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DYNAMIC INTERACTIVE SEAT MAP
BACKGROUND
[0001] Computer systems and networks have facilitated the tasks of buying,
selling and
transferring goods. For example, global computer networks, such as the
Internet, have
allowed purchasers to relatively quickly and efficiently seek and purchase
goods online.
Similarly, global computer networks provide an efficient and cost-effective
medium for
sellers to advertise, offer, provide, and sell their goods. Electronic
commerce companies
provide buyers and sellers with online services and the infrastructure to
accept orders of
goods from remote purchasers, to perform the financial transactions necessary
to confirm
and complete the sale of goods, to ship or distribute the goods to remote
purchasers, and to
perform other related logistics. For these reasons, sellers actively use the
Internet to offer,
sell and distribute a wide variety of goods to take advantage of the many
benefits provided
by the Internet and electronic commerce.
[0002] One example of a market for goods within the realm of electronic
commerce is
TM
the online ticket market. StubHub provides a network-based system which
implements an
online ticket marketplace for buyers and sellers of tickets for live events
such as sports,
TM
concerts, theater, and other entertainment events. The StubHub online ticket
marketplace
enables legitimate, convenient, reliable, and secure transactions at fair
market value and
provides ticket fulfillment services, even for "sold out" events. Accordingly,
the StubHubTM
online ticket marketplace provides benefits for fans who wish to buy, sell or
otherwise
transfer tickets as well as for teams, artists, and venues.
SUMMARY
[0003) Various embodiments relate to systems and methods for providing, at a
client
computer, an interactive illustration showing where a ticket is located in an
event venue.
The client computer receives, from a network-based system, a base map
illustrating
locations of sections within the event venue, a coded image map for building a
map overlay
having a polygon for each section depicted in the base map, and an inventory
for an event
at the event venue. The inventory provides, for each section, section data
that includes
available tickets for each section
within the event venue. The client computer displays an interactive seat map
by loading the
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base map and building the map overlay on top of the base map so that each
polygon of the
map overlay aligns with the respective section of the base map. The client
computer
determines one or more characteristics for each polygon of the map overlay
based on the
received section data corresponding to each polygon. The client computer
applies the one
or more characteristics to each polygon of the map overlay, and links each
polygon of the
map overlay that includes available tickets to the section in the inventory.
[0004] Implementations can include one or more of the following features. For
example
the client computer can also display the inventory next to the interactive
seat map. The
client computer can receive a selection of a polygon of the map overlay, and
in response to
the selection receipt, display, in the inventory, the section corresponding to
the selected
polygon. The base map can be a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image
file
format. The base map can be formed without the use of vector graphics. The
base map can
be formed using raster graphics.
[0005] The client computer can determine the one or more characteristics for
each
polygon of the map overlay based on the received section data corresponding to
each
polygon by determining one or more of a color to fill the polygon, a stroke
color for the
polygon, and a transparency of the polygon. The client computer can link each
polygon of
the map overlay that includes available tickets to the section in the
inventory by displaying
the section in the inventory corresponding to the polygon after receiving a
selection of the
polygon of the map overlay at the client computer.
[0006] In another general aspect, a network-based system includes one or more
servers
to provide a client computer system of a user with a client-side web
application configured
to communicate with the network-based system and to illustrate at the client
computer
system where a ticket is located in an event venue. The one or more servers
transfer to the
client computer system a base map illustrating locations of sections within
the event venue;
transfer to the client computer system a coded image map for building a map
overlay
comprising a polygon for each section depicted in the base map; and transfer
to the client
computer system an inventory for an event at the event venue. The inventory
provides, for
each section, section data that includes available tickets for each section
within the event
venue. The one or more servers also receive from the client computer system a
selection of
one or more available tickets from a selection of a section of an interactive
seat map built
and displayed at the client computer system using the map overlay and the base
map. Other
embodiments are described and claimed.
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[0006a] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a computer-
implemented method for providing an interactive seat map at a client device
showing
locations of available tickets in an event venue, comprising: receiving, by
one or more
hardware processors at the client device, a base map illustrating locations of
sections within
the event venue; receiving, by one or more of the hardware processors at the
client device, a
coded image map for building a map overlay comprising a polygon for each one
of a plurality
of sections depicted in the base map; receiving, by one or more of the
hardware processors at
the client device, an inventory for an event at the event venue, the inventory
providing, for
each section in the plurality of sections, section data that includes
available tickets for each
respective section within the event venue; displaying, on a display of the
client device, the
interactive seat map by loading the base map and building the map overlay on
top of the base
map based on the coded image map so that each polygon of the map overlay
aligns with a
corresponding section of the base map; determining, by one or more of the
hardware
processors at the client device, one or more characteristics based on the
section data, the one
or more characteristics comprising one or more of: transparency, a filler
color, and a stroke
color, for each one of a plurality of the polygons of the map overlay based on
the section data
associated with a respective corresponding section; applying, by one or more
of the hardware
processors at the client device, the determined characteristics to each
respective one of the
plurality of polygons of the map overlay; linking, by one or more of the
hardware processors
at the client device, each of one or more of the plurality of polygons of the
map overlay
associated with available tickets to corresponding section data in the
inventory; obtaining, at
the client device, a polygon selected by a user via the map overlay, the
polygon being one of
the plurality of polygons that is linked with corresponding section data in
the inventory; and in
response to obtaining the selected polygon, displaying, on the display of the
client device, the
corresponding section data associated with the selected polygon based on the
link between the
selected polygon and the corresponding section data.
[0006b] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a non-
transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon machine-
executable
instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations
comprising:
2a
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receiving, by one or more processor devices at a client device, a base map
illustrating
locations of sections within an event venue; receiving, by one or more of the
processor
devices at the client device, a coded image map for building a map overlay
comprising a
polygon for each one of a plurality of sections depicted in the base map;
receiving, by one or
more of the processor devices at the client device, an inventory for an event
at the event
venue, the inventory providing, for each section in the plurality of sections,
section data that
includes available tickets for each respective section within the event venue;
displaying, by a
display at the client device, an interactive scat map by loading the base map
and building the
map overlay on top of the base map based on the coded image map so that each
polygon of
the map overlay aligns with a corresponding section of the base map;
determining, by one or
more of the processor devices at the client device, one or more
characteristics based on the
section data, the one or more characteristics comprising one or more of:
transparency, a filler
color, and a stroke color, for one or more polygons of the map overlay based
on the section
data associated with a respective corresponding section; applying, by one or
more of the
processor devices at the client device, the determined characteristics to each
respective one of
the plurality of polygons of the map overlay; linking, by one or more of the
processor devices
at the client device, each of one or more of the plurality of polygons of the
map overlay
associated with available tickets to corresponding section data in the
inventory; obtaining, by
one or more of the processor devices at the client device, a polygon selected
by a user via the
map overlay, the polygon being one of the plurality of polygons that is linked
with
corresponding section data in the inventory; and in response to obtaining the
selected polygon,
displaying, by the display at the client device, the corresponding section
data associated with
the selected polygon based on the link between the selected polygon and the
corresponding
section data.
[0006c] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
computer system, comprising: a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and
one or more
hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory to read instructions
from the non-
transitory memory to cause the computer system to perform operations
comprising: receiving,
at a client device, a base map illustrating locations of sections within an
event venue;
receiving, at the client device, a coded image map for building a map overlay
comprising a
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polygon for each one of a plurality of sections depicted in the base map;
receiving, at the
client device, an inventory for an event at the event venue, the inventory
providing, for each
section in the plurality of sections, section data that includes available
tickets for each
respective section within the event venue; displaying, on a graphical user
interface at the
client device, an interactive seat map by loading the base map and building
the map overlay
on top of the base map based on the coded image map so that each polygon of
the map
overlay aligns with a corresponding section of the base map; determining, at
the client device,
one or more characteristics based on the section data, the one or more
characteristics
comprising one or more of: transparency, a filler color, and a stroke color,
for each of one or
one or more of the polygons of the map overlay based on the section data
associated with a
respective corresponding section; applying, at the client device, the
determined characteristics
to each respective one of the plurality of polygons of the map overlay;
linking, at the client
device, each of one or more of the plurality of polygons of the map overlay
associated with
available tickets to corresponding section data in the inventory; obtaining,
at the client device,
a polygon selected by a user via the map overlay, the polygon being one of the
plurality of
polygons that is linked with corresponding section data in the inventory; and
in response to
obtaining the selected polygon, displaying, on the graphical user interface,
the corresponding
section data associated with the selected polygon based on the link between
the selected
polygon and the corresponding section data.
[0006d] According
to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a client
device, comprising: a non-transitory memory; and one or more hardware
processors coupled
to the non-transitory memory and configured to execute instructions from the
non-transitory
memory to cause or direct the client device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by
the client device, a base map illustrating locations of sections within an
event venue;
receiving, by the client device, polygon coordinates for each of the sections
depicted in the
base map; receiving, by the client device, section data comprising available
tickets for a
section of the event venue; building, by the client device, a map overlay for
the base map
based on the polygon coordinates for the sections, the map overlay including a
polygon
defined by the polygon coordinates for each of the sections on the base map;
determining, by
the client device, a plurality of characteristics based on the section data;
applying, by the
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client device, the determined characteristics to the map overlay; and
displaying, by the client
device, an interactive seat map including the base map and the map overlay on
top of the base
map.
[0006e] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a non-
transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable
instructions
executable to cause a machine in a client device to perform operations
comprising: receiving,
by the client device, a base map illustrating locations of sections within an
event venue;
receiving, by the client device, polygon coordinates for each of the sections
depicted in the
base map; receiving, by the client device, section data comprising available
tickets for a
section of the event venue; building, by the client device, a map overlay for
the base map
based on the polygon coordinates for the sections, the map overlay including a
polygon
defined by the polygon coordinates for each of the sections on the base map;
determining, by
the client device, a plurality of characteristics based on the section data;
applying, by the
client device, the determined characteristics to the map overlay; and
displaying, by the client
device, an interactive seat map including the base map and the map overlay on
top of the base
map.
[0006f] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a
computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, by a client device, a base
map
illustrating locations of sections within an event venue; receiving, by the
client device,
polygon coordinates for each of the sections depicted in the base map;
receiving, by the client
device, section data comprising available tickets for a section of the event
venue; building, by
the client device, a map overlay for the base map based on the polygon
coordinates for the
sections, the map overlay including a polygon defined by the polygon
coordinates for each of
the sections on the base map; determining, by the client device, a plurality
of characteristics
based on the section data; applying, by the client device, the determined
characteristics to the
map overlay; and displaying, by the client device, an interactive seat map
including the base
map and the map overlay on top of the base map.
2d
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary communications system
including a
client device and a network-based system for providing an online marketplace
and ticket
fulfillment services.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system that presents an interactive seat
map in
accordance with various embodiments.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a logic flow including operations performed by a
computer to
provide an interactive seat map in accordance with various embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a map overlay and a base map for building an
interactive seat
map in accordance with various embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an interactive seat map in accordance with various
embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a logic flow including operations performed by a
computer to
provide an interactive seat map in accordance with various embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates inventory for an event at an event venue in
accordance with
various embodiments.
[0014] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of various
embodiments will become more readily appreciated and better understood by
reference to
the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Various embodiments are described for building and presenting an
interactive
seat map of an event venue. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide
a thorough
understanding of the embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in
the art,
however, that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.
In other
instances, well-known operations, components and circuits have not been
described in detail
so as not to obscure
the embodiments. It can be appreciated that the specific structural and
functional details
disclosed herein may be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope
of the
embodiments.
[0016] Reference throughout the specification to "various embodiments," "some
embodiments," "one embodiment," or "an embodiment" means that a particular
feature,
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structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at
least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in various
embodiments," "in
some embodiments," "in one embodiment," or "in an embodiment" in places
throughout
the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the
particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any
suitable manner in
one or more embodiments.
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a communications system 100 suitable for
implementing
various embodiments. The elements of the communications system 100 generally
may
comprise physical or logical entities for communicating information and, in
some cases,
may be implemented as hardware, software, or combination thereof, as desired
for a given
set of design parameters or performance constraints. Although FIG. 1 includes
a limited
number of elements for purposes of illustration, it can be appreciated that
the
communications system 100 may include more or less elements as well as other
types of
elements.
