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EP-4500844-B1 - COMBINED TICKETLESS FLOW-THRU FACIAL RECOGNITION FOR MASS PARTICIPATION EVENT ENTRY AND ITEM FULFILLMENT

EP4500844B1EP 4500844 B1EP4500844 B1EP 4500844B1EP-4500844-B1

Inventors

  • MARTIN, TODD M.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230305

Claims (14)

  1. A combined facial recognition event venue entry and concession item procurement system comprising: at least one image collection device for placement in a photo zone leading to a limited-access area of a spectator event, said camera being configured to capture a series of pass-through images of a group of people as they move through the photo zone; a detection sensor synced to said camera to initiate image capture with said camera as at least one person from the group encounters a detection zone to activate said sensor; a user image database configured to store profile image data of the person prior to commencement of the event; and a processor configured to: compare the profile image data stored in said user image database with the pass-through images of the group captured by said camera using facial recognition technology; determine whether the person is an authorized entrant as the person moves through the photo zone based on the comparison between the profile image data and the pass-through images, said processor being configured to analyze the pass-through images and select an image therefrom based on a minimum threshold including optical recognition of key facial data points, wherein the minimum threshold is based on a percentage of accuracy, said processor being configured to identify the person using only facial recognition technology as a primary method of identification, said processor being configured to use a secondary method of identification where the minimum threshold is not reached; provide an alert if the person is unidentified after the comparison between the profile image data and the pass-through images; confirming entry of the person into the event venue as the person moves towards the limited-access area without presentation of a ticket for the event; and process a concession item procurement instruction for preparation and delivery of an item either directly to the person at an event seating allocated to the person within the event venue or at a specific section of the venue where the person may pick up the item, the item preparation instruction being based on the same profile image data used to determine authorized event entry, event entry authorization and item preparation instructions being actuated just by the person being successfully identified.
  2. The entry system of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to compare the pass-through images of the group captured by said camera with images stored in a separate and independent security image database associated with security incidents using facial recognition technology to determine whether the person represents a security risk after security check against the security image database.
  3. The entry system of either claim 1 or 2, wherein said camera is configured to analyze the pass-through images and select an image therefrom that is primarily suited for facial recognition analysis.
  4. The entry system of any one of the above claims, wherein said processor is configured to analyze the series of pass-through images as the series of pass-through images is being acquired.
  5. The entry system of any one of the above claims, wherein the item preparation and delivery involves a consumable food item or beverage.
  6. The entry system of any one of the above claims, wherein the allocated seating includes a section number, row number, and seat number assigned to the person within the event venue.
  7. A method for ticketless facial recognition event venue entry for facilitating expeditious and controlled entry of an influx of people to the spectator event without overwhelming event venue employees, the method comprising: guiding a group of people through a guided entry way from a venue entry point towards a photo zone; taking a series of pass-through images of the group as they move through the photo zone with a camera synced to a detection sensor to initiate image capture with said camera as at least one person from the group encounters a detection zone to activate the sensor; conducting, as a primary method of identification, a facial recognition comparison of at least one of the pass-through images of the group with profile image data of the person contained in a personal profile associated with person, as the person moves towards the limited-access area, the conducting of the facial recognition comparison including determining whether at least one of the pass-through images meets a minimum threshold including optical recognition of key facial data points, wherein the minimum threshold is based on a percentage of accuracy, the personal profile including: a pre-authorization for event entry; and data fields for item procurement and item delivery either directly to the person at an allocated seating of the person, or to a specific section of the venue where the person may pick up the item, after the person enters the venue; determining the minimum threshold is not reached, and conducting a secondary method of identification; providing an alert if the person is unidentified after the comparison between the profile image data and the pass-through images; confirming entry of the person upon successful identification of the person, and review of the personal profile associated with the person attempting to gain entry to the venue; and issuing an instruction for delivery of any concession item which was selected by the person based on the same profile image data stored in the personal profile used to confirm entry into the event venue, event entry authorization and item delivery instructions being actuated just by the person being successfully identified.
  8. The entry method of claim 7, further comprising comparing the pass-through images of the group captured by the camera with images stored in a separate and independent security image database associated with security incidents using facial recognition technology to determine whether the person represents a security risk after security check against the security image database.
  9. The entry method of either claim 7 or 8, wherein the person's seat within the venue is not allocated until after entry of the person into the event is confirmed by the comparison of the pass-through images and profile image data.
  10. The entry method of any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein allocation of the person's seat within the venue is provided to a smart device associated with the person.
  11. The entry method of any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the item procurement includes selections associated with a consumable food and/or beverage.
  12. The entry method of any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the conducting of the facial recognition comparison includes determining a primary facial pass-through image from a series of pass-through images of the person as the person moves through the photo zone.
  13. The entry method of any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the instruction for item procurement and delivery is conducted without any verbal instructions to event venue personnel, and without selection of the item while at the event venue.
  14. The entry method of any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the facial recognition comparison is conducted while the person is walking through the photo zone.

