WO2002023490A2

WO2002023490A2 - Method for booking and controlling entrance to an event

Info

Publication number: WO2002023490A2
Application number: PCT/EP2001/010467
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario RÖDIGER; Steffen Schmaus; Roland Temme
Original assignee: Wabnet - Worldwide Access And Banking Network Gmbh
Priority date: 2000-09-12
Filing date: 2001-09-11
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Also published as: AU2001291853A1; DE10044899A1; WO2002023490A3

Abstract

A central server (10) is set up for making a booking for an event. A user (11) who has a distinctive identification (ID) enters this identification and an identification of the desired event into the server (10) through a network (13). The event location (14) is provided with a sensor device (16) which reads the identification (ID) of the client and enables the client to enter, providing that there is a booking for the identification. The reservation system functions without a physical entrance ticket and functions rapidly, with low staffing costs.

Description

Procedure for booking and controlling access to an event

The invention relates to a method for booking and controlling access to an event, in particular to mass events such as concerts, sporting events, musical performances, film performances and the like. the like Events in the sense of the present invention are also the use of means of transport and transportation.

Today's sales and booking systems for events usually provide that an admission ticket must be physically present. This ticket is sent to your order and ^'payment to the customer and this takes them to the event, where they used to control of access, or is acquired by the customer to a booking office. This process is very time consuming and cumbersome. There are usually some for shipping Days needed. In addition, the mail must be the correct one

Address of the customer included. However, it can happen that the admission ticket is lost or that it is forgotten when you attend the event.

DE 43 37 202 AI is a movable data carrier in the form of a card for use as _. Ticket or admission ticket known that combines the techniques of the chip card and the contactless transponder. The card contains a memory in which an amount of money can be stored. If the user moves with the card into the field area of an electromagnetic field, which is generated by a contactlessly working reading device, the transponder on the card reacts by reporting the amount of the stored amount of money to the reading device. The reader can in turn send out a signal that is received by the transponder. The transponder is also powered by the electromagnetic field emitted by the reader.

Another chip card solution describes DE 44 41 038 AI. Here, the customer has a chip card with which he can acquire authorizations at special machines. Settlement takes place either by deducting the invoice amount from a credit stored on the chip card or by debiting the customer account with a bank accordingly.

The known methods have the disadvantage that the user, if he wants to secure an access authorization for an event, has to go to a point of sale which has the necessary devices for communication with the chip cards. If the user wants to unlock access rights for a large number of people, this presupposes that all of these people must enter the event at the same time. Another disadvantage is the limited memory capacity of a chip card. If the storage space is used up, no further access authorizations can be booked. Another problem is the possibility that deletions on the chip card may be inadvertently made. The user of the card does not know which events or access authorizations are actually (and not supposedly) still on the card. If he wants to find out, he needs relatively complex equipment. However, he can only determine this if he has the chip card and the reader at the same time nearby.

At events, there is also often the problem that long lines of people who want to buy an admission ticket form at the box office. This results in very long waiting times. The known booking systems are also very personnel-intensive and therefore expensive.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a method for booking and controlling access to an event which can be carried out with little effort and without waiting times.

This object is achieved according to the invention with the features specified in claim 1. According to this, a server is set up as part of a booking system, ie a computer that can be addressed via external data connections. Various events are set up in the server and, for example, assigned a number. Customers who call or dial the server enter an identification or selection of the event that they want to book, as well as an identification of the customer concerned. The booking or Reservation made for the event in question, the customer's identification being registered. The customer does not receive an admission ticket or any other physical document that he should show on entry. The customer also does not receive a file that he would have to convert into a physical card himself. When entering the event, the customer only identifies himself with the identification, which is recorded with a sensor device. The identification consists, for example, of a number that is contained on the magnetic strip of a plastic card. Any machine-readable identification can be used, for example a barcode on a card or machine-readable font. The customer's identification is read at the event location and transmitted to the server. Based on the registered bookings, the latter checks whether admission can be granted to the person concerned. The response from the server is transmitted to the event location, preferably to the sensor device, which then generates a signal that allows the customer to enter if the query result is positive.

One advantage is that bookings can be made at any time over a telephone network that can be ground-based or wireless. There are practically no waiting times to get access to the server. This allows bookings to be made immediately before the start of the event, even at the box office, and then enables direct access to the event without waiting times.

