given moment. Consequently, staff spend time waiting for
patrons to complete sub-activities within the activity venue (such
as a particular hole on a golf course). Likewise, patrons do not
enjoy staff waiting for them to complete such sub-activities
because it diminishes their experience. This also results in both
time and cost inefficiencies.
[0007] Maintenance superintendents who manage staff at large venues
also have difficultly doing so efficiently. They do not always know
where the staff is physically located at the venue or the amount of
time they spend in areas performing certain tasks. Superintendents
also frequently do not know where each piece of equipment is at any
moment and must coordinate equipment usage through inefficient
methods. This yields inefficiencies for the venue in time and cost
and ultimately the delivery of a consistent experience for
patrons.
SUMMARY
[0008] There is a need for a technological solution providing a
management tool that enables an improved experience for patrons at
an activity venue and allows more time and cost efficient ways to
manage/maintain a venue. The present invention is directed toward
further solutions to address this need, in addition to having other
desirable characteristics. Specifically, there is a need for a
technological solution that obtains data and tracks patrons within
an activity venue in such a way that enables real-time control of
the patrons and their participation in activities, provides
predictive analytics related to gameplay and flow of traffic, and
provides operators and patrons with information necessary to
maximize a pace of play and thereby improve the experience of the
patrons at the activity venue. Moreover, there is a need for a
technological solution that maximizes a number or throughput of
patrons paying to participate at the activity venue to increase
revenue for the activity venue. In particular, there is a need for
a technological solution that builds a connected venue to grow
operator revenue and make the activity more accessible to all
patrons. For example, connection of staff, maintenance equipment,
patrons, and the like, is needed in order to orchestrate and manage
large venues effectively and efficiently. Overall, there is a need
to provide a technological solution to maximize patron experiences
while not intruding on the ability to participate in the activities
themselves.
[0009] Embodied in the present invention is a technological
solution to the stated shortcomings of the prior and conventional
systems, and in some instances the lack of any system, process, or
capability altogether. Specifically, in accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, a system for tracking movement
and managing activity of a plurality of patrons of an activity
venue, the activity venue including a plurality of sub-activities
in which patrons participate. Each sub-activity of the plurality of
sub-activities has a point of entry for the plurality of patrons to
embark on the sub-activity and the point of entry is recognized by
the system. The system also includes a wireless gateway and one or
more patron sensor devices for disposition and transportation
throughout the activity venue by the plurality of patrons, each of
the plurality of patron sensor devices includes a location sensor
configured to provide real-time location data indicating the
location of the plurality of patron sensor devices within the
activity venue and a wireless communication device for
communication with the wireless gateway, the communication
including receiving the real-time location data from the plurality
of patron sensor devices, enabling the system to establish the
real-time location of each of the plurality of patron sensor
devices within the activity venue. The system further includes a
computing device in communication with the wireless gateway of the
system, the computing device executing a tracking tool that
receives the real-time location data for each of the one or more
patron sensor devices via the wireless gateway and transforms the
real-time location data into predictive data indicating anticipated
locations of each of the plurality of patron sensor devices within
the activity venue at future times. The system identifies
underutilized sub-activity areas of the activity venue and
correspondingly identifies the points of entry for each
underutilized sub-activity area, then the system directs one or
more patrons to identified points of entry for each underutilized
sub-activity area via a communication to the one or more patron
sensor devices.
[0010] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system can include one or more venue asset devices or venue asset
tags configured to communicate with the wireless gateway and
provide real-time location and time data for the one or more venue
asset devices or venue asset tags. Each venue asset device of the
one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags can include a
microcontroller, a transceiver with antenna, a global positioning
system locator, a battery power source, a light emitting diode, and
a display, and each venue asset device is configured to gather
location data for each venue asset device and transmit the
real-time location data to the computing device, including a
timestamp and identifier data associated with each venue asset
device.
[0011] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system can include a wireless gateway wherein the wireless gateway
corresponding to the computing device and the wireless
communication device communicate over any combination of
communication mediums comprising one or more of a long range wide
area network (LoRa) gateway, Wi-Fi, M1 cellular, 5G cellular, or
radio frequency communication protocols for transmission by a
transceiver to the computing device. The computing device records,
stores and provides information related to at least one of:
sub-activity time management, participant matching, live traffic
control, statistics related to tracked movements of a plurality of
patrons, predictive analytics of the plurality of patrons, layout
of the activity venue, and maintenance of the activity venue to at
least an operator of the activity venue. The computing device can
be a cloud-based computing device infrastructure.
[0012] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system can further include two or more virtual cages designated for
each sub-activity of the activity venue, the two or more cages
defined by geolocation boundaries. The wireless gateway can be
configured to receive location data from the one or more patron
sensor devices and a tracking tool can be configured to track
movements of each of the one or more patron sensor devices over a
period of time based on received location data. A management tool
can be configured to: identify when one of the one or more patron
sensor devices crosses into an area defined by one of the
geolocation boundaries for one of the two or more cages based on
data aggregate received location data and tracked movements to
determine instructions to optimize traffic patterns and reduce
playtimes of patrons of the activity venue; record a clock time for
a crossing into an area and an identifier of the one of the one or
more patron sensor devices; determine a pace of play for a patron
carrying the one of the one or more patron sensor devices based on
the recorded clock time; and transmit instructions to the one or
more patron sensor devices and/or an operator to implement
optimized traffic patterns and reduce playtimes based on the
determined pace of play.
[0013] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
recorded clock time is recorded each time a patron enters and exits
each of the two or more virtual cages on the golf course. The pace
of play of the patron can be calculated by determining a difference
of recorded clock times for each patron throughout the golf course.
The pace of play of the patron can be determined in accordance with
TT(i,j)=T(i,j)-WW(i,j) where i is a group number, j is a hole
number, n is a cage number, TT(i,j) is a play time minus a wait
time to play hole j by group i, T(i,j) is the actual time duration
group i took to play hole j, and WW(i,j) is the total wait time for
group i on hole j for all cages on hole j. A statistical regression
analysis can be performed on recorded clock times for patrons on
the golf course to calculate a patron pace rating for each of the
patrons.
[0014] In accordance with aspects of the present invention,
locations of patrons can be tracked through identification of
recorded clock times and a statistical regression analysis is
performed on recorded clock times for patrons crossing geolocation
boundaries of the two or more virtual cages to calculate a patron
pace rating for each of the patrons based on pace of play for each
patron associated with the one or more patron sensor devices. The
management tool can determine a relative pace of play of a patron
in completing one or more sub-activities, incrementing a success
level by one when the patron is ahead of relative pace on a
particular sub-activity or decrementing the success level by one
when the patron is behind the relative pace on the particular
sub-activity, wherein upon completion of a group of particular
sub-activities a score is tallied and displayed to the patron that
reflects the success level for an expected period of time, and
wherein the patron is prevented from the decrementing of the
success level value when the reduced pace of the patron is caused
by slow pace of other patrons ahead of the patron. The system can
calculate a deviation value, written as D(i-1,j), for any deviation
from a schedule or deviation value by taking a difference between
patron or group standard play times and a hole milestone and/or a
hole-by-hole schedule.
[0015] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system can detect, using sensors whether there are other devices,
carried by other patrons, immediately ahead of a particular patron
sensor device or located in a next adjacent cage or arc from the
particular patron sensor device, and when there are, the system
instructs the particular patron sensor device to wait for other
patrons to exit an area immediately ahead or the next cage or arc,
and the system can initiate relative pace analysis at the
particular patron sensor device, wherein the relative pace analysis
comprises an adjusted patron or group pace comprising wait time, to
be displayed to the particular patron or group thereof. The system
can utilize the deviation value to determine whether a patron or
group is being impeded by other patrons or groups, wherein a
deviation value identifies a time difference for a group ahead for
hole j, being a hole that group i just finished, such that when the
deviation value is negative or zero, group i has not been impeded
by a group ahead, and when the deviation value is positive, group i
has been impeded and the system labels the particular patron or
group as impeded. When the system does not detect other devices
immediately ahead of a particular patron sensor device or located
in the next adjacent cage or arc, then the system instructs the
particular patron sensor device to make forward progress, and
thereafter, any time the patron or group takes to complete a hole
without any other devices immediately ahead or in a next adjacent
cage or arc is charged to the particular patron sensor device as
impeding other patrons. System calculations can include a margin of
acceptance such that when D(i,j) is less than one minute, group i
is still considered, by the system, to be on schedule.
[0016] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system calculations can be performed using patron or group adjusted
play times in place of the patron or group standard play times to
account for impeded wait times caused by other patrons and the
system combines metrics related to on-schedule, on-pace, impeded,
and impeding to provide instructions, relative pace of play
information, and pace of play ratings to the one or more patron
sensor devices.
[0017] In accordance with aspects of the present invention,
geolocation boundaries for the two or more virtual cages can be
positioned around a tee off area and a green area on each hole of a
golf course. The geolocation boundaries for the two or more virtual
cages can be positioned around at least one fairway area on at
least one hole of the golf course. The geolocation boundaries for
the two or more virtual cages can be positioned at designated areas
other than the tee off area, the green area, and the at least one
fairway area.
[0018] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
system further can include at least two virtual arcs designated on
each hole of a golf course. In some implementations, the at least
two virtual arcs designate a position of geolocation boundaries for
virtual cages on a fairway of a hole on the golf course, and
wherein the position is identified by points in which two of the at
least two virtual arcs overlap.
[0019] In accordance with aspects of the present invention,
instructions are transmitted to the one of the one or more patron
sensor devices and are related to the patron being on pace or
behind pace. The plurality of patron sensor devices can each
comprise a light-emitting diode (LED), the LED configured to change
color based on an actual pace of a patron carrying the plurality of
patron sensor devices relative to another patron or group of
patrons carrying one or more of the plurality of patron sensor
devices ahead of the patron and a target pace for the patron.
[0020] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
plurality of patron sensor devices can each include an electronic
ink (e-Ink) display, the e-Ink display configured to display
instructions and/or a distance to another one of the one or more
venue asset devices or venue asset tags, one or more patron sensor
devices, or one or more sensor devices. The computing device can
provide information related to at least one of: pace of play for
the each sub-activities, activities, sub-activity start times,
statistics including statistics for a golf course and individual
holes, and weather to the plurality of patrons of the one or more
patron sensor devices within the activity venue. The management
tool can instruct patrons participating in a particular
sub-activity, via one or more devices, that said patrons will have
to skip a subsequent sub-activity if their pace does not improve.
The management tool can assign golfers together in groups of
golfers that share similar historical pace of play times based on
compatible availability and historical pace of play.
[0021] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
real-time locations of patrons on a golf course can be utilized by
the system for real-time adjustment of a tee time based on current
throughput, wherein spacing between start times is increased or
decreased according to a level of congestion, wherein a management
tool tracks historical usage patterns and predictive analytics to
determine optimal tee times for golfers, wherein a smaller start
time gap between golfers is provided for golfers with efficient
pace of plays than for golfers with slower pace of play times. The
system can perform various analytics comprising determined pace of
play to calculate metrics based on location data and time data of
patrons throughout the activity venue, to assign the one or more
patron sensor devices to perform sub-activities during identified
and/or predicted gaps at the activity venue. Historical data can be
used in conjunction with the live data to create metrics and
measurements for analytics wherein a management tool: receives,
monitors, aggregates. and stores locations and timestamps for
real-time location data and time data from each of the one or more
patron sensor devices and one or more venue asset devices or venue
asset tags throughout the activity venue and associates the
locations and timestamps with the identifiers associated with each
respective device; uses the real-time location data and time data
to identify and/or predict gaps in usage of each sub-activity of
the plurality of sub-activities or underutilized sub-activity areas
throughout the activity venue based on the location data and time
data for each of the one or more patron sensor devices or the one
or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, wherein a venue
asset device or venue asset tag is in local communication with at
least one patron sensor device of the one or more patron sensor
devices and enables calculation of a distance between the one or
more venue asset devices or venue asset tags and the at least one
patron sensor device without use of an intermediary device;
calculates a time and duration of time that the identified gaps
will remain open at the locations between scheduled tasks,
activities, sub-activities or patrons and until a patron occupies
each of the locations, using a typical duration to perform a
particular sub-activity wherein the displayed distance is a
distance; and assigns patrons to those identified gaps and/or
predicted gaps, and schedules sub-activities to be performed, start
times, and points of entry, dispatching one or more patron sensor
devices determined based on one or more of patron sensor device
proximity to the gap, availability of the patron, the skill level
or rating, or a combination thereof.
[0022] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
displayed distance and calculation of a distance can be a distance
to a pin with a venue asset tag located on a current hole on a golf
course. The computing device can identify, from multiple points of
entry to begin a sub-activity, points of entry closest to the
identified gaps or underutilized sub-activity areas and directs one
or more patron sensor devices to those points of access. The
management tool can transform the real-time location data and time
data into predictive data by estimating completion times for a set
of sub-activities based on based on data aggregated from throughout
the activity venue comprising one or more of historical data, venue
data, maintenance data, location condition data, tracked grass
length, projected paces of play, and live traffic, or weather data.
The system can identify areas of congestion of patrons at the
activity venue and directs the plurality of patrons to the
underutilized sub-activity areas away from the areas of congestion
of patrons.
[0023] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
computing device can optimize the schedule comprising a set of
sub-activities for the one or more patron sensor devices scheduled
to play, and/or idle patrons unassigned to any sub-activities. The
management tool maintains a list of tasks or sub-activities to be
completed at various locations at the activity venue and a duration
of time needed to complete those tasks or sub-activities. The
management tool performs, utilizing the schedule, the list of tasks
or sub-activities and the predicted and identified gaps, matching
the appropriate patron to tasks or sub-activities to be performed
at one or more predicted and identified gaps, adjusting or
re-assigning, using the one or more patron sensor devices, based on
matching, the set of patrons to perform the set of sub-activities,
and sending updated instructions to the one or more patron sensor
devices for the set of patrons comprising one or more of
sub-activities location, timing, and target completion. The
computing device and the management tool can continue monitoring
the location and time data provided by the one or more patron
sensor devices progressing through the activity venue and
re-optimizes, wherein the management tool: aggregates all patron,
staff, and operator location and time data associated with the one
or more patron sensor devices, sensor devices, and one or more
venue asset devices or venue asset tags; updates historic data by
storing aggregated patron, staff, and operator location and time
data in the historic data based on parameters, and stores, using a
database or data storage device, updated historic data; forecasts
future paces, wait times, identified gaps, and bottleneck issues
before they occur, incorporates such data into the analytics, and
reschedules and adjusts or re-assigns the one or more patron sensor
devices. The computing device can issue additional proactive
instructions to the one or more patron sensor devices, based on: a
current location of the one or more patron sensor devices and/or
the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags; and an
estimated time of completion computed for an assignable one or more
patron sensor devices, a location of a sub-activity, and location
conditions derived from the updated historic data. The system can
determine and provide, from predictive analytics for proactive
management of patrons, notifications or instructions to the one or
more patron sensor devices, that provide dispatch to start play at
a particular location or recommended points of entry for
sub-activities within the activity venue at future times during the
identified gaps and/or the identified predictive gaps in usage of
each sub-activity based on the location data for each of the one or
more patron sensor devices, wherein the identified gaps and/or the
identified predictive gaps in which to perform sub-activities with
a time interval larger than a duration between an estimated start
time and the estimated time of completion computed for assigned
patron, assigned vehicle or equipment, assigned location, and
location conditions derived from the updated historic data. The
computing device can provide feedback to the patrons with
identified predictive gaps in usage/ based on the completed
analysis in such a way that maximizes a number of the plurality of
patrons engaging in each sub-activity of a plurality of
sub-activities and minimizes a number of the plurality of patrons
waiting to engage in usage of each sub-activity due to the
sub-activity being utilized by other of the plurality of patrons,
reduce wait times during activities, optimally maintain the venue
itself, and maximize profitability for the activity venue.
Mitigating instructions can comprise information related to
placement location and placement time of patrons comprising golfers
on a golf course including instructions issued to start play at a
particular gap in the golf course or tee off on holes that have a
gap in play between existing groups of patrons on the course
instructions allocating additional patron start time spacing or
time between tee offs, based on congestion of patrons comprising
golfers on the golf course.
[0024] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
computing device can optimize a schedule for a set of patrons,
based on real-time location data and historical location data for
patrons at the activity venue, wherein optimization reduces one or
more of playtimes, duration of operation, overall completion time,
patron completion time, sub-activity completion time, distance
traveled, travel time between sub-activities, time idle comprising
dwell time while patron sensor device is not being operated, wait
times, or a combination thereof. Optimization maximizes scheduled
number of patrons playing on a course at any given time,
distributing the patrons evenly throughout the holes of a golf
course, such that each patron can play with reduced wait times and
a reduction in overall playtime, or maximizes revenue from patron
participation for the activity venue by maximizing throughput.
