Electronic delivery of admission tickets direct to a purchaser

Abstract

Electronic delivery of counterfeit-resistant documents exchangeable for value such as admission tickets, gift certificates, coupons, vouchers, etc. directly to the person who ordered the documents over an open communications network such at the Internet. A first party orders a document exchangeable for value from a second party, and the second party electronically delivers the ordered document, which is counterfeit resistant, to the first party at a location designated by the first party. Electronic delivery comprises the second party providing electronic information to the first party's equipment via the network from which the first party's equipment can produce a hard, counterfeit-resistant copy of the ordered document. For example, the document may be electronically ordered using a PC, and electronic information defining at least part of the document provided to the PC, from which equipment coupled to the PC can produce the hard copy of the document. For example, a printer coupled to the PC may print the document. Alternatively, the electronic information may be provided to a fax machine designated by the ordering party. Still further, the document may be ordered by telephone and electronically delivered to a PC or fax machine designated by the ordering party. The document may be made counterfeit resistant by assigning unique information to each document of a given type, e.g., admission tickets for a given activity or event or date, and checking the uniqueness of a document prior to allowing it to be exchanged for value.

1 . A method for first party users of an open communications network to obtain counterfeit resistant documents from at least one supplier of the documents over the open communications network, the at least one supplier having a device coupled to the network and each user having a device by which the user can communicate with the at least one supplier's device over the communications network, comprising: 
 a user using a user device ordering a document from the at least one supplier's device over the open communications network;    assigning unique information to the document prior to, during or after ordering thereof;    electronically transmitting from the at least one supplier's device at least information relating to the document and the unique information to a device designated by the user who ordered the document and from which, directly or indirectly, printing transmitted information can be effected on a medium; and    printing on the medium at least the information relating to the document and, in a machine readable form, the unique information, the printed medium constituting the ordered document.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the document is an admission ticket, and wherein the step of electronically transmitting information relating to the document comprises transmitting information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and wherein the printing step comprises printing such information on the medium.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the document is a gift certificate, and wherein the step of electronically transmitting information relating to the document comprises transmitting information relating to the amount of the gift certificate and the name of an establishment at which the gift certificate can be redeemed, and wherein the printing step comprises printing such information on the medium.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the network is the Internet, the user device is a PC and the supplier device is a server.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