[0018] Various elements of the communications system 100 may be implemented
utilizing one or more computing devices having computing and/or communications
capabilities in accordance with the described embodiments. Exemplary computing
devices
may include, without limitation, a mobile device, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a
mobile computing device, a communications device, a telephone, a mobile
telephone, a
cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handset, a one-way pager, a two-way
pager, a
messaging device, a computer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a
work
station, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a handheld
computer, a
mini-computer, a network appliance, a web appliance, a server, a server
computer, a server
array, a server farm, an Internet server, a web server, a network server, a
main frame
computer, a supercomputer, a distributed computing system, multiprocessor
system,
processor-based systems, a control system, consumer electronic equipment, a
media device,
a gaming device, a television, a digital television, a set-top box (STB),
wireless access
point, base station, subscriber station, mobile subscriber center, radio
network controller, a network access device, a telephone network device, a
mobile
telephone network device, a VolP network device, a radio network device, a
television
network device, a satellite network device, a router, a hub, a gateway, a
bridge, a switch, a
machine, or combination thereof
[0019] The computing devices utilized by the communications system 100 may be
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implemented by various hardware and/or software components in accordance with
the
described embodiments. Exemplary hardware components may include processing
devices
such as central processing unit (CPU) and/or other processors,
microprocessors, application
processors, radio processors, baseband processors, digital signal processors
(DSP), circuits,
circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so
forth), integrated
circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic
devices (PLD),
a field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor
device,
chips, microchips, chip sets, memory such as volatile and/or non-volatile
memory, a
display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or cathode ray tube (CRT),
input devices
such a keyboard, mouse, stylus, touch pad, and/or touch screen, networking
devices such as
ports, network interface cards (NICs), transmitters, receivers, transceivers,
and/or antennas,
as well as other components. Exemplary software components may include
computer
programs, applications, application programs, system programs, operating
system (OS)
software, middleware, firmware, a software interface, a programmatic
interface, an
application program interfaces (API), a network interface, a web interface, a
messaging
interface, modules, instruction sets, routines, subroutines, functions, calls,
computing code,
or combination thereof.
[0020] Various elements of the communications system 100 may support wired
and/or
wireless communications functionality in accordance with the described
embodiments. For
example, some computing devices may be arranged to communicate information
over one
or more types of communication links such as a wire, cable, bus, printed
circuit board
(PCB), backplane, switch fabric, semiconductor material, twisted-pair wire, co-
axial cable,
fiber optic connection, Ethernet connection, peer-to-peer (P2P) connection, a
data channel, a
radio channel, a satellite channel, a television channel, a broadcast channel,
an infrared (IR)
channel, a radio-frequency (RF) channel, a portion of the RF spectrum, one or
more
licensed or license-free frequency bands, and so forth.
[0021] Various elements of the communications system 100 may support
communication over one or more types of networks in accordance with the
described
embodiments. For example, some computing devices and networks may support
communications over a Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet, a telephone
network (e.g.,
analog, digital, POTS, PSTN, ISDN, xDSL), a mobile telephone network (e.g.,
CDMA,
GSM, NDAC, TDMA, E-TDMA, NAMPS, WCDMA, CDMA-2000, UMTS, 3G, 4G), a
radio network, a television network, a cable network, an optical network
(e.g., PON), a
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satellite network (e.g., VSAT), a packet-switched network, a circuit-switched
network, a
public network, a private network, and/or other wired or wireless
communications network
configured to carry data. Computing devices and networks also may support
wireless wide
area network (WWAN) communications services including Internet access such as
EV-
DO, EV-DV, CDMAJlxRTT, GSM/GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, and others.
[0022] Computing devices and networks may support wireless local area network
(WLAN) and/or wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) data communications
functionality in accordance with Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE)
standards, protocols, and variants such as IEEE 802.11 ("WiFi"), IEEE 802.16
("WiMAX"), IEEE 802.20x ("Mobile-Fi"), and others. Computing devices and
networks
also may support short range communication such as a wireless personal area
network
(WPAN) communication, Bluetooth data communication, infrared (IR)
communication,
near-field communication, electro-magnetic induction (EMI) communication,
passive or
active RFID communication, micro-impulse radar (MIR), ultra-wide band (UWB)
communication, automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) communication,
and
others.
[0023] Further aspects and advantages of various embodiments will become more
readily appreciated and better understood by the following description of the
elements of
the communications system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Although certain
exemplary
embodiments and implementations may be illustrated and described as comprising
a
particular combination of elements and performing a particular set of
operations, it is to be
understood that the principles and techniques discussed herein are not limited
to such
examples.
[0024] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the communications system 100
includes,
among other elements, a client 102 which may comprise or employ one or more
client
devices 104 such as a mobile computing device, a PC, and/or any other
computing device
having computing and/or communications capabilities in accordance with the
described
embodiments. The client devices 104 generally may provide one or more client
programs
106 such as system programs and application programs to perform various
computing
and/or communications operations. Exemplary system programs may include,
without
limitation, an operating system (e.g., MICROSOFT OS, UNIX OS, LINUX OS,
Symbian OSTM, Embedix OS, Binary Run-time Environment for Wireless (BREW) OS,
Java0S, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) OS, and others), device drivers,
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programming tools, utility programs, software libraries, application
programming interfaces
(APIs), and so forth. Exemplary application programs may include, without
limitation, a
web browser application, messaging applications (e.g., e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS,
telephone,
voicemail, VoIP, video messaging), contacts application, calendar application,
electronic
document application, database application, media application (e.g., music,
video,
television), location-based services (LBS) application (e.g., GPS, mapping,
directions,
point-of-interest, locator), and so forth. In some usage scenarios, one or
more of the client
programs 106 may display various graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to present
information
to and/or receive information from one or more of the client devices 104.
[0025] As shown, the client 102 is communicatively coupled via one or more
networks
108 to a network-based system 110. The network-based system 110 may be
structured,
arranged, and/or configured to allow the client 102 to establish one or more
communications sessions with the network-based system 110 using various
computing
devices 104 and/or client programs 106. Accordingly, a communications session
between
the client 102 and the network-based system 110 may involve the unidirectional
and/or
bidirectional exchange of information and may occur over one or more types of
networks
108 depending on the mode of communication. While the embodiment of FIG. 1
illustrates
the communications system 100 deployed in a client-server operating
environment, it is to
be understood that other suitable operating environments and/or architectures
may be used
in accordance with the described embodiments.
[00261 Data and/or voice communications between the client 102 and the network-
based
system 110 may be sent and received over one or more networks 108 such as the
Internet, a
WAN, a WWAN, a WLAN, a mobile telephone network, a landline telephone network,
a
VoIP network, as well as other suitable networks. For example, the client 102
may
communicate with the network-based system 110 over the Internet or other
suitable WAN
by sending and or
receiving information via interaction with a web site, e-mail, 1M session,
and/or video
messaging session. The client 102 also may communicate with the network-based
system
110 via a telephone call to a customer service agent and/or interactive voice
response (IVR)
system made over a mobile telephone network, a landline network, and/or a VoIP
network.
In wireless implementations, the client 102 may communicate with the network-
based
system 110 over the Internet via a WLAN or mobile telephone network that
supports
WWAN communications services. The client 102 also may communicate over a
mobile
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telephone network via SMS and/or MMS messaging. It is to be appreciated that
the
embodiments are not limited in this regard.
[0027] In various usage scenarios, communication sessions and/or messaging
between
the client 102 and the network-based system 110 may involve multiple modes of
communication and/or multiple networks. In some cases, for example, the client
102 may
initiate communication with the network-based system 110 by interacting with a
web site.
In response, the network-based system 110 may communicate with the client 102
in a
variety of ways such as via the web site, e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and/or a
telephone call
from a customer service agent and/or rvR system. The communication from the
network-
based system 110 may comprise a message (e.g., e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS)
containing
relevant static or dynamic content, an embedded hyperlinked URL for directing
the client
102 to a web site, and/or a hyperlinked telephone number for allowing the
client 102 to
click and place a telephone call to an agent (e.g., customer service agent
and/or IVR
system) of the network-based system 110.
[0028] When communicating with the network-based system 110, the client 102
may
employ one or more client devices 104 and/or client programs 106. In various
implementations, the client devices 104 and/or client programs 106 may host or
provide one
or more interfaces for communicating with the network-based system 110.
Exemplary
interfaces may include a web interface, an API interface, a messaging
interface, and/or other
suitable communication interface in accordance with the described embodiments.
The client
programs 106 for communicating with the network-based system 110 may comprise,
for
example, pre-installed, authored, downloaded, and/or web-based computer
programs.
[0029] The client programs 106 provided by one or more of the client devices
104 (e.g.,
mobile computing device and/or PC) may include a web client. The web client
may
comprise, for example, a desktop and/or mobile (e.g., WAP) web browser (e.g.,
Internet
Explorer ,
Mozilla , Firefox , Safari , Opera , Netscape Navigator , etc.) capable of
rendering
web pages (e.g., HTML documents) and supporting various browser-based web
technologies and programming languages such as HTML, XHTML, CSS, Document
Object
Model (DOM), XML, XSLT, XMLlittpRcquestObject, JavaScript, ECMAScript,
Jscript,
Ajax, Flash , SilverlightTM, Visual Basic (VB), VB Scripting Edition
(VBScript), PHP,
ASP, Java , Shockwave , Python, Pen , C#/.net, and/or others.
[0030] In various usage scenarios, the client 102 may use a web client to
provide an
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interface (e.g., HTTP interface) for navigating to a web site associated with
the network-
based system 110 and for requesting and receiving web page data from the
network-based
system 110. For example, the client 102 may use the web client to navigate to
a web site
associated with the network-based system 110 by entering a URL into a web
browser
address bar and/or by clicking on a hyperlinked URL delivered to the client
102 via a web
page, web-based application, e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and/or other delivery
mechanism.
[0031] In one or more embodiments, the web client may comprise or be
implemented as
a web browser toolbar for communicating with the network-based system 110. In
such
embodiments, the web browser toolbar may include, for example, a button (e.g.,
dedicated,
customized, add-on) and/or a hyperlinked URL for navigating to a web site
associated with
the network-based system 110. The web browser toolbar also may implement
enhanced
features such as a search engine interface (e.g., text entry box, input
fields, checkboxes,
clickable hyperlinks) and/or one or more pull-down menus for accessing the
network-based
system 110, sending information (e.g., search query, keywords, user
preferences, menu
selections) to the network-based system 110, and/or receiving information
(e.g., search
results, relevant static or dynamic content) from the network-based system
110.
[0032] In one or more embodiments, the web client may comprise or be
implemented as
a widget such as a desktop or mobile widget for communicating with the network-
based
system 110. In such embodiments, the desktop or mobile widget may comprise web-
based
code, an interpreter, a virtual machine, and/or an API implementation to
request, receive,
present, and/or update content hosted by the network-based system 110. The
desktop or
mobile widget may comprise, for example, a client-side web application
displayed on the
desktop or phone-top of one or more of the client devices 104 implemented
using various
web technologies and programming languages. In various implementations, the
desktop or
mobile widget may be
supported by a host runtime environment such as a web browser or suitable
rendering
engine and/or may be installed and run as a stand-alone application outside of
a web
browser.
[0033] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may provide users
with
one or more client-side web applications as described in co-pending U.S.
Patent
Application Serial No. 12/262,468 titled "System and Methods for Providing
Location-
Based Upcoming Event Information Using a Client-Side Web Application
Implemented on
a Client Device," which was filed on November 31, 2008. In such embodiments,
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once downloaded and installed on a client device (e.g., PC or mobile device)
of the user,
the client-side web application may be configured to provide upcoming event
information
based upon the location of the user.
100341 As shown in FIG. 1, the communications system 100 includes, among other
elements, a third party 112 which may comprise or employ a third-party server
114 hosting
a third-party application 116. In various implementations, the third-party
server 114 and/or
third-party application 116 may host a web site associated with or employed by
a third party
112 such as an affiliate, partner, or other third-party entity or user in
accordance with the
described embodiments. It can be appreciated that, in some implementations,
the third
party 112 may provide the third-party application 116 for promoting,
enhancing,
complementing, supplementing, and/or substituting for one more services
provided by the
network-based system 110. For example, the third-party server 114 and/or third-
party
application 116 may enable the network-based system 110 to provide the client
102 with
additional services and/or information such as additional ticket inventory.
[0035] ln some usage scenarios, one or more of the client programs 106 may be
used to
access the network-based system 110 via the third party 112. For example, the
client 102
may use a web client to access and/or receive content from the network-based
system 110
after initially communicating with a third-party web site. The web site of the
third party
112 (e.g., affiliate, partner) may comprise, for example, a hyperlinked
advertisement, a web
widget, and/or an API implementation comprising web-based code within a web
page to
present static or dynamic content hosted by the network-based system 110
and/or to provide
programmatic access to the network-based system 110.