Analytics based on location and time data of the one or more patron
sensor devices can be used to implement revenue models based on one
or more of duration, completing a number of sub-activities at the
activity venue, or supply and demand, reducing prices to attract
patrons, during slow periods, wherein a management tool adjusts
prices based on a number, or predicted number, of patrons
participating at the activity venue including where patrons pay per
hole or pay per an amount of time on a golf course, regardless of a
number of holes completed.
[0025] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
instructions can be transmitted to the one of the one or more
operations staff operator devices and can be related to the patron
being on pace or behind pace, wherein based on pace of play
determinations and locations of patrons, proactive instructions are
conveyed to one or more maintenance staff operator devices to
mitigate potential bottleneck issues. One or more venue asset tags
and/or the one or more patron sensor devices each comprise a motion
sensor, and when the motion sensor for one or more venue asset tags
or a patron sensor device does not detect motion for a predefined
period of time, one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor
device enters a low power state, and upon a detection of motion,
one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor device is woken
from the low power state and transmits corresponding data to the
computing device.
[0026] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
computing device can provide an interactive course map for the live
traffic control a representation of a flow of traffic of
individuals or subgroups of individuals throughout the activity
venue comprising any combination of patrons, operators, and staff
members at the activity venue, including heat maps comprising
features to assist in visualizing patron locations, patron traffic
flow and congestion to users comprising operators and/or
patrons.
[0027] In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the
activity venue can be a golf course and wherein each sub-activity
of the plurality of sub-activities is a single hole of the golf
course. Each of the one or more of patron sensor devices can be at
least one of a golf bag tag, a key chain, a card, a club grip, and
a ball mark repair tool. Each of the one or more venue asset tags
can be attachable to or integrated into at least one of a flag
stick, a golf cart, a piece of maintenance equipment, a maintenance
vehicle, a yardage marker, sprinkler heads, and a sign.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0028] These and other characteristics of the present invention
will be more fully understood by reference to the following
detailed description in conjunction with the attached drawings, in
which:
[0029] FIG. 1 is an illustrative system for implementing the steps
in accordance with the aspects of the present invention;
[0030] FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrative architectures of the sensor
device(s), in accordance with the aspects of the invention;
[0031] FIG. 3A is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of
the venue management system, in accordance with aspects of the
invention;
[0032] FIG. 3B is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of
the maintenance management system, in accordance with aspects of
the invention;
[0033] FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are illustrative configurations for
capturing precise player movement data on a golf course, in
accordance with the aspects of the invention;
[0034] FIG. 5 is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of
the venue management system related to start times, in accordance
with aspects of the invention;
[0035] FIG. 6 is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of
the venue management system related to pace of play, in accordance
with aspects of the invention;
[0036] FIG. 7 is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of
the venue management system related to pace of play, in accordance
with aspects of the invention; and
[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a high-level
architecture configured for implementing processes in accordance
with aspects of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] An illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates
to tracking locations and pace of play of patrons at an activity
venue and providing the patrons with feedback to manage their
locations for an improved pace of play and improved overall
throughput of patrons at the activity venue. The present invention
utilizes the locations of patrons and related objects in an
activity venue to determine various metrics that can be used by
patrons and operators of the venue to enhance the patron experience
through a reduction in wait times and a total amount of time to
complete an activity, while also optimizing the number of patrons
that can be effectively handled by the activity venue and the
efficiency by which staff can maintain the venue. Each patron, and
other objects being tracked, is provided with a sensor device
configured to report location information of that patron, or
object, throughout the venue. The location information is relayed
to a central venue device for analysis. In accordance with one
example embodiment, the location data is transmitted to a local or
cloud computing infrastructure for analysis. The local or cloud
computing infrastructure can include a data management tool
configured to analyze the received data with a focus on evaluating
crowds and other objects throughout a particular venue.
[0039] The local or cloud computing infrastructure can utilize a
live (e.g., real-time) look-in of the location data for all patrons
to make determinations related to congestion and can record the
location information over time to accurately estimate wait times,
predict future points of congestion, or identify other issues. The
live data and estimated wait times can be provided to patrons and
operators at the activity venue to inform each as to what can be
expected at any given time. In accordance with an example
embodiment, each patron at the activity venue can also be assigned
a pace of play value, using a combination of the live location data
and historically received location data for that patron. Using the
pace of play value for all of the patrons at a venue, the computing
infrastructure can perform additional analysis of all the data and
can predict a future flow of traffic to identify potential trouble
spots (e.g., areas where longer lines or delays may be more likely
to occur, bottlenecks, or potential upcoming venue resources that
are being underutilized and are therefore being wasted). Once the
computing infrastructure has performed the analysis and identified
current points of congestion and any potential trouble spots,
mitigating instructions can be determined and proactively sent to
patrons and operators at the venue as preventative measures.
[0040] As referenced above, the mitigating instructions can include
identifying gaps or underutilized areas of the activity venue and
instructing operators, staff, and/or patrons to begin activities at
those areas. In particular, an activity venue can have multiple
points of entry to begin an activity or sub-activity, the computing
infrastructure can identify the points of entry closest to the gaps
or underutilized areas and direct patrons to those points of entry.
For example, a typical golf course has 18 holes, which can be
viewed by the computing infrastructure as 18 separate points of
entry to 18 separate sub-activities, each sub-activity being one of
the 18 holes. Based on the congestion of golfers (patrons) on the
golf course, the computing infrastructure can recommend that
golfers tee off on holes that have a gap in play between existing
groups of patrons on the course. By distributing the golfers evenly
throughout the 18 holes of the golf course, each golfer can play
with reduced wait times and experience a reduction in overall
playtime. Additionally, by optimizing the number of golfers playing
on a course at any given time, the computing infrastructure is able
to maximize the profitability for the activity venue by maximizing
throughput. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, an
activity venue can include a number of activities and
sub-activities, and each activity can also include sub-activities.
For example, a venue can include a miniature golf course, and
arcade, and concessions (activities or sub-activities), with the
miniature golf course including a number of holes (sub-activities
of activities or sub-activities).
[0041] Additionally, the identification of gaps or underutilized
areas of the activity venue can further be utilized for venue
maintenance. In particular, the computing infrastructure can
provide administrators and maintenance staff of the activity venue
with optimal locations and durations of time for periodic
maintenance of sub-activities within the venue. For example, on a
golf course gaps and the duration of the gaps between golfers can
be identified and tagged for particular types of maintenance (e.g.,
watering, grass cutting, repairs, etc.). The computing
infrastructure can also recommend specific works and/or types of
maintenance to be performed within the identified gaps based on
data aggregated from throughout the venue.
[0042] Maintenance superintendents (e.g., operators) also benefit
from information on how long their staff spends performing specific
tasks, at specific locations, and with what specific maintenance
equipment. The computing infrastructure and sensor device(s)
associated with both staff and equipment report on staff location,
equipment location, effectiveness, and ultimately serve as a
dispatch system combined with a mobile phone application used to
present information to both supervisors and staff. The computing
infrastructure provides a dispatch system that utilizes the patron
data to recommend maintenance schedules and activities that
efficiently work around and in between patrons.
[0043] In addition to providing live traffic control, traffic
prediction, maintenance instructions, and other proactive
instructions, the computing infrastructure can also provide unique
venue scheduling, flexible usage experiences, and revenue modeling
platforms. The combination of tracking the location of patrons and
identifying points of entry to avoid congestion, the computing
infrastructure can enable a patron to pay per completed activity or
sub-activity or pay for a period of time. For example, if the
patron only has a limited amount of time to partake in an activity,
the patron can elect to pay per activity or sub-activity (e.g., pay
for four holes of golf) or pay for a period of time (e.g., pay for
ninety minutes of golf). As a result of patrons carrying the sensor
devices, the system of the present invention can track the patron
and identify how many activities the patron has participated in, or
how long the patron has been active at the venue, and charge
accordingly. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
functionality of tracking live and historical location data for
patrons at an activity venue can be applied to any number of
metrics to optimize gameplay speed, reduce wait times, maximize
scheduling, maximizing revenue, and enhance the overall patron
entertainment experience.
[0044] FIGS. 1 through 8, wherein like parts are designated by like
reference numerals throughout, illustrate an example embodiment or
embodiments of the patron management system, according to the
present invention. Although the present invention will be described
with reference to the example embodiment or embodiments illustrated
in the figures, it should be understood that many alternative forms
can embody the present invention. One of skill in the art will
additionally appreciate different ways to alter the parameters of
the embodiment(s) disclosed in a manner still in keeping with the
spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative environment for implementing
aspects of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 depicts a
computing system 100 for use in conjunction with an activity venue
to obtain data related to patrons and staff within the activity
venue. The system 100 is configured to utilize the obtained data to
manage the patrons, the staff, and the activities or sub-activities
throughout the activity venue. In particular, the system 100 can
obtain and aggregate data related to location and times (e.g., via
timestamp, clock time, etc.) associated with locations for each
patron, staff member, and operator within a venue. In accordance
with an example embodiment of the present invention, the system 100
includes a venue gateway 12, a data management tool 14, and a
telecommunication network 16. Additionally, the system 100 includes
one or more specialized mobile sensors. The one or more specialized
mobile sensors include a plurality of sensor device(s) 10, operator
device(s) 18, and patron device(s) 20, for example, such as a
mobile device or other computing device as later described
herein.
[0046] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 can be specialized devices with
specialized functions providing location information of patrons,
staff, and/or objects and providing information back to patrons or
staff carrying the sensor device(s) 10 in a non-intrusive manner.
The sensor device(s) 10 can include, as discussed in greater detail
in FIG. 2A, a microcontroller (MCU) 202, a transceiver 204 with
antenna, a global positioning system (GPS) locator 206, a battery
power source 208, a light emitting diode (LED) 210, and a display,
such as a low power display (e.g., an electronic ink (e-Ink)
display). The device sensor(s) 10 are configured to gather location
data for the device and transmit the location data to a venue
gateway device 12. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the
art, the device sensor(s) 10 can also transmit additional data
along with the location data. For example, the device sensor(s) 10
can also include timestamp and identifier data associated with the
device sensor(s) 10 to be transmitted to the venue gateway device
12.
[0047] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the location and time data are transmitted from each of
the sensor device(s) 10 to the venue gateway device 12 over a
wireless network, such as for example, a long-range wide area
network (LoRa). In particular, the location and time data are
transmitted over a narrow band radio frequency (RF)
telecommunication network 16 (such as, for example, LoRa). As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the location and time
data can be transmitted over any suitable communication platform
known in the art (e.g., cellular network, narrow band radio
frequency, Wi-Fi, LoRa, etc.). The venue gateway device 12 can be a
computing device similarly structured to the sensor device(s) 10,
it can be a general purpose computer specifically configured, or it
can be a specialized computer system operable to communicate with
the sensor device(s) 10. For example, as would be appreciated by
those of skill in the art, the venue gateway device 12 can include
a single computing device, a collection of computing devices in a
network computing system, a cloud computing infrastructure, or a
combination thereof. In accordance with an example embodiment of
the present invention, the venue gateway device 12 is a centralized
LoRa device operable to communicate with and aggregate data from
each of the sensor device(s) 10 throughout the activity venue.
[0048] The venue gateway device 12 can also be configured to
communicate with a cloud-based data management tool 14. In
particular, the venue gateway device 12 can communicate the
location and time data received from the sensor device(s) 10 to the
data management tool 14 for additional processing. For example, the
computing devices (venue gateway device 12, cloud-based data
management tool 14) can be configured to establish a connection and
communicate over a telecommunication network 16. As would be
appreciated by one of skill in the art, the telecommunication
network 16 can include any combination of known networks. For
example, the telecommunication network 16 can be combination of a
mobile network, WAN, LAN, or other type of network. The
telecommunication network 16 can be used to exchange data between
the venue gateway device 12 and the data management tool 14.
[0049] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 can be a cloud computing and
storage environment configured to collect, aggregate, analyze, and
provide metrics using location and time data received from various
activity venues. The data management tool 14 can also include a
database management system utilizing a given database model
configured to interact with a user for analyzing the database data.
Additionally, the data management tool 14 can analyze the collected
location data, time data, and other information to distribute
instructions and/or feedback information to the venue gateway
device 12 and/or the sensor device(s) 10 (e.g., operator device(s)
18 and/or patron device(s) 20).
[0050] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the computing and database storage environment of the
data management tool 14 performs analytics through a web
application and delivers the results of the analytics through the
web to user devices. For example, the delivered data can inform
users of venue usage, pace of play of the patrons, live traffic
control, predicted potential traffic issues, identified
bottlenecks, visibility of the entire activity venue and all
patrons, staff and security within the physical space of the
activity venue, maintenance request, outstanding maintenance, ideal
locations/items for maintenance, security or other analytics. As
would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, live traffic
control can be a representation of a flow of traffic of individuals
or subgroups of individuals throughout the activity venue. The
individuals can be any combination of patrons, operators, and staff
members at the activity venue.
[0051] In accordance with an example embodiment, the analyzed data
can also be used to implement different revenue models. The
analyzed data can be used to implement revenue models based on
duration, on completing a number of sub-activities at the activity
venue, or supply and demand. For example, patrons on a golf course
can pay per hole or pay per an amount of time on the golf course,
regardless of the number of holes completed (e.g., ninety minutes).
Similarly, the data management tool 14 can adjust prices based on a
number, or projected number, of patrons at the venue. For example,
during slow periods, the prices can be reduced to attract
patrons.
[0052] In accordance with an example embodiment, the operator
device(s) 18 and/or patron device(s) 20 can be secondary computing
devices used to supplement the other components of the system 100.
For example, the operator device(s) 18 and/or patron device(s) 20
can be mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop,
smart watch, etc.) or generic computing devices (e.g., desktop)
used by patrons and operators, respectively, to access the system
100 and the data stored thereon. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the operator device(s) 18 and/or patron
device(s) 20 can communicate with the data management tool 14
and/or the venue gateway device 12 over the telecommunication
network 16 to access information provided by the system 100 through
the use mobile/software applications, accessing through a webpage,
or a combination thereof. In accordance with an example embodiment
of the present invention, the venue gateway device 12 and one of
the operator device(s) 18 is the same device. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the operator device(s) 18
and/or patron device(s) 20 are not necessary for the overall
operations of the system 100, but are potentially useful to
supplement the user experience (e.g., patrons or operators) of the
overall system 100.
[0053] In particular, the operator device(s) 18 and/or patron
device(s) 20 can include software (e.g., mobile apps, software
applications, etc.) configured to receive and display data received
from the data management tool 14. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, each of the operator device(s)
18 and/or patron device(s) 20 receive information tailored to the
types of users using the respective devices. In particular, the
operator device(s) 18 receive information relating to operations of
that particular activity venue (e.g., maintenance) and the patron
device(s) 20 are operable to receive information relating patrons
of the activity venue and patron experience (e.g., location within
the venue, time, pace of play, etc.). For example, the operator
device(s) 18 can receive data related to booking appointments for
the patrons, live traffic control, pace of play of patrons at the
activity venue, patron notifications, activity venue and
sub-activities usage data, information related to maintenance,
maintenance requests, time(s) and location(s) to perform
maintenance, and operational statistics of the activity venue.
Similarly, the patron device(s) 20 can receive data related to
appointment booking, digital check-in and start times, unique
revenue model pricing, pace of play predictor (e.g., projected
start/finish time), live venue traffic map, and ratings for the
activity venue, among other information. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the information provided to the operator
device(s) 18 and patron device(s) 20 can be accessed through a
specific application designed for the particular operator device 18
or patron device 20 or the operator device 18 and patron device 20
can use existing applications to access the information (e.g.,
access a webpage through a web browser on the patron device
20).
[0054] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 can be associated with one or
more of the patron device(s) 20. The data management tool 14 can be
configured to determine that one or more patron device(s) 20 have
been linked with a particular sensor device 10. For example, a
patron can use their patron device 20 to enter identifier(s) of the
sensor device(s) 10 that are currently being used by the patron,
the patron device 20 can be paired with a particular sensor device
10 (e.g., Bluetooth), or the patron can purchase a sensor device 10
for repeated use and register their device. When a sensor device 10
has been identified and/or registered by the patron, the data
management tool 14 can link the sensor device 10 with the patron
device 20, and thus a patron user, within the system 100. As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the patron device(s) 20
and sensor device(s) 10 can be automatically or manually unlinked
upon a determination that the patron is no longer using the sensor
device(s) 10 (e.g., the patron has left the activity venue). When
sensor device(s) 10 have been linked with one or more patron
device(s) 20, data can be transmitted to all linked devices 10, 20
by the data management tool 14 (e.g., directly or via the venue
gateway device 12) and/or the devices 10, 20 can share data between
one another. For example, if the sensor device 10 has received an
indication of a slow pace of play, via the venue gateway device 12,
the patron device(s) 20 can similarly receive the same indication
directly from the data management tool 14. Alternatively, only the
sensor device 10 receives the indication from the data management
tool 14 and subsequently relays the indication to patron device(s)
20.
