Apple patent details a new e-ticketing system for iTunes

By on Apr 16, 2010 at 12:30 PM
General April 16, 2010

apple-concert-ticket-patent

In recent years Apple has helped to transform the world of mobile communications, and now, according to a patent recently awarded to the Cupertino company, it is looking to shake up the entertainment ticket industry. By tapping into the burgeoning e-ticket market with a system called Concert Ticket +, Apple’s patent filing details how the complex ticketing system could be used for concerts, movies, amusement parks, weddings, sporting events, and more. Coupon codes and other freebies may also be piggy-backed on top of the tickets. The system includes an electronic device (represented in the filing by none other than the iPhone) that can obtain and display e-tickets. These e-tickets can be purchased directly on the device or purchased and transferred via iTunes. If you already purchased a paper ticket, it can be converted into an e-ticket simply by scanning the ticket with the iPhone’s camera. The electronic device can also use near field communications such as RFID to interact with a free-standing kiosk, which can be used to not only purchase and verify e-tickets, and with the assistance of a turnstile, operate as an un-manned event entry system. Elegant and efficient. Exactly what one expects from Apple.

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24 Comments

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  • Tdot34

    Good idea… too bad concert tickets where I live always sell out in less than 30 minutes, and then are resold by scalpers on craigslist. Not sure how the e-ticket system would work with that.

  • Kratos

    “In recent years Apple has helped to transform the world of mobile communications, and now, according to a patent recently awarded to the Cupertino company, it is looking to shake up the entertainment ticket industry.”

    LOL!

    boygeniusreport – nothing but a bunch of fucking Apple Hipster Douchbags.

    Still crying over the marketplace flop that is that stinking pile of fail ‘teh Magical iPad’?

    • (The real Jarrett) Jarrett

      http://labs.chitika.com/ipad/

      Well, as a businessman myslef I would gladly take those numbers in 13 days as a flop anytime. One version (2nd) on the way, one country with more on the way. High estimates expect seven million sold in first year. I will say that 10 million is probably the low number.

      But yeah, your business knowledge is obviously good too.

  • Scorpeo

    Hey Apple, there’s a patent for that! This service has been in existence for years!

    • (The real Jarrett) Jarrett

      You would probably be amazed to learn ( I would only hope education was important to you anyway) that multiple people can hold the same patent really. One only needs to show a different method for coming to the same conclusion. You are only violating someone’s patent if you use the same route to get to the same place. Of course, you yourself being insightful, you probably already knew that and you were just being funny, right?

      • Scorpeo

        “insightful”? Reread you your garbage, once again, the pot meets the kettle! Of course someone can hold a similar ‘type’, of patent, MS, Linux and Apple each hold a TYPE of software patent, not the same patent. When it comes to Prior-Art, you cannot simply trounce over it. Case in point, Apple being sued over multi-touch, Apple saying they created “their version”, does not dismiss, PRIOR-ART!

      • (The real Jarrett) Jarrett

        Well, please explain these “Software patents” that each company holds.

    • StevenGlansburg

      It may have been around, but Apple will make it relevant. It’s no better than the people who put FIRST on every forum posting they make. Great, you were there before everyone else, but unfortunately being first was their greatest accomplishment. I feel like technology is the same. You can be the first or you can do it the best. Apple has a tendency for the latter.

      • (The real Jarrett) Jarrett

        @ SG

        Maybe some of your finest work sir. Well done indeed.

  • diablos

    ‘good job Apple’? right… how about ‘bad job patent office’ – patenting taking a picture of a 2D barcode and calling it an ‘e-ticket’ – how sad.

    boygenius – bunch of fanboys.

    • DigDug

      um, diablos, *cough* how about ‘the patent office has not yet even examined this patent APPLICATION and thus it is not a patent?’

      ignoring simple facts – how sad

  • Gregory

    @diablos,

    Explain how it wouldn’t be an e-ticket? it would be scanned into the phones system as an electronic form of the original ticket. Hence, it becomes an e-ticket. I think it’s a superb idea. I frequent shows on broadway and such and once or twice, my tickets got misplaced. Being able to scan them into my phone and have a copy would be fantastic.