[0036] It can be appreciated that the hyperlinked advertisement, web widget,
and/or API
implementation for communicating with the network-based system 110 may be
hosted by
various third-party web sites such as an affiliate web site, a partner web
site, an online
marketplace web site, an entertainment web site, a sports web site, a media
web site, a
search engine web site, a social networking web site, a blog, and/or any other
corporate or
personal web site or web page in accordance with the described embodiments. In
some
cases, the third party 112 may be directly or indirectly compensated for
directing traffic
from the third-party web site to the web site of the network-based system 110
and/or in the
event that an electronic commerce transaction results after a user is directed
from the third-
party web sites to the web site of the network-based system 110.
100371 In various embodiments, the web client and/or the network-based system
110
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may provide the user with the ability to receive and aggregate content and/or
online
marketplace and ticket fulfillment services of the network-based system 110
and other
third-party services (eBay services, KijijiTM services, PayPalTM services,
etc.). For
example, the web client may display location-based upcoming event information
that
includes event listings published by sellers via the online marketplace
services of the
network-based system 110 as well as event listings published by sellers via
one or more
third-party online marketplace services (e.g., eBay0 services, K1J1J1TM
services). In such
embodiments, the client-side web application may display an aggregate of
ticket inventory
available from multiple online marketplaces providing the user with multiple
purchasing
options.
[0038] The client programs 106 executed by one or more of the client devices
104 may
include a programmatic client for accessing and communicating with the network-
based
system 110. Along with performing a certain set of functions, the programmatic
client may
include, for example, an implementation of an API provided by the network-
based system
110 for enabling access to and/or communication with various elements (e.g.,
servers,
databases) of the network-based system 110. In various embodiments, the API
implementation may comprise executable code in accordance with an SDK provided
by the
network-based system 110.
[0039] In some usage scenarios, the programmatic client may be implemented as
a
standalone or web-based database, point-of-sale (POS), and/or inventory
management
application for managing a large volume of available inventory and
communicating with
the network-based system 110. The programmatic client may be employed, for
example, by
high-volume sellers to author, update, and manage a large number of inventory
listings. In
some cases, a high-volume seller may use the programmatic client to perform
batch-mode
communication with the network-based system 110. The batch-mode communication
from
the high-volume seller may comprise data for numerous inventory items (e.g.,
hundreds,
thousands) for publication by the network-based system 110. The programmatic
client also
may be used to communicate with the network-based systems in real-time. For
example,
communications from the high-volume seller may comprise real-time inventory
updates so
that the listings published by the network-based system 110 accurately reflect
the available
inventory of the high-volume seller.
[0040] The client programs 106 executed by one or more of the client devices
104 (e.g.,
mobile computing device and/or PC) also may include a messaging client. The
messaging
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client may comprise, for example, an application that supports one or more
modes of
communication such as e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, telephone, VoIP, video messaging,
and so
forth. It can be appreciated that some messaging clients may require and/or
launch an
Internet connection in the background when executed.
[0041] In accordance with various embodiments, the network-based system 110
may
communicate with and provide services to users such as buyers and/or sellers
of goods such
as event tickets. For example, the network-based system 110 may comprise or
implement an
online ticket marketplace for buyers and sellers of tickets for live events
such as sports,
concerts, theater, and other entertainment events.
[0042] It is to be appreciated that goods for purchase and/or sale may include
both
tangible goods (e.g., physical tickets, electronic tickets), intangible goods
(e.g., rights
and/or licenses that are afforded by the tickets), and other goods in
accordance with the
described embodiments. It also is to be appreciated that users other than
buyers and/or
sellers may communicate with the network-based system 110. In some eases, for
example,
the client 102 may be associated with an administrator or customer service
agent and may
communicate with the network-based system 110 to monitor, update, and/or
otherwise
manage one or more computing devices and/or services of the network-based
system 110.
[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the network-based system
110 for
providing online ticket marketplace. As shown, the network-based system 110
may
comprise or implement a plurality of servers and/or software components that
operate to
perform various methodologies in accordance with the described embodiments.
Exemplary
servers may include, for example, stand-alone and enterprise-class servers
operating a
server OS such as a MICROSOFT OS, a umx OS, a LINUX OS, or other suitable
server-based OS. It can be
appreciated that the servers illustrated in FIG. 1 may be deployed in other
ways and that the
operations performed and/or the services provided by such servers may be
combined or
separated for a given implementation and may be performed by a greater number
or fewer
number of servers.
[0044] In various implementations, the servers of the network-based system 110
may
comprise or implement software components deployed in a tiered environment,
where one
or more servers are used to host server software running in each tier. For
example, using a
three-tiered architecture, one or more server software components may be
hosted by front-
end servers, one more server software components may be hosted by a middle
tier or
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middleware implemented by application servers, and one more server software
components
may be hosted by a back-end tier implemented by databases and/or file systems.
In some
embodiments, servers of the network-based system 110 may be communicatively
coupled
with each other via a local area network (LAN) and/or suitable intranet or
back-end
network.
[0045] The network-based system 110 may comprise one or more communications
servers 120 for providing suitable interfaces to enable communication using
various modes
of communication and/or via one or more networks 108. In the embodiment of
FIG. 1, the
communications servers 112 include a web server 122, an API server 124, and a
messaging
server 126 to provide interfaces to onc or more application servers 130. The
application
servers 130 of the network-based system 110 may be structured, arranged,
and/or
configured to provide various online marketplace and/or ticket fulfillment
services to users
that access the network-based system 110.
[0046] In various usage scenarios, the client 102 may communicate with the
applications
servers 130 of the network-based system 110 via one or more of a web interface
provided
by the web server 122, a programmatic interface provided by the API server
124, and a
messaging interface provided by the messaging server 126. It can be
appreciated that the
web server 122, the API server 124, and the messaging server 126 may be
structured,
arranged, and/or configured to communicate with various types of client
devices 104 and/or
client programs 106 and may interoperate with each other in some
implementations.
100471 The web server 122 may be arranged to host web pages (e.g., HTML
documents)
and provide an appropriate web interface (e.g., HTTP, CGI, etc.) for enabling
data to be
presented to and received from entities via the Internet. The web server 122
may be
arranged to communicate with web clients and/or applications such as a web
browser, web
browser toolbar, desktop widget, mobile widget, web-based application, web-
based
interpreter, virtual machine, and so forth. The web server 122 may provide a
web interface
to enable access by the client 102 and/or the third party 112 to the various
services and
functions provided by the application servers 130. For example, the web server
122 may be
arranged to receive data from the client 102 and/or third party 112 and to
pass the data to
one or more application servers 130 within the network-based system 110. The
web server
122 also may present the client 102 and/or third party 112 with relevant
static and dynamic
content hosted by the network-based system 110 in response to various requests
and/or
events.
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[0048] The API server 124 may be arranged to communicate with various client
programs 106 and/or a third-party application 116 (e.g., third-party web site)
comprising an
implementation of API for the network-based system 110. The API server 124 may
provide
a programmatic interface to enable access by the client 102 and/or the third
party 112 to the
various services and functions provided by the application servers 130. For
example, the
programmatic interface provided by the API server 124 may be used for batch-
mode and/or
realtime communication with a high-volume seller for receiving and updating
inventory
listings. The programmatic interface provided by the API server 124 also may
be used to
communicate relevant static or dynamic content hosted by the network-based
system 110 to
an API implementation of one or more client programs 106 and/or a third-party
application
116 (e.g., third-party web site). The API implementation may comprise, for
example,
executable code in accordance with a SDK provided by the network-based system
110.
[0049] The messaging server 126 may be arranged to communicate with various
messaging clients and/or applications such as e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, telephone,
VoIP,
video messaging, and so forth. The messaging server 126 may provide a
messaging
interface to enable access by the client 102 and/or the third party 112 to the
various services
and functions provided by the application servers 130. For example, the
messaging
interface provided by the messaging server 126 may be used to communicate with
the
client 102 and/or the third party 112 in a variety of ways such as via e-mail,
IM, SMS,
MMS, video messaging, and/or a telephone call (e.g., landline, mobile, VoIP)
with a
customer service agent and/or IVR system.
[0050] When implemented as an online ticket marketplace, the application
servers 130
of the network-based system 110 may provide various online marketplace and
ticket
fulfillment
services including, for example, account services, buying services, selling
services, listing
catalog services, dynamic content management services, delivery services,
payment
services, and notification services. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.
1, the
application servers 130 may comprise an account server 132, a buying server
134, a selling
server 136, a listing catalog server 138, a dynamic content management server
140, a
payment server 142, a notification server 144, and a delivery server 146
structured and
arranged to provide such online marketplace and ticket fulfillment services.
[0051] The application servers 130, in turn, may be coupled to and capable of
accessing
one or more databases 150 including a subscriber database 152, an events
database 154, and
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a transaction database 156. The databases 150 generally may store and maintain
various
types of information for use by the application servers 130 and may comprise
or be
implemented by various types of computer storage devices (e.g., servers,
memory) and/or
database structures (e.g., relational, object-oriented, hierarchical,
dimensional, network) in
accordance with the described embodiments.
Account Services
[0052] The account server 132 implemented by one or more of the application
servers
130 may allow a user to establish and/or manage a subscriber account with the
network-
based system 110. For example, while some services provided by the network-
based system
110 may be generally accessible, a user may be required to access an existing
subscriber
account or register a new subscriber account with the network-based system 110
in order to
receive certain customized and/or subscriber-specific services.
[0053] To create a subscriber account, a user may provide the network-based
system 110
with account information such as a unique username, e-mail address, password,
name,
location (e.g., address, city, country, and/or zip code), telephone numbers
(e.g., home,
work, and/or mobile), and/or other required information for identifying and/or
authenticating the user. After receiving the required account information and
instructions
from the user to create the subscriber account, the network-based system 110
may create the
subscriber account and store the account information in the subscriber
database 152.
[00054] To effectuate the buying or selling of goods such as event tickets,
the user may
be required to link the subscriber account of to a source of funds and/or
financial value for
completing different transactions via the network-based system 110. It can be
appreciated
that the user may provide various types of entities or third-party financial
accounts capable
of supplying or receiving funds and/or financial value in accordance with the
described
embodiments. Exemplary entities and/or third-party financial accounts may
include,
without limitation, a bank, bank account, lender, line-of-credit, credit card
company, credit
card account, debit card, prepaid debit card account, third-party payment
services account
(e.g., PayPalTm account), payroll account, check, money order, or any other
suitable source
of financial value. [0055] Additionally or alternatively to linking the
subscriber account
to a source of financial value based on a commercial currency (e.g., U.S.
dollar), a user
may link to the subscriber account to a source of financial value based on a
proprietary
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and/or promotional currency (e.g., points, rewards, coupons) capable of
accumulation
and/or redemption by the user to pay for goods or services. It can be
appreciated that
multiple sources of funds and/or financial value associated with the user may
be linked to
the subscriber account enabling the user to select among such sources to
effectuate different
payment transactions via the network-based system 110. The user may select
various
options for receiving payment when a sale is effectuated via the network-based
system 110.
For example, the user may request payment for sales via check, deposit to a
third-party
payment services account (e.g., PayPalTM account) or Season Ticket Account,
and/or other
type of source capable of receiving funds and/or financial value in accordance
with the
described embodiments.
[0056] After a subscriber account is created, the user may view and/or make
changes to
account information, add or edit existing contacts, retrieve or change the
password, view
and edit sources of funds and/or financial value on file, view and edit
payment options,
and/or otherwise manage the subscriber account. In various implementations,
the user may
customize a subscriber account with one or more interests and ticketing
preferences. For
example, the user may add and edit information associated with the subscriber
account
regarding one or more cities, venues, artists, teams and sporting events,
theaters, and season
ticket and packages of interest to the user. [0057] When accessing the
subscriber account,
the user may view and/or manage various details of past and pending
transactions. For
example, the subscriber account may provide a seller with details regarding
past and
pending ticket sale listings (e.g., shipped, canceled,
inactive, expired, deleted, active, pending confirmation, awaiting shipment)
and may allow
the user to track event listings, modify the prices of event listings, view
and confirm
received orders, view and confirm orders to ship, print or reprint shipping
labels, view
shipped orders, view canceled orders, view the status of payments and edit
payment options,
view past payments, and so forth. The subscriber account also may provide a
buyer with
details regarding past and pending ticket purchase transactions (e.g., past
orders, purchased,
delivered, canceled, expired, order status, delivery status, active bids,
auctions lost) and
may allow the user to view order history, track active bids, modify offers,
download and
print electronic tickets, view and edit payment options, and so forth.