[0055] Continuing with FIG. 1, the system 100 includes various
combinations of the sensor device(s) 10 being unlinked or linked
with patron device(s) 20, as reflected in combinations 22a, 22b,
22c. In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 cannot be linked to any patron
device(s) 20 as depicted by 22a. The unlinked sensor device(s) 10
can be venue asset devices 22a or venue asset tags unassociated
with any patron device(s) 20. For example, the sensor device 10, as
depicted by 22a, has not been registered with the data management
tool 14 by a patron but with an object and the sensor device 10 is
attached to the object associated with the activity venue (e.g., a
golf flag). Alternatively, the sensor device(s) 10 can be linked to
a single patron device 20, as depicted by 22b. For example, a
single patron has identified/registered the sensor device(s) 10
with the data management tool 14 (e.g., a patron registered a bag
tag sensor device 10 attached to their golf bag). Additionally, the
sensor device(s) 10 can further be linked to a plurality of patron
device(s) 20, as depicted by 22c. For example, a party of patrons
registers their respective patron device(s) 20 with the same sensor
device(s) 10 and relays the combination to the data management tool
14 (e.g., a group of four golfers sharing a golf cart with a key
chain sensor device 10).
[0056] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, staff and operators within the venue can be associated
with sensor device(s) 10 and/or associated with operator device(s)
18. Similarly to tracking locations and times associated with the
locations for patrons, the data management tool 14 can track the
location and time spent at locations for staff and operators
associated with the sensor device(s) 10 and/or operator device(s)
18. Additionally, the data management tool 14 can track which staff
members and operators associated with the sensor device(s) 10
and/or operator device(s) 18 are currently assigned to perform a
task (e.g., maintenance), performing a task, waiting to be assigned
a task, etc. Accordingly, the data management tool 14 utilizes the
sensor device(s), patron device(s) 20, operator device(s) 18 to
aggregate all the location and time related data for both patrons
and staff/operators throughout the venue. The data management tool
14 can utilize the aggregated data to perform further analytics and
execute instructions in response to those analytics, as discussed
in greater detail herein. For example, the data management tool 14
can determine locations for all patrons within a venue, identify
gaps between patrons, and assign patrons to those gaps or assign
staff members to perform requested maintenance within the
identified gaps.
[0057] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict example architectures of the sensor
device 10, as discussed with respect to FIG. 1. As discussed
herein, the sensor device 10 can include a combination of known
components including a microcontroller (MCU) 202, a transceiver
204, a global positioning system (GPS) locator 206, a battery power
source 208, an LED 210, and an electronic ink (e-Ink) display 212.
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the components
of the sensor device 10 can be substituted with components
configured to perform the same functionality as the components
included in FIGS. 2A and 2B and can also include additional
components to add customized and/or improved functionality for a
given activity venue. For example, the sensor device 10 can include
a charging port 214 to recharge the battery power source 208, a
motion detection module to detect motion, a payment component
(e.g., a smart chip), or other additional components. Similarly,
the sensor device 10 can omit components to add customization
and/or improved functionality for a given activity venue. For
example, the sensor device 10 integrated within golf flags may not
require a display device because the sensor device(s) 10 for golf
flags are primarily designed to give a reference location of a
flag. Accordingly, the sensor device 10 for flags can be designed
to without a display to reduce cost and power usage.
[0058] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the MCU 202 is configured to perform any computations
and data collection that are required by the sensor device 10. The
transceiver 204 is configured to perform wireless transmission and
reception of data with one or more other devices. For example, the
transceiver 204 can be long range wide area network device (LoRa)
to transmit data to the venue gateway device 12. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the transceiver 204 can be
operable to communicate over any combination of communication
mediums including but not limited to Wi-Fi, cellular, radio
frequency technologies, etc. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the sensor device(s) 10 is
configured to receive information from the venue gateway device 12,
the data management tool 14, operator device(s) 18, patron
device(s) 20, and from other sensor device(s) 10 through the
transceiver 204. The GPS locator 206 is configured to determine and
exchange location data of the sensor device 10 with the MCU 202 for
transmission by the transceiver 204 to venue gateway device 12. For
example, location data obtained by the GPS locator 206 can be
transmitted, via the transceiver 204, periodically, (e.g., every 20
seconds) to the venue gateway device 12.
[0059] Continuing with FIGS. 2A and 2B, the battery power source
208 provides power to the sensor device 10. For example, the
battery power source 208 can be one or more Li-ion batteries. In
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the
battery power source 208 is also configured to conserve power
usage. For example, the battery power source 208 can be configured
to supply power upon detection of motion of the sensor device 10
(e.g., via a motion detection device) and return to standby mode
when the sensor device 10 is not in use (e.g., no motion is
detected). As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
motion detection device can include an accelerometer, gyroscope, or
other type of motion detection device known in the art. In
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention,
motion can also be detected by identifying a change in location of
the sensor device 10. For example, using the GPS locator 206, a
determination that the sensor device 10 has moved to a new
location. The change in location determination can be used in place
of a motion detection device within the sensor device 10, or in
conjunction with a motion detection device as a redundancy or for
verification.
[0060] In accordance with an example embodiment, the sensor
device(s) 10 are also operable to receive and convey information
and notifications to the patrons throughout the activity venue. In
particular, the information or notifications can be conveyed to the
patron carrying the sensor device 10 through a variety of visual
cues. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
information or notifications can be displayed to the patrons on a
display, such as a low energy display, including an e-Ink type
display 212, or can be conveyed to the patrons through a color
display/change of the LED 210 on the sensor device 10. For example,
the e-Ink type display 212 can display a distance to another sensor
device 10 (e.g., a flag stick at a hole on a golf course).
Similarly, the LED 210 can change the displayed color to reflect
how the patron is doing on their pace relative to other patrons, as
determined by the data management tool 14 (e.g., green can reflect
that the patron is ahead of the pace, yellow can reflect that the
patron is on pace, or red can reflect that the patron is behind the
pace). For example, if the data management tool 14 determines that
the patron is moving at a pace slower than the pace established by
patrons in front of and/or behind the patron, the LED will indicate
the appropriate color for a slow pace. In accordance with an
example embodiment, the LED color can reflect a patron's pace by
comparing their progress in a given activity or sub-activity
against a benchmark. For example, on a golf course, each hole has a
par time (e.g., 15 minutes to complete a par 3 hole) and if a
patron takes longer than a certain amount of time over the par time
the light will change to reflect that they are over the par time
(e.g., by turning the LED color to yellow or red).
[0061] In accordance with an example embodiment, the e-Ink type
display 212 is configured to carry out the same functions as
discussed related to the LED 210. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, in the absence of an LED 210, the functions of
the LED 210 can be executed and/or displayed by the e-Ink type
display 212. For example, if a patron is behind a predicted pace of
play and has a sensor device 10 that is only equipped with an e-Ink
type display 212, then the e-Ink type display 212 can display the
color red (or text) to indicate to the patron that they are behind
the pace. Additionally, the e-Ink type display 212 or LED can be
used to provide visual cues to staff working at the activity venue,
For example, if there is a gap on at a certain location within the
venue, a visual cue can be provide to the staff to be dispatched
with certain equipment by sending a message to the e-Ink type
display 212 and/or to a staff mobile application (e.g., on the
operation device(s) 18).
[0062] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 also includes a button 216 to be
used by a patron to initiate various functions on the sensor
device(s) 10. For example, the button 216 can be an
electromechanical button, or a touch sensitive button, that when
pressed causes the sensor device(s) 10 display information to the
patron. In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, pushing the button 216 causes the sensor device(s) 10 to
initiate a call to the venue gateway device 12, requesting
information and requested information is subsequently received from
the venue gateway device 12 for display on the sensor device(s) 10
(e.g., via the LED 210, e-Ink type display 212, or combination
thereof). For example, a golfer (e.g., patron) pushes the button
216 on a sensor device 10 during a round of golf to request a
distance to a pin at the current hole. The venue gateway device 12
device can use the location information obtained from the golfer's
sensor device 10 and the sensor device 10 attached to the pin at
the golfer's current hole to determine the distance from the patron
to the pin and return the value to the golfers' sensor device 10
for display. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
button 216 can be used to initiate other functionality. For
example, pressing the button can allow a patron to toggle through
views on the display device (e.g., menus, options, information,
hole information, etc.), view a current pace for the patron, view
current charges applied to the patron's time at the activity venue,
etc.
[0063] Continuing with FIGS. 2A and 2B, in accordance with an
example embodiment, the components of the sensor device 10 are all
included in a compact non-intrusive sized device (e.g., about 80
mm.times.48 mm.times.18 mm in size). The sensor devices 10 are
designed as a purpose specific hardware device having a
non-intrusive size as to not to detract from the user experience
during an activity or sub-activity at an activity venue. For
example, the sensor device 10 can be created in the form of a golf
bag tag, key chain, a card, club grips, ball mark repair tools, ski
tags or tickets, and an attachable device to a flag stick. As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the sensor device 10 can
be customizable for the particular activity venue in which they are
being applied. For example, a golf course may have key chain sensor
device 10 for each of the golf carts, golf bag tags sensor device
10 for each patron's golf bag, and an attachable device to a flag
stick sensor device 10 attached to the flag at each hole on the
course. Accordingly, the system 100 can utilize location data from
all of the key chains, bag tags, and flags to provide analysis and
provide the appropriate feedback to operators, staff, and patrons.
The use of multiple compact sensor devices 10 can provide
operators, staff, and patrons with a full view of all the
activities and sub-activities occurring at the activity venue at a
particular point in time.
[0064] In operation, patrons, operators, and staff at an activity
venue are provided with sensor device(s) 10 and the sensor
device(s) 10 provide location data, time data, and other
information (e.g., tracking location, timestamps, identifiers,
etc.) related to the patrons and/or staff to a venue gateway device
12. The venue gateway device 12 transmits all collected location
data, time data, and other collected tracking data or information
to the data management tool 14. The data management tool 14 is
operable to aggregate and analyze the data and provide feedback to
the patrons, staff, and/or operators at the activity venue, as
discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the received data management
tool 14 can collect data from multiple activity venue gateway
devices at multiple different activity venues to be used during the
analytics. For example, the data management tool 14 can collect
data from multiple golf courses and use the data from each of the
golf courses in order to determine certain metrics during the
analysis. Based on the metrics determined during the analysis, the
data management tool 14 can provide feedback to the sensor
device(s) 10, the gateway venue device(s) 12, the operator
device(s) 18, and/or patron device(s) 20. The feedback provides the
patrons, staff, and operators with the information necessary to
reduce waits during activities, optimally maintain the venue
itself, and maximize profitability for the activity venue. As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the analysis performed on
the collected data can be modified and utilized by a variety of
metrics tailored to different activity venues (e.g., golf parks,
skiing, amusement parks, etc.).
[0065] As discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B, the data
management tool 14 utilizes the collected location and time data
from the sensor device(s) 10 (and optionally operator device(s) 18)
throughout an activity venue to analyze usage of the venue and
provide feedback based on the venue usage to operators, staff,
and/or patrons. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art,
the data management tool 14 provides feedback to the patrons and
staff (via the sensor device(s) 10, patron device(s) 20, and/or
operator device(s) 18). The feedback related to venue usage can
include providing staff/operators and patrons with instructions to
proactively avoid potential congestion, relieve congestion at the
activity venue, and/or providing identification of gaps for use by
the operators (e.g., assign patrons to relieve congestion, dispatch
staff to perform maintenance, etc.). The instructions are data
driven actionable recommendations responsive to analytics on the
venue usage performed by the data management tool 14. The analytics
on usage include identifying gaps in time between patrons and
further identifying points of entry into the activity venue
approximate to those gaps.
[0066] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, if the data management tool 14 determines that there is
a high volume of patrons at a particular location within the
activity venue, then the data management tool 14 instructs the
operators to place incoming patrons to a point of entry at another
location within the activity venue. For example, if there is a high
volume of golfers (e.g., patrons) at the first couple holes of an
18 hole golf course, the data management tool 14 instructs the
operator at the golf course to assign incoming golfers start their
game at hole 9 instead of hole 1, so as to not interfere with
golfers already on the course.
[0067] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 is configured to provide
traffic optimization of patrons throughout an activity venue. The
data management tool 14 utilizes collected location and time data
from the patrons throughout an activity venue to perform analytics
related to predicting gaps in usage, identifying bottlenecks,
recognizing issues in usage, and estimating wait times. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the prediction and
identification includes predicting gaps, delays, and/or bottlenecks
for a particular time of day, day of the week, time of year, etc.
In addition to the analytics, the data management tool 14 generates
metrics to resolve the issues identified by the analytics. For
example, the data management tool 14 can identify areas of
congestions and/or causes of congestions and take steps to mitigate
the congestions and/or causes of congestion. The main functionality
provided by the data management tool 14 is directed to maximizing
usage of the activity venue and minimizing wait times while
maximizing revenue.
[0068] Similarly, the data management tool 14 can provide
operators, staff, and patrons with feedback displaying live data
without the user having to make in person observations of an entire
activity venue space (e.g., walking/driving around an entire
space). The live traffic can be used to estimate wait times and/or
a pace to complete the current activity or sub-activity for a
patron or group of patrons. The live traffic and estimated times
can assist the operators and patrons to identify potential points
of congestion, while also assisting to identify areas with low
congestion for use to relieve congestion or schedule maintenance
tasks to be performed. Overall, the live traffic and time estimates
can give patrons and operators visibility into current venue
usage/traffic.
[0069] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 is configured to provide
identification of gaps at particular locations and times by
analyzing the traffic patterns of the patrons within the venue. The
data management tool 14 can identify particular gaps that are ideal
for performing venue maintenance. In particular, the data
management tool 14 utilizes collected location and time data from
patrons and staff throughout an activity venue to perform analytics
related to predicting gaps in the venue usage and instead of
assigning patrons to the gaps to relieve congestion, the data
management tool 14 provides instructions to dispatch maintenance
staff to perform a particular type of maintenance at a location
during the gap or an upcoming predicted gap. The types of
maintenance to be performed can include performing repairs,
executing architectural changes to the venue, routine maintenance,
cleaning, etc.
[0070] Additionally, based on a predicted duration of the gap
(e.g., based on predicted patron pace of play), the data management
tool 14 can assign a particular maintenance task, and corresponding
equipment, based on a duration of time it typically takes to
perform the particular maintenance task. In particular, the data
management tool 14 can predict when a gap will be available at a
particular location within the venue, how long the gap will be
available, and assign a maintenance member/team to perform a
particular task within that gap while indicating how much time they
have to perform the maintenance. Similarly, the data management
tool 14 can dispatch maintenance equipment to be used by the
maintenance member for the particular task. The data management
tool 14 can also track the amount of time dispatched staff members
and specific equipment (e.g., golf carts, lawn mowers, etc.) spend
at a location and/or within the gaps. Based on how much time has
passed and predicted pace of play metrics, the data management tool
14 can alert the staff member as to how much time they have left
before patrons are in that area. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the staff members can provide updates to the
data management tool 14 for a status of the maintenance task and/or
that the maintenance task has been completed. Using the update
information from the staff, the data management tool 14 can update
information accordingly (e.g., remove the task from a list of tasks
to be performed, dispatch the staff to a new location, notify the
staff that time is limited to complete the task, etc.).
[0071] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 can track maintenance being
performed within the venue. In particular, the data management tool
14 is configured to track maintenance tasks as well as
assign/dispatch maintenance tasks to be completed based on
analytics of staff and patrons throughout the venue. The tracking
of maintenance tasks can include managing a list of maintenance
tasks to be performed, receiving requested maintenance tasks from
users (e.g., operators, staff, or patrons), tracking maintenance
tasks being performed, scheduling maintenance, receiving updates
from maintenance staff, tracking locations of maintenance
equipment, etc. Additionally, the tracking can include tracking
staff members performing the maintenance tasks, scheduled to
perform the maintenance task(s), or idle staff members unassigned
to any tasks.
[0072] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, tracking staff members performing maintenance tasks (and
related equipment) is related to tracking how long it takes the
staff member(s) to perform a particular task and determining the
efficiency of the staff member(s) based on aggregated data. For
example, the data management tool can compare an amount of time it
takes a staff member to complete a particular maintenance task and
compares it against aggregated data and averages of time that all
staff members took to perform the particular task across the venue
or a plurality of venues. In particular, the data management tool
14 establishes benchmarks for an amount of time particular tasks
take staff members to complete by tracking an amount of time spent
in particular areas that were assigned/dispatched for maintenance.
