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Disney’s new Fastpass patent

September 12, 2007 by MouseStation Crew

MouseStation 55 – Disney’s new Fastpass patent

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Featured Topic

In this week’s feature, Mike and Mark discuss the new patent
application
filed by Disney on August 30, which would expand on their
existing Fastpass patents. News of the patent was first
broken
by Jim Hill of jimhillmedia.com
last week.

Mark gave an overview of some of the new features described in the patent,
including the ability for you to:

  • Set up all of your Fastpass tickets for the next day
    from the comfort of your hotel room;
  • Get your next Fastpass from the other side of the park
    via mobile phone or other wireless device;
  • Get a reminder message on your phone 15 minutes before
    your Fastpass window opens;
  • Trade in your Fastpass for a different attraction completely
    if you change your mind about riding; and
  • Have your mobile phone or wireless device tracked as you move around the
    park and make recommendations to you regarding your alternatives if the attraction
    that you have a Fastpass for breaks down.

After Monday’s Park Update was published, Mark received an email from Todd
Swanson, a former employee of two different major U.S. cell carriers, who
noted that it’s not really possible to determine precise locations using cell
phone tracking, partly due to the technology and partly due to FCC regulations
and privacy laws. He suggested that Disney might instead give a guest a GPS
unit or other proprietary device to track them with.

Mark noted that he thought that Disney might try to track people fairly closely
using their cell phones by using other related technology with cell phones
(iR, Bluetooth, etc.) to track people’s movements, similar to what it could
do with Pal Mickeys and other devices. It’s possible that Disney will also
give people PDAs (most likely iPAQs through their HP partnership, or maybe
devices similar to the handheld closed-captioning devices that they’ve rolled
out) to carry around the parks with them.

Mike noted that people who register with a certain service and walk around
the Mall of America can have special offers sent to their cell phones via
Bluetooth as they walk past participating stores.

Another interesting features would be the ability for Disney to send you
related promotional information or discount coupons related to the attraction
that you’ve got a Fastpass for.

The feature that has generated the most outcry on the discussion forums across
the Internet, though, is the ability for Disney to create a hierarchy of priority
and functionality based on several different types of segmentation. For example,
Disney has indentified several methods of segmentation in the patent application.
The spending per guest at hotels, those staying at Disney resorts than other
resorts and seasonal differences can be factored.

Mark noted that the text in some of the diagrams make it seem as if the first
implementation of the new features might be at the Tokyo Disney Resort. (Diagrams
use the Indiana Jones Adventure and Journey to the Center of the Earth attractions
as examples.) This doesn’t surprise Mark, since advanced cell phone features
are still much more popular in Japan that in the United States.

Some quotes from the patent application:

  • “For example, in one embodiment a person who is planning a vacation
    or trip to the entertainment venue is sent notification that they can reserve
    access to attractions ahead of their visit. The person uses a computer that
    is connected to the Internet to visit a website in order to make a request
    for a priority reservation in accordance with the present disclosure. In another
    embodiment, the entertainment venue may offer a service to hotels or other
    surrounding venues whereby a person may make priority requests prior to their
    visit to the entertainment venue. For example, a person would use the television
    and remote control in their hotel room to make reservations for one or more
    attractions the day before their visit to the venue. In the preferred implementation
    there already needs to be a valid pass or ticket for the entertainment venue
    prior to being able to purchase or obtain the reservation for the attraction.
    Preferably there can be a validation of the pass or ticket by the computer
    system before issuing the reservation.” [Related Application #0023]
  • “There is a next determined whether the resort has rooms with a digital
    TV (“DTV”) in the room. If yes, the guest is directed to use the DTV in their
    room of occupancy. This availability to use Fastpass can be provided on the
    night before or the day of the park visit. If the guest has already made a
    schedule, then the guest is asked whether or not they want to start over and
    add to their schedule. The guest can then be asked a series of questions related
    to Fastpass. If the guest does not have a schedule, then the guest is asked
    a series of different questions. These can relate to which park is being attended
    and what time they intend to arrive at the park. The guest then chooses the
    appropriate Fastpass tickets that are desired. Having effected that, the return
    time window is displayed based on a distribution algorithm around the attendance
    and historical demand profiles. The guest can be given a time slot to use
    the Fastpass and different rules can be applied to Fastpass allocation as
    required. If the guest is satisfied with the return time, the guest is given
    the option of choosing whether the attraction is for all guests or for selected
    guests in the party. The Fastpass ticket would then be stored in the system
    and can later be activated by each guest’s KTTW (“Key To The World” card or
    pass is a trademark of Disney Enterprises, Inc). The guest can be asked whether
    another Fastpass is required at the current park on the same day for other
    attractions and different numbers of tickets can be issued. The guest can
    be provided with on-screen confirmation for each member of the party. Return
    time windows and height restrictions can be made available to the guest so
    that the guest has full information necessary to enable them to be informed
    and make appropriate decisions on whether or not to accept this schedule.
    Ultimately, the guest can receive a final on-screen confirmation and be directed
    to any Fastpass location in the park to receive the multiple Fastpasses.”
    [Related Applications #0103-0108]

Mike talked about the schemes that Universal uses to segmenting the usage
of their Express Pass.

