- p_iis the order success probability for a user i,
- t_iis the duration that user i has been associated with the in-process workflow or queue workflow,
- E₁, . . . , E_nare event information 1 through n, and
- U_i,1, . . . , U_i,mare user information 1 through m for a user i.
  The following is another example algorithm thatevent management system170 may use to calculate an order success probability:

p_i=1−exp(−λ·t_i)

where:

- p_iis the order success probability for a user i,
- λ is a fixed variable, and
- t_iis the duration that user i has been associated with the in-process workflow or queue workflow.
  As an example and not by way of limitation,event management system170 may receive a first request to purchase n1 tickets for an event from a first user and have also received r second requests from r second users, respectively. Each second request may be a request to purchase n2 tickets for the event and each second request may have been previously received and already associated with an in-process workflow or a queue workflow.Event management system170 may then determine a first order success probability (p1) for the first request and a second order success probability (p2) for each second request.Event management system170 may then determine if

(\sum_{i = 0}^{i \leq r} p 2_{i} \cdot n 2_{i}) + (p 1 \cdot n 1) > T + ɛ,

wherein T is the current number of tickets available for the event and ε is a user-defined threshold. If so, thenevent management system170 may associate the first request with a termination workflow. Else,event management system170 may associate the first request with a queue workflow. As another example and not by way of limitation,event management system170 may receive a first request to purchase 4 tickets (n1=4) for an event from a first user and have also received 3 second requests from 3 second users, respectively (r=3). The 3 second request may be request to purchase 5, 6, and 3 tickets for the event, respectively (n2₁=5, n2₂=6, n2₃=3), and each second request may have been previously received and already associated with an in-process workflow or a queue workflow. The current number of tickets available for the event may be equal to six (T=6).Event management system170 may then determine a first order success probability of p1=0.33 for the first request. The three second request may have second order success probabilities of 0.20, 0.45, and 0.80, respectively (p2₁=0.20, p2₂=0.45, p2₃=0.80). If the user-defined threshold ε is equal to zero, then theevent management system170 may then determine if ((0.20·5)+(0.45·6)+(0.80·3))+(0.33·4)>6. Since this is true, thenevent management system170 may associate the first request with a termination workflow. If this were not true,event management system170 may associate the first request with a queue workflow. Although this disclosure describes calculating particular order success probabilities using particular algorithms and particular factors, this disclosure contemplated calculating any suitable order success probabilities using any suitable algorithms and any suitable factors.

FIG. 3 illustrates anexample method300 for managing requests to purchase tickets. The method begins atstep310, whereevent management system170 may receive a first request to purchase a first number of tickets for an event from a first user. Atstep320,event management system170 may associate the first request with a queue workflow or a termination workflow based on an application of a probabilistic model. The inputs to the probabilistic model may comprise the first number of tickets for the event from the first user, a second number of tickets for the event that all second users are requesting to purchase, and a third number of tickets available for the event. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular steps of the method ofFIG. 3 as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the method ofFIG. 3 occurring in any suitable order. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular components carrying out particular steps of the method ofFIG. 3, this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components carrying out any suitable steps of the method ofFIG. 3.

Systems and Methods

FIG. 4 illustrates anexample computer system400. In particular embodiments, one ormore computer systems400 perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, one ormore computer systems400 provide functionality described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, software running on one ormore computer systems400 performs one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein or provides functionality described or illustrated herein. Particular embodiments include one or more portions of one ormore computer systems400.

This disclosure contemplates any suitable number ofcomputer systems400. This disclosure contemplatescomputer system400 taking any suitable physical form. As example and not by way of limitation,computer system400 may be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip (SOC), a single-board computer system (SBC) (such as, for example, a computer-on-module (COM) or system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computer system, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, a tablet computer system, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate,computer system400 may include one ormore computer systems400; be unitary or distributed; span multiple locations; span multiple machines; span multiple data centers; or reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one ormore computer systems400 may perform without substantial spatial or temporal limitation one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. As an example and not by way of limitation, one ormore computer systems400 may perform in real time or in batch mode one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. One ormore computer systems400 may perform at different times or at different locations one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein, where appropriate.