The benchmarks are utilized by the data management tool 14 to
determine the efficiency of one staff member compared to one or
more other staff members. For example, the data management tool 14
can track an amount of time a staff member spends located at a
bunker of a hole on a golf course when the staff member is
dispatched to rack the bunker. The tracked time can be utilized
thereafter with the aggregated bunker raking times from other staff
members or compared to the aggregated raking times to rate the
staff member's efficiency.
[0073] In accordance with an example embodiment, the data
management tool 14 is configured to maintain historical tracked
activity (e.g., location and time data), in addition to the data,
for each of the patrons. In particular, the data management tool 14
can utilize a tracking tool to monitor the locations of via the
sensor device(s) 10, patron device(s) 20, and/or operator device(s)
18 throughout the activity venue. The tracking tool receives,
monitors, and stores the locations for each of the devices
throughout the venue and associates the location and timestamps
with the identifiers associated with each respective device(s). The
historical data is used in conjunction with the live data to create
metrics for an improved analysis. For example, the historical data
can be used to more accurately determine estimated wait times,
identify gaps or predicted gaps, typical pace of patrons, a typical
duration to perform a particular form of maintenance, and provide
patrons with an expected completion time of the activity or
sub-activity at the venue.
[0074] In accordance with an example embodiment, the historical
data collected for each sensor device 10 and/or operator device 18
can be utilized by the data management tool 14 to determine and
assign a pace of play to each patron, and thereafter, perform other
analytics and metrics (e.g., for maintenance). The pace of play, as
determined by the data management tool 14, is a relative pace of a
patron as it relates to a pace of groups ahead/behind of the patron
over a period of time. Based on the determined pace of play for
each of the patrons, the data management tool 14 can forecast
future paces, wait times, identify gaps, and bottleneck issues
before they occur. In accordance with an example embodiment of the
present invention, patrons can also access to personal pace data
(e.g., on their patron device(s) 20). As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the patron device(s) 20 can also be used to
store and access additional historic data recorded during their
time at an activity venue. For example, the patron device(s) 20 can
be used to display scheduling, historic performance statistics for
the patron, up to date time estimates and other information.
[0075] In accordance with an example embodiment, the determined
pace of play is conveyed by the data management tool 14 to the
operators, staff, and/or patrons to proactively mitigate the
predicted wait times, potential bottleneck issues, and other
issues. Similarly, the determined pace of play and locations of the
patrons throughout the venue also enables the data management tool
14 to perform other analytics for use throughout the venue. For
example, the data management tool 14 can utilize the pace of play
and locations of patrons to identify locations of gaps throughout
the venue and calculate a duration of time those gaps will remain
until a patron occupies that location. The identified gaps can
further be utilized by the data management tool 14 to perform other
tasks, including but not limited to assigning patrons to those
gaps, assigning staff members to perform maintenance tasks during
those gaps, etc.
[0076] As discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B, the pace of
play for a patron can be conveyed to the patron through the use of
the LED 210 on their sensor device 10 (e.g., red means that the
patron is behind the relative pace of the patrons ahead). The
indication that a patron is behind pace can motivate the patron to
pick up their pace and get on pace relative to patrons in front and
behind them. When a patron picks up their pace, then the overall
flow of activity throughout the activity venue is increased. In
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the
patrons are presented with incentives to keep their pace on pace or
ahead of pace relative to the patrons ahead. For example, if a
patron regularly maintains a good pace, they are given discounts or
earn reward points for use with the activity venue.
[0077] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 conveys a derived relative
pace of play to the patrons throughout the activity venue. The
relative pace of play is determined by measuring the pace of play
for a particular patron with respect to the pace of play of other
patrons ahead of the patron plus an amount of time expected to
complete a particular activity or sub-activity. Utilizing both the
pace of play of a particular patron in relation to other patrons
ahead and/or behind the particular patron and an overall expected
time to complete an activity or sub-activity enables the data
management tool 14 to accurately gauge how each patron is
progressing in relation to outside factors. For example, the data
management tool 14 can utilize the relative pace of play to
determine whether a patron is behind a pace because of a slow level
of personal progress or if the patron is being held up by other
patron(s) ahead of them, causing the patron to wait, thus slowing
the patron's pace of play. As would be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, the relative pace of play can also be used to enhance
how the pace of play is conveyed to the patron (e.g., through the
LED 210 or e-Ink type display 212). For example, if the data
management tool 14 determines that a slow pace of play for a patron
is a result of having to wait for other patron(s) ahead of the
patron, then the data management tool 14 will not send a behind
pace of play indication (e.g., through display of the color red on
the LED 210 and/or e-Ink type display 212) to the patron.
Accordingly, only patrons that are behind a pace of play and free
from delays caused by other patrons will be provided with a behind
pace of play indication.
[0078] In accordance with an example embodiment, the relative pace
of play can be used as part of s scoring system to evaluate a
patron's success level of usage at the activity venue. For example,
the scoring system can include a plus or minus evaluation
reflecting the patron's success completing an activity or
sub-activities. If the data management tool 14 determines that the
patron is on or ahead of the relative pace on a particular
sub-activity, then the patron's plus or minus success level is
incremented by one. In contrast, if the data management tool 14
determines that the patron is behind the relative pace on a
particular sub-activity, then the patron's plus or minus success
level is decremented by one. As would be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, the patron will not be given a negative value when
their reduced pace is caused by a factor outside of their control
(e.g., slow pace of other patrons ahead of the patron). This
determination can be made by the data management tool 14 using the
relative pace of play for the patrons. Once the patron has
completed a group of particular sub-activities, the plus/minus
score is tallied. Based on the final plus/minus score, the patron
can see if they have an overall positive score, negative score, or
even score that reflects the level of success completing the
activity in an expected period of time.
[0079] Additionally, based in part on pace of play determinations
and locations of patrons, proactive instructions can be conveyed to
the operators and/or staff to mitigate potential bottleneck issues
and/or perform maintenance. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the data management tool 14
can determine and convey appropriate patron spacing to the operator
(e.g., via operator device(s) 18). For example, the data management
tool 14 can instruct the operator to increase patron start time
spacing to 13 minutes for the next hour. Similarly, the data
management tool 14 can instruct the operator or directly warn
patrons (e.g., via sensor device(s) 10 and/or patron device(s) 20)
participating in a particular activity or sub-activity that they
may have to skip an activity or sub-activity if their pace does not
improve. For example, patrons on the 9th hole of a golf course can
be warned that they will have to skip a hole if they don't improve
pace by 10 minutes.
[0080] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the proactive instructions related to patron positioning
can take into account maintenance tasks being performed or
scheduled to be performed. For example, if a particular identified
gap is ideal for required maintenance, then the maintenance
assignment will be prioritized over the assignment of a patron to
relieve congestion and staff will be dispatched to perform the
maintenance assignment. The priority can be adjusted according to
user preference, a level of congestion, etc. Similarly, more or
less spacing between patron start times can be adjusted to account
for maintenance being performed or to be performed.
[0081] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 provides pre-emptive
mitigating instructions to an operator to prevent potential issues.
The data management tool 14 utilizes historic data and live
location and time data of patrons when prioritizing a point of
entry and start times for patrons. For example, if a patron
historically takes an hour to complete an activity or sub-activity
at the activity venue, then the data management tool 14 recommends
allocating a larger space (e.g., tee off time) between that
particular patron and the next patron and/or place the particular
patron at a point of entry with a larger gap. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data management tool 14
can also schedule start times and points of entry based on historic
data, projected paces, and live traffic, as discussed herein, to
prevent potential issues. Similarly, the data management tool 14
can also schedule maintenance to be performed based on any
combination of historical and live location and time data.
[0082] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 enables patrons to have
flexible scheduling methodologies not offered in traditional
system. Reservations for participating at an activity venue are
booked based on an amount of time available to the patrons. For
example, golfers are able to use a tee time system to book golf by
the amount of time they have to play (e.g., ninety minutes) or a
number of holes not equal to the typical nine or eighteen hole
construct. This flexible scheduling allows golfers to plan their
play around their busy schedules and play more frequently, thus
increasing revenue for the golf course. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, these methodologies can be applied to other
types of activities as well.
[0083] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 is configured to perform
revenue optimizations in conjunction with the traffic/scheduling
optimization for an activity venue. The revenue optimization can
include metrics for balancing supply and demand of patrons
participating at the activity venue for a given period of time and
maintenance tasks to be performed for maximized revenue. For
example, the data management tool 14 can identify periods of time
that are historically busy or underutilized and charging a premium
during busy periods, or providing a discount during underutilized
periods of time. Similarly, the data management tool 14 can
schedule and/or dispatch staff for routine maintenance and low
priority maintenance tasks to be performed during lower utilization
periods while limiting only high priority/critical maintenance to
be performed during high utilization of the venue. Additionally,
the data management tool 14 can also take the predetermined pace of
play for the participating patrons into account along with the
supply and demand. The revenue optimization can include combining
an optimal price point for periods of time and an optimal
throughput of the patrons, used in conjunction with the traffic
control metrics. For example, the data management tool 14
recommends greens fee pricing for busy times based upon target pace
and other factors in order to decrease demand during the busy
times. As a result, the overall revenue during these times will
increase.
[0084] Once a revenue optimization has been determined, the data
management tool 14 provides instructions to operators and staff
members (e.g., via the operator device(s) 18) at the activity venue
to implement the optimizations and/or scheduled maintenance tasks.
The instructions can include a target price or price range, time
periods for scheduling patron start times (e.g., how much time to
schedule between patrons to optimize traffic flow), and time
periods/locations to perform particular maintenance tasks. The
instructions allow the operators to implement the modeled pricing
to drive the appropriate demand and income that will yield a target
pace during busy times and a different target price during less
busy times. Similarly, the instructions provide operators organized
maintenance schedules for maintaining the venue without interfering
with patrons participating at the venue. In addition to determining
a target price point based on patron and venue activity levels, the
data management tool 14 can recommend offers to engage patrons and
give the activity venue the enhance customer relationships.
[0085] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 is also configured to use
patron tracked activities to provide payment solutions to the
activity venue. As discussed with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the
sensor device(s) 10 can include embedded payment methods, which can
be accessed by the venue gateway device 12 and the data management
tool 14. The data management tool 14 can automatically charge the
patron based on a number of activities or sub-activities completed
by the patron (e.g., using a payment chip linked to a credit card).
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data
management tool 14 can determine when a patron has completed
activities or sub-activities by using location information of the
patron's sensor device 10. For example, a venue sensor device 10
can be placed at a beginning and/or end of each activity or
sub-activity and when a patron's sensor device 10 comes within
and/or is located within a predetermined range of the venue sensor
device 10 (e.g., 3 feet) the task will be indicated as
complete.
[0086] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 is used as, or is incorporated
into, a loyalty card and the data management tool 14 can track a
particular patron's usage at a particular venue. The loyalty card
tracking grants the patron access to special start times,
discounted pricing, forecasts a completion time and up-to-date
expected completion time (e.g., on patron device(s) 20). For
example, the data management tool 14 can provide discount fee
pricing to loyal patrons (and not other patrons) for less busy
times to increase revenue during those periods.
[0087] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the data management tool 14 is configured to provide
additional analysis for a particular type of activity venue. For
example, additional metrics are provided that are related to
day-to-day functions and maintenance of the activity venue,
management of operators/staff members working the activity venue,
providing information to patrons and operators/staff members
throughout the activity venue, monitoring the status of items
throughout the activity venue, weather conditions, etc. The
additional metrics are utilized by the activity venue to create
operational efficiencies by enabling workflow management for staff
member activities. For example, the data management tool 14
systematizes operating procedures for staff members, allowing the
operators to hire lower cost resources and that do not require as
much training to perform the desired tasks (e.g., customer
relations, maintenance, clerical, cashier, etc.). The data
management tool 14 can tell the lower cost staff member (e.g., high
school or college students) what staff member activities/tasks to
carry out in response to events that are currently occurring and/or
are predicted to occur in the future.
[0088] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, maintenance vehicles at an activity venue (e.g.,
maintenance vehicles on a golf course) are equipped with sensor
device(s) 10, operator device(s) 18, and/or venue asset devices
22a. The combination of sensor device(s) 10 and operator device(s)
18 associated with maintenance vehicles (or other equipment) can be
utilized to track locations of maintenance staff, vehicles, and
equipment. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
locations of maintenance staff, vehicles, and equipment can be
tracked by the data management tool 14 in a similar manner as the
patrons.
[0089] As discussed with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the sensor
device(s) 10, operator device(s), 18 and/or venue asset devices 22a
can include accelerometers that can detect vibration during vehicle
operation, and the detected vibration can be used to determine how
many hours the vehicle has been running. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the sensor device(s) 10, operator device(s)
18, and/or venue asset devices 22a transmit a signal periodically
indicating that the vehicle is being operated, transmit a single
signal with a duration of operation once the operation of the
vehicle has stopped, and/or any other known methods for indicated
the amount of time that a vehicle has been running. The running
time of the vehicle, and other collected data, are used by the data
management tool 14 to, for example, project maintenance schedules
and recommends an optimal time to perform maintenance to the
vehicle. Accordingly, the data management tool 14 utilizes
collected data to optimize vehicle up time while reducing
maintenance costs. Additionally, the data management tool 14 can
aggregate the location and time data associated with the operator
device(s) 18 and/or venue asset devices 22a with the vehicle for
use with the aggregated patron, staff, and operator location and
time data.
[0090] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the present description makes use of an example for an
activity venue of a golf course. However, this illustrative example
of a golf course is not intended to limit the present invention to
being applicable only to a golf course as the activity venue.
Rather, the illustrative example of a golf activity is merely
intended to better communicate various features and characteristics
associated with the system 100 and the use of the system 100 in a
particular activity venue, as well as detail specific
configurations and implementations that are applicable to a golf
course implementation. As would be appreciated by one skilled in
the art, the data, analytics, and metrics that pertain to the
example implementation on a golf course can be modified to include
data, analytics, and metrics to suit a different activity venue,
such as a ski resort or amusement park.
[0091] With respect to the example of a golf course, the data
management tool 14 collects data from sensor device(s) 10 and
patron device(s) 18 to deliver value across several golf course
operational service operators and patrons (e.g., golfers). For
example, the data management tool 14 can deliver valuable data to
operators/staff members related to tee time management, starter
management, live traffic control, an operational dashboard,
predictive analytics, course setup, grounds and maintenance.
[0092] For the starter management, the data management tool 14 can
assign golfers together based on compatible availability and
historical pace of play. In particular, the data management tool 14
can assign groups of golfers that share similar historical pace of
play times. For the tee time management, the data management tool
14 can track historical usage patterns and productive analytics to
determine the optimal tee times for golfers. For example, for
golfers with efficient pace of plays, a smaller start time gap
between gofers can be provided than for golfers with slower pace of
play times. For the live traffic control, the data management tool
14 can provide an interactive course map. As would be appreciated
by one skilled in the art, the live traffic control can include
heat maps, an ability to zoom in and out, among other features to
assist in visualizing patron traffic flow and congestion to users
(e.g., operators).
[0093] For the operational dashboard the data management tool 14
can display key statistics for golf course and individual holes
(e.g., congestion, patron locations, etc.). For predictive
analytics, the data management tool 14 can provide instructions for
proactive management of patrons. For example, the data management
tool 14 can provide instructions to golfers that they are behind
pace, instructions to start play at a particular gap in the golf
course, instructions to allocate additional time between tee offs,
etc. For course setup, the data management tool 14 can provide
information to patrons about the course (e.g., pin placements,
speed of greens, length of the rough, etc.) to assist in optimizing
the golfer's pace of play. Additionally, the data management tool
14 can monitor current weather and providing advisory notifications
to patrons. For example, an outdoor venue may send notifications of
approaching thunder storms to all patrons at the venue.
[0094] The present invention can further include department
specific metrics/analytics for a given venue. For example, a golf
course can have department specific metrics for maintenance/grounds
department. The grounds department may receive information for
machine management to track usage and locations of machinery around
the golf course, maintenance schedules to track maintenance
processes to be carried out by the maintenance staff (e.g., track
grass length, green speed, etc.), track wear and tear with a focus
on high traffic zones and landing areas, watering system to
centrally manage each individual watering system, and course
modifications to plan major course changes and to project impact of
those changes on scoring and pace of play. Additionally, operators
will be able to measure the effectiveness of caddies and
maintenance staff, as discussed herein. The system 100 can also
manage golf cart utilization to better balance fleet usage. For
example, cart management can provide re-routing and/or shut of
carts based on location and time data gathered from devices
associated with the carts.