[0058] In accordance with various embodiments, sellers with one or more active
listings
can access an interactive event venue seat map via their "my active ticket
listings" page in
their account. A "compare prices" icon may be presented for each active
listing that, when
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clicked, displays an interactive event venue seat map for that listing to
allow the seller to
keep abreast of pricing trends for the event and make necessary pricing
adjustments as
needed.
[0059] The user also may customize a subscriber account with one or more
notification
preferences. For example, the user may configure the subscriber account to
receive
notifications, change notifications, and/or discontinue notifications. In some
cases, the user
may request to receive promotions via an e-mail newsletter featuring events
happening in a
particular location. The user also may subscribe to receive customized alert
notifications in
a variety of ways such as via e-mail, IM, SMS, MMS, and/or other suitable
delivery
mechanism. In addition to receiving such notifications via e-mail, IM, SMS,
IvIMS, the user
may access the subscriber account and view recent notifications such as alert
notifications
and other messages received in the past week. [0060] In accordance with
various
embodiments, sellers with one or more active listings may choose to and/or
automatically
receive transactional e-mail messages that complement and drive sellers to an
interactive
event venue seat map. The transactional e-mail messages may inform sellers
that their
tickets are still listed and that the event date is approaching and also
provide a link to the
online ticket marketplace and/or an interactive event venue seat map for the
event to allow
sellers to view the most recent pricing data.
Selling Services
[0061] The selling server 134 implemented by one or more of the application
servers 130
may allow a user to offer goods for sale via an online marketplace provided by
the
network-based system 110. To list goods for sale such as a single or multiple
event tickets,
a seller may provide the network-based system 110 with required event
information such as
event, location of the tickets, sale type, ticket quantity, seating details
(e.g., section, row,
seat, comments), price, and payment method. It can be appreciated that one or
more
delivery options may be available for selling the tickets depending on the
locations of the
buyer and the seller, the time remaining before the event, and/or the form of
the tickets
(e.g., physical tickets, electronic tickets).
[0062] After receiving the required event information and instructions from
the seller to
publish an event listing, the network-based system 110 may create an active
event and store
the event information in the events database 154 for publication to users of
the network-
based system 110. The event information stored in the events database 154 may
change
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frequently as new event listings for upcoming events are added and then
removed when the
tickets for such events listings are purchased. The events database 154 may
store relatively
static information for an event such as category (e.g., sports, concerts,
theater), as well as
real-time dynamic information such as current event listings, true levels of
ticket inventory,
and pricing information for active event listings and sold event listings.
[0063] In accordance with various embodiments, the selling server 134 of the
network-
based system 110 may be configured to obtain and/or provide information for
active ticket
listings and sold ticket listings. The information may comprise pricing
infoimation
including active ticket prices (e.g., fixed, auction, and/or declining prices
for unsold tickets)
and sold ticket prices (e.g., actual prices fans have paid for specific
locations) for providing
an accurate representation of the current market value of tickets for an
event. For each
event, the pricing infolination may comprise data defining active listings
(e.g., section, row,
quantity, listed price) and sold listings (e.g., section, row, quantity, date,
sold price) for each
section and for each zone (e.g., aggregated sections) in an event venue.
[0064] The pricing information also may include data defining the highest
price, the
lowest price, and the average price for all active tickets and/or sold tickets
within any
section or zone. In some implementations, the average price may be calculated
as a median
price for all active and/or sold tickets within any section or zone by
dropping the lowest
and highest priced tickets. The pricing information may comprise data defining
comparable
sections, such as the top ten sections which are closest in price. The pricing
information
may further comprise the overall average ticket price for an event calculated,
for example,
by dropping the five lowest and highest priced tickets. The pricing
information also may
include rising and falling pricing trend infoimation such as price change data
(e.g., the
percentage change in the average price of sold tickets for an event within the
last N number
of days), listing rate data (e.g., the percentage change in the amount of
active listings
within the past week, and/or selling rate data (e.g., the percentage change in
the amount of
sold tickets within the past week). It can be appreciated that other types of
information
and/or data may be obtained and/or provided in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0065] To create an event listing for publishing tickets for an upcoming event
which arc
for sale, a seller may select the appropriate type of event, city, or venue
for event tickets
being offered for sale, and then may be queried or prompted to select a
specific event after
making selections from various categories and subcategories presented via a
set of
18
. 81772029
interactive pull-down menus. Once an event has been selected, the seller may
provide the
price per ticket and the ending date of the sale when the event listing is to
be removed from
publication. For some events, the event listing may expire three business days
before the
event. In certain markets, tickets may be sold on consignment and the listing
may remain
until the start of the event.
[0066] In some cases, if the seller has additional tickets to list for the
same event or for
the same team (e.g., season tickets), the seller is able to start the listing
process for the
additional tickets with the previously selected ticket event (e.g., Mar. 20,
2007 Dallas
Mavericks @New York Knicks), the previously selected genres (e.g., sports,
basketball,
NBA, 2006-20007 regular season, New York Knicks), and/or the previously
selected seats.
For example, the seller may list multiple tickets as described in co-pending
U.S. Patent
Application Serial No. 111689,787 titled "System and Method for Posting
Multiple Items
for Sale," which was filed on March 22, 2007.
[0067] In accordance with various embodiments, the seller creates an event
listing for
publishing tickets to an upcoming event which are for sale. To create the
event listing, the
seller may be presented with a pull-down menu listing categories such as
sports tickets,
concert tickets, theater and arts tickets, and ticket gift certificates. If
the seller selects the
sports tickets category, a pull-down menu listing sports tickets such as
baseball tickets,
basketball tickets, football tickets, and other types of sports tickets is
presented. If the seller
then selects football tickets, a pull-down menu listing sports subcategories
such as NFL
tickets, CFL tickets, and NCAA tickets is presented. If the seller selects the
NFL tickets, a
pull-down menu listing ticket subcategories such as NFL regular season
tickets, NFL
playoff tickets, and NFL pro bowl tickets is presented. If the seller selects
the NFL regular
season tickets, a pull-down menu listing NFL teams is presented. Once the
seller selects
tickets for particular NFL team, a listing of available events including event
details (e.g.,
team and opponent, date, time, venue name) for the team are displayed which
can be sorted
by event, date, and venue. The seller may then select an event from the
listing of available
events. It can be appreciated that appropriate sets of pull-down menus for
listing categories
and successive subcategories may be presented for any type of event ticket in
accordance
with the described embodiments.
[0068] After an event has been selected, the seller may provide the network-
based
system 110 with the shipping location of the tickets and verify current
contact information
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(e.g., address and telephone phone number). The seller may select from various
delivery
options (e.g., courier, electronic delivery) and provide a sale type such as a
fixed price sale
(e.g., set price capable of subsequent modification), a declining price sale
(e.g.,
automatically decreasing price over time from maximum price to minimum), or an
auction
sale (e.g., buyers bid from a starting price during an open period with the
highest bidder
placing an order when the auction closes).
[0069] The seller may provide the ticket quantity for specific seats or
general admission.
The seller may provide the ticket quantity and may allow the quantity of
offered tickets to
be split among several buyers in multiples of two. The seller may provide
seating and ticket
details for the offered tickets such as section, row, seat numbers, and may
provide other
comments. In some cases, the seller may select to prevent buyers from viewing
the specific
seat numbers when the event listing is published by the network-based system
110.
[0070] In accordance with various embodiments, when entering seating and
ticket
details, the seller may be presented with a user interface that provides a
lookahead"
section filter. As the seller begins to type partial information for an event
that is associated
with an interactive event venue seat map into a "section" field, the field is
read, and relevant
sections are displayed to the seller in a drop down menu. The seller may then
choose the
section from the menu making the entering of ticket details easier for the
seller and reducing
the number of listings that go unmapped and therefore unsold.
100711 After the seller has provided the required seating and ticket details,
the seller is
prompted to enter a price per ticket and payment method. The seller may
provide a selected
payment method for the sale of the tickets such as via cheek, deposit to a
third-party
payment services account (e.g., PayPa1TM account), Season Ticket Account,
and/or other
type of source capable of receiving funds and/or financial value. The seller
also may select
to donate some or all of the proceeds of a sale to a third-party such as anon-
profit
organization or entity (e.g., charity, foundation, fund, alliance, society) as
described in co-
pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/697,850 titled "System and
Method for
Providing Logistics for a Sale or Transfer of Goods with Proceeds Provided to
a Third
Party," which was filed on October 30, 2003.
[0072] In accordance with various embodiments, the listing process for sellers
includes a
price mapping feature that introduces sold ticket data in a uniformly
displayed interactive
event venue seat map for enabling sellers to view both sold and current
listing data for any
section or zone in an event venue. When entering pricing information, the
seller may be
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presented with a user interface for entering payment method and pricing
information that
provides a "compare prices" feature. In addition to providing a "price" field
for allowing
the seller to enter a price per ticket, the user interface may provide a
"compare prices" icon.
When the "compare prices" icon is clicked, the seller is presented with an
interactive event
venue seat map regardless of whether the seller has entered pricing
information.
[0073] In one or more implementations, the interactive event venue seat map
may be
displayed within a DIV pop-up overlay that substantially overlays (e.g., 70%
overlay) the
user interface for entering the payment method and pricing information. The
overlay may
provide the event infomiation (e.g., event name, venue, and date), ticket
details (e.g., section
and row entered by the seller), pricing trend infomiation (e.g., rising or
falling sales), and an
event summary (e.g., average price for the event, number of active listings,
and number of
sold listings). The overlay also may include a "price input" field for
entering and/or editing
a price per ticket. In some cases, the "price input" field may be pre-
populated with
previously entered pricing information. When pricing information (e.g., price
per ticket) is
included in the "price input" field, the overlay may provide a ticket price
comparison
showing the total number of comparable sections.
[0074] In accordance with various embodiments, the overlay comprises an
interactive
event venue seat map comprising a layout of the event venue indicating
sections of the
event venue for which tickets are listed. In response to the ticket details
(e.g., section and
row entered by the seller), a tabbed sold/active pop-up window is displayed
that overlays a
portion of the interactive event venue seat map that presents the name of the
section
entered by the seller and available pricing information for the section and
corresponding tab
(e.g., sold tab or active tab). In one implementation, the sold/active pop-up
window presents
the lowest (sold/active) price for the section, the average (sold/active)
price for the section,
the highest (sold/active) price for the section, and corresponding indicators.
When pricing
information is available for the section of the seller, a section marker
pointing to the section
and indicating the average price for the section is also presented on the
interactive event
venue seat map. If there is no available pricing information for the section
of the seller, a
message is displayed requesting the seller to click on a comparable section.
[0075] When pricing information is available for the section, the sold/active
pop-up
window also presents ticket details and transaction information for sold or
active event
listings that may be displayed in columns that can be sorted by the seller.
The ticket details
for sold event listings may include row and quantity, and the transaction
information for
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sold event listings may include the sold date and price paid. The ticket
details for active
event listings may include row and quantity, and the transaction information
for active event
listings may include the listed price per ticket.
[0076] In response to the price per ticket entered by the seller, section
markers pointing
to comparable sections that are within a predetermined range of the price per
ticker entered
by the seller and indicating the average price for tickets within each
comparable section are
presented on the interactive event venue seat map. Such section makers show
sections
where the average sold price is close to the price that the seller is
considering which helps
the seller pinpoint sections to look at in more detail.
[0077] The interactive event venue seat map allows the seller to browse and
click on
sections to see sold and listed data for any section in the event venue. When
presented with
the interactive event venue seat map, the seller may roll over a particular
section causing a
roll-over screen to appear that includes the section name, the average sold
price for tickets in
the section, and the average listed price for tickets in the section. If the
particular section is
clicked and pricing information is available for the zone, the sold/active pop-
up displays
the section name and presents ticket details and transaction information for
sold or active
event listings within the section.
[0078] The interactive event venue seat map also provides a zone view that
allows
sellers to click on any zone name in a zone legend to see all sold and listed
data for that
zone. If a zone name is clicked and pricing information is available for the
zone, the
sold/active pop-up displays the zone name and presents ticket details and
transaction
information for sold or active event listings within the zone. If the sold tab
is selected, the
ticket details include section, row, and quantity, and the transaction
information includes
the sold date and price paid. If the active tab is selected, the ticket
details include section,
row and quantity, and the transaction information includes the listed price
per ticket. When
the seller clicks a different tab, pricing information, ticket details, and
transaction
information corresponding to the different tab is presented if available.
