US 2016/0078370 A1Published application

Controlled access queue-based gating based on cooperative detection of viable registration

AssigneeLive Nation Entertainment, Inc.

InventorsRobert McEwen, Debbie Hsu

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Abstract

Before tickets for an event go onsale, users are allowed to register for the event. The registration requires completion of verification steps useful for discriminating between human and robot users. Due to the complexity of the first verification step, it can be estimated that registered users are more likely than other users to be human. Registered users are allowed to electronically submit requests for tickets for the event prior to the tickets going on sale. Unregistered users must wait to request tickets until a later time (e.g., when the tickets are onsale) and may—at that time—complete similar or simpler verification steps, further delaying receipt of their requests. Requests from registered users may further be preferentially served simply due to the registrations. Thus, tickets can be preferentially provided to users estimated to be more likely to be human.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A ticket management system for offering tickets to an event to users in an iterative and prioritized manner, the ticket management system comprising:

a ticket offerer that, prior to a beginning of an onsale period during which tickets for the event are sold:
electronically presents information about the event to a set of users, the set of users including a first user and a second user, and
electronically presents the first user with an invitation to electronically register for the event;
a ticket requestor that:
prior to the beginning of the onsale period, receives, from the first user, a first request to register for the event;
facilitates a first electronic presentation of a verification step at a first electronic device associated with the first user, the verification step including a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) test;
determines, based on the verification step, that the first user is a human and not a robot;
upon determining that the first user has completed the verification step:
registers the first user for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period, and
electronically presents the first user, but not the second user, with an interface to request a ticket for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period, wherein the second user has not completed the verification step prior to the beginning of the onsale period and the interface is not presented to the second user prior to the beginning of the onsale period due to the second user not having completed the verification step, and
receives a first request from the first user and a second request from the second user, wherein each of the first request and the second request is a request for the ticket to the event, wherein the first request is received prior to the beginning of the onsale period, and wherein the second request is received after the beginning of the onsale period;
a queue engine that, using one or more processors, places the first request in a queue and the second request in the queue queue, the first request being prioritized over the second request due to the first user having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period and the second user not having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period;
and
a ticket browser that, using the one or more processors, after the beginning of the onsale period:
accesses the queue,
performs a first search of a ticket database, the first search being responsive to the first request,
performs a second search of the ticket database, the second search being responsive to the second request, wherein the second search is performed after the first search due to the first request being prioritized over the second request, and
receives results for the first search that includes an identification of one or more tickets for the event.

15 more elements

A method for offering tickets to an event to users in an iterative and prioritized manner, the method comprising:

prior to a beginning of an onsale period during which tickets for the event are sold, electronically presenting information about the event to a set of users, the set of users including a first user and a second user;
electronically presenting the first user with an invitation to electronically register for the event;
prior to the beginning of the onsale period, receiving, from the first user, a request to register for the event;
facilitating a first electronic presentation of a verification step at a first electronic device associated with the first user, the verification step including a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) test;
determining, based on the verification step, that the first user is a human and not a robot;
upon determining that the first user has completed the verification step:
registering the first user for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period;
and
electronically presenting the first user, but not the second user, with an interface to request a ticket for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period, wherein the second user has not completed the verification step prior to the beginning of the onsale period and the interface is not presented to the second user prior to the beginning of the onsale period due to the second user not having completed the verification step;
receiving a first request from the first user and a second request from the second user, wherein each of the first request and the second request is a request for the ticket to the event, wherein the first request is received prior to the beginning of the onsale period, and wherein the second request is received after the beginning of the onsale period;
placing the first request in a queue and the second request in the queue, the first request being prioritized over the second request due to the first user having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period and the second user not having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period;
after the beginning of the onsale period, performing a first search of a ticket database, the first search being responsive to the first request;
performing a second search of the ticket database, the second search being responsive to the second request, wherein the second search is performed after the first search due to the first request being prioritized over the second request, and
receiving results for the first search that includes an identification of one or more tickets for the event.

11 more elements

A ticket management system for offering tickets to the event to users in the iterative and prioritized manner, the ticket management system comprising:

one or more processors;
and
one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors and one or more memories are configured to:
prior to a beginning of an onsale period during which tickets for the event are sold, electronically present information about the event to a set of users, the set of users including a first user and a second user;
electronically present the first user with an invitation to electronically register for the event;
prior to the beginning of the onsale period, receive, from the first user, a request to register for the event;
facilitates a first electronic presentation of a verification step at a first electronic device associated with the first user, the verification step including a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) test;
prior to the beginning of the onsale period, determines, based on the verification step, that the first user is a human and not a robot;
upon determining that the first user has completed the verification step:
register the first user for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period, and
present the first user, but not the second user, with an interface to request a ticket for the event prior to the beginning of the onsale period, wherein the second user has not completed the verification step prior to the beginning of the onsale period and the interface is not presented to the second user prior to the beginning of the onsale period due to the second user not having completed the verification step;
and
receive a first request from the first user and a second request from the second user, wherein each of the first request and the second request is a request for the ticket to the event, wherein the first request is received prior to the beginning of the onsale period, and wherein the second request is received after the beginning of the onsale period;
place each of the first request and the second request in a single queue, the first request being prioritized over the second request due to the first user having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period and the second user not having completed the verification step prior to the onsale period;
and
after the beginning of the onsale period:
perform a first search of a ticket database, the first search being responsive to the first request;
perform a second search of the ticket database, the second search being responsive to the second request, wherein the second search is performed after the first search due to the first request being prioritized over the second request, and
receive results for the first search that includes an identification of one or more tickets for the event.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.