[0095] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the sensor device(s) 10 or venue asset devices 22a are
connected to sprinkler heads throughout the golf course. The sensor
device(s) 10 or venue asset devices 22a attached to sprinkler
heads, or other portion of the sprinkler, to enable the data
management tool 14 to monitor the relative health (i.e., are they
working or operating efficiently) of the sprinkler heads. The data
received from the sprinklers can be used to improve maintenance and
operations at the golf course. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the data management tool 14
and/or the venue gateway device 12 sends instructions to start and
stop operation of the sprinkler systems based upon the activity
around the golf course. For example, on hot days the sprinkler
systems are activated to water areas during periods of time when
there are no patron device(s) 20, 22b, 22c within a predetermined
vicinity of the sensor device(s) 10 or venue asset devices 22a in
those areas, thus signaling a period of inactivity. The data
management tool 14 can utilize traffic patterns and pace of play of
patrons to predict gaps in patron activates and provide
instructions to initiate the sprinklers during the gaps and provide
instructions to turn off the sprinklers when patrons are
approaching that area of the course. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the instructions can automatically turn the
sprinklers on or off, or can send instructions to an operator of
the course to turn on or off the sprinklers.
[0096] FIG. 3A shows an exemplary flow chart depicting
implementation of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 3A
depicts actions performed by the data management tool 14 in
conjunction with the other components of the system 100 during
process 300. At step 302, the data management tool 14 receives
location and time data from a plurality of patron sensor device(s)
10 and/or other devices 18, 20. At step 304, the data management
tool 14 uses the received data to predict potential delays,
bottlenecks, and other issues based on the location and time data.
At step 306, the data management tool 14 optimizes a traffic flow
of the patrons based on the analysis of the location data, time
data, and historic data. At step 308, the data management tool 14
provides feedback to the patrons and operators at an activity venue
based on the completed analysis. At step 310, the data management
tool 14 can continuing monitoring the location and time data
provided by the sensor device(s) 10 at the activity venue and
re-optimize accordingly.
[0097] FIG. 3B shows an exemplary flow chart depicting an example
implementation of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 3B
depicts actions performed by the data management tool 14 in
conjunction with the other components of the system 100 during
process 350. At step 352, the data management tool 14 receives
location and time data from a plurality of patron sensor device(s)
10 and operator devices 18. At step 354, the data management tool
14 uses the received data to predict and identify a location(s) of
a gap(s) between patrons based on the location and time data and
historical data, as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and
3A. At step 356, the data management tool 14 calculates a time and
duration of time that the gap(s) will exist at the location(s).
[0098] At step 358, the data management tool 14 provides feedback
to the staff members and operators at an activity venue, based on
the predicted and identified gap(s). In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the feedback includes
indicating maintenance tasks to be performed in the identified
gap(s). As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data
management tool 14 can maintain a list of maintenance tasks that
need to be completed at various locations at the venue and a
duration of time needed to complete those tasks. Utilizing to list
of maintenance tasks and the predicted and identified gap(s) the
data management tool 14 can match the appropriate maintenance
task(s) to be performed at the identified gap. Similarly, the data
management tool 14 can dispatch the appropriate staff member to
perform the maintenance task. The dispatching of the staff member
can be determined based on proximity to the gap, availability of
the staff member, the skill level of the task to be complete, or a
combination thereof. At step 360, the data management tool 14 can
continuing monitoring the location data of the sensor device(s) 10
and operator devices 18 at the activity venue and provide
maintenance feedback to staff members and operators
accordingly.
[0099] Example Golf-Course-Specific Implementation
[0100] In operation, the system 100 can be configured for operation
on a golf course. In particular, in an illustrative example, the
system 100 is configured to provide analytics and metrics
specifically related to the golf course and activity on the golf
course. For example, in accordance with the exemplary golf course
embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 of the present
invention utilizes algorithms and analytics specifically designed
to formulate metrics related to pace of play of players on the golf
course. The metrics calculated by the system 100 related to pace of
play can further be utilized to determine other functions on the
golf course. In one example implementation, the pace of play of
patrons on the golf course can be utilized to determine when and
where to perform maintenance tasks on the golf course (and dispatch
maintenance staff accordingly). For example, the pace of play of
patrons can be utilized by the system 100 to derive traffic
patterns of the patrons, predict a location and time of gaps in
play between patrons, and assign/dispatch maintenance tasks to be
executed by staff during those predicted gaps. Similarly, the
metrics calculated by the system 100 can indicate which player or
group of players are playing quickly or slowly, how much time a
player or group of players waits on shots for a player or group of
players ahead to clear an area, or an average time it takes a
player or group of players to play various shots and clear various
areas (e.g., particular holes or greens). The following exemplary
embodiment is discussed with respect to utilization on a golf
course to derive various metrics on the golf course (e.g., pace of
play), however, the system 100 and the algorithms utilized thereon
can be customized to be applied to other activity venues, as
discussed herein, and is not intended to be limited to use on a
golf course unless specific to particular golf implementation
features. For example, similar algorithms can be used to predict
pace of play and other measures for venues such as miniature golf
courses, ski resorts, amusement parks, etc.
[0101] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 aggregates data, calculates various
metrics, and performs analytics related to activities on the golf
course. For example, the system performs analytics on aggregated
data to determine a pace of play for each player on the golf
course. The calculated metrics for pace of play can be related to a
pace of play for a particular course, particular hole, a particular
golfer, a particular group of golfers, etc. The system 100 utilizes
a combination of historical data and live data (e.g., location
data, time data, etc.) gathered from the sensor device(s) 10, the
venue gateway device 12, the operator device(s) 18, patron
device(s) 20, etc. to calculate the pace of play metrics and other
metrics using a unique combination of algorithms. In accordance
with an example embodiment of the present invention, each player
who participates in a round of golf while utilizing the system 100
is assigned a pace of player rating that reflects that particular
player's pace of play to be stored by the system 100 (e.g., by the
data management tool 14). The collection of the all the pace of
play metrics for all players can be useful for the system to
improve the play experience of players while maximizing efficient
utilization of the golf course. Such improvements can be manifested
in the form of scheduling, teaming, maintenance and evaluation
purposes.
[0102] For golf courses and players there are a number of factors
that can contribute to a player's pace of play. The system 100 of
the present invention can collect data from the sensor device(s)
10, the patron device(s) 20, and operator device(s) 18, etc. and
calculate metrics to identify and account for such factors. In
particular, when calculating a pace of play for a player, a number
of factors must be weighed in order to fairly represent a player's
pace of play. For example, to fairly predict a player's pace of
play, the system 100 adds a player's preparing/hitting time to the
player's moving time and subtracts any waiting time incurred by the
player (e.g., time waiting for other players to clear the area). An
example formula for such a calculation can be written as
TT(i,j)=T(i,j)-WW(i,j) where i is a group number, j is a hole
number, n is a cage number, TT(i,j) is a true playing time (a play
time minus a wait time) to play Hole j by Group i, T(i,j) is the
actual time duration group i took to play Hole j, and WW(i,j) is
the total wait time for group i on hole j for all cages 402 on hole
j. This calculation accounts for delays caused by other players
that impeding how long it takes a particular player to complete a
hole and/or course.
[0103] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
system 100 utilizes the combination of devices discussed herein to
perform the calculations related to pace of play determinations.
For example, the data management tool 14 of the system 100 can
utilize any combination of data collected from the sensor device(s)
10, the patron device(s) 20, and operator device(s) 18 to derive
the metrics for calculating the pace of play for the players and
other metrics. In particular, the system 100 aggregates location
and time data collected from sensor device(s) 10, the patron
device(s) 20, and operator device(s) 18 via the venue gateway
device 12, and performs analytics on the data utilizing the data
management tool 14. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the
art, the data management tool 14 can utilize a plurality of
algorithms specifically designed to calculate a pace of play for
players, groups of players, expected pace of play for courses, and
other desirable metrics.
[0104] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, when determining a pace of play metric and other
metrics, the system 100 accounts for a number of factors that
include but are not limited to player behavior, course conditions,
and management decisions. Player behavior includes collecting data
related to whether each player is ready to hit when it is their
turn to hit, whether the player moves directly to their own ball,
and how long the player takes to actually hit the shot. Similarly,
group behaviors include collecting data related to whether a group
of players plays ready golf, whether the group uses their cart(s)
wisely, whether the group waves up parties waiting behind them on
par 3s (e.g., when the group is playing at a slower pace than the
group behind them), when the group is a waiting for other parties
to clear an area while on the tee, etc. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, all of these behaviors can be tracked,
analyzed, and calculated by the system 100 using data collected
from sensors/devices around the golf course.
[0105] Additionally, the course conditions include collecting data
related to the length of the course, a difficulty level of the
course, a width of the fairway(s), an amount of obstacles on the
course, a height of the rough, the speed of the green(s), a number
of bunkers, and amount of water hazards. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, each criterion related to course conditions
can add shots to a round of golf and added shots add time. In
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention,
each golf course has a course standard time rating for each size
group based on the course conditions associated with that golf
course. The course standard time is calculated by the system 100
using an algorithm applied to the specific course conditions for
the course or can be calculated based on the actual play times of
players on the course. An example formula for such a calculation
can be written as A(i,j)=max P(i,k,j,Green) for all k players in
the group, where i is a group number, k is the player number in
group i, j is a hole number, and P(i,k,j,Green) is the crossing
green clock time for each player k in group i that finishes hole j.
If more than one crossing for a player occurs, the system 100 uses
the maximum of all P(I,k,j)s, saving the last time the player
crossed, namely we the player left the cage. This formula indicates
when the last player crossed out of the green cage for hole j, as
discussed in greater detail herein.
[0106] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
course standard time can be adjusted based on other factors. For
example, the time of day, time of year, weather, etc. can all
influence the calculated course standard time. In accordance with
an example embodiment of the present invention, the calculated
course standard time is used as a bar for comparing and predicting
expected pace of play for players on that course. Additionally,
group size is a determining factor on the expected pace of play.
For example, the larger the group, the more delays that can be
caused. The greater the number of groups on the course, the longer
it will take to play. The real-time pace, skills, and interests of
the golfers on the course at any given time will also be a factor.
Management
[0107] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the pace of play metrics can further be utilized to for
various management decisions related to the golf course. The
management decisions include the course setup, the tee interval,
and whether course management provides pace instruction, feedback,
ranger instructions to players on the course, course maintenance
schedules, maintenance staff deployment based upon player gaps on
the golf course, architectural changes to the golf course, an
amount of water required, number of new members to add to a private
country club without impacting existing members, determine optimal
drop-in points where players can start their round without
impacting play of others, and enable shorter format play (e.g.,
play for an hour or three to four holes).
[0108] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, there are
numerous configurations that the system 100 can utilize to
aggregate and analyze data from the golf course to calculate a pace
of play value. FIGS. 4A-4D depict example embodiments of
configurations for capturing precise player movement data to be
used by the system 100 analytics to derived the various metrics
discussed herein. In accordance with an example embodiment of the
present invention, the system 100 implements cages 402 and/or arcs
406 to provide precise data on player movement on the holes and the
course, as depicted in FIGS. 4A-4D. In particular, the cages 402
and/or arcs 406 are utilized by the system 100 to gather specific
location and time data about player activity on a golf course to be
used in the algorithms for calculating pace of play metrics.
[0109] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the cages 402 are virtual or computer generated cages
402 in that they are established on a computer or computer network
as predetermined electronic zones technologically set up at
specific locations on the golf course and/or holes 400. For
example, the data gathered throughout the golf course virtual or
computer generated cages 402 can be created by identifying specific
locations as an overlay on an electronic mapping of the golf
course. In particular, the cages 402 are predefined areas where
players are expected to hit to or from. For example, the cages 402
are set up around all tees and putting surfaces throughout the golf
course. The cages 402 are also set up in fairway areas where
players are likely to hit to and/or will be forced to wait if a
group ahead is still in the next cage. Similarly, the cages 402 can
be set up to include portions of the cart path adjacent to the
target areas (e.g., via the sensor tee off, fairway, green, etc.)
in order to provide tracking for the golf carts and alert players
of restricted areas on the golf course.
[0110] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the cages
402 can be defined using physical sensors on the golf course.
However, in accordance with the illustrative embodiment described
herein, the cages 402 are defined by the system using geolocation
technology and virtual or computer generated boundaries understood
by the system 100. Conceptually, for a user to understand the
location of the cages 402, they can be represented as boundaries on
a map overlaying the golf course, as depicted in the corresponding
FIGS. 4A-4D. The cages 402 are utilized by the system 100 for
identifying locations and times that a player enters and exits the
cages 402. Tracking when a player crosses into a cage 402 enables
the system to monitor the position and pace of each player/group.
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the cages 402
can be implemented using any combination of hardware and software
known in the art.
[0111] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the cages 402 are setup using geolocation coordinates.
The geolocation coordinates can be defined by a computer to create
the boundaries designating an area for the cages 402. The locations
for the cages 402 and the cages 402 respective geolocation
coordinate defined boundaries can be created, assigned, or
identified and stored on the system 100. For example, an
administrative user can manually enter geographical coordinates
into a user interface, draw out the boundaries on a map of the golf
course within the user interface, or utilize any method understood
by those of skill in the art for assigning a geographical
area/boundary. Additionally, the system 100 can have rules in place
to prevent the boundaries of the cages 402 from overlapping with
one another. Similarly, the cages 402 can be setup using hardware
devices (e.g., sensor device(s) 10) to setup a perimeter points
(e.g., boundary) for the cages 402.
[0112] The cages 402 are utilized by the system 100 to identify
when a player enters and exits a particular area of the golf course
(or when a golf carts enter/exit a portion of the cart path) and to
identify the relationship of that player to other players on the
course. In particular, the system 100 recognizes and records a
clock time and an identifier of a cage 402 when a player crosses
the predefined electric boundary established for the cage 402. For
example, when a player enters a cage 402 defined by the geolocation
coordinate boundary associated with that cage 402, the system 100
records the time that the player has passed the boundary for that
particular cage 402. Similarly, when that player leaves the area
defined by a cage 402, the system 100 records the time entry data
for the exit. The crossing (e.g., entering/exiting a cage 402) time
entry data at each cage 402 for that player is used by the system
100 to calculate the pace of play metrics and measure the time it
takes to complete activities (i.e. complete a hole) versus
benchmarks for comparison purposes.
[0113] Depending on the particular activity venue or sub-activity,
the cages 402 can be set up by the system 100 at different
predetermined locations. For example, for the golf course
implementation, cages 402 art set up at the tee off location(s) and
the green for each hole on the golf course or the driving range or
parking lot or other designated areas (to track who/what is in
those zones). Additionally, for longer holes, additional cages 402
are set up based on the distance of those holes. For example, for
holes less than 440 yards, a fairway cage is set up between the tee
off area(s) and the green and for holes over 500 yards, another
fairway cage is set up a predetermined distance between the first
fairway cage and the green. As would be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, each of the cages 402 are associated with a unique
identifier, such that the system 100 can determine which cage(s)
402 on which holes are being entered/exited by each player at which
times and how long players spend playing a specific hole,
clubhouse, the driving range, etc.
[0114] FIGS. 4A and 4B depict example implementations of cages 402
positioned on a hole 400 of a golf course. As discussed in greater
detail herein, the cages 402 are used to gather data when a player
crosses a boundary defined the geolocation points associated with
the cage 402. The cages 402 are used by the system 100 to calculate
various metrics such as pace of play for a player or a group of
players. The gathered data can include the identifier associated
with the cage 402 being crossed, geolocation of the cage 402 being
cross, and a clock time in which the crossing occurred. An example
formula for such a calculation can be written as P(i,k,1,Tee),
where i is a group number, k is the player number in group i, j is
a hole number, and calculates a crossing start clock time that a
player k in group i crossed out of the first hole tee start cage.
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data can be
gathered using any combination of hardware and software discussed
in system 100 and/or known in the art.
[0115] FIG. 4A depicts an example implementation in which
boundaries for the cage 402 zones are setup on a hole 400 of a golf
course, represented by the dashed lines. As depicted in FIG. 4A,
each cage 402 is defined by geolocation coordinates 404. For
example, the cages 402 can be defined by longitude and latitude
coordinates on a map. In accordance with an example embodiment of
the present invention, the cages 402 and their respective
coordinates 404 are further defined by where the cage 402 is
located on a particular hole 400. In particular, the cages 402 can
be defined as a tee box cage 402a, a green cage 402b, and a fairway
cage 402c at each hole 400, as depicted in FIG. 4B. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the cages 402 can also be
defined by locations on a golf course (e.g., first hole tee off,
second hole green, third hole fairway, driving range, parking lot,
etc.), additional locations on a hole 400, etc.