    And really, who cares if BGR are fanboy of Apple? You’re either a troll, for posting in this thread when you have nothing intelligent to add to the conversation, or a fandroid, judging on your hatred towards this thread. Possibly both. Just sayin’.

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

    • diablos

      1. as someone has already pointed out, they’re not patenting the ‘idea’ nor the concept of an ‘e-ticket’, they are patenting the process.
      2. a “news source” being a fanboy is a bad thing because it makes opinions skewed, in other words biased. Bias is intrinsic to almost everything and anything, but has no place in reporting ‘news’ – this is fine by you, but not by me.
      3. pointing out a bias and laughing at someone who is excited because ‘apple’ (specifically) makes this possible does not make me a troll.

      Google for 2 minutes and figure out that e-tickets have been around for a while and when someone (apple) PATENTS the process described above (or better yet, elsewhere) – in other words, getting the tool to prevent other OEMs / solutions providers to offer a similar service is a sad day for the mobile world, you not being part of it.

  • Not Invented by Apple

    Umm… this stuff has been used for **year** by other companies… there are pilot projects around the world and Near Field Comms is far more popular in Europe and Asia. BGR once agains shows its Apple biases…

    • (The real Jarrett) Jarrett

      Who said Apple invented this? A patent does not equate to invention people. Monsanto has pantented a boat load of seeds, does that mean Monsanto invented seeds? I think not.

      • jawman

        They’re not natural seeds that are patented. They’re genetically modified seeds. So yeah, actually, Monsanto did invent the seed.

        And Jarrett, I thought I told you to shut the fuck up.

      • jawman

        and he didn’t say apple invented it. he said BGR is showing their apple bias, which they clearly are.

  • Kinger2010

    Sooo whats at the top of the iphone, could it be the front facing camera? Im just asking haha, im prob jus being stupid and its prob something else haha

  • Flixoman

    /laughs

    Looking at the patent application – these kind of patents crack me up. So you take the concept of etickets…and allow it to communicate passage through something like RFID (as opposed to how we already have elecrronic boarding passes at the airport)…and they just bundle it to automatically include ringtones and other free shit. *shrug*

    Is it novel? In my opinion – not really. Its like the coupons that come on the back of some paper tickets already. The only difference is that they are available immediately and exist only in digital format – and I guess that is where the novelty is. Immediate and digital only.

    Meh.

  • http://www.jonnylam.com Jonathan

    I wonder what the popular reaction will be when Apple starts arbitrarily canceling concerts because of “objectionable content.”

  • MonkeyCheese

    Nice of them to show a link, to the patent that was submitted, in the article.
    Are there patents for something similar to this? I’d like to read those also?

  • jawman

    Yesterday I made a comment that Apple did not invent this, and that they were going to use their money, size, popularity, and power to get a patent so they can pretend that they were the first. And I said that for BGR to say “Exactly what one expects from Apple” that they were bias and sucking Apple’s dick. And this was the first comment that did not show up right away, but said it was awaiting moderation. Why is BGR becoming Nazi’s and censoring comments? Not cool.
    I get 99% of my stuff from engadget anyway. They have the latest news days before BGR. And they aren’t as biased.

  • jawman

    BGR censored my comments because I said they were biased. Wow. Seriously guys?

  • jawman

    Yesterday I made a comment that Apple did not invent this, and that they were going to use their money, size, popularity, and power to get a patent so they can pretend that they were the first. And I said that for BGR to say “Exactly what one expects from Apple” that they were bias and sucking Apple’s d*ck. And this was the first comment that did not show up right away, but said it was awaiting moderation. Why is BGR becoming Nazi’s and censoring comments? Not cool.
    I get 99% of my stuff from engadget anyway. They have the latest news days before BGR. And they aren’t as biased.

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