Description

Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to improvements in systems and methods for facilitating expeditious and controlled entry of an influx of people to a mass attendee event without overwhelming event venue employees, while at the same time providing for venue security and/or procurement and delivery of one or more items to a person confirmed as authorized to enter the event to the person's location within the event. Background of the Invention Event security has been a major problem at major mass attendance events, such as sporting events. Unruly fans, or even those with a criminal background or history for violence, have been known to enter large sporting event venues and cause problems, ruining a fan experience for many who are present to just enjoy a game or match. Another problem is that sporting event venues have to employ a large amount of people to visually check each ticket (electronic or physical) for each and every person entering the venue to ensure the person entering is authorized to enter. This results in a large expense for operators of the sporting event venue. For example, a large influx of event day spectators may overwhelm the limited number of venue volunteers or employees, increasing pressure on the volunteers or employees to rush the entry process so that spectators may get to their seat on time. Venue operators have to guess as to how many spectators might attend, and attempt to plan accordingly. Often times, this leads to not having enough resources, or having too many resources that then go to waste when less than estimated numbers of spectators show up. A further problem, from the fan perspective, is having to wait in a long line or queue while the person simply wants to go to their seat, sit down and enjoy the game, match or sporting event. An important consideration is to then get the person to their allocated seat or location in an expeditious and efficient manner, with minimal delay. This fan-perspective problem is also present when the fan wants to obtain a food or beverage item during a break in the game/match, but again might have to contend with long lines, and potentially miss a critical moment in the game/match due to delays in getting back to the fan's seat. US 11,151,481 B1 discloses a system capable of associating tickets with an account to provide ticketless entry to an event. The system may verify that a user is associated with the account using far field verification techniques, such as using facial recognition or by detecting wireless signals. The system may improve a user experience by simplifying the process of entering the event, as the far field verification techniques do not require direct interaction with the user. As a result, the user may access the event without stopping at the entrance to provide proof of purchase (e.g., a physical or electronic ticket, bar code, etc.), proof of identification (e.g., driver's license, passport, biometric scans, etc.) and/or other information. US 2021/074102 A1 discloses a system that includes an event site device having a display and an imaging device. The event site device is configured to capture an image of a user's face for identification. The system further includes a server configured to associate ticketing information with an identity of the user, receive the image of the user's face from the event site device, determine the identity of the user based on facial feature information stored for the user, retrieve the ticketing information associated with the user, and transmit the ticketing information to the event site device for presentation on the display. US 2021/240969 A1 discloses systems and methods that may increase facial recognition throughput by reducing search data as a person traverses through a theme park. The systems and methods include storing facial identification data in a theme park database as guests enter a theme park and removing facial identification data in the theme park database as guests exit the theme park. In this manner, the theme park database includes facial identification data of guests inside the theme park, and not of guests who have left the theme park, thereby reducing the size of the theme park database as guests exit the theme park. Similarly, this approach may be implemented within each of the various areas of the theme park, such that the size of databases associated with each area of the park only includes entries corresponding to guests in the particular park area. What is needed is a system and method that renders the mass attendance event entry process and event attendance more efficient and fulfilling while minimalizing potential for errors. Summary The present invention is defined by the appended claims. As used herein, "configured" includes creating, changing, or modifying a program on a computer or network of computers so that the computer or network of computers behave according to a set of instructions. The programming to accomplish the various embod