[0079] The interactive event venue seat map also provides a "compare feature"
to
provide sellers with a quick visual indication whether a proposed sale price
is within a sale
price range determined from sold and current listing data of other similar
listings. For
example, the seller may enter or edit and price per and use the compare
feature to view a
list of comparable sections and available pricing information. After being
presented with
market value information and finally deciding on a price per ticket, the
seller can save
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and/or update the price of a ticket for a new or existing event listing.
[0080] In general, the interactive event venue seat map provides sellers with
the
opportunity to view pricing details to allow for a more accurate picture of
the current
market value of their tickets. Accordingly, sellers are better able to price
their tickets based
on the truest market value, resulting in a quicker sale. In some embodiments,
the interactive
event venue seat map also may provide a visual warning to a seller when a
proposed price is
not competitive with respect to sold and current listing data of other similar
listings.
Buying Services
[0081] The buying server 136 implemented by one or more of the application
servers
130 may allow a user to locate goods offered for sale via an online
marketplace provided
by the network-based system 110. To find goods for sale such as a single or
multiple event
tickets, a buyer may view active event listing published by the network-based
system 110.
[0082] In accordance with various embodiments, information may be presented to
and/or
received from information from the user via one or more user interfaces
presented on the
display of a client device (e.g., PC or mobile device). The user interfaces
presented to the
user by a client-side web application may comprise a search engine interface
(e.g., text entry
boxes, input fields, checkboxes, clickable hyperlinks, pull-down menus, etc.)
for allowing
the user to provide event criteria for searching and/or filtering event
listings. The user
interfaces presented to the user also may comprise search results including
upcoming event
listings that satisfy the event criteria.
[0083] For example, the buyer may browse active event listings by clicking and
following links for various event categories and subcategories such as sports
tickets,
concert tickets, theater tickets, cities, sports, teams, artists, show type
(e.g., Broadway,
opera, ballet, comedy), event names, and so forth. The buyer also may search
for events
using a search engine interface and/or one or more pull-down menus. For
example, the
buyer may enter one or more keywords into a search engine text entry box and
view results
comprising active events that satisfy the query. In various implementations,
the buyer may
be presented with a ticket finder screen comprising a plurality of pull-down
menus for
allowing the buyer to quickly formulate a search by selecting a category
(e.g., sports,
concert, theater, etc.), a location (e.g., city), and a number of tickets from
the pull-down
menus.
[0084] In some embodiments, a user may search for and/or request upcoming
event
information based on a variety of event criteria such as an event name,
category, city,
23
8 1 772029
venue, artist, genre, team, player (e.g., starting pitcher, favorite player),
theater, date range,
date, number of tickets, price range, ticket attributes (e.g., zone range,
zone, section range,
section, row range, row, seat number range, seat number), and/or combination
thereof.
Accordingly, the event criteria included in a search query may comprise ticket
attributes as
well as one or more conditions associated with the event parameters for
requesting
information for such upcoming events only when such conditions are met.
[0085] It can be appreciated that various combinations of event criteria are
possible in
accordance with the described embodiments. For example, a user may request
upcoming
event information specifying combinations such as a certain number of tickets
and a
maximum price, a particular artist and a certain city, a certain player and a
particular event
venue, and so forth. A user also may request upcoming event information based
on one or
more ticket attributes. For instance, a user may request a certain number of
tickets for an
upcoming event in one or more specified zones, sections, rows, and/or or
seats.
Additionally, event criteria may be applied alone or in combination across one
or more
events. A user may request, for example, tickets in a certain row (e.g., front
row) or row
range (e.g., rows 1-5) within a specified zone (e.g., club infield) or section
(e.g., section
224) for a designated team (e.g., professional baseball team) and/or for one
or more games
(e.g., particular opponent, rivalry game). The embodiments are not limited in
the regard.
[00861 It can be appreciated that in some cases, an upcoming event may not
satisfy all
event criteria specified by the user. For example, tickets for an upcoming
event may be
available but not within a price range specified by the user. Additionally,
there may be no
upcoming events that satisfy the event criteria specified by the user when
there are no
available tickets such as when no sellers have listed tickets for an event
and/or before
tickets for an event go on sale. In such cases, the client-side web
application may inform the
user that there are no search results satisfying the search criteria and then
perform a new
search with relaxed search criteria. Alternatively or additionally, the client-
side web
application may automatically relax the search criteria and attempt another
search.
[0087] Once a buyer has located and selected an event, the tickets being
offered for sale
for the event may be presented to the buyer. In various embodiments, the user
may view
the details of tickets being offered for sale and the location of tickets in
the event venue as
described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/552,782 titled
"Method and
System for Illustrating Where a Ticket is Located in an Event Venue," which
was filed on
October 25, 2006. In such embodiments, the
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buyer may be presented with an interactive event venue seat map and details of
available
tickets according to criteria specified by the buyer.
[0088] In one implementation, for example, after selecting an event the buyer
may be
presented with an interactive event venue seat map and an initial listing of
all event tickets
for sale. The event listings may include details such as section, row,
quantity, and price and
may be sorted by the buyer according to such details. The sections of the
interactive event
venue seat map for which tickets are available may be displayed in color while
sections
having no available tickets may be displayed in white.
[0089] Within the interactive event venue seat map, comparable or similarly-
located
(e.g., upper level) sections having available tickets may be displayed in the
same color
while sections having available tickets that are not comparable or similarly-
located may be
displayed in different colors. For example, the colors used in the sections
may correspond
to zones for the sections with each zone comprising several comparable or
similarly-
located sections. Along with the interactive event venue seat map, the buyer
may be
presented list comprising the different zone names and the color used for each
zone. The
names of zones having available tickets may be displayed in black text, while
the names of
zones having no available tickets may be displayed in gay text.
[0090] When presented with the interactive event venue seat map, the buyer may
roll
over a particular section causing a roll-over screen to appear indicating the
quantity and
price range of tickets available in that section. By clicking on a particular
section, the event
listings may be filtered to display only the event listings in the selected
section along with
the specific details (e.g., section, row, quantity, price) for such tickets.
The buyer also may
zoom-in, zoom-out, drag, and/or rotate the interactive event venue seat map.
[0091] When presented with the initial listing of all event tickets for sale,
the buyer may
filter the initial listing by inputting criteria such as one or more price
ranges (e.g., $75-
$286, $286-$349, $349-$442, $442-$559, and $559 and up). Once the buyer
selects a price
range, the event listings are filtered to display only the event listings in
the selected price
range. Additionally, the interactive event venue seat map is modified to
display sections in
color for which tickets are available in the selected price range.
[0092] Each event listing may include ticket attributes such as section, row,
quantity, and
price. Each listing also may include a link to view additional details that
when clicked may
display the ticket attributes along with further ticket details (e.g., seat
numbers, time
remaining to purchase the tickets, seller comments, delivery options), a
selectively
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enlargeable image of the
event venue for reviewing the location of the seats, and an action button for
initiating
purchase of the tickets.
[0093] To place an order for the tickets, the buyer may provide a delivery
location, select
a method of payment (e.g., credit card), confiiin the transaction details
(e.g., description of
the tickets, delivery method, delivery location, payment amount, and method of
payment),
and the complete the purchase. When the buyer places the order, a confirmation
e-mail is
sent to the buyer, and the seller is notified of the order request via e-mail
and requested to
confuni the availability and delivery of the tickets. Upon receiving
confirmation from the
seller that the tickets have been sent, the buyer is notified as to when
delivery can be
expected. It can be appreciated that upon the sale of the tickets, one or more
delivery
options may be available depending on the locations of the buyer and the
seller, the time
remaining before the event, and/or the form of the tickets (e.g., physical
tickets, electronic
tickets).
Listing Catalog Services
[0094] The listing catalog server 138 implemented by one or more of the
application
servers 130 may be arranged to receive and respond to queries and/or to
provide access to
event information stored in the events database 154. A query to the listing
catalog server
138 may comprise, for example, a search query, web query, web feed request
(e.g., RS S
feed request, ATOM feed request), API request, HTTP request (e.g., Get, Post,
etc.), a web
form submission (e.g., XHTML/HTML form), and/or suitable request mechanism in
accordance with the described embodiments. In various implementations, a query
may be
submitted to the listing catalog server 138 via one or more communications
servers 120
from one or more client devices 104, client programs 106, a third-party server
114, and/or a
third-party application 116. Queries also may be submitted to the listing
catalog server 138
internally from other application severs 130 of the network-based system 110.
[0095] In one embodiment, the listing catalog server 138 may be implemented by
a
distributed architecture comprising a plurality of distributed indexing
modules. Each of the
distributed indexing modules may provide an interface for receiving queries
from front-end
servers such as the communications servers 120. The distributed indexing
modules may
store and build updatable indexes against which a query can be checked to
expedite
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retrieval of a query result. The indexes may comprise, for example, common
keywords or
search terms and event IDs linked to such keywords or search terms. The
distributed
indexing modules also may cache common query results.
[00096] The distributed indexing modules may be arranged to receive updated
indexing
information brokered via a message bus from a local gatherer module. The local
gatherer,
in turn, may be coupled to and collect indexing information from the events
database 154.
The indexing modules may update and/or filter the indexes based on the updated
information received from the local gatherer module and/or information from
other
indexing modules.
[00097] The local gatherer module may be arranged to periodically scan items
stored in
the events database 154 and obtain updated indexing information. For example,
the local
gatherer module may request items from the events database 154 that have
changed within
a given time period. The event information stored in the events database 154
may change
frequently as new event listings for upcoming events are added and then
removed when the
tickets for such events listings are purchased. Furthermore, the events
database 154 may
store relatively static information for an event such as category (e.g.,
sports, concerts,
theater), as well as real-time dynamic information such as current event
listings and true
levels of ticket inventory. It can be appreciated that the event information
maintained by
the events database 154 may be extremely dynamic especially in cases where LMS
and
electronic ticketing services are provided by the network-based system 110.
[0098] The listing catalog server 138 may receive and respond to the queries
with event
information for upcoming events that satisfy such queries. The event
information may be
provided locally from the listing catalog server 138, if available (e.g.,
cached), and/or may
be retrieved by the listing catalog server 138 from the events database 154.
In various
implementations, event information from the listing catalog server 138 may be
communicated via one or more communications servers 120 to one or more client
devices
104, client programs 106, a third-party server 114, and/or a third-party
application 116. The
event information from the listing catalog server 138 also may be provided
internally to
other application severs 130 of the network-based system 110.
[0099] Exemplary event information parameters that may be included in the
response
from the listing catalog server 138 are described below in the following
table.
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Event Parameter Details
act primary Home Team Mascot
act secondary Away Team Mascot
activejype 1=active event 0=
inactive event
allowedtosell 1=general public allowed to sell tickets
0=generatl public not allowed to sell tickets
ancestorGenrelds List of parent IDs, in order of hierarchy,
identifying browsing path to reach the node
ancestorGeoIds List of geography IDs, in order of hierarchy,
identifying browsing path to reach the
geography node
canceled 1=event has been canceled
0=event has not been canceled
channel Name of the top level genre in the
breadcrumb trail tied to the event
channelld ID of the top level genre in the breadcrumb
trail tied to the event
channelUr1Path URL path for the top level genre in the
breadcrumb trail tied to the event
channelfacetstr ID and Name of the top level genre in the
breadcrumb trail tied to the event
city City of the event
date last modified Time of last change to the event
description Name of the event
eventDatefacetstr Month and year of the event, numeric
(yyyy-mm) and alpha (month, yyyy)
eventGeoDescription Name of venue
event date Date and time of the event (GMT)
event date local yyyy-mm-dd of the event
event date time Date and local time of the event
event id Unique ID of the event
event time local Local time of the event
genreUr1Path URL path for the parent genre of the event
genre_parent ID of the parent genre of the event
geoUr1Path URL path for the venue of the event
geography parent ID of the parent geo of the venue
hideeventdate 1=event date hidden
0=event date not hidden
id ID of the event
lastchance Date and time to delist the event used in
place of the actual event date due to
shipping rules
maxPrice Highest ticket price for the event
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maxSeatsTogether Maximum number of successive seats that
can be purchased together
minPrice Lowest ticket price for the event
name_primary Event match-up using team mascots (e.g.,
Mets vs Braves)
namesecondary Full name of the away team (e.g., New York
Mets)
sparkeventflag Event marked as a "hot" event
state State of the event
totalPostings Number of actual postings for the event
totalTickets Actual number of tickets listed for the event
venue config id Configuration of the venue for the event
Event Information Parameter Table
[0100] It can be appreciated that, in some implementations, not all of the
event
information parameters included in the table may be necessary to present the
requested
upcoming event information to the user. Accordingly, when all of the event
information
parameters are included, the response may be parsed to extract only those
event
information parameters that are needed. Alternatively, the query and/or the
response may
be configured to request and respond with only those event information
parameters
necessary to display the requested upcoming event information. It also can be
appreciated
that the response may include different event information parameters and/or
additional
event information parameters than those described in the table.
