Systems and methods for a smart virtual queue

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12026643-B2
Application number	US-202318150618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2023
Priority date	Jun 27, 2019
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A system includes a virtual queue controller configured to receive an indication of a reduced capacity event from an amusement park attraction, determine a reduction in capacity of the attraction, identify each guest having a return time in a virtual queue of the attraction that is affected by the reduced capacity event, remove guests having affected return times from the virtual queue, and generate a reaccommodation time slot for the guests removed from the virtual queue, select two or more updated return times within the reaccommodation time slot for each of the guests removed from the virtual queue, provide a notification to each guest removed from the virtual queue requesting guest input to select a single updated return time from the two or more updated return times, and return each guest to the virtual queue upon receiving a corresponding selection of the single updated return time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A virtual queue system, comprising:
a ride vehicle of an attraction;
a ride vehicle controller configured to:
receive a maintenance signal; and
drive operation of the ride vehicle from a first track to a maintenance track based on the maintenance signal; and

a virtual queue controller comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions accessed from the memory to cause the virtual queue controller to:
receive a signal indicative of the maintenance signal;
generate an indication of a reduced capacity event of the attraction based on the maintenance signal;
determine a percentage reduction in capacity of the attraction responsive to the indication of the reduced capacity event, wherein the reduced capacity event comprises removal of a capacity of the ride vehicle from a total capacity;
identify affected guest profiles having a return time in a virtual queue of the attraction that is affected by the reduced capacity event based on the percentage reduction in capacity;
remove the affected guest profiles from the virtual queue to maintain a predetermined relationship between attraction return times and a capacity of the attraction, wherein the capacity of the attraction is updated responsive to the percentage reduction in capacity;
generate a reaccommodation time slot for the affected guest profiles removed from the virtual queue, wherein the virtual queue controller incrementally adjusts a length of the reaccommodation time slot as guests are removed from the virtual queue, and wherein the reaccommodation time slot is subsequent to all affected return times of the affected guest profiles;
select two or more updated return times within the reaccommodation time slot for each of the affected guest profiles removed from the virtual queue;
generate and transmit a notification to guest devices of each affected guest profile removed from the virtual queue, wherein the notification causes display of a user interface on a guest device requesting guest input to select a single updated return time from the two or more updated return times; and
return each affected guest profile to the virtual queue upon receiving a corresponding selection of the single updated return time.

2. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance signal comprises a duration of maintenance for the vehicle.

3. The virtual queue system of claim 2 , wherein the indication of the reduced capacity event is based on the duration.

4. The virtual queue system of claim 3 , wherein the reaccommodation time slot is subsequent to an estimated end of the reduced capacity event based on the duration.

5. The virtual queue system of claim 4 , wherein the affected return times comprise a subset of all return times scheduled during the reduced capacity event.

6. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein a number of the affected return times is based on a number of seats in the ride vehicle.

7. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual queue controller comprises communications circuitry configured to communicate the notification to respective guest-associated devices of each guest removed from the virtual queue.

8. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the reaccommodation time slot is concurrent with the reduced capacity event.

9. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual queue controller is configured to estimate an amount of no-show return times for the attraction based at least in part on historical data and current virtual queue data, wherein at least a portion of the reaccommodation time slot comprises excess capacity return times configured to fill predicted no show return times after the reduced capacity event ends.

10. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual queue controller is configured to identify the affected return times by determining a reduced capacity of the attraction associated with the reduced capacity event and determining that a relationship between existing return times in a time window and the reduced capacity is outside of a desired tolerance.

11. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein additional guests are not added to the virtual queue during the reduced capacity event.

12. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , comprising a sensor assembly configured to generate a signal when each guest enters the attraction based on the single updated return time.

13. The virtual queue system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual queue controller is configured to determine an updated percentage reduction in capacity based on removal of individual seats of ride vehicles from capacity for maintenance.

14. A method, comprising:
directing a ride vehicle to enter a maintenance track;
generating, by a processor, an indication of a reduced capacity event based on the directing, wherein the indication is associated with the ride vehicle not being part of a capacity for an attraction;
determining, by the processor, a percentage reduction in guest throughput for the attraction based on a number of seats in the ride vehicle;
identifying, by the processor, affected guest profiles having a return time in a virtual queue of the attraction that is affected by the reduced capacity event based on the percentage reduction in capacity;
removing, by the processor, affected guest profiles from the virtual queue to maintain a predetermined relationship between attraction return times and the capacity of the attraction, wherein the capacity of the attraction is updated responsive to the percentage reduction in capacity;
generating, by the processor, a reaccommodation time slot for the affected guest profiles removed from the virtual queue by incrementally adjusting a length of the reaccommodation time slot as guests are removed from the virtual queue, and wherein the reaccommodation time slot is subsequent to all affected return times of the guest profiles;
selecting, by the processor, two or more updated return times within the reaccommodation time slot for each of the affected guest profiles removed from the virtual queue;
transmitting by the processor, a notification to guest devices of each affected guest profile removed from the virtual queue, wherein the notification causes display of a user interface on a guest device requesting guest input to select a single updated return time from the two or more updated return times; and
returning by the processor, each affected guest profile to the virtual queue upon receiving a corresponding selection of the single updated return time.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising receiving an additional indication that the ride vehicle has returned to the attraction from the maintenance track.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising updating the capacity based on the additional indication.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the reduced capacity event comprises an additional reduction in capacity based on additional vehicles being directed to enter the maintenance track.

18. The method of claim 14 , comprising outputting a delay message, wherein the delay message comprises a request for confirmation from at least one individual guest of the individual guests to choose and confirm the updated return time, and providing a notification to the individual guest indicating the updated return time in response to receiving confirmation from the individual guest.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the indication is communicated wirelessly from an operator device.

20. The method of

Assignees

• Universal City Studios Llc

Inventors

• Linguanti Nicholas
• Barreto Casey
• Kelly William Austin
• Hanley Kyle P
• Traynor Mark James

Classifications

• A63G21/18

  Water-chutes · CPC title

• A63G27/00

  Russian swings; Great wheels, e.g. Ferris wheels · CPC title

• A63G21/00 Primary

  Chutes; Helter-skelters · CPC title

• A63G7/00

  Up-and-down hill tracks; Switchbacks · CPC title

• A63G4/00 Primary

  Accessories for roundabouts not restricted to one of groups A63G1/00 or A63G3/00 · CPC title