In particular embodiments,computer system400 includes aprocessor402,memory404,storage406, an input/output (I/O) interface408, acommunication interface410, and abus412. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular computer system having a particular number of particular components in a particular arrangement, this disclosure contemplates any suitable computer system having any suitable number of any suitable components in any suitable arrangement.

In particular embodiments,processor402 includes hardware for executing instructions, such as those making up a computer program. As an example and not by way of limitation, to execute instructions,processor402 may retrieve (or fetch) the instructions from an internal register, an internal cache,memory404, orstorage406; decode and execute them; and then write one or more results to an internal register, an internal cache,memory404, orstorage406. In particular embodiments,processor402 may include one or more internal caches for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplatesprocessor402 including any suitable number of any suitable internal caches, where appropriate. As an example and not by way of limitation,processor402 may include one or more instruction caches, one or more data caches, and one or more translation lookaside buffers (TLBs). Instructions in the instruction caches may be copies of instructions inmemory404 orstorage406, and the instruction caches may speed up retrieval of those instructions byprocessor402. Data in the data caches may be copies of data inmemory404 orstorage406 for instructions executing atprocessor402 to operate on; the results of previous instructions executed atprocessor402 for access by subsequent instructions executing atprocessor402 or for writing tomemory404 orstorage406; or other suitable data. The data caches may speed up read or write operations byprocessor402. The TLBs may speed up virtual-address translation forprocessor402. In particular embodiments,processor402 may include one or more internal registers for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplatesprocessor402 including any suitable number of any suitable internal registers, where appropriate. Where appropriate,processor402 may include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs); be a multi-core processor; or include one ormore processors402. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular processor, this disclosure contemplates any suitable processor.

In particular embodiments,memory404 includes main memory for storing instructions forprocessor402 to execute or data forprocessor402 to operate on. As an example and not by way of limitation,computer system400 may load instructions fromstorage406 or another source (such as, for example, another computer system400) tomemory404.Processor402 may then load the instructions frommemory404 to an internal register or internal cache. To execute the instructions,processor402 may retrieve the instructions from the internal register or internal cache and decode them. During or after execution of the instructions,processor402 may write one or more results (which may be intermediate or final results) to the internal register or internal cache.Processor402 may then write one or more of those results tomemory404. In particular embodiments,processor402 executes only instructions in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory404 (as opposed tostorage406 or elsewhere) and operates only on data in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory404 (as opposed tostorage406 or elsewhere). One or more memory buses (which may each include an address bus and a data bus) may coupleprocessor402 tomemory404.Bus412 may include one or more memory buses, as described below. In particular embodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) reside betweenprocessor402 andmemory404 and facilitate accesses tomemory404 requested byprocessor402. In particular embodiments,memory404 includes random access memory (RAM). This RAM may be volatile memory, where appropriate Where appropriate, this RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate, this RAM may be single-ported or multi-ported RAM. This disclosure contemplates any suitable RAM.Memory404 may include one ormore memories404, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular memory, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory.

In particular embodiments,storage406 includes mass storage for data or instructions. As an example and not by way of limitation,storage406 may include an HDD, a floppy disk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive or a combination of two or more of these.Storage406 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, where appropriate.Storage406 may be internal or external tocomputer system400, where appropriate. In particular embodiments,storage406 is non-volatile, solid-state memory. In particular embodiments,storage406 includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, this ROM may be mask-programmed ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory or a combination of two or more of these. This disclosure contemplatesmass storage406 taking any suitable physical form.Storage406 may include one or more storage control units facilitating communication betweenprocessor402 andstorage406, where appropriate. Where appropriate,storage406 may include one ormore storages406. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular storage, this disclosure contemplates any suitable storage.