Dynamic Content Management Services
[0101] The dynamic content management server 140 implemented by one or more of
the
application servers 130 may be arranged to provide a user with relevant and/or
related
dynamic content customized according to a particular context of the user. The
dynamic
event information may comprise, for example, event information that changes as
new event
listings for upcoming events are added and as event listings are removed when
the tickets
for such events listings are purchased and real-time event-specific
information such as
current event listings, price ranges, and true levels of ticket inventory.
Relevant or related
dynamic content may comprise, for example, dynamic content customized
according to the
location of the user such as location-
based advertising content (e.g., banner ads), relevant and/or related
categories and
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subcategories (e.g., links for local sports teams, artists performing in the
location, theater
shows playing in the location), a list of event names and dates for upcoming
events in the
location arranged by category, and/or other type of dynamic featured content
that changes
according to the location of the user.
[0102] In some implementations, the appearance of a user interface displayed
to the user
may be customized or branded with dynamic content based on the location of the
user
and/or event criteria specified by the user. For example, a web page or web
client may
comprise a comprise a header, skin, or other designated area that dynamically
displays
different graphics (e.g., pictures, logos, backgrounds, etc.), advertisements,
news, and/or
other featured content received from the network-based system 110 according to
the
location and/or event criteria of the user.
[0103] In various embodiments, the dynamic content management server 140 may
be
structured, arranged, and/or configured to bind dynamic information to a
particular node
and/or combination of nodes defining the context of the user. Exemplary nodes
may
include, for example, geography nodes (e.g., event cities), category nodes
(e.g., sports,
concerts, theater), sports nodes (e.g., baseball, football, basketball),
sports subcategory
nodes (e.g., professional, college), music genre nodes (e.g., jazz, rock,
alternative), theater
subcategory nodes (e.g., musical, comedy), ticket subcategory nodes (e.g.,
regular season,
playoff, bowl), conference nodes, team nodes, artist nodes, theater show
nodes, venue
nodes, event nodes, and so forth. It can be appreciated such nodes may be
arranged (e.g.,
hierarchically) and/or in other ways in accordance with the described
embodiments.
[0104] The dynamic content management server 140 may be configured bind
dynamic
content such as relevant and/or related categories and subcategories, event
listings for
upcoming events, promotional or advertising content, UI graphics, and/or
various other
types of customized content to a node or combination of nodes. When navigating
a web site
provided by the network-based system 110, for example, the user may be
presented with
links for selecting from among various locations, categories, and/or
subcategories and for
viewing content associated with such selections. When the user makes a
particular
selection, the context of the user may be defined by one or more nodes
associated with such
selection, and the user may be presented with dynamic content customized to
the context of
the user.
[0105] In various embodiments, the dynamic content management server 140 may
implement a front-end query tool and presentation layer to query the listing
catalog server
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138 according to the context of the user. In response to the query, the
dynamic content
management server 140 may receive dynamic content (e.g., XML content) from the
listing
catalog server 138 and provide the dynamic content to one or more dynamic
content
modules embedded in a web page presented to the user. Accordingly, the content
associated with event listings may change based on the context of the user,
configurable
parameters, and/or available inventory.
[0106] In one example, a user selects a particular city, and the dynamic
content
management server 140 has bound dynamic content to a geography node associated
with
the particular city. Upon selection of the particular city by the user, the
context of the user
may be defined at least in part by the geography node of the selected city,
and the user may
be presented with the dynamic content that is bound to the geography node. In
this case, the
user may be presented with a web page including dynamic content customized for
the
particular city such as graphics (e.g., pictures, background) and advertising
content (e.g.,
banner ads) for the particular city, relevant and/or related categories and
subcategories (e.g.,
links for local sports teams, artists performing in concert in the city,
theater shows playing
in the city), a list of event names and dates for upcoming events in the city
arranged by
category, and/or other type of dynamic content that changes according to the
city selected
by the user.
[0107] In another example, a user selects a particular football team, and the
dynamic
content management server 140 has bound dynamic content to a team node
associated with
the particular football team. Upon selection of the team by the user, the
context of the user
may be defined at least in part by the team node, and the user may be
presented with the
dynamic content that is bound to the team node. In this case, the user may be
presented
with a web page including dynamic content customized for the particular team.
For
example, the web page presented to the user may be dynamically branded with
graphics
(e.g., pictures, background), advertising content (e.g., banner ads), and/or
news associated
with the particular team. The user also may be presented with event listings
for upcoming
games for the team as well as relevant and/or related categories and
subcategories (e.g.,
links for road games, playoff games) for the team. In this implementation, the
context of
the user may be defined by one or more other nodes in a hierarchical path to
the team node
such as a category node (e.g., sports), sports nodes (e.g., football), sports
subcategory node
(e.g., professional), and ticket subcategory node (e.g., regular
season). As such, the user may be presented with dynamic content bound to one
or more of
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such nodes such as links to other professional football teams for which
regular season
tickets are available.
[0108] It can be appreciated that the embodiments are not limited to the
foregoing
examples and that dynamic content may be bound to a particular nodes and/or a
combination of nodes for customizing that content displayed to a user based on
the context
of the user. Accordingly, the dynamic content management server 140 may be
used to
create dynamic content campaigns including a various types of static and
dynamic content
and to bind such campaigns to nodes or groups of nodes that define a context
of the user. It
also can be appreciated that a node and/or combination of nodes can be
detected as a user
selects one more links and/or in other ways such as when a query is submitted
(e.g., text
entry, selection of checkboxes, selection from a pull-down menu), a search
result is
returned, or in any other way in accordance with the described embodiments.
Payment Services
[0109] The payment server 142 implemented by one or more of the application
servers
130 may be arranged to effectuate and/or manage payments between buyers and
sellers and
to post and track financial transactions for users of the network-based system
110.
Transaction information for past and pending transactions may be stored by the
network-
based system 110 in the transaction database 156. The payment server 142 also
may
provide dispute resolution mechanisms to handle payment disputes arising
between
transacting parties and/or fraud prevention mechanisms to prevent fraudulent
transaction,
unauthorized use of financial instruments, non-delivery of goods, abuse of
personal
information, and so forth. While the payment server 142 is shown in FIG. 1 as
forming part
of the networked-based system 110, it will be appreciated that the payment
server 142 may
form part of a third-party payment system that is separate and distinct from
the network-
based system 110 in alternative embodiments.
101101 In various implementations, the payment server 142 may account for a
transfer of
funds and/or financial value by debiting the a source of funds and/or
financial value linked
to the subscriber account of the buyer and crediting a source of funds and/or
financial value
linked to the subscriber account of the seller. For example, the network-based
system may
securely
communicate with one or more financial institutions such as a bank or credit
card company
over one or more networks 108 and arrange the transfer of funds and/or
financial value from
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the buyer to the seller. It can be appreciated that while certain settlement
mechanisms may
be described for purposes of illustration, the embodiments are not limited in
this regard,
and a variety of settlement networks and modalities may be used in accordance
with the
described embodiments. 101111 In one embodiment, after the buyer reviews and
confirms
an order, the account (e.g., credit card) of the buyer is verified, and the
sale amount (e.g.,
ticket price plus delivery cost) is authorized. The seller is notified of the
proposed purchase
by e-mail or other notification mechanism and requested to confirm that the
tickets are still
available and that the transaction can be completed.
[0112] Upon receiving confirmation from the seller, the account (e.g., credit
card) of the
buyer is charged. Funds from the account of the buyer may be electronically
transferred
into a merchant account associated with the network-based system 110, and a
transaction
fee may be deducted. The remaining proceeds are then directed to the seller by
issuing a
payment in accordance with the payment method selected by the seller such as
via check,
deposit to a third-party payment services account (e.g., PayPalTM account),
Season Ticket
Account, and/or other type of source capable of receiving funds and/or
financial value,
and/or donation to a third-party such as a non-profit organization or entity.
[0113] It can be appreciated that the network-based system 110 may provide a
"double
blind" complete ticket-sale transaction withont interaction between buyer and
seller.
Namely, the network-based system 110 may facilitate an entire ticket-sale
transaction
without requiring any interaction between the seller and the buyer. The
network-based
system 110 controls and/or facilitates the entire sale and purchase process
and serves as an
intermediary between the buyer and seller effectively isolating the
participation of the
seller in the transaction from the participation of the buyer in the
transaction. Accordingly,
the identity of one transacting party can remain concealed from the other.
Notification Services
[0114] The notification server 144 implemented by one or more of the
application servers
130 may be arranged to generate and send various types of notifications to
users of the
network-based system 110. The notification server 144 may communicate with
users over
one or more types of networks 108 (e.g., the Internet, a WAN, a WWAN, a WLAN,
a
mobile telephone network, a landline telephone network, a VoIP network, etc.)
via
interfaces provided the communications servers 120 such as the web server 122,
API server
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124, and/or messaging server 126. It can be appreciated that, in some
implementations,
notifications may be forwarded to users via an intermediary such as an
Internet Service
Provider (ISP), online service provider (OSP), web-based e-mail service
provider, message
aggregator (e.g., SMS aggregator), mobile transaction network entity, and so
forth.
101151 The notifications may comprise messages delivered to users via e-mail,
IM, SMS,
MMS, video message, telephone call as well as messages delivered to the
subscriber
account of the user. In some cases, the notifications may provide the user
with information
related to various online marketplace transactions. For example, notifications
may be sent
to sellers for indicating the status of event listings, informing the seller
of offers (e.g.,
auction bids) for event listings or sales of similar tickets and allowing the
user to modify
the prices of event listings, notifying the seller of placed orders and
requesting confirmation
of the availability of tickets for such orders, providing delivery
instructions and requesting
confirmation of delivery, tracking shipped orders, providing the status of
payments, and so
forth. Notifications may be sent to buyers for tracking ticket purchase
transactions (e.g.,
active bids, auctions lost) for event listings and allowing the buyer to
modify offers,
confirming an order and delivery, tracking shipped orders, providing pick-up
instructions
and requesting confirmation of receipt, downloading and print electronic
tickets, and so
forth.
[0116] In accordance with various embodiments, sellers with one or more active
listings
may choose to and/or automatically receive transactional e-mail messages that
complement
and drive sellers to an interactive event venue seat map. The transactional e-
mail messages
may inform sellers that their tickets are still listed and that the event date
is approaching
and also provide a link to the online ticket marketplace and/or an interactive
event venue
seat map for the event to allow sellers to view the most recent pricing data.
[0117] In some implementations, a buyer may subscribe to receive customized
alert
notifications for upcoming events as described in co-pending U.S_ Patent
Application Serial
No. 12/262,468 titled "System and Methods for Upcoming Event Notification and
Mobile
Purchasing," which was filed on October 31, 2008. In such implementations, the
notification
server 144 may be arranged to generate and send an alert notification
comprising a text message
including relevant static or dynamic event information as well as an embedded
hyperlink. The
hyperlink may comprise a hyperlinked telephone number for allowing the user to
place a telephone
call to an agent of the network-based system 110 for transacting a mobile
purchase. Alternatively or
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additionally, the hyperlink may comprise a LTRL or URI for navigating to the
network-
based system 110 for transacting the mobile purchase.
101181 It can be appreciated that in some cases, an upcoming event may not
satisfy all
event criteria specified by the user. In some implementations, when there are
no upcoming
events that satisfy all the event criteria specified by the user, the user may
choose to receive
alert notifications for one or more upcoming events conditioned on the
complete
satisfaction of the event criteria. In such implementations, the network-based
system 110
may allow the user to select to receive an alert notification whenever an
upcoming event
that substantially and/or completely satisfies the search criteria is listed.
For example, the
user may choose to receive "on sale" alert notifications when tickets that
satisfy one or
more preferences of the user become available. The network-based system 110
also may
provide the user with various capabilities (e.g., preference settings and
options) to allow the
user to receive "on sale" alert notifications for preferred tickets and to
allow the user to
automatically and/or optionally purchase such preferred tickets.
