Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-08
2003-03-04
Von Buhr, Maria N. (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
C705S005000, C705S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06529786
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a queue management system for managing at least one queue of people.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many leisure pursuits (such as theme parks and museums) and other activities (such as arranging visas and immigration procedures), a large amount of time can be spent waiting in queues. The queuing is a frustrating and unproductive use of the time of the person in the queue and can be economically inefficient for the enterprise concerned. However, significant queues are necessary for at least part of the time in order to make efficient use of the particular resources.
The problem of managing queues has been addressed in the prior art such as in EP0086199. In the system disclosed in EP0086199 a queue sequence for serving customers at a number of service points is determined once a customer has been allocated a turn number. The customer can then be told which queue to attend by observing a display.
This prior art arrangement is particularly suitable for queues such as in supermarkets wherein the queue time is generally not that long and the person will therefore accept the necessity for waiting near the queuing area and viewing the display. However, for multiple queues at remote locations or for one or more queues which have a considerable delay associated therewith, the system does not enable the person queuing to physically leave the queue without there being a possibility of the person losing their place in the queue.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a queue management system which allows people to join a “virtual” queue, thus freeing the person from having to wait near the queue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a queue management system for managing at least one queue of people, the system comprising a plurality of portable modules, each portable module being arranged to be carried by a person or a group of people and including memory means for containing a unique identification code, indicator means for indicating to said person or group of people when it is time to join the or each queue, signal receiver means for receiving signals to cause said indicator means to be operate, transmitter means for transmitting said identification code over a short range to confine the transmitted identification code to a local region around said person or group of people, and docking means for downloading said identification code when said portable module is docked; at least one docking station, the or each docking station being adapted to co-operate with said docking means of a said portable module for registering said person or group or people in queue sequence for a respective queue by downloading said identification code from said portable module when docked; a queue manager for maintaining the queue sequence for the or each queue and including first communication means for receiving the or each downloaded code, and a transmitter for transmitting said signals to each portable module to instruct said person or group of people carrying a said portable module to join a queue; at least one module detector for detecting any portable modules in the vicinity of the or each module detector by detecting any transmitted identification codes, a said module detector being arranged at the location of the or each queue to detect when the person or group of people carrying said portable module joins the queue; and second communication means arranged between said queue manager and the or each module detector to communicate any detected identification codes to said queue manager; said queue manager being adapted to updated the or each queue sequence using the or each detected identification code and the or each downloaded identification code to remove the or each detected identification code from the front of the respective queue sequence and to add the or each downloaded identification code to the back of the respective queue sequence.
The present invention can thus provide a queue management system which allows people who wish to queue to be free to undertake other activities. The time involved in physically queuing can be drastically reduced to perhaps a few minutes. The system maintains the place of users in each queue and informs them when they should physically join the queue.
The present invention can be employed in theme parks as a queue management system for all of the guests, or for a proportion of the guests who are willing to pay a premium, or one of a range of premiums corresponding to a range of privileges.
Conveniently, the method of communicating between the portable modules and the queue manager is by way of radio paging messages which can be received and displayed by the portable modules.
Although conveniently the indication by the indicator means can be passed to the user visually, e.g. by a display, the indications could be audible, e.g. a spoken message or a tone.
The present invention also can provide information on the whereabouts of the users of the system which can, in some applications, provide very useful management information, and can give the ability to influence users' movements, that can lead to economic advantages. In order to facilitate this, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention the system includes at least one additional module detector provided at locations away from the or each queue for detecting any portable modules in the vicinity of the or each additional module detector by detecting any transmitted identification codes, the or each additional module detector being connected to the queue manager by the second communication means and the queue manager being adapted to use any detected identification codes to track the locations of each person or groups of people carrying a portable module.
Advantageously, the system may further comprise at least one automatic registration gate connected to said queue manager by said second communication means, the or each said automatic registration gate corresponding to a respective queue and including a module detector arranged to detect only portable modules passing through the automatic registration gate by detecting any transmitted identification codes, and said queue manager adapted to update the respective queue sequence using the identification codes detected by the automatic registration gate to add the detected identification codes to the back o; the respective queue sequence.
Preferably, at least one of said module detectors arranged at the location of the or each queue is incorporated in a gate unit, and is further arranged to detect only the transmitted identification codes of portable modules passing through the gate unit.
In an alternative embodiment, in order for the system to be able to distinguish whether a user is merely in the vicinity of a queue or has actually joined a queue, at least one of the module detectors S arranged at the location of the or each queue may include a pair of detecting antennae arranged as a gate through which a person or group of people carrying a portable module will pass to join a queue. In this arrangement either the queue manager or the or each module detector includes correlation means to correlate signals for any detected identification codes from the pair of detecting antennae to determine whether a portable module has passed therethrough and if so to pass the detected identification code to the second communication means.
In this way the module detectors can identify whether the user is merely in the vicinity or has actually joined the queue. if the user is merely i the vicinity, the second communication means passes the detected identification codes flagged as representing portable modules being only in the vicinity of the module detector. Alternatively, the identification codes detected by the pair of detecting antennae are passed by the second communication means to the queue manager where the correlation is carried out to determine whether a user has passed through or merely by the pair of antennae.
Advantageously, the signal trans
LO-Q PLC
Rapp Chad
Von Buhr Maria N.
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