[0116] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, arcs 406 are used in combination with the cages 402 to
capture precise player movement and other data (e.g., wait times)
on each hole 400 of the golf course. Overall the arcs 406 share a
similar to functionally to the cages 402. The arcs 406 are defined
by the system 100 to cover predefined areas, distances, and/or
boundaries arcing from key locations on a hole 400. For example,
the arcs 406 can include a cone shaped area originating from a
predetermined distance from key locations on a golf course (e.g.,
cage 402 locations). The key locations can include tee off
locations, mid fairway points, and the green for each particular
hole 400 on a golf course. The boundaries for the arcs 406 can
defined by establishing a predetermined distance from a point of
interest (e.g., tee off, green, or fairway position) as depicted in
FIG. 4C or a establishing a predetermined distance radius from a
point of interest as depicted in FIG. 4D. In accordance with an
example embodiment of the present invention, the arcs 406 are
virtual or computer generated predetermined distances extending
from locations within the cages 402. The predetermined distances
can determined by industry experts or the course operator and are
established on a computer or computer network as arcs 406
technologically set up at specific locations on the golf course.
For example, the virtual or computer generated arcs 406 can be
created by identifying specific locations as an overlay on an
electronic mapping of the golf course.
[0117] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the arcs 406 are used to create and/or provide locations
for fairway cages 402c. In particular, the arcs 406 define at what
distances to position the fairway cages 402c based on a projected
distance that a ball may travel (e.g., from a tee off). For
example, as depicted in FIGS. 4C and 4D, an arc 406 from the tee
off cage 402a is defined by a maximum distance a tee shot will
travel (e.g., 250 yards), the next arc 406 will define the maximum
distance the next shot will travel (e.g., 220 yards) to reach the
next cage 402 (e.g., the green tee cage 402b), and so forth. The
fairway cages 402c will be created at points in which the arcs 406
overlap. In instances where arcs 406 on a hole do not intersect,
cage 402 will be created by the end of two arcs 406 (e.g., from the
tee and one from the green). For example, the arcs 406 can define
locations for cages 402 at 250 yards out from the tee cage 402a and
at 250 yards from the green cage 402b, as defined by the respective
arcs 406.
[0118] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, as depicted in FIG. 4D, the system 100 can utilize a
combination of the cages 402 and the arcs 406. In particular, the
cages 402 and/or arcs 406 are utilized in combination to gather
data for the system 100 to track and record events and derive
metrics related to where and when a player is located and in
relation to other players within a particular hole 400 within a
golf course. The data is gathered by the system 100 by tracking and
recording events related to the cages 402 and/or arcs 406. For
example, the tracked events can include when a player enters or
exits a boundary defined by the cages 402 and/or arcs 406.
[0119] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 can identify and track events related to
when a player/group crosses a boundary for a particular cage 402
and/or arc 406. The events include but are not limited to when a
player enters a tee box cage (e.g., cage 402a), when a player exits
a tee box cage, when a player enters a fairway cage (e.g., cage
402c), when a player exits a fairway cage, when a player enters a
green cage (e.g., cage 402b), when a player exits a green cage,
when a player enters a courtesy arc (e.g., arc 406), and when a
player exits a courtesy arc. As would be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, there are multiple systems and methodologies that can
be used to track an individual player/group crossing a particular
boundary.
[0120] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the crossing of a boundary of a cage 402 or arc 406 is
tracked by recording a location of a player/group at a particular
point in time by periodically pinging the patron device 20 and/or
sensor device 10 carried by that player throughout the golf course
and record a location of that device (e.g., patron device 20,
sensor device 10, etc.) at the time of the ping. After each ping,
the system 100 determines whether the player is located within or
outside a cage 402 or arc 406 and records the location and time
when warranted. In particular, the system 100 records a clock time
when a player first identified as being located in a cage 402
and/or arc 406 (e.g., the first ping recorded in a cage 402 and/or
arc 406) and a clock time when that player leaves that cage 402
and/or arc 406 (the first ping recorded outside a cage after
recording a ping inside a cage 402 and/or arc 406). Additionally,
the first ping for a player inside a cage 402 and/or arc 406 is
recorded as the clock time that the player entered the cage, such
that if the player exits and re-enters the same cage 402 and/or arc
406, the first clock time is still the entry clock time. Similarly,
system 100 takes the highest (latest) ping clock time for a player
outside a cage having the previous ping inside the cage to indicate
when the player last left the cage. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the pings and data associated therewith can be
stored by the system 100 in a database for further analysis.
[0121] The data gathered in relation to the cages 402 and/or arcs
406 is utilized by the system 100 to provide metrics based on the
precise location and movement data gathered for players/groups on
the course. In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 tracks how long a player/group spends
"dwelling" in a particular cage 402 and/or arc 406. In particular,
the system 100 can calculate a dwell time by recording an entry
time when the player/group initially crosses a boundary for a cage
402 and/or arc 406 and a time when the player last exits the cage
402 and/or arc 406 (re-crosses the predefined boundary). The dwell
time is the total time that a player or group spends within a cage
402 and/or arc 406. The system 100 can derive the dwell time by
calculating the difference in the player's entry time and the exit
time from a cage 402 and/or arc 406 (e.g., subtracting the entry
time from the exit time). An example formula for such a calculation
can be written as L(i,k,j,n)=Pmax(i,k,j,n)-Pmin(i,k,j,n), where i
is a group number, k is the player number in group i, j is a hole
number, n is a cage number on the hole j, L(i,k,j,n) is the dwell
time at cage n on hole j for group i, Pmax(i,k,j,n) is the final
crossing clock time for player k in group i, on hole j for exiting
cage n, and Pmin(i,k,j,n) is the first crossing clock time for
player k in group i, on hole j for entering cage n.
[0122] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, it is
possible to have a player/group cross boundaries for the cages 402
and/or arcs 406 several times and the system 100 can be configured
to account for such situations. For example, the system 100 can
store only the minimum crossing time (a first crossing time) to
indicate arrival at a cage 402 and/or arc 406 and the maximum
crossing time (the last crossing time) to indicate exit from the
cage 402 and/or arc 406. The system 100 stores the first crossing
reading as the minimum crossing time and then the subsequent
crossing time would be stored as the maximum crossing time with
each new crossing time replacing the previously stored maximum
crossing time. The minimum crossing time and the maximum crossing
time are utilized by the system 100 to calculate the total dwell
time. For example, the system 100 subtracts the minimum crossing
time from the maximum crossing time to derive the total dwell
time.
[0123] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the cages 402 and/or arcs 406 are utilized by the system
100 to determine whether a player or group of players is waiting to
play as a result of being impeded by another player or group of
players. The system 100 determines that a player/group is impeded
when that player/group is slowed by a player/group ahead of them on
the course. For example, the system 100 determines if a first
player/group is impeded when waiting for another player/group at a
position ahead of them on a hole 400 to clear the area. Similarly,
the system 100 determines that a player/group is impeding another
player/group playing behind them.
[0124] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 determines when a player/group is
impeding and/or is impeded by another player/group by comparing
dwell times and locations information for those player/groups. In
particular, the system 100 compares dwell times from one
player/group in a first area compared to a dwell time for another
player/group in an adjacent area ahead/behind the one player/group
to determine whether there is any impeding occurring. For example,
the system 100 can identify a player/group that has crossed into a
first cage 402 or arc 406 (e.g., at a tee off location) that is
waiting for a player/group in a next cage 402 or arc 406 (e.g., the
fairway) ahead of them to clear the area (e.g., based on
overlapping dwell times in the respective cages 402 or arcs
406).
[0125] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
system 100 can utilize data collected from multiple cages 402 or
arcs 406 to calculate wait times caused by any impeding from other
players/groups. The system can calculate wait times by determining
a time from when a player/group arrives at a cage 402 or arc 406
until the player/group ahead clears the next cage 402 or arc 406.
For example, the system 100 records the amount of time a particular
player/group (e.g., on the fairway) ahead of another player/group
(e.g., at the tee off) has impeded the other player/group based on
how long the particular player/group is occupying a cage 402 (e.g.,
on the fairway). In particular, the data gathered from the cages
402 and/or arcs 406 is utilized by the system 100 to track when a
particular player has entered a particular area of the golf course,
track when other players enter/exit an area immediately ahead or
behind the particular area, when the other players are in cages 402
and/or arcs 406 ahead of the particular player are causing delays,
and/or when the particular player is causing delays for a player or
group immediately behind that player. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the system 100 can add multiple wait times
(e.g., a sum of the wait times at each of the cages 402 and/or arcs
406 on a hole) to derive a total wait time for that hole. The
system 100 uses that data to calculate the wait times incurred by
the impeding time period. An example formula for such a calculation
can be written as WW(i,j)=sum of W(i,j,n) where i is a group
number, j is a hole number, and n is the cage number on the hole j,
and W(i,j,n) is the time group i waited for another group ahead to
clear cage n on hole j.
[0126] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 can perform additional analytics to
determine if a player plays faster or slower depending on whom the
player is grouped with. Additionally, more precise measures derived
by the system 100 can be used explain some of the waiting time for
members of an individual player's group. In particular, using
calculated dwell times, the system 100 can estimate how much time
each individual players within a group is in a cage 402 and/or arc
406. The system 100 determines when each individual player enters
and leaves the cage 402 and/or arc 406, calculates the dwell times
for each player in the group, and derives an overall group dwell
time at each cage 402 and/or arc 406. Subtracting out the
calculated wait/impeded time caused by any other players/groups
ahead of the individual player enables the system to calculate the
true dwell time for each individual player. Subtracting out the
wait/impeded time incurred by each individual in the group provides
the true time the group takes to play a shot.
[0127] The system 100 can utilize the sum and averages of the dwell
times for the individual players in the group and the overall group
to provide metrics indicating which individuals complete their
shots quickly and which do not. Similarly, this derived data can be
used to identify which individual players in a group are slowing
the overall pace of the total group. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, other data gathered by the system 100 may also
be helpful in identifying the slow and/or fast player(s) in the
group. For example, the system 100 can monitor movement speed when
the players are traveling from shot to shot. The system 100 also
identifies which player is first into a cage, which player is last,
which player is first out, and which player is last out, which can
be used to determine which players are faster/slower. Additionally,
data collected on specific players can be used to determine a
players overall pace and establish a player pace rating.
[0128] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, using the data gathered from the events related to
crossing the boundaries, the system 100 derives a number of
different metrics. The metrics can include but are not limited to a
hole start time, a hole end time, a hole (benchmark) play time, a
hole standard play time, a hole adjusted play time, a player/group
(benchmark) play time, a player/group standard play time, a
player/group adjusted play time, a course (benchmark) play time, a
course standard play time, a course adjusted play time, and a pace
of play. The system 100 can calculate and derive the various
metrics using a combination of user entered and automatically
obtained data (e.g., from devices 10, 20, etc.) from the golf
course.
[0129] The hole start time is derived by identifying a clock time
for when the player/group first crossed the boundary for a tee off
cage 402 or arc 406 for a particular hole. For a group of players,
the start time for the group is the clock time of when the first
player in the group crossed the boundary. Similarly, the hole end
time can be calculated by identifying the clock time when the
player/group exits the green cage 402 or arc 406 for a particular
hole. For a group of players, the end time is calculated using the
clock time of when the last player in the group exits the final
boundary (e.g., the green cage boundary). They system 100 can
utilize the start times and the end times to calculate an overall
play time the group takes to play a hole. For example, the system
can subtract the start clock time from the end clock time to derive
the actual play time of a hole for the player/group. Similarly,
when calculating a pace of play for an entire round of golf, the
system 100 will calculate a sum of the tee box to tee box time for
each hole (which includes travel time between holes).
[0130] The hole benchmark play time is derived by the system 100
using various variables collected for a player/group. The variables
can be related to day of the week, a time, a party size (e.g.,
single, double, threesome, foursome, etc.), carts/no carts, caddie,
weather, type of play (i.e. normal play vs tournament play), etc.
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the variables
used in calculating the hole benchmark play time can include any
combination of manually entered variables (e.g., entered into the
operator device 18) and/or automatically obtained variables. The
hole benchmark play time is derived by the system 100 using
historical data for the collected variables to determine an
estimated amount of time it should take a player/group to complete
a particular hole, based on the provided variables.
[0131] The hole standard play time is the play time based on the
time it took the last player or group to complete a hole.
Accordingly, the hole standard play time changes each time a player
or group completes a hole. The hole standard play time is derived
by the system 100 by calculating the actual play time that a
particular hole is being played by players/groups regardless of
wait times experienced. In particular, the hole standard play time
exits the green cage 402 or arc 406 (e.g., the green cage time(s))
for each player or group from the clock time of when the
player/group exits the green cage 402 or arc 406 (e.g., the green
cage time(s)) from the previous hole). An example formula for such
a calculation can be written as T(i,j)=A(i,j)-A(i,j-1) [First hole
is A(i,j)-S(i)], where i is a group number, j is a hole number,
T(i,j) is the actual time duration group i took to play hole j,
A(i,j) is the actual hole finish clock time group i finishes hole
j, A(i,j-1) is the actual hole finish clock time group i finishes
hole j-1 (e.g., the previous hole), and S(i) is the actual start
clock time group i begins the round (e.g., begins hole 1).
[0132] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the hole
standard play time can be calculated using a historical average of
play times for all players and groups on that hole, using a
historical average of play times for a particular player or group
on that hole, and/or historical average of play times for players
or groups within a predetermined period of time (e.g., daily,
weekly, monthly, etc.). The hole adjusted play time can be derived
by the system 100 by calculating an adjusted play time that the
hole is being played. The hole adjusted play time is calculated by
subtracting any derived wait times incurred by players or group
from their respective standard play times (e.g.,
TT(i,j)=T(i,j)-WW(i,j)). Similarly, the hole adjusted play times
can be derived by calculating a historical average of play times
for the players and groups for a particular hole.
[0133] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the player/group benchmark play time is derived by the
system 100 by calculating an expected time that a player/group
should take to play each hole or using the pace ratings. The pace
ratings can be determined by industry experts or the course
operators themselves. For example, the player/group benchmark can
be calculated by taking an average of historical adjusted play
times for the particular player/group for that hole. Similarly, the
player/group benchmark can be calculated by taking an average of
historical adjusted play times for the particular player/group
throughout the course and normalized for that particular hole. As
would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the player/group
benchmark playtime can be adjusted periodically (e.g., daily,
weekly, based on weather, etc.) and calculated a number of other
ways known in the art.
[0134] The player/group standard play time is a sum play time of
all of the holes played by players and groups. The player/group
standard play time can be derived by the system 100 by calculating
and adding the actual play time that the player/group takes to play
each hole. In particular, the player/group standard play time is
calculated by calculating a difference between when the
player/group enters tee box cage time from the player/group exit
green cage time. The player/group adjusted play time can be derived
by the system 100 by adjusting the actual play time to account for
wait times. The player/group adjusted play time is calculated by
subtracting any derived wait times for the player/group from the
actual play time of the player/group.
[0135] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the course benchmark play time is derived by the system
100 by calculating a time that the player/group should play the
whole course or using benchmarks determined by industry experts or
the course operator. For example, the course benchmark can be
calculated by taking an average, mean, median, etc. of historical
adjusted play times for all players/groups on the course.
Similarly, the course benchmark play time can be an average, mean,
median, etc. of all the historical adjusted play times for a
particular player/group on the course. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the course benchmark playtime can be
calculated a number of different ways known in the art.
[0136] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the course standard play time is derived by the system
100 by calculating an actual time that players/groups take to
complete the course. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the
art, the course standard play time can be calculated using a
historical average of play times for all players and groups on that
course, using a historical average of play times for a particular
player or group on that course, and/or historical average of play
times for players or groups within a predetermined period of time
(e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). For example, the course
standard play time can be calculated by averaging the standard play
time for all players/groups that have completed the course that day
or during a specific time of the day (e.g., busy or slow). As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the average for the
course standard play time may not be calculated until a
predetermined number of players/groups have completed the course
for a predetermined period of time. For example, the average may
not be calculated by the system 100 until at least three
players/groups have completed the course that day.
[0137] The course adjusted play time can be derived by the system
100 by calculating an adjusted play time the players/groups took to
complete the course. In particular, the course adjusted play time
is derived by the system 100 by subtracting wait times from the
standard play time for the players/groups. As would be appreciated
by one skilled in the art, the course adjusted play time can be
derived by the system 100 for each particular player/group or a
historical average for all players and groups for the particular
course. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
various hole play times, the player/group play times, and the
course play times may be categorized by predetermined criteria and
calculated for all parties satisfying that criteria. For example,
the calculated play times for individual players may be calculated
separately from the calculated play times for groups.