Delivery Services
[0119] The delivery server 146 implemented by one or more of the application
servers
130 may arrange the delivery of goods from the seller to the buyer. For the
delivery of
time-sensitive goods such as a single or multiple event tickets, the network-
based system
110 may determine and present delivery options that ensure that an event
ticket is delivered
to the buyer before an event and the costs associated with such delivery
options.
101201 In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may coordinate the
delivery of event tickets as described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application
Serial No.
09/867,171 titled "System and Method for Providing Logistics for a Sale of
Goods," which
was filed on September 27, 2001. In such embodiments, the network-based system
110 may
automatically arrange and/or facilitate the logistics for the delivery of
event tickets from
the seller to the buyer.
[0121] In one implementation, for example, when the buyer places an order,
available
delivery options are presented to the buyer that ensure that the event tickets
can be
delivered before the event either to the buyer or to a pick-up location (e.g.,
event venue will
call or an office of the network-based system 110) in proximity to the buyer.
The network-
based system 110 may determine all available delivery options based on the
form of the
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tickets (e.g., physical tickets, electronic tickets), the time remaining
before the event, the
location of the goods, the location of the buyer, pick-up locations in
proximity to the buyer,
and/or the capabilities one or more couriers (e.g., air/land couriers, express
couriers, local
couriers or "runners") that can execute the delivery within the time remaining
before the
event.
[0122] When a physical ticket is to be delivered, the network-based system 110
may
determine and present shipping options to the buyer. The buyer may provide a
delivery or
pickup location, and the network-based system 110 may automatically determine
couriers
capable of ensuring delivery and present a list identifying the couriers, the
available
shipping methods (e.g., two day, one day, overnight, same day) for each
courier, and the
associated cost of each shipping method.
[0123] When a courier and shipping method is selected by the buyer, the seller
may be
notified and presented with a printable shipping label for the courier and
logistics for
providing the tickets to the courier. For example, the network-based system
110 may
automatically determine the closest courier facility in proximity to the
seller and may allow
and arrange for the courier to retrieve the tickets. In such cases, the
network-based system
110 may communicate relevant information (e.g., seller address, delivery
address, pick-up
day and time frame) to the courier in order to coordinate ticket retrieval. If
the courier
cannot service any of the selected locations at any of the selected times, the
network-based
system 110 may require the seller to drop off the tickets at the nearest
courier facility. The
seller also may select to drop off the tickets at the nearest courier
facility. If the seller
selects or is required to drop off the tickets, the buyer may be provided with
the location of
the courier facility, driving or walking directions to the courier facility,
and/or a map
showing the courier facility.
[0124] Upon confirmation by the seller that the tickets have been sent or
picked up, the
network-based system 110 may communicate delivery tracking information to the
buyer
and/or seller. The network-based system 110 may notify the buyer of the
delivery location
and expected time and date of delivery. If the delivery location is at a pick-
up location such
as the event venue will call or an office associated with the network-based
system 110, the
buyer may be provided with the pick-up location, driving or walking directions
to the pick-
up location, and/or a map showing the pick-up location.
[0125] To ensure delivery to the buyer before an event, a last sale time may
be associated
with an event listing. In some cases, for example, the last sale time for an
event listing may
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be three business days before the event to provide sufficient transit time to
ensure
completion of delivery. In such cases, the event listing will expire at the
last sale time.
Last Minute Services
[0126] It can be appreciated that both sellers and buyers may desire the last
sale time to
be as close to the event start time as possible in order to maximize the
opportunity to make a
sale and the opportunity to witness an event. Accordingly, the network-based
system 110
may provide sellers and buyers with various last minute services (LMS) for
maintaining an
event listing and the ability to sell and purchase listed tickets right up to
the start of the
event.
[0127] In one implementation, for example, the network-based system 110 may
allow
tickets to be sold on consignment and may maintain an event listing until the
start of the
event. When a seller requires delivery of physical tickets for an upcoming
event, the seller
may select to sell the tickets using LMS provided by the network-based system
110. The
seller may request LMS and provide the network-based system 110 with contact
information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, e-mail address), ticket
information
(e.g., event name, event venue, ticket event dates, closest city to the
event), and
authorization to release the tickets.
[0128] In response to the LMS request, the seller may be contacted by an agent
of the
network-based system 110 via telephone or other contact method and provided
with
additional selling information. Depending on the time remaining before the
event, the seller
may be
instructed to ship or physically deliver the tickets to an LMS center
associated with the
network-based system 110. Typically, the location of the LMS center will be in
close
proximity to the event venue. The seller also may select to physically deliver
the tickets to
the LMS center. When physical delivery of the ticket to the LMS center is
required or
selected, the seller may be provided with the location of the LMS center,
driving or walking
directions to the LMS center, and/or a map showing the LMS center.
[0129] Once the tickets are delivered to the LMS center, the event listing may
be
maintained until the start of the event and the subsequent delivery of the
tickets to a buyer
is handled by the network-based system 110. For example, the LMS center and/or
the
network-based system 110 may handle the responsibility of shipping the tickets
to the
buyer, delivering the tickets to the event venue will call, and/or the keeping
the tickets at
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the LMS center until pick-up by the buyer. It can be appreciated that the LMS
provided by
the network-based system 110 may facilitate delivery and allow the network-
based system
110 to defer the last sale time until the start of the event.
Electronic Ticketing Services
[0130] In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may provide
electronic
ticketing services for allowing a buyer to purchase one or more electronic
tickets that can be
used at the event venue. It can be appreciated that providing such electronic
ticketing
services may allow the network-based system 110 to defer the last sale time
until the start
of the event.
[0131] When the user selects an upcoming event from event listings published
by the
network-based system 110, a web page may be presented to the user that
includes event
information for the selected upcoming event such as the name of the event, the
date and
time of the event, the event venue, available ticket listings including ticket
attributes (e.g.,
section, row, quantity, price), and so forth. In some cases, a purchaser of
event tickets may
provide the event inforination to the network-based system 110 in order to
list the tickets
for sale on a secondary market. In other cases, the venue, event promoter, or
other type of
ticket issuer may provide the network-based system 110 with event details such
as event
description, event venue, event date and time, artist, and so forth. In
response, the network-
based system 110 may manage the event, enable the venue to sell tickets for
the event,
manage the generation and distribution of electronic tickets, and facilitate
the use of
electronic tickets for access control to the venue. For example, the network-
based system
110 may create an event listing, generate electronic tickets, publish
available tickets for
sale, and coordinate the sale of the electronic tickets.
[0132] In various embodiments, a web page presented to a user may comprise the
event
information along with a link to purchase electronic tickets and/or a link to
view additional
details. By clicking the link to purchase electronic tickets, the user may
initiate a purchase
of one or more electronic tickets. By clicking the link to view additional
details, a
subsequent web page may be displayed including ticket attributes along with
further ticket
details (e.g., seat numbers, time remaining to purchase the tickets, seller
comments, delivery
options), a selectively enlargeable image of the event venue for reviewing the
location of the
seats, and an action button for initiating purchase of the tickets. In some
cases, one or more
web pages may include a link to view delivery options such as a location of,
driving or
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walking directions to, and/or a map showing a pick-up location.
101331 To effectuate an electronic ticket purchase, the user may be prompted
to enter
account information such as a unique username or e-mail address and a
password. Upon
receiving the required account information, the user is authenticated with the
network-
based system 110 and may initiate an electronic ticket purchase. After
authentication, the
network-based system 110 may transact the purchase using a source of financial
value
linked to the subscriber account of the user or may request the user to supply
payment
information (e.g., credit card account, PayPalTM account, etc.) for the
transaction.
[0134] In various embodiments, a user may purchase electronic tickets and/or
save
electronic ticket information using a web client such as a web browser, web
browser .
toolbar, and/or a desktop or mobile widget. For example, a user may save an
electronic
ticket and/or a hyperlink to a file associated with the electronic ticket in a
subscriber
account, in the web browser toolbar, and/or within a desktop or mobile widget.
The user
also may display information for and differentiate among purchased electronic
tickets on a
client device (e.g., PC or mobile device) via the web client.
[0135] The buyer may purchase one or more electronic tickets using a credit
card or other
source of funds or financial value linked to the subscriber account of the
buyer. In one or
more embodiments, the network-based system 110 may provide variable
distribution and
access control for purchased electronic tickets. For example, the network-
based system 110
may
provide the buyer with various delivery options for receiving and/or
delivering the
purchased electronic tickets.
[0136] The network-based system 110 may allow the buyer to have the electronic
tickets
delivered to an e-mail address associated with the buyer. The buyer may access
the e-mail
account, display the electronic tickets, and print out paper copies of the
electronic tickets.
Each of the paper copies of the electronic tickets may include a bar code
which can be
scanned at the event venue to allow access.
[0137] Alternatively or additionally, the buyer may instruct the network-based
system
110 to send an electronic ticket to a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone or
PDA) associated
with the buyer. For example, the buyer may receive the electronic ticket at
the mobile
device and display a bar code of the electronic ticket on a screen of the
mobile device which
may be scanned at the event venue to grant access. In some usage scenarios,
the buyer may
receive an SMS message sent to a mobile device that includes a link to a web
page to
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render a ticket. In other usage scenarios, the buyer may receive an MMS
message sent to a
mobile device that includes an image of the ticket. When the buyer chooses
delivery to a
mobile device, the buyer also may receive the ticket via e-mail as a backup.
in case the
buyer wants to print out a paper copy to bring to or use at the event venue.
The buyer may
receive a text message at the time of ticket purchase and, if the tickets are
purchased more
than a predetermined time before the event (e.g., two days before the event),
a reminder text
message just before (e.g., one day prior to) the event.
101381 In various embodiments, when the buyer purchases electronic tickets
using a
credit card, the buyer may access the venue by swiping the credit card used to
make the purchase
at the event venue. Alternatively or additionally, the buyer may use a
driver's license to
validate the ticket at the event venue. In some implementations, only the
buyer may use the
credit card used to make the purchase or a driver's license as a means of
entry at the event venue.
It can be appreciated that in such implementations, the buyer may validate
his/her ticket at the venue
as well as validate other purchased tickets for other people who are present
with the buyer
at the time of entry into the event venue.
101391 In various embodiments, the network-based system 110 may provide the
buyer
with various delivery options for splitting the distribution of a single order
of multiple
electronic tickets among one or more recipients in addition to and/or other
than the buyer as
described in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/325,789 titled
"System and
Methods for Variable Distribution and Access Control for Purchased Event
Tickets," which was
filed on December 1, 2009. In such embodiments, a buyer may purchase multiple
electronic
tickets (e.g., block of four electronic tickets) at once in a single order and
choose to variably
distribute one or more of the purchased electronic tickets and/or the
underlying rights associated
with one or more of the purchased electronic tickets to different end
recipients using
different delivery mechanisms (e.g., e-mail, SMS message, MMS message, etc.)
or
other suitable delivery mechanism. Upon delivery, each electronic ticket may
be used
by the recipient independently of the buyer arriving at the event so that the
entire party
does not need to be present to enter the event venue.
User Interfaces
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[0140] As described above, the network-based system 110 may communicate with
users
over one or more types of networks 108 via interfaces provided the
communications servers
120 and provide various services to users such as online marketplace and
ticket fulfillment
services via the application servers 130 and databases 150. When servicing a
user, the
network-based system 110 may present information to and/or receive information
from the
user in a variety of ways such by displaying and receiving information via
user interfaces
(e.g., web pages, interactive screens), sending and receiving messages (e.g.,
e-mail, IM,
SMS, MMS, video message), placing and/or receiving telephone calls (e.g.,
landline,
mobile, VoIP, IVR calls), and so forth. User interfaces also may be displayed
to a user via
one or more client programs 106 such as a web client (e.g., web browser,
desktop or mobile
widget, web browser toolbar) and/or a third-party application 116 in
conjunction with the
buying services and/or selling services of the network-based system 110.
10141] With reference to FIGS. 2-7, various embodiments are described for
building and
presenting, at a user interface of a display of a client device 104, an
interactive seat map of
an event venue. In various implementations, the interactive seat map is built
with tools that
are compatible with and common to all web browsers such that the interactive
seat map is
able to be built and presented without the use of vector graphics such as
Adobe Flash .
[0142] It is to be understood that while a particular interactive seat map may
be described
in the context of the buying services of the network-based system 110, the
embodiments are
not
limited to such context. Furthermore, it is to be understood that while a
particular
interactive seat map may be described as comprising a certain set of features
and functions,
an interactive seat map may comprise fewer features and functions, additional
features and
functions, and/or a combination of various features and functions of different
user interfaces
in accordance with the described embodiments.