In particular embodiments, I/O interface408 includes hardware, software, or both providing one or more interfaces for communication betweencomputer system400 and one or more I/O devices.Computer system400 may include one or more of these I/O devices, where appropriate. One or more of these I/O devices may enable communication between a person andcomputer system400. As an example and not by way of limitation, an I/O device may include a keyboard, keypad, microphone, monitor, mouse, printer, scanner, speaker, still camera, stylus, tablet, touch screen, trackball, video camera, another suitable I/O device or a combination of two or more of these. An I/O device may include one or more sensors. This disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O devices and any suitable I/O interfaces408 for them. Where appropriate, I/O interface408 may include one or more device or softwaredrivers enabling processor402 to drive one or more of these I/O devices. I/O interface408 may include one or more I/O interfaces408, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular I/O interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O interface.

In particular embodiments,communication interface410 includes hardware, software, or both providing one or more interfaces for communication (such as, for example, packet-based communication) betweencomputer system400 and one or moreother computer systems400 or one or more networks. As an example and not by way of limitation,communication interface410 may include a network interface controller (NIC) or network adapter for communicating with an Ethernet or other wire-based network or a wireless NIC (WNIC) or wireless adapter for communicating with a wireless network, such as a WI-FI network. This disclosure contemplates any suitable network and anysuitable communication interface410 for it. As an example and not by way of limitation,computer system400 may communicate with an ad hoc network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or one or more portions of the Internet or a combination of two or more of these. One or more portions of one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. As an example,computer system400 may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN) (such as, for example, a BLUETOOTH WPAN), a WI-FI network, a WI-MAX network, a cellular telephone network (such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), or other suitable wireless network or a combination of two or more of these.Computer system400 may include anysuitable communication interface410 for any of these networks, where appropriate.Communication interface410 may include one ormore communication interfaces410, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular communication interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable communication interface.

In particular embodiments,bus412 includes hardware, software, or both coupling components ofcomputer system400 to each other. As an example and not by way of limitation,bus412 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a front-side bus (FSB), a HYPERTRANSPORT (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an INFINIBAND interconnect, a low-pin-count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association local (VLB) bus, or another suitable bus or a combination of two or more of these.Bus412 may include one ormore buses412, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosure contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

Herein, reference to a computer-readable storage medium encompasses one or more non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage media possessing structure. As an example and not by way of limitation, a computer-readable storage medium may include a semiconductor-based or other integrated circuit (IC) (such, as for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific IC (ASIC)), a hard disk, an HDD, a hybrid hard drive (HHD), an optical disc, an optical disc drive (ODD), a magneto-optical disc, a magneto-optical drive, a floppy disk, a floppy disk drive (FDD), magnetic tape, a holographic storage medium, a solid-state drive (SSD), a RAM-drive, a SECURE DIGITAL card, a SECURE DIGITAL drive, or another suitable computer-readable storage medium or a combination of two or more of these, where appropriate. Herein, reference to a computer-readable storage medium excludes any medium that is not eligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. §101. Herein, reference to a computer-readable storage medium excludes transitory forms of signal transmission (such as a propagating electrical or electromagnetic signal per se) to the extent that they are not eligible for patent protection under 35 U.S.C. §101. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate.

FIG. 5 illustrates anexample network environment500. This disclosure contemplates anysuitable network environment500. As an example and not by way of limitation, although this disclosure describes and illustrates anetwork environment500 that implements a client-server model, this disclosure contemplates one or more portions of anetwork environment500 being peer-to-peer, where appropriate. Particular embodiments may operate in whole or in part in one ormore network environments500. In particular embodiments, one or more elements ofnetwork environment500 provide functionality described or illustrated herein. Particular embodiments include one or more portions ofnetwork environment500.Network environment500 includes anetwork510 coupling one ormore servers520 and one ormore clients530 to each other. This disclosure contemplates anysuitable network510. As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more portions ofnetwork510 may include an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, or a combination of two or more of these.Network510 may include one ormore networks510.

Links

550

couple servers

520 andclients530 to network510 or to each other. This disclosure contemplates anysuitable links550. As an example and not by way of limitation, one ormore links550 each include one or more wireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as, for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) links550. In particular embodiments, one ormore links550 each includes an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a MAN, a communications network, a satellite network, a portion of the Internet, or anotherlink550 or a combination of two or moresuch links550.Links550 need not necessarily be the same throughoutnetwork environment500. One or morefirst links550 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond links550.