There are a variety of options for making the customer's unique identification. A very simple solution is to use a plastic card that has a magnetic strip that contains a multi-digit number. This number is unique to the customer. On the other hand, the customer can enter the number into the

Enter the keypad of a telephone to transfer it to the server. Identifications in the form of a barcode or machine-readable font also offer the same advantages.

Another solution that is even more advantageous for the customer is to place the identification in a transponder that can be queried contactlessly at a distance. The transponder contains a chip and an antenna on a plastic card. There is an interrogation device at the event location that emits electromagnetic waves and thereby stimulates the transponder to respond. The transponder's answer is to send the saved identification. This is received and evaluated by the query device. The customer therefore only needs to pass through a lock. He can carry the transponder in a jacket pocket on his body.

If the label is on a card or other data carrier, it can be permanently assigned to the customer, as is the case with customer-related credit cards. The card can also be issued anonymously. H. there is no assignment to a specific person. In this case, the booking can of course only take effect once the admission price has been paid. The access control reacts to the card in question with which the booking was made. This means that a booking or reservation can also be made by a third party, even without the beneficiary having to be asked.

Another way of marking is to scan a body characteristic of the customer, for example a fingerprint or an eye print. Here the customer does not even have to carry a data carrier. He shows himself more through his body itself. Preferably two

Body characteristics evaluated in combination to ensure the necessary security and make secret numbers superfluous. In particular, two or more body features are used. The user can therefore register any number of fingerprints and specify a preferred combination of two finder prints.

The booking and control procedure can also ensure payment of the entrance fee. For example, it is possible to design the card that bears the distinctive identification as a credit card or to assign a credit card function to a body characteristic of the customer. Preferably two or more physical features are used as a distinctive identification of the credit card. Payment is only accepted on the server if both body characteristics are entered one after the other. The user can change the combination of body characteristics at any time. Since there are already about 200 possible combinations with ten fingers, the system can be If three incorrect entries prevent access, the security gained is evident. You can also combine fingerprints with Iris scan or earprints. Such a system can of course also be used for other payment purposes by evaluating physical characteristics.

Alternatively, you can pay with a credit card, the number of which is transmitted to the server. It is also possible to use the card as an anonymous card, which is only distinguished by its identification, but is not assigned to a specific person. In this case, the customer can be asked to pay the purchase price in any way and the server will not release the entry until the money has arrived. The method according to the invention is particularly suitable for booking events by telephone or computer, the name of the desired event and the identification of the customer being entered by entering numbers in a keypad. The customer can also be identified by scanning one or more body features.

A simple variant of the method can be used to control mere admission to an event, but it can also be used, for example, to assign seats, seat groups or different areas. Here, the area or place is already determined when booking and, depending on the labels read, a display is made at the location of the event to inform the customer about his place or place group.

The method according to the invention has the advantage that the user does not need any special device. He may need a phone (when ordering by phone) or a normal PC (when ordering online). The registered user can obtain information about the events or access authorizations registered by him at any time and from any location by selecting his private area on the server. This means that the current list of saved events can be printed out from anywhere at any time. In addition, the operator can also offer the option of completely anonymous use.

In the known systems, the user of a chip card has the problem in the event of loss or theft that, on the one hand, he loses the electronically stored wallet, which is subsequently lost by any finder or thief can be used. On the other hand, he loses his additionally stored access authorizations. The thief or finder can easily use a chip card reader to determine which events have access permissions stored and can visit the event or make it accessible to third parties instead of the rightful owner of the card. Not even noticing the loss of the card helps the legitimate user, because he cannot prove which events he has already acquired access to. This is because it is stored on the card itself.

Counterfeiting is another problem. It is known that admission tickets and chip cards are forged on a large scale. It is also possible to duplicate such cards.