[0138] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, a pace of play metrics for a player/group can be
calculated by the system 100 using the data gathered from the
events and the derived metrics. When calculating pace of play
metrics, for example, the system 100 can use the data gathered
related to crossing the cages 402 and/or arcs 406. For example, the
pace of play metrics can be calculated by identifying periods in
which a player/group is waiting on other player ahead on the course
and deducting the wait time from the player/group's overall
playtime (e.g., player/group adjusted player time). Additionally,
the system 100 can utilize calculated dwell times when calculating
the pace of play metrics. As would be appreciated by one skilled in
the art, the system 100 can perform various analytics to calculate
various other metrics based on player time and location data, as
discussed herein. For example, the data gathered from the cages 402
and/or arcs 406 can be used in addition with other data gathered by
the data management tool 14 to determine traffic patterns,
predictive delays, scheduling tee times, staggering tee times,
maintenance schedules, staff dispatching to perform certain tasks
within gaps in play, etc.
[0139] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, data gathered related to crossing the cages 402 and/or
arcs 406 is utilized by the system 100 to determine an adjusted
pace of play metric for a player/group. The adjusted pace of play
for the player is the difference between the time the player/group
takes to play a hole 400 or course while subtracting any time that
the player/group was impeded by other players/groups during play
(e.g., TT(i,j)=T(i,j)-WW(i,j)). In particular, the system 100
calculates a pace of play for each player/group by tracking the
total time on the course (e.g., from the first tee to the
completion of the eighteenth hole) and subtracting the time spent
waiting on other players ahead of the particular player/group to
clear the next cages 402 and/or arcs 406. The resulting adjusted
pace of play indicates an adjusted play time representing a pace of
play if the player/group was not impeded by any other players.
[0140] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
system 100 can take into account other factors when determining the
adjusted pace of play. For example, the system 100 can adjust the
adjusted pace of play for a player/group when they are waving ahead
another player/group, such that the waving party's pace of play is
not adversely affected by providing the curtesy of waving ahead
another party. For example, the system 100 can perform calculations
for a player/group adjusted play time to account for the waiting
for the following player/group (e.g., waved on player/group) to tee
off. An example formula for such a identifying a "wave through" can
be written as If Gin(i+1,j,n)<Gin(i,j,n) Then group i "waved
through" group i+1., where i is a group number, j is a hole number,
n is a cage number, Gin(i+1,j,n) is the clock arrival time group
for group i+1 (e.g., the group originally behind group i) at cage n
on hole j, and Gin(i,j,n) is the clock arrival time group for group
i at cage n on hole j. An example formula for adjusting for a "wave
through" can be written as Gin(i,j,n)-Gout(i+1,j,n-1) with group
i's approximate wait time on the tee being
Gin(i,j,n)-Gin(i+1,j,n-1).
[0141] Once an adjusted pace of play for a player/group has been
established by the system 100, the adjusted pace of play can be
utilized at a future point in time for additional analytics related
to the golf course. For example, the system 100 can use the
adjusted pace of play for players/groups to determine how much
space to allocate between tee times (as depicted in FIG. 5), when
and where to insert a particular player/group into the course,
providing indications to a player/group that they are behind or
ahead of the reasonable pace, providing indications that a
player/group should wave ahead other players, when/where to perform
maintenance, etc. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the
art, each implementation can use a combination of unique algorithms
designed to improve the overall function of the golf course as well
as player experience, as discussed herein.
[0142] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, there are
different algorithms for calculating a pace of play and adjusted
pace of play for individual players within a group of players and
for solo players. In accordance with an example embodiment of the
present invention, the system 100 determines a metric for a
plus/minus pace time for individuals in a group of players. The
plus/minus pace time is calculated by subtracting a course standard
time from the adjusted play time for the group. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the course standard time can
be a predetermined value calculated based on specific factors for
that course or the course standard time can be calculated using
historical data form previously played rounds of golf. In
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, the
system 100 can use the plus/minus pace time to calculate a player
pace rating for each individual player in the group. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the player pace rating can
be determined using a variety of algorithms using the data
gathering devices in the system 100.
[0143] For example, each member of a group can be assigned a
plus/minus pace time of for each round of golf played by the system
100. The plus/minus pace time for each player can be stored by the
system 100 for additional analysis. The system 100 can review the
previously stored plus/minus pace times and determine a minimum
pace time from the stored the plus/minus pace times. The minimum
plus/minus pace time represents the best time that a particular
player completed in a round. That minimum plus/minus pace time may
not represent the player's absolute pace potential since it was
affected by whom the player was grouped with, but it provides the
system 100 with an indication of a best plus/minus pace time that
player completed a course. As would be appreciated by one skilled
in the art, the plus/minus pace time of a player in a group can be
slower or faster than the player would have typically played solo
or with a different group composition, but the minimum plus/minus
pace time provides a metric of the pace of play potential for the
player.
[0144] Another example methodology for determining a player pace
rating for an individual player in a group is to take an average of
all the player's recent plus/minus pace times. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the average can be
determined using any combination of calculations from the player's
historical adjusted pace of play times. For example, the system 100
can calculate the average of the five most recent play times or
take an average of the best five adjusted pace of play times out of
the last ten play times for the player. The calculated average for
the plus/minus pace of play times provides the system 100 with a
metric that accounts for unusual circumstances causing especially
slow play not the fault of the player. For example, the player may
have played on a day in which there was bad weather or there may be
instances in which the player is not interested in playing fast and
not impeding anyone because there were few groups on the
course.
[0145] In a third example approach, the system 100 utilizes a
statistical regression analysis to determine a player pace rating.
As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the statistical
regression analysis can be performed in any manner sufficient to
provide an accurate depiction of a players' pace. For example, the
system 100 can calculate each player's player pace rating by
"fitting" binary variables to the plus/minus pace times for all
rounds played by all players in all groups. The binary variables
can include a "0" for when a player is not in the group and a "1"
for when the player is in the group for a given round's plus/minus
pace time. When the analysis using binary variables is completed by
the system 100, each given round's plus/minus pace time is
predicted from the player pace rating of the players in the group
for that round. The coefficients resulting from the regression
would represent each player's player pace rating, each player's
contribution to the pace of a group.
[0146] Algorithms for Pace of Play Metrics Utilizing Data from the
Cages/Arcs
[0147] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a variety
of algorithms can be utilized by the system 100 in determining
various paces of play and player pace rating metrics for players on
a golf course. The following exemplary examples of algorithms are
not intended to limit the present invention to the golf course
illustrative example, but the steps of these algorithms are
provided for explanation purposes. The system 100 can utilize the
data collected throughout the course (e.g., data related to players
crossing cage and/or arc boundaries), as discussed herein, to
calculate any number of metrics to be used in any combination of
analytics to be presented in any number of formats. In accordance
with an example embodiment of the present invention, a combination
of live data gathered by the system 100 (e.g., via the one sensor
device(s) 10, patron device(s) 20, operator device(s) 18, etc.) and
historical data stored thereon can be used to derive the various
pace of play metrics discussed herein.
[0148] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, each player or group is tracked throughout the golf
course utilizing on or more of the sensor device(s) 10, patron
device(s) 20, and operator device(s) 18 and data is gathered from
those devices reflecting the player(s) or groups location and time
at that location and is stored by the system 100. The time and
location data are available to the system 100 for calculating the
various metrics and performing the various analytics discussed
herein. In particular, each player or group has at least one sensor
device(s) 10 and/or patron device(s) 20 that is synchronized within
the system 100 (e.g., data management tool 14) and is associated
with a unique identifier. As would be appreciated by one skilled in
the art, the unique identifier can be a fixed identifier associated
with a device (e.g., a MAC address) or the unique identifier can be
assigned to the device prior to participating in an activity. For
example, prior to starting a round of golf on a golf course, the
player or group registers the at least one sensor device(s) 10
and/or patron device(s) 20 with the club house (e.g., the operator
device(s) 18) and the respective device(s) is assigned a unique
identifier. Additionally, the unique identifier can be associated
with a particular player or group in the system 100 (e.g., a user
profile in the database) such that the tracked data can be
associated with the respective party.
[0149] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, prior to tee off by the players, the system 100 derives
an estimated hole play time for each hole on a course and a course
standard play time for the player/group. The tee time, the
estimated hole play time, and the course standard play time for the
player/group are utilized by the system 100 to further derive hole
milestones and hole by hole schedule for the player(s). In
particular, the system 100 utilizes the tee time and estimated hole
play times to calculate the hole milestones and a hole by hole
schedule for each player/group. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the hole milestone and hole by
hole schedule are indicators as to whether the player/group is on
schedule for an overall round of golf which can be evaluated at the
completion of each hole.
[0150] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
estimated hole play times can be user defined values or can be
constantly updating based on a historical average of play time
data. For user defined estimated hole play times, a user can
identify and enter predetermined values of an estimated time to
complete each hole on the course into the system 100 (e.g., using
an operator device(s) 18 or data management tool 14). For example,
user predefined estimates for the estimated hole play times can
include eleven minutes for each par three, thirteen minutes for
each par four, and seventeen minutes for each par five to create
about a four hour round. Similarly, the estimated hole play times
can be a historical average of the hole standard play times. For
example, the estimated hole play time for each hole on a course can
be the hole benchmark play time.
[0151] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the hole milestones and a hole by hole schedule are
calculated by adding to the starting clock time of the first tee
time (e.g., the clock time when a player first crosses into the
first cage 402 or arc 406) to the estimated hole play time for each
hole to be played on a course. The holes are assumed to be played
incrementally to establish each of the milestones such that each
subsequent hole will add an estimated time within the milestones.
An example formula for calculating a milestone can be
M(i,j)=S(i)+sum H(i,j) for all i from 1 to j, where i is a group
number, j is a hole number, M(i,j) is the clock times of hole by
hole scheduled milestones for group i to finish hole j, S(i) is the
actual start clock time group i begins the round, and H(i,j) is the
expected hole play time for each group number i for each hole j.
The hole milestone and the hole by hole schedule define an
estimated clock or play time of when the player/group should finish
a hole or round of golf to maintain a reasonable pace. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the reasonable pace can be
based on a number of different factors. For example, the reasonable
pace can vary based on party size (e.g., individual player or group
size), a number of holes being played, a level of difficulty of the
course/holes being played, and/or a skill level of the
player/group.
[0152] Once the hole milestone and/or the hole by hole schedule are
defined, the system 100 can create a schedule for that
player/group. The schedule is established and maintained by the
system 100 and is monitored to determine whether the player/group
is maintaining the reasonable pace for that player/group according
to that schedule. In accordance with an example embodiment of the
present invention, the schedule is the clock time of the tee time
(e.g., the start of the round of golf) plus the sum of all the
holes played up to that point in time. As each hole is completed,
the player/group standard play time for that hole is compared, by
the system 100, to the derived hole milestone and hole by hole
schedule. Based on the comparison, the system 100 can determine
whether or not the player/group is "on schedule". To make the "on
schedule" determination the system 100 compares a sum of the
player/group standard play times for each of the completed holes up
to that point in time to the estimated hole play time up to that
point in time from the hole milestone and/or the hole by hole
schedule. An example formula for such a calculation can be written
as D(i,j)=A(i,j)-M(i,j) where i is a group number, j is a hole
number, D(i,j) is the difference between milestone and actual
finishing time for group I playing hole j, A(i,j) is the actual
hole clock finishing time for group i on hole j (e.g., Gout(i,j,
Cage Green)), and M(i,j) is the clock times of hole by hole
scheduled milestones for group i to finish hole j. If the D(i,j)
value is negative or zero, then group i is "on schedule" otherwise
group i is not on schedule.
[0153] The system 100 can process an "on schedule" algorithm to
determine whether or not a player/group is "on schedule" during a
round of golf. The "on schedule" algorithm utilizes the hole
milestone and/or the hole by hole schedule to establish a total
estimated play time value for the play/group at the end of each
hole. For example, if the estimated hole play time for the first
hole is eleven minutes, the estimated hole play time for the second
hole is thirteen minutes, and the estimated hole play time for the
third hole is seventeen minutes, then they system has three hole
milestones (one for the completion of each hole). The hole
milestone and/or the hole by hole schedule for the three holes is
eleven minutes for the first milestone (e.g., the estimated time to
complete the first hole (11)), twenty-four minutes for the second
milestone (e.g., total estimated time for completion of the first
hole and the second hole (11+13=24)), and forty-one minutes for the
third milestone (e.g., the estimated time for completing all three
holes (11+13+17=41).
[0154] At each milestone, the "on schedule" algorithm is processed
by the system 100. The "on schedule" algorithm adds the
player/group standard play time for each hole together and compares
the total player/group standard play time to the total estimated
milestone play times from the hole milestone and/or the hole by
hole schedule. Based on the comparison, the system 100 determines
whether or not a player/group is "on schedule". Continuing the
example, if the player/group took twenty-six minutes to complete
the first and second holes, then the player/group standard play
time of twenty-six is compared by the system 100 to the second
estimated milestone time of twenty-four minutes. In this example,
the group/player is behind schedule because the player/group
standard play time is greater than the estimated milestone play
time for the first two holes (e.g., 26>24). As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, if the player/group standard
play time is less than or equal to the estimated milestone play
time for the first two holes (e.g., <=24) then the player/group
would be determined to be "on schedule" by the system 100. As would
be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the comparison can be
performed using any algorithms known in the art. For example, the
comparison can be performed by subtracting the sum of the
player/group standard play times for each of the completed holes up
to a particular point in time from the estimated hole play time up
to that point in time from the hole milestone and/or the hole by
hole schedule. If the resulting value is negative then the
player/group is "on schedule", otherwise if the resulting value is
positive then the player/group is not "on schedule". As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the same calculations can be
performed using the player/group adjusted play times in place of
the player/group standard play times to account for impeding wait
times caused by other players.
[0155] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 can calculate a value for any deviation
from the schedule or deviation value. The deviation value can be
calculated by taking the difference between the player/group
standard play times and the hole milestone and/or the hole by hole
schedule. The difference is the deviation value. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the same calculations can be
performed using the player/group adjusted play times in place of
the player/group standard play times to account for impeding wait
times caused by other players. In accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 can utilize the
deviation value to determine if a player/group is being impeded by
other players/groups. An example formula for such a calculation for
the deviation value can be written as D(i-1,j): This deviation
value identifies the time difference for the group ahead for hole j
(the hole that group i just finished). If the deviation value is
negative or zero, then group i has not been impeded by the group
ahead, however, if the deviation value is positive, then group i
may have been impeded. When the system 100 identifies that a
particular player/group is bring impeded by identifying that a
group immediately ahead of that particular player/group is off
schedule and the other player/group does not play a hole within the
hole standard play time (e.g., is off pace or off schedule). In
this circumstance, the system 100 labels the particular
player/group as "impeded". Similarly, when the system 100
identifies that a player/group incurs waiting time on a hole and
the player/group does not play a hole within the hole standard play
time, the system 100 labels the player/group as "alternate
impeded".
[0156] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the system 100 can utilize the deviation value to
determine if a player/group is impeding other players/groups. An
example formula for such a calculation for the deviation value can
be written as A(i-1,j)-A(I,j)<H(j) to indicate if group i-1 is
not more ahead of Group i than the hole's hole play time, and thus
group i-1 is impeding group i (i.e. group i is impeded by the group
ahead.). Where i is a group number, j is a hole number, A(i-1,j) is
the actual hole finish clock time group i-1 finishes hole j, A(i,j)
is the actual hole finish clock time group i finishes hole j, and
H(i) is the expected hole play time for hole j. When the system 100
identifies that a player/group behind a particular player/group is
off pace or off schedule and not further behind than the hole
standard play time, in this circumstance, the system 100 labels the
particular player/group as "impeding". Similarly, when the system
100 identifies that a player/group behind the particular
player/group incurs waiting time on a hole and the player/group
does not play a hole within the hole standard play time, the system
100 labels the player/group as "alternate impeding". As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, the impeded and impeding
labels can be used by the system 100 to derive additional metrics
and/or be provided to users and/or players to indicate which
parties are impeded and impeding others.
[0157] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, a pace of play algorithm can be used to determine
whether a player/group is "on pace". The on pace algorithm can
operate similarly to the "on schedule" algorithm. In particular,
the system 100 processes the "on pace" algorithm to evaluate
player/group play times compared to estimated play times on a hole
by hole basis. The "on pace" algorithm compares the player/group
standard play time for a particular hole to the estimated hole play
time for that particular hole. Based on the comparison, the system
100 can determine whether or not a player/group is "on pace". An
example formula for an on pace algorithm can be written as T(i,j):
If less than or equal to H(j), Then group i is "on pace" otherwise
group i is not on pace, where i is a group number, j is a hole
number, T(i,j) is the actual time duration group i took to play
hole j (e.g., TT(i,j)), and H(i) is the expected hole play time for
hole j.