This disclosure contemplates anysuitable servers520. As an example and not by way of limitation, one ormore servers520 may each include one or more advertising servers, applications servers, catalog servers, communications servers, database servers, exchange servers, fax servers, file servers, game servers, home servers, mail servers, message servers, news servers, name or DNS servers, print servers, proxy servers, sound servers, standalone servers, web servers, or web-feed servers. In particular embodiments, aserver520 includes hardware, software, or both for providing the functionality ofserver520. As an example and not by way of limitation, aserver520 that operates as a web server may be capable of hosting websites containing web pages or elements of web pages and include appropriate hardware, software, or both for doing so. In particular embodiments, a web server may host HTML or other suitable files or dynamically create or constitute files for web pages on request. In response to a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or other request from aclient530, the web server may communicate one or more such files toclient530. As another example, aserver520 that operates as a mail server may be capable of providing e-mail services to one ormore clients530. As another example, aserver520 that operates as a database server may be capable of providing an interface for interacting with one or more data stores (such as, for example,data stores540 described below). Where appropriate, aserver520 may include one ormore servers520; be unitary or distributed; span multiple locations; span multiple machines; span multiple datacenters; or reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks.

In particular embodiments, one ormore links550 may couple aserver520 to one ormore data stores540. Adata store540 may store any suitable information, and the contents of adata store540 may be organized in any suitable manner. As an example and not by way or limitation, the contents of adata store540 may be stored as a dimensional, flat, hierarchical, network, object-oriented, relational, XML, or other suitable database or a combination or two or more of these. A data store540 (or aserver520 coupled to it) may include a database-management system or other hardware or software for managing the contents ofdata store540. The database-management system may perform read and write operations, delete or erase data, perform data deduplication, query or search the contents ofdata store540, or provide other access todata store540.

In particular embodiments, one ormore servers520 may each include one ormore search engines522. Asearch engine522 may include hardware, software, or both for providing the functionality ofsearch engine522. As an example and not by way of limitation, asearch engine522 may implement one or more search algorithms to identify network resources in response to search queries received atsearch engine522, one or more ranking algorithms to rank identified network resources, or one or more summarization algorithms to summarize identified network resources. In particular embodiments, a ranking algorithm implemented by asearch engine522 may use a machine-learned ranking formula, which the ranking algorithm may obtain automatically from a set of training data constructed from pairs of search queries and selected Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), where appropriate.

In particular embodiments, one ormore servers520 may each include one or more data monitors/collectors524. A data monitor/collection524 may include hardware, software, or both for providing the functionality of data collector/collector524. As an example and not by way of limitation, a data monitor/collector524 at aserver520 may monitor and collect network-traffic data atserver520 and store the network-traffic data in one ormore data stores540. In particular embodiments,server520 or another device may extract pairs of search queries and selected URLs from the network-traffic data, where appropriate.

This disclosure contemplates anysuitable clients530. Aclient530 may enable a user atclient530 to access or otherwise communicate withnetwork510,servers520, orother clients530. As an example and not by way of limitation, aclient530 may have a web browser, such as MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER or MOZILLA FIREFOX, and may have one or more add-ons, plug-ins, or other extensions, such as GOOGLE TOOLBAR or YAHOO TOOLBAR. Aclient530 may be an electronic device including hardware, software, or both for providing the functionality ofclient530. As an example and not by way of limitation, aclient530 may, where appropriate, be an embedded computer system, an SOC, an SBC (such as, for example, a COM or SOM), a desktop computer system, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a PDA, a netbook computer system, a server, a tablet computer system, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, aclient530 may include one ormore clients530; be unitary or distributed; span multiple locations; span multiple machines; span multiple datacenters; or reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks.

Miscellaneous

Herein, “or” is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A or B” means “A, B, or both,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Moreover, “and” is both joint and several, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A and B” means “A and B, jointly or severally,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Furthermore, “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “an A” or “the A” means “one or more A,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context.

This disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Moreover, this disclosure encompasses any suitable combination of one or more features from any example embodiment with one or more features of any other example embodiment herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Furthermore, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.