The present invention relates to an apparatus system and method for electronic ticket management and electronic ticket distribution authentication. More particularly, the invention relates to improved services for the infrastructure of an electronic ticket management system using electronic ticket information which authenticates the right to attend a specific event.
When planning an event or performance, such as a concert, an event organizer decides and creates an event schedule including the performers, the venue, the time and date, etc. The event organizer also determines the allocation of seats at the individual event venues and the prices associated with the seat types. Ticket sales are entrusted to ticket sales agents, such as ticket stores, or fan clubs. Those who wish to participate in or attend an event, purchase paper tickets at a ticket store, and bring the tickets to the event venue to present them to a ticket collector. Then, the right to attend the event is authenticated, and the ticket purchasers are allowed to enter the event venue. Accordingly, hitherto, the right to attend an event is authenticated by paper tickets on which the event information is indicated.
Due to improvements in Internet services or the progress of information storage technology using, for example, integrated circuit (IC) cards, it is now possible to carry electronic ticket information. Paper tickets are being substituted with electronic tickets by storing electronic ticket information in high-security information storage chips, such as IC cards.
However, electronic ticketing systems are currently implemented only in limited performances or in test cases. Even if an electronic ticketing system is employed, an ID number, unique to each information storage chip, is used for determining whether a user is allowed to enter an event venue.
With this authentication method, it is necessary to send data concerning the ID numbers of the sold information storage chips to gate terminals installed in the event venue. Thus, tickets cannot be sold immediately before the event because of the time needed to send the data to the event venue.
In this ticket distribution system, although event organizers and sales agents each have their own systems, a central system, which can be shared between the event organizers and the sales agents, is not yet available. Accordingly, multiple storage of various data concerning events and ticket sales is unavoidable, thereby preventing the efficient use of the ticketing system.
Although an event-venue management system is conventionally provided, this is merely for linking event-venue information with ticket sales information. Thus, there is a demand for a system that monitors the attendee/ticketholder situation in real time or identifies the types of attendees in real time.