[0158] For example, if the player/group standard play time for hole
one is ten minutes and the estimated hole play time for hole one is
eleven minutes, then the system 100 uses the "on pace" algorithm
perform the comparison to determine that the player/group is "on
pace" (e.g., 10<11). Similarly, if the player/group standard
play time for hole one is fourteen minutes instead, then the "on
pace" algorithm is utilized by the system 100 to determine that the
player/group is not "on pace" because fourteen minutes is greater
than the estimate hole play time of eleven for that particular
hole. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the same
calculations can be performed using the player/group adjusted play
times in place of the player/group standard play times to account
for impeding wait times caused by other players. Similarly, all of
the calculations discussed herein can include a margin of
acceptance. For example, the margin of acceptance can be one
minute, such that if D(i,j) is less than one minute, then group i
is still considered, by the system 100, to be "on schedule."
[0159] In accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention, the result of the on pace algorithm can be relayed to
the player/group. In particular, the on pace indicator can be
transmitted to the patron device 20 or sensor device 10 being
carried by the player/group for notification on the LED and/or
e-Ink display. For example, the LED and/or e-Ink display can
display a green card or color to indicate that the player/group is
playing at the proper pace, a yellow card or color to indicate that
the player/group is not on schedule but is impeded by a
player/group ahead, or a red card or color to indicate that the
player/group is playing slowly and causing others to play
slowly.
[0160] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the
system 100 can combine various metrics to determine what pace of
play/on schedule colors to indicate to the players/groups. The
colors notify the player/group whether their pace of play is good
(e.g., green) or whether they need to pick up the pace (e.g.,
yellow or red). In accordance with an example embodiment of the
present invention, the system 100 can combine metrics related to
"on schedule", "on pace", impeded, and impeding. With this
particular combination of metrics, there are sixteen possible
combinations, each with two indicators (e.g., Y or N); on or off
schedule, on or off pace, impeded or not, and impeding or not. The
possible combinations are depicted in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 On Schedule On Pace Impeded Impeding Color
1. Y Y Y Y Green 2. Y Y Y N Green 3. Y Y N Y Green 4. Y Y N N Green
5. Y N Y Y Green 6. Y N Y N Green 7. Y N N Y Yellow 8. Y N N N
Green 9. N Y Y Y Yellow 10. N Y Y N Green 11. N Y N Y Red 12. N Y N
N Green 13. N N Y Y Yellow 14. N N Y N Yellow 15. N N N Y Red 16. N
N N N Yellow
[0161] The system 100 can use the information in this table to
determine what color indicator to transmit to a player/group's
respective devices (e.g., patron device(s) 20, sensor device(s) 10,
etc.). For example, as depicted in the first line of Table 1, if
the system determines that the player/group is on schedule, the
player/group has played the hole "on pace", that the player/group
is being impeded by a player/group ahead, and that the player/group
is impeding a player/group behind then the displayed color or card
will be green. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art,
each result in each column is calculated and/or derived by the
system based on a combination of the algorithms discussed herein.
An example formula for such a calculation can be written as If
D(i,j)<=0 (e.g., on schedule) AND TT(i,j)<32 H(i,j) (e.g., on
pace) AND WW(i,j)=either+ or - (e.g., whether or not incurred
waiting/impeded) AND WW(i+1,j)=either + or - (e.g., whether or not
causing waiting/impeding), Then green card. The system 100 can
utilize a lookup table stored in a database to determine the color
card to display based on the derived values from the "on pace", "on
schedule", impeded, and impeding algorithms. Similarly, the system
100 can have an algorithm tailored to compare these values without
the use of a lookup table. Additionally, the card color can be
determined using any other methodologies utilizing the combination
of hardware, software, and data collected within the system 100,
known in the art.
[0162] FIGS. 5- 7 show exemplary flow charts depicting
implementation of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 5
depicts a method 500 to calculate the suggested scheduling of
spacing between groups of players starting a round of golf on the
golf course. The spacing is based upon the longest throughput (tp)
of any hole played during a current active round. In accordance
with an example embodiment of the present invention, the system 100
only includes holes that have had five players or groups play those
holes today. For example, if hole number seventeen has been played
in eighteen minutes by a particular player or group and the
eighteen minutes is the longest time of any active throughput for a
player or group on holes seventeen that day, then the system 100
adjusts the tee time spacing from the predetermined spacing (e.g.,
14 minutes) to eighteen minutes to account for the lengthier
playtime throughput. Accordingly, the tee time will be adjusted to
match the throughput of players or groups playing the hole(s) a
specific period of time during that day. As would be appreciated by
one skilled in the art, the tee time spacing can also be adjusted
to be a shorter period of time. For example, once the longest
throughput on a hole is sixteen minutes for the last five players
or groups on a hole, then the spacing becomes sixteen minutes
instead of the eighteen minutes and the time can be adjusted
dynamically to reflect the current throughput.
[0163] Continuing with FIG. 5, in accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 waits until a
predetermined number of groups (e.g., 3-5) has started playing golf
in order to begin recommending an appropriate real-time group
spacing time. If the course has not seen the predetermined number
of groups play yet, then the tee times can be based on a historical
average and then adjust accordingly until the predetermined number
of groups is met. Additionally, the system 100 can utilize zones to
track the tee times. Zone 1, as depicted in FIG. 5, represents the
method 500 for how the system 100 tracks a start of a "round of
golf". In particular, the system 100 tracks the start by marking
the time clock starts for a round of golf when an asset enters the
first tee box cage 402 a, thus opening up Zone 1. As would be
appreciated by one skilled in the art, Zone 1 does not need to be
correlated to the first hole necessarily but can be any hole that
they golfer has been placed to start a round of golf. Zone X, or
the end zone, represents the last hole in a round of gold and the
system 100 ends the total clock time for the round of golf. The
individual zone cycle times are calculated by detecting a golfer
entering a tee box cage 402a, which opens the zone, and entering
the green cage 402b which then closes the zone and the system 100
calculates the total throughput time. The longest current
throughput time is used to determine asset start time space or tee
time spacing between golfers/groups. As would be appreciated by one
skilled in the art, the throughput is fluid throughout the day and
can be adjusted based on size of group (singles vs twosome vs
threesome vs. foursome, etc.) and whether they are walking, riding
or have a caddie.
[0164] FIG. 6 depicts a process 600 that the system 100 uses to
calculate the on pace algorithm, as discussed herein. At step 602,
the system 100 identifies that a particular device carried by a
particular player (e.g., sensor device 10, operator device 18, and
patron device 20) crosses cage 402 or arc 406 boundary. For
example, the system 100 periodically pings the particular device
and determines that the particular device has crossed an area
defined by a geolocation boundary for a particular cage 402 or arc
406, as discussed herein. At step 604, the system 100 determines
whether there are other devices, being carried by other players,
are located ahead of the particular player/device. For example, the
system 100 determines whether there are other players, carrying
devices detectable by the system 100, located at an area (e.g., an
adjacent cage 402 or arc 406) immediately ahead of the particular
player.
[0165] If at step 604, the system 100 does detect other devices
immediately ahead of the particular player/device then the process
600 advances to step 606. If at step 604, the system does not
detect other devices immediately ahead of the particular
player/device then the process 600 advances to step 608. At step
608, the system 100 determines whether there are other devices,
being carried by other players, located in the next cage 402 or arc
406 (e.g., the next adjacent cage 402 or arc 406 on a hole or the
course) from the particular player/device. If at step 608, the
system 100 does detect other devices in the next cage 402 or arc
406 from the particular player/device then the process 600 advances
to step 610. At step 610, the system 100 instructs the particular
player (e.g., via E-Ink or patron device 20 display) to wait for
the other players to exit the next cage 402 or arc 406 and advances
to step 612. At step 612, the system introduces the relative pace
analysis to the particular player's device. The relative pace
analysis is the adjusted player/group pace (e.g., adjusted by wait
time) to be displayed to the player or group. If at step 608, the
system does not detect other devices next cage 402 or arc 406, then
the process 600 advances to step 614. At step 614, the system 100
executes activity to make forward progress. Executing activity to
make forward progress indicates to the player or group that if
there is no player or group occupying the area in front of them
then they should be making forward progress. Thereafter, the player
or group should be moving forward or they might start to impede
players behind them. Any time the player or group takes to complete
a hole (without anyone in front of them in a cage 402 or courtesy
arc 406) is "charged" to them as impeding if they are holding up
other players.
[0166] Returning to step 604, if the system 100 does detect other
devices immediately ahead of the particular player/device then the
process 600 advances to step 606. At step 606, the system 100
instructs the particular player to wait for the other players to
exit the area immediately ahead to exit and advances to step 616.
At step 616, the system 100 determines whether there are other
devices, being carried by other players, located in the next cage
402 or arc 406 from the particular player/device. If at step 616,
the system 100 does detect other devices in the next cage 402 or
arc 406 from the particular player/device then the process 600
advances to step 618. At step 618, the system 100 instructs the
particular player to wait for the other players to exit the next
cage 402 or arc 406 and advances to step 612. At step 612, the
system introduces the relative pace analysis to the particular
player's device. If at step 616, the system does not detect other
devices next cage 402 or arc 406, then the process 600 advances to
step 614. At step 614, the system 100 executes activity to make
forward progress.
[0167] FIG. 7 depicts a process 700 for tracking player movement
and calculating metrics for the player based on the data gathered
on a golf course. At step 702, the system determines whether a
particular player/device (e.g., sensor device 10, operator device
18, patron device 20) being carried by the player is moving. If the
system determines that the player/device is not moving, the process
700 advances to step 704. Otherwise if the system determines that
the player/device is moving, the process 700 advances to step 716.
At step 704, the system 100 determines whether there are other
devices, being carried by other players, are located ahead of the
particular player/device. The process at step 704 is similar to the
process in steps 604, as discussed with respect to FIG. 6. If, at
step 704, the system 100 does detect other devices immediately
ahead of the particular player/device then the process 700 advances
to step 708. At step 708, the system 100 determines that the
particular player/device is impeded. If at step 704, the system
does not detect other devices immediately ahead of the particular
player/device then the process 700 advances to step 706.
[0168] At step 706, the system 100 determines whether there are
other devices, being carried by other players, located in the next
cage 402 or arc 406 from the particular player/device. If at step
706, the system 100 does not detect other devices in the next cage
402 or arc 406 from the particular player/device then the process
700 advances to step 710. At step 710, the system 100 instructs the
particular player that they are playing slow and impeding other
players and advances to step 714. At step 714, the system
introduces the relative pace analysis to the particular player's
device. If at step 706, the system does detect other devices next
cage 402 or arc 406, then the process 700 advances to step 712. At
step 712, the system 100 instructs the particular player to wait
for the other players to exit the area immediately ahead to exit
the area. Once the system 100 determines that the other players to
exit the area immediately ahead, the process advances to step 714.
At step 714, the system introduces the relative pace analysis to
the particular player's device. The process at step 714 is similar
to the process in steps 612, as discussed with respect to FIG.
6.
[0169] At step 716, the system 100 determines whether there are
other devices (e.g., sensor device 10, operator device 18, patron
device 20), being carried by other players, are located ahead of
the particular player/device. The process at step 716 is similar to
the process in steps 604, as discussed with respect to FIG. 6. If
at step 716, the system does not detect other devices immediately
ahead of the particular player/device then the process 700 advances
to step 718. At step 718, the system 100 determines that the
particular player/device is not impeded. If at step 716, the system
100 does detect other devices immediately ahead of the particular
player/device then the process 700 advances to step 720. At step
720, the system determines whether other devices ahead of the
player/device in the same cage 402 or arc 406 boundary. If the
system 100 determines that there are no other devices ahead of the
player/device in the same cage 402 or arc 406 boundary, then the
process advances to step 722. At step 722, the system 100
determines that the particular player/device is not impeded. If the
system 100 determines that there are other devices ahead of the
player/device in the same cage or arc boundary, then the process
advances to step 724. At step 724, the system 100 sends
notifications to the other players/devices to let the particular
player/device play through.
[0170] As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, all of
the tracking, data aggregation, calculations, determinations,
derivations, etc. are necessarily performed by the combination of
hardware and software embodied in the system 100, as described
herein. The system 100 provides the necessary hardware and software
installed thereon to efficiently and expeditiously process the
various algorithms discussed herein. Such processes provide an
improvement to data analytics systems which are necessarily rooted
in computer technologies.
[0171] Any suitable hardware device can be used to implement the
various sensor and computing devices 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and
methods/functionality described herein and be converted to a
specific system for performing the operations and features
described herein through modification of hardware, software, and
firmware, in a manner significantly more than mere execution of
software on a generic computing device, as would be appreciated by
those of skill in the art. One illustrative example of such a
computing device 1000 is depicted in FIG. 8. The computing device
1000 is merely an illustrative example of a suitable computing
environment and in no way limits the scope of the present
invention. A "computing device," as represented by FIG. 8, can
include a "workstation," a "server," a "laptop," a "desktop," a
"hand-held device," a "mobile device," a "tablet computer," or
other computing devices, as would be understood by those of skill
in the art. Given that the computing device 1000 is depicted for
illustrative purposes, embodiments of the present invention may
utilize any number of computing devices 1000 in any number of
different ways to implement a single embodiment of the present
invention. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are
not limited to a single computing device 1000, as would be
appreciated by one with skill in the art, nor are they limited to a
single type of implementation or configuration of the example
computing device 1000.
[0172] The computing device 1000 can include a bus 1010 that can be
coupled to one or more of the following illustrative components,
directly or indirectly: a memory 1012, one or more processors 1014,
one or more presentation components 1016, input/output ports 1018,
input/output components 1020, and a power supply 1024. One of skill
in the art will appreciate that the bus 1010 can include one or
more busses, such as an address bus, a data bus, or any combination
thereof. One of skill in the art additionally will appreciate that,
depending on the intended applications and uses of a particular
embodiment, multiple of these components can be implemented by a
single device. Similarly, in some instances, a single component can
be implemented by multiple devices. As such, FIG. 8 is merely
illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used to
implement one or more embodiments of the present invention, and in
no way limits the invention.
[0173] The computing device 1000 can include or interact with a
variety of computer-readable media. For example, computer-readable
media can include Random Access Memory (RAM); Read Only Memory
(ROM); Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
(EEPROM); flash memory or other memory technologies; CDROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical or holographic media;
magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other
magnetic storage devices that can be used to encode information and
can be accessed by the computing device 1000.
[0174] The memory 1012 can include computer-storage media in the
form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory 1012 may be
removable, non-removable, or any combination thereof. Exemplary
hardware devices are devices such as hard drives, solid-state
memory, optical-disc drives, and the like. The computing device
1000 can include one or more processors that read data from
components such as the memory 1012, the various I/O components
1016, etc. Presentation component(s) 1016 present data indications
to a user or other device. Exemplary presentation components
include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating
component, etc.
[0175] The I/O ports 1018 can enable the computing device 1000 to
be logically coupled to other devices, such as I/O components 1020.
Some of the I/O components 1020 can be built into the computing
device 1000. Examples of such I/O components 1020 include a
microphone, joystick, recording device, game pad, satellite dish,
scanner, printer, wireless device, networking device, and the
like.
[0176] As utilized herein, the terms "comprises" and "comprising"
are intended to be construed as being inclusive, not exclusive. As
utilized herein, the terms "exemplary", "example", and
"illustrative", are intended to mean "serving as an example,
instance, or illustration" and should not be construed as
indicating, or not indicating, a preferred or advantageous
configuration relative to other configurations. As utilized herein,
the terms "about" and "approximately" are intended to cover
variations that may existing in the upper and lower limits of the
ranges of subjective or objective values, such as variations in
properties, parameters, sizes, and dimensions. In one non-limiting
example, the terms "about" and "approximately" mean at, or plus 10
percent or less, or minus 10 percent or less. In one non-limiting
example, the terms "about" and "approximately" mean sufficiently
close to be deemed by one of skill in the art in the relevant field
to be included. As utilized herein, the term "substantially" refers
to the complete or nearly complete extend or degree of an action,
characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result, as
would be appreciated by one of skill in the art. For example, an
object that is "substantially" circular would mean that the object
is either completely a circle to mathematically determinable
limits, or nearly a circle as would be recognized or understood by
one of skill in the art. The exact allowable degree of deviation
from absolute completeness may in some instances depend on the
specific context. However, in general, the nearness of completion
will be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and
total completion were achieved or obtained. The use of
"substantially" is equally applicable when utilized in a negative
connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an
action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or
result, as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art.
[0177] Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the
present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in
view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is
to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of
teaching those skilled in the art the best mode for carrying out
the present invention. Details of the structure may vary
substantially without departing from the spirit of the present
invention, and exclusive use of all modifications that come within
the scope of the appended claims is reserved. Within this
specification embodiments have been described in a way which
enables a clear and concise specification to be written, but it is
intended and will be appreciated that embodiments may be variously
combined or separated without parting from the invention. It is
intended that the present invention be limited only to the extent
required by the appended claims and the applicable rules of
law.
[0178] It is also to be understood that the following claims are to
cover all generic and specific features of the invention described
herein, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as
a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.
* * * * *