The method according to the invention is distinguished by the fact that the user does not require anything in terms of material requirements, not even a card. However, if an additional ticket card is issued, it only contains a public, known number, namely the membership number. On the card itself there is nothing to read or see about the booked event or access authorization. Dematerialization can be pushed even further by using a body feature to identify the customer. This identifier is only assigned to a member number in the server. Even if the system is used together with a chip card or another card, any misuse by third parties is impossible, because the thief or finder does not know which event the legitimate user has booked with the card. The user who has noticed the loss of the card can have it blocked in the system and Transfer the event accesses already registered in the server to any other card and even to other members if he cannot or does not want to use the event.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

Show it:

1 is a schematic representation of a booking and control system,

Fig. 2 shows the event access in another embodiment of the invention and

Fig. 3 is a display device for displaying information related to a reserved seat.

In the booking and control system shown in FIG. 1, a central server 10 is provided. This is a permanently installed central computer that controls the entire system. The server 10 is connected to a network, for example the Internet, an intranet, the telephone network and the like. like.

A user 11 has a plastic card 12 on which there is an unmistakable identification ID. In the example, the identification is a multi-digit number that is machine-readable and can also be read by humans. The user 11, who is connected to the network 13 via a computer or via the telephone, selects the server 10 and enters the ID contained on the card 12, as well as a number or other identifications of the server Event he would like to book. The server 10 then confirms to the customer 11 that the booking has been made.

At the event location 14 there is a sensor device 16 with a reading slot 17 at an entrance 15. The card 12 is pulled through the reading slot 17, the sensor device 16 reading the identification ID. The sensor device 16 transmits the identification to the server 10 via a radio connection 18 or a network. The server 10 determines whether the identification ID is stored in a booking. If this is the case, access through entry 15 is enabled. This can be done by generating a corresponding signal (green access lamp) or opening a barrier, or the like.

The sensor device 16 is a mobile device that can be held in the hand.

2 shows another variant of the input 15 with a sensor device 16a, which is provided for contactless communication with transponders. The identification of the customer is stored electronically in a chip of a transponder 19 which is carried on the customer's body. The transponder 19 is itself passive, i. H. it does not have its own power supply. The sensor device 16a generates an electromagnetic field, to which the transponder 19 reacts in such a way that it transmits the identification stored in it. The transponder signal is recognized by the sensor device 16a and then it is determined by data exchange with the server whether the customer has access authorization.

The previous explanations relate to the mere access authorization. FIG. 3 shows a display device 20 which is in communication with a sensor device 16. The display device 20 has a screen on which the row and seat of the reservation are displayed. In addition, a seat map 21 can be displayed, the seat in question, which has been booked by the customer, flashing or being identified in some other way. Row and seat are also shown as numbers. The sensor device 16 receives this information about the seat from the server 10.

The server 10 represents the central brain of the system. It contains all information about booking and access. The function of the individual sensor devices is limited to reading the labels and displaying the access authorization. These sensor devices are therefore very simple and lightweight. In the event of a failure, they can be easily replaced because they do not contain any important data.

In a departure from the exemplary embodiment described, it is also possible to set up publicly accessible booking and information terminals, each of which has an input device and a screen. Via these terminals, users can connect to the server to make bookings or to find out about previous bookings. These booking and information terminals can also be used for issuing place cards if they are equipped with an appropriate printer. Such a booking and information terminal is preferably also set up at the event location so that customers can make a booking there shortly before entry. The display device in FIG. 3 can be integrated in a booking and display device. If the user is registered, he can have a body feature or a card assigned to the membership number activate any amount of access authorizations in the server that are not registered anywhere else than in the server.

Claims

claims

1. Procedure for booking and controlling access to an event, with the steps

a) setting up a server (10) on the customer (11) to make bookings;

b) Allocation of a distinctive identification (ID) to a customer;

c) carrying out a booking by the customer (11) by entering the event and the identification (ID) of the customer and registering the booking in the server (10);

d) reading the customer's identification (ID) at the location of the event (14) with a sensor device (16);

e) querying the server (10) to check whether a booking of this customer is registered for the event.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the identification (ID) of the customer is present in a transponder (19) and that the reading of the identification (ID) of the customer is carried out without contact.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one body feature is used as the identification of the customer.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that reading the label with a mobile sensor device (16) is carried out, which contains a transmitter / receiver for wireless communication with the server (10).

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized by the use of a display device (20) which, depending on information from the sensor device (16), displays information relating to a reserved seat.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that publicly accessible booking and information terminals are provided with input and display device that communicate with the server (10).