WO2008124168A1 - Interactive -in-seat, point-of-sale and marketing message delivery unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus provide interaction between a user and a venue service provider. An interactive terminal includes a display of information from the venue service provider and information from a user to the venue service provider, an interface allowing the user to interact with the venue service provider via the display; a magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader; and a mounting mechanism.

Description

Interactive In-Seat, Point-of-Sale and Marketing Message Delivery Unit

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an interactive terminal, which can be mounted at a seat, such as in an entertainment venue, that allows a user to make purchases, view ads and instant replays, etc. from the entertainment venue without having to leave his own seat. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While stadium and arena operations personnel, e.g., continue to work to boost ticket prices and sales at sporting events, market economics and patron preferences desire a solution that will enable more value per event with enhanced services. To accomplish this task, professional sports teams are presently organizing their facilities into customer service zones including "high-touch" viewing areas focused on individual's request fulfillment with "wait-staff similar to restaurants and pubs. For example, Seattle Mariner's "AVAYA Terrace Club", similar to "Club" service areas of other franchises, features optional in-seat food and beverage service and a climate controlled lounge with special food options and full-bar service. This type of specialized "club" seating is common throughout the various sports leagues. However, the impact to such service is often lower margins and higher surcharge pricing to offset the customer convenience.

A system is needed to increase the per seat revenue opportunities by offering greater access to goods and services at sporting events, concerts, family shows, X- games, or the like with reduced out of seat time for the customer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and system that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. The present invention provides two key professional event requirements, convenience and cost containment, by enabling patrons to increase the amount of food, beverage and merchandise they purchase by reducing the barriers to spending and giving the patrons what they paid for - time to watch the game in person and not on a monitor in a concourse.

It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method that allows users to purchase refreshments, merchandise and tickets without leaving their seats within an entertainment venue.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system and method to increase the stadium per seat revenue opportunities by offering greater access to goods and services with reduced out of seat time. Another object of the invention is to offer tangible revenue generation opportunities through new channels such that teams and owners can leverage a platform that creates additional revenue through the introduction of advertising and marketing delivered directly to the venue seat.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the method that is particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides an interactive terminal connected to a venue service provider, including a display to present information from the venue service provider; an interface to allow the user to interact with the venue service provider via the display; a magnetic stripe, barcode, or radio frequency identification reader; and a mounting mechanism. Another aspect of the invention provides a method of interacting with a venue service provider by a user from an interactive terminal associated with a seat within the venue, including the steps of displaying on the interactive terminal a menu to a user; using a navigation interface on the interactive terminal by the user to select from the menu at least one of the goods and services; transmitting over a network the user's selection to the venue service provider; and delivering the user's selection to the user.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are understood to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention that together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective front view of the interactive terminal of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective back view of the interactive terminal of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating the method of the present invention. Figure 4 is a network diagram illustrating the processing of orders in the method of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective front view of the interactive terminal of a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The present invention described below extends the functionality of the inventive system and method for interactive in-seat marketing and delivery.

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of the interactive terminal of the present invention. The user interface of the terminal has a touch-screen interface 11 used to navigate menus and prompts appearing on a display 12 visible through the touchscreen. The display 12 maybe a flat panel LCD, OLED, plasma or other types of display known to those skilled in the art, which are incorporated herein. The bottom portion of the terminal includes a magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader 14. The casing of the entire terminal is shown as 13. In an alternate embodiment, the terminal may have ear phone access (that also may be wireless access) for audio output to the user (not shown). FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the terminal, showing the mounting mechanism 15 by which the terminal can be attached to a mounting post. Within the mounting mechanism 15 is shown a connector 16 by which power is connected to the terminal when it is installed on the mounting post. In an alternate embodiment, the connector 16 provides network wiring connections in addition to power connections. Fig. 5 is a perspective front view of the interactive terminal of a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the user interface of the terminal has a right arrow navigational button 511, an up arrow navigational button 512, a left arrow navigational button 513 and a down arrow navigational button 514. In addition, the user interface includes a Yes/Accept button 515 and No/Cancel button 516. In another embodiment of the present invention, the user interface may be a keyboard (not shown). Other types of user interfaces will be known to those skilled in the art and are incorporated herein.

In the second embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the navigational buttons (511-516) guide the user's ability to navigate menus and prompts appearing on the display 517. The right portion of the terminal consists of a magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader 522, ambient light sensor 521 , and solar panel 520 that may be used to power the terminal in conjunction with internal batteries. Located at the bottom of the terminal is a mounting post 518 by which the terminal can be mounted at a venue seat. The casing of the entire terminal is shown as 519. In an alternate embodiment, the terminal may have ear phone access (that also may be wireless) for audio output to the user (not shown).

In an alternate embodiment, the terminal may have a game keypad, which may be wireless (not shown) used to play video games on the terminal and to navigate menus and prompts appearing on the display 12 (Fig. 1). Other types of user interfaces will be known to those skilled in the art and are incorporated herein.

In operation the terminal can be used to facilitate consumption of goods and services offered by the stadium or venue. The terminal display 12 (Fig. 1) will display items that can be purchased through the terminal, such as food and beverages, merchandise, and tickets to events. Users utilize the touch-screen 11 (FIG. 1) to make desired selections. Users can place orders for refreshments, merchandise and tickets directly from their seats within the venue and complete the transaction by presenting their credit or debit cards to the magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader mechanism 14. Of course, other payment methods are within the scope of the present invention, such as the ability to manually input credit card information, the ability to read gift cards or paper tickets, or other magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification type of payment. Messaging appears on the display 12 confirming the user's order and transaction details. Additional messages advising the user of the expected wait time for the order to be delivered also are shown on the display 12.

The present invention also allows a user access to advertisements, movies, games and the Internet. Integrating advertising images and full motion media present a rich media experience during normal interruption of scheduled event activity (e.g. time-out, TV delay, intermission, etc.). Moreover, a user can use the terminal to enter personal information via the touch-screen 11 (FIG. 1) or navigational buttons (Fig. 5) when responding to advertisements, polls and quizzes displayed on the display 12 (FIG. 1). Therefore, teams and owners can leverage a platform that creates additional revenue at stadiums through the introduction of advertising and marketing delivered directly to the user's seat. The significance of this feature is this ability to capture unique empirical customer data via interactive advertising. Capturing customer information, such as their zip/postal code and/or email address, becomes a highly valuable asset to companies building brand awareness, product support and marketing campaigns.

Fig. 4 is a network diagram illustrating the processing of orders in the method of the present invention. The order is placed by the user using a terminal 401. Details about the user's transaction are transmitted over a secure wireless network 402 to the Order Management System represented here by Database Server 404 and Processing Server 403. Alternatively, the network may be wired. The Processing Server 403 confirms order details and product availability via the Database Server 404. The Processing Server 403 submits the payment details to the appropriate payment processing entity via a secure network connection 405. Once payment is confirmed, the Processing Server 403 relays the order information to the appropriate fulfillment center: e.g. merchandise location 406, concession kitchen 407 or ticket box office 408 via the local network. Selection of fulfillment center is made based on type of product, inventory availability, proximity to user, and fulfillment wait time. Firewalls 409 and 410 protect the security of the networks. Other methods of implementing order management systems are known to those skilled in the art and are incorporated herein.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the method of the present invention. At step 301, terminal display 12 displays items that can be purchased through the terminal, such as food and beverages, merchandise, and tickets to events. At step 302, the user utilizes the touch-screen 11 (FIG. 1) or navigational buttons (Fig. 5) to make desired selections of concessions, merchandise and/or tickets for upcoming events. At step 303, terminal display 12 (FIG. 1) displays the order and requests confirmation from the user, which is shown at step 304. If the user selects "OK," the user completes the transaction by presenting their credit or debit card to the magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader mechanism 14 at step 305. Alternatively, the user may make payment by presenting a bar-coded ticket or card that represents stored value. Other methods of making the payments are known to those skilled in the art and are incorporated herein. Details about the user's transaction are transmitted over a secure network (which may be wireless) and relayed to the appropriate distribution center at step 306. At step 307, display 12 (FIG. 1) displays a confirmation of the user's order and transaction details, and at step 308 the user's purchase is physically delivered. Delivery may be made by a concessionaire bringing food or other merchandise to the user at the seat. Delivery of merchandise or tickets may be made to the user's home, via a "will call" pickup location, or by other common delivery methods.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, terminal display 12 (FIG. 1) displays electronic items that can be purchased through the terminal, such as Internet access, e-mail access, games, and movies that can be seen while sitting at the terminal. The user can purchase these electronic goods in a similar manner, i.e., by using the touch-screen 11 (FIG. 1) or navigational buttons (Fig. 5) to make desired selections and presenting their credit or debit card to the magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency reader mechanism 14. Delivery of these goods will be directly at the terminal display.

The present invention also allows a user to view the actual venue event taking place, with access to player statistics, standings, instant replays, and reverse angle views at the terminal.

The foregoing description has been given in the context of sporting venues. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is applicable to other venues and events including movie theaters, concert venues, waiting rooms, and more.

The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments of this invention. It will be apparent, however, that other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or all of their advantages. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An interactive terminal connected to a venue service provider, comprising: a display to present information from the venue service provider; an interface to allow the user to interact with the venue service provider via the display; a magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader; and a mounting mechanism.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal is connected to the venue service provider through a secure network.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the network is wireless.

4. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the venue service provider is an entertainment venue.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the information displayed from the venue service provider includes sale of refreshments, merchandise, tickets, games, movies, Internet access, and present venue event views.

6. The terminal of claim 5, wherein the information displayed from the venue service provider includes menus and prompts.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the information displayed from the user includes purchase choices and personal data.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a touchscreen, navigational buttons, a keyboard, or a game keyboard.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader mechanism can read credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, paper tickets and a bar code.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the mounting mechanism mounts the terminal to a post at a seat in the venue.

11. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the mounting mechanism includes a connector through which power is connected to the terminal.

12. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the connector includes network wiring to connect the terminal to the venue.

13. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the display is an LCD display.

14. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the venue service provider includes an order management system to process user interactions.

15. A method of interacting with a venue service provider by a user from an interactive terminal associated with a seat within the venue, comprising the steps of: displaying on the interactive terminal a menu to a user; using a navigation interface on the interactive terminal by the user to select from the menu at least one of the goods and services; transmitting over a network the user's selection to the venue service provider; and delivering the user's selection to the user.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the menu of goods is displayed on a screen on the interactive terminal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the menu includes refreshments, merchandise, tickets, games, movies, Internet access, and present venue event views.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of transmitting includes transmitting the user's payment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user's payment may be by a credit card, debit card, gift card, bar-code on a ticket or other paper or plastic instrument.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of transmitting includes presenting the user's payment card to a magnetic stripe, bar code, or radio frequency identification reader on the interactive terminal.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of delivery includes physically delivering merchandise to a user while the user is in the seat.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of delivery includes delivering electronic data to the interactive terminal.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of delivery includes shipping products to the user's home by mail, courier, or other method.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the venue service provider relays the user's selection to an appropriate fulfillment center.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein selection of the appropriate fulfillment center is based upon a type of product, inventory availability, proximity to user, and fulfillment wait time.