Some description of the hierarchical segmentation from the Disney patent
application [Related Applications #0143-0165]:

  • Segmentation
  • Different hierarchal models can be established for the
    ability and right to obtain and use the Fastpass according to different
    priorities.
    • 1. Guest
      • a. Spending per guest at hotels can determine different
        hierarchies of access to Fastpass. Thus, the more that is spent by
        a patron, the higher the priority can be for Fastpass.
      • b. Hotel accommodation in related resorts and environments
        associated with the entertainment center are allocated different priorities.
        Where a patron is in a related hotel, a higher priority can be given.
      • c. Different levels and hierarchies can be applicable
        at different hotels. Thus, more luxurious hotels can have higher priorities.
    • 2. Seasonal differences can be factored into the grant
      of different privileges. Accordingly, special promotions for Fastpass
      can be provided according to the season.
  • Guest Value Features
  • By providing remote access at different early times,
    there can be different advantages and benefits.
  • 1. Early Fastpass Access
    • a. There is the ability to offer guests early access
      to Fastpass via their in-room TV, (DTV or hotel kiosk), to select the
      attractions for a Fastpass is required.
      • i. The ability to access this access may be variable,
        such as the night before, day of prior to entertainment park open,
        and day of after park opens.
    • b. Pre-Arrival
      • i. The Fastpass may be obtainable via the WEB
        from a remote location such as a home computer
        • I. The Fastpass may be supplied as printed
          paper tickets
        • II. the Fastpass may be supplied electronically
          and wirelessly through a download to a PDA or cellular telephone
  • 2. Multiple Fastpass accesses for Resort guests is possible
    • a. Each Guest per room is able to select same or
      separate Fastpass as others in the room. As each attraction is selected
      Guest can select which Guests want that selection.
    • b. The ability to offer different numbers (i.e. more
      than 3, could be variable) of Fastpass based on segmentation.
  • 3. There is the ability to offer premium return times
    based on segmentation.
  • 4. There is the ability to let segmented guests have
    first chance to certain inventory.
  • 5. There is the ability to allow guests with parkhopper
    entitlements to choose a Fastpass for a second park on the same day.
  • 6. There is the ability to issue a concurrent Fastpass
    for the day guest (with long virtual waits).

Mike suggested that Disney might try to use segmentation to provide benefits
for frequent guests to Walt Disney World (“Worldphiles” in Disney
marketing-speak). They’ve been trying to come up with ways to extend extra
benefits to regular visitors for a while, and this might be one way to do
it.

Mark suggested that they might use the “premium return times” feature
to allow Annual Passholders to get premium access to attractions shortly after
they open, or people on special packages to get exclusive access during certain
times of day. According to the application Disney could also use the system
to allocate access to dining and show reservations, which could allow them
to limit dining at premium time slots to certain groups of people.

Mike wondered whether this could make getting a Fastpass even more complicated.
Mark noted that some posters on our MousePad discussion forums have noted
that this could make it easier for people to get Fastpasses because there
can be plenty of on-screen help and people wouldn’t be backing up the line
at the Fastpass machines while they figure out what they’re doing.

Mike was concerned that the need to plan all Fastpasses in advance could
make planning a Walt Disney World vacation even more complicated than ever,
with Fastpasses joining Advance Dining Reservations in having a crush with
people grabbing all available slots as soon as they become available and those
who go to the park without having made all of their plans in advance will
be left out in the cold as nothing will be left available.

Mark noted that the learning curve for planning a Disney vacation has been
getting steeper, and this will just help that trend continue. It was noted
that it would be good for guidebooks and trip planning sites.

Mike noted that he wanted online dining reservations before advance Fastpasses.
Mark pointed out that this is being piloted at the Contemporary Resort right
now, and if the pilot is successful, it could be rolled out to everyone via
the Internet once the proper back-end infrastructure is built.

Mark is torn over whether or not this is a good thing. The increasing focus
on the need to plan everything in advance is causing the spontaneity of a
theme park visit to die a horrible death. For those who need to have everything
planned out in advance and follow set touring plans, this will be a big help.
For those who enjoy having spontaneous adventures and wandering the park and
making decisions on the same day, it could mean the end of all choice.

Mike envisioned Disney geeks sitting by their computers and phones as reservation
windows open, making their Fastpass reservations and trying to get through
to the Dining reservation line (for that Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation)
simultaneously.

Mark also pointed out that “A goal of this disclosure is to improve
the desired functionality needed to derive increased guest satisfaction, additional
revenue opportunities and resort differentiation.” [Related Application
#0036] and discussed all of the possible implications of that goal.

Mike thinks that Disney will use the promotional messages to help to push
whichever merchandise is not selling well or which dining location has available
capacity.

Mark noted that the various options would decrease the number of no-shows
and optimize the throughput of the attraction.

Mark explained that, while it’s too late to keep Disney simple, it’s now
a question of how complicated can it get. He noted that the new system could
make things easier for those who can plan ahead, and that it will increase
Disney’s flexibility to handle attraction breakdowns.

So now the question becomes “Will Disney implement any of the ideas
in this patent, and if so, how?”

Mike and Mark also noted the number of typos, errors and inconsistencies
in the patent application, which seemed a bit sloppy for a company like Disney.

Mark tried to figure out how Disney would use the tracking feature, which
is described [Related Application #0255] as:

Other examples of the use of the disclosure include the
ability to have a patron’s or user’s cellular telephone or wireless device
be tracked as that person moves around the facility, or defined area. For
instance, this provides for locating guests or patrons and for the central
facility computer to track the location of guests and patrons, and make recommendations
as necessary to those persons. In an entertainment environment, when a particular
attraction is non-functional for instance as a priority system or at all,
the recommendations can suggest alternative attractions or activities to the
patrons. Such alternatives can be accepted on a priority basis in lieu of
the unavailable priority services for the non-available attraction.”

So what do you think about this new patent? Do you think that Disney is likely
to implement any of these features in the near future? Do you think that they
would be beneficial features, or would it make things even harder? Let us
know by sending an email or calling our
toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278) and let us know what your favorites
are!

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