[0143] Referring to FIG. 2, the network-based system 110 stores inventory 200
of tickets
available for an event at an event venue, a base map 205 that illustrates
locations of
sections within the event venue, and a coded image map 210 that will enable a
client-side
web application 215 at the client device 104 to build a map overlay 220 for
the base map
205. In various embodiments, the client device 104 displays an interactive
seat map 225
within a user interface 230 by loading the base map 205 and building the map
overlay 220
on top of the base map 205. The interactive seat map 225 may be displayed next
to and
linked with rendered inventory 201 within the user interface 230 on the client
device 104.
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101441 Referring to FIG. 3, a logic flow 300 includes operations performed by
the
network-based system 110 for enabling the client device 104 to provide the
user interface
230 including the interactive seat map 225 and the rendered inventory 201
linked to the
interactive seat map 225.
[0145] The network-based system 110 (e.g., buying server 136) pulls the base
map 205
from a database and transfers the base map 205 to the client device 104 over
the network
108 (step 305). The client device 104, via the client-side web application
215, can store the
base map 205 within memory for use at a later time. The base map 205
illustrates locations
of sections within an event venue. The base map 205 can be in a raster
graphics file format
(e.g., JPEG or jpg, gif, png, bmp) such that the base map 205 is formed
without the use of
vector graphics formats (e.g., Flash ).
[0146] The network-based system 110 also pulls the coded image map 210, which
corresponds to the transferred base map 205, from a database and transfers the
coded image
map 210 to the client device 104 over the network 108 (step 310). The client
device 104,
via the client-side web application 215, can store the coded image map 210
within memory
for use at a later time. The coded image map 210 is a coded redrawing of all
of the sections
in the corresponding base map 205. That is, the coded image map 210 is a
series of
polygons defined by coordinates such that it includes one polygon for every
one section
depicted in the corresponding base map 205. For a particular venue, there can
be a few
coded polygons to over a hundred coded polygons.
[0147] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary base map 405 (e.g., JPEG image)
illustrates
locations of sections within an event venue that, in this case, is a baseball
stadium.
Exemplary portions of a coded image map 210 that is transferred for the base
map 405 to
the client device 104 are reproduced below:
<area shape=''rect" coords="160,41,175,46" href="#link325vb" 1d=''sec325vb" />
<area shape="poly" coords="176,41,186,41,190,43,190,47,176,45"
href="#link326vb" id="sec326vb"
I>
[0148] The first portion of the coded image map in this example is for a
rectangular
polygon displayed above Section 325 (labeled 425 in FIG. 4) of the base map
405. The
second portion of the coded image map in this example is for a polygon
displayed above
Section 326 (labeled 426 in FIG. 4) of the base map 405.
[0149] Next, the network-based system 110 pulls the inventory 200 for the
event at the
event venue corresponding to the transferred base map 205 from a database and
transfers
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the inventory 200 to the client device 104 over the network 108 (step 315).
The inventory
200 provides a block of data for each section of the event venue or for each
section of the
event venue that has available tickets for the event, the block of data
including section data
such as a section identification (such as the section number), a section title
(such as "Lower
Box", "Field Club", or "Arcade"), and a listing of tickets (including the row,
quantity, and
price for each ticket). The inventory 200 can be encoded in a machine-readable
fowl such
as XML. Exemplary XML coding for inventory for Section 125 of the base map 405
is
reproduced below:
<?xm I version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-
1"?> <sections> <section> <id>sec125</id>
<sectionTitle>Lower Box 125</sectionTitle> <tickets>
<ticket><row>A</row><qty>2</qty><price>$85</price></ticket>
<ticket><row>2</row><qty>7</qty><price>$72</price></ticket>
<ticket><row>5</row><qty>1</qty><price>$16</price></ticket>
<ticket><row>22</row><qty>2</qty><price>$5</price></ticket> </tickets>
</section>
101501 After the network-based system 110 has transferred the base map 205,
the coded
image map 210, and the inventory 200 to the client device 104, the network-
based system
110 awaits a ticket selection received from the client device 104 (step 320),
at which point
the network-based system 110 processes the ticket selection as described
above.
101511 When transferred to the client device 104, the base map 205, the coded
image map
210, and the inventory 200 enable the client device 104 to build a map overlay
220 for the
base map 205. The client device 104 may then display an interactive seat map
225 within
the user interface 230 by loading the base map 205 and building the map
overlay 220 on
top of the base map 205. The interactive seat map 225 may be displayed next to
and linked
with a rendered inventory 201 within the user interface 230 on the client
device 104
[01521 Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary interactive map 525 is built by
loading the base
map 405 and building a map overlay 420 on top of the base map 405. The
interactive seat
map 525 may be built with tools that are compatible with and common to all web
browsers
such that the interactive seat map 525 is built and presented without the use
of vector
graphics such as Adobe Flash .
101531 Referring to FIG. 6, a logic flow 600 includes operations performed by
the client
device 104 (e.g., via the client-side web application 215) for building and
presenting the
interactive seat map 225 for an event venue based on the infoimation
transferred from the
network-based system 110 to the client device 104.
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[0154] The client device 104 receives the base map 205 (step 605), the coded
image map
210 (step 610), and the inventory 200 (step 615), which includes, for each
section, section
data that includes available tickets within the event venue, from the network-
based system
110. When the coded image map 210 initially loads, each of the polygons of the
coded
image map 210 lacks defining characteristics such as fill color, stroke color,
or level of
transparency.
[0155] Next, the client device 104 builds the map overlay 220 on top of the
base map 205
such that each polygon of the map overlay 220 aligns with the respective
underlying
section of the base map 205 (step 620). At this step, defining characteristics
such as fill
color, stroke color, and transparency for each polygon of the map overlay 220
have not yet
been determined, so that the map overlay 220 may not yet be visible when the
interactive
seat map 225 is displayed (step 625).
[0156] The client device 104 then determines one or more defining
characteristics for
each polygon of the map overlay 220 based on the section data, provided by the
inventory
200, for the corresponding section (step 630). In particular, the client
device 104, via the
client-side web application 215, reads the inventory 200, finds all of the
section
identifications in the inventory 200, and matches section identifications in
the inventory
200 with section identifications of the map overlay 220 to determine which
polygons of the
map overlay 220 requires defining characteristics. The inventory 200
determines the
defining characteristics to apply to that polygon of the map overlay 220. A
sample code
from the inventory 200 is provided below for Section 324 of the base map 405:
setArea0ver(document.getElementBylasec324'),'cartography_canvas','237,24,72','2
37,24,72','0.5',
0,0,2) ;null,
[0157] In this example, which is provided for Section 324, the client-side web
application
finds the section identification "sec324", matches that section (Section 324)
with the
polygon of the map overlay 220, and determines the defining characteristics
corresponding
to the section identification "sec324". The defining characteristics
corresponding to Section
324 are a fill color of "237,24,72"; a stroke color of "237,24,72" and a
transparency of
"0.5".
[0158] Next, the client device 104 applies the defining characteristics
determined in step
630 to each polygon of the map overlay 220 (step 635). Thus, for example, and
with
reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the map overlay 420 is built on top of the base
map 405 so that
each polygon of the map overlay 420 aligns with its respective section of the
underlying
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base map 405 (some of the polygons of the map overlay 420 may not be visible
since they
lack any defining characteristics). The polygon 434 of the map overlay 420
aligns with
Section 324 (labeled as 424 in FIG. 4) of the base map 405. The polygon 434
includes its
defining characteristics such as a fill color of 237,24,72, a stroke color of
237,24,72, and a
transparency of 0.5 (which is provided from the inventory 200, as shown
above). In some
implementations, other polygons of the map overlay 220 that lack any defining
characteristics (and therefore are not visible in FIG. 4) represent sections
of the base map
205 that lack any available tickets.
[0159] Next, the client-side web application renders the inventory 200 as
rendered
inventory 201 at the display 230 (step 640). In particular, the client-side
web application
draws out the blocks of ticket listings below the interactive seat map 225.
[0160] Referring to FIG. 7, a portion of a rendered inventory 701 is shown
that
corresponds to a portion of the coded image map for the base map 405 of FIG.
4. In this
example, the rendered inventory 701 includes a block of data 750 for Section
324. Here,
the block of data 750 includes the section identification 751, which is "324";
the section title
752, which is "View Reserve"; the listing of tickets 753, which includes the
Row 754 (for
example, A, 2, 5, or 22), the Quantity 755 (for example, 2, 7, 1, 2,
respectively), and the
Price 756 (for example, $85, $72, $16, $5, respectively) for each ticket
available in Section
324.
[0161] The client-side web application also establishes links from each
section of the
map overlay 220 within the interactive seat map 225 that has available tickets
to the
specific ticket group provided in the rendered inventory 201 (step 645). For
example, when
a buyer clicks on Section 324 (labeled as 424 in FIG. 5) of the interactive
seat map 525, an
established link between Section 324 and a specific ticket group corresponding
to data block
750 re-directs the buyer to the data block 750, where the buyer can click the
"Buy" link 760
to purchase one or more tickets in Section 324.
[0162] If the client device 104 determines that one or more tickets have been
selected for
purchase (step 650), then the client device 104 sends the ticket selection to
the network-
based system 110 for managing a transaction between the buyer and the seller.
[0163] If no tickets have been selected for purchase (step 650), then the
client device 104
can revert back to preceding steps if it determines that the ticket inventory
200 has changed
since the ticket inventory 200 was initially received at step 615.
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[0164] It can be appreciated that while a logic flow may illustrate a certain
sequence of
steps, other sequences of steps may also be performed in accordance with the
described
embodiments. Moreover, some individual steps of the logic flow may include
multiple sub-
steps that may be performed in various sequences as appropriate to the
individual step.
Furthermore, additional steps may be added or some steps may be removed
depending on
the particular implementation.
[0165] in various embodiments, one or more operations of a logic flow may
comprise, or
be implemented as, executable computer program instructions. The executable
computer
program instructions may be implemented by software, a software module, an
application,
a prop-am, a subroutine, instructions, an instruction set, computing code,
words, values,
symbols or combination thereof. The executable computer program instructions
may include
any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted
code, executable
code, static code, dynamic code, and the like. The executable computer program
instructions
may be implemented according to a predefined computer language, manner or
syntax, for
instructing a computer to perform a certain function. The executable computer
program
instructions may be implemented using any suitable programming language in
accordance
with the described embodiments.
[0166] In various embodiments, one or more operations of a logic flow may
comprise, or
be implemented as, executable computer program instructions stored in an
article of
manufacture and/or computer-readable storage medium. The article and/or
computer-
readable storage medium may store executable computer program instructions
that, when
executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform methods and/or
operations in
accordance with the described embodiments. The article and/or computer-
readable storage
medium may be implemented by various systems and/or devices in accordance with
the
described embodiments.
[0167] The article and/or computer-readable storage medium may comprise one or
more
types of computer-readable storage media capable of storing data, including
volatile
memory or, non-volatile memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or
non-
erasable memory, writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. Examples of
computer-
readable storage media may include, without limitation, random-access memory
(RAM),
dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM
(SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM
(PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable
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ROM (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., NOR or NAND flash memory), content
addressable
memory (CAM), polymer memory (e.g., ferroelectric polymer memory), phase-
change
memory, ovonic memory, ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-
silicon
(SONOS) memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any other suitable type of
computer-
readable storage media in accordance with the described embodiments.
[0168] Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described as
comprising
exemplary functional components or modules perfoiming various operations, it
can be
appreciated that such components or modules may be implemented by one or more
hardware components, software components, firmware components, and/or
combination
thereof.
[0169] Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that terms
such as
"processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," or the like, refer to
the action
and/or
processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing
device, that
manipulates and/or transfoillis data represented as physical quantities (e.g.,
electronic)
within registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as
physical quantities
within the memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission
or display
devices.
[0170] It is worthy to note that some embodiments may be described using the
expression
"coupled" and "connected" along with their derivatives. These terms are not
intended as
synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments may be described using
the
terms "connected" and/or "coupled" to indicate that two or more elements are
in direct
physical or electrical contact with each other. The term "coupled," however,
also may
mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but
yet still co-
operate or interact with each other. With respect to software elements, for
example, the
term "coupled" may refer to interfaces, message interfaces, API, exchanging
messages, and
so forth.
[0171] While certain features of the embodiments have been illustrated as
described
above, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now
occur to those
skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims
are intended to
cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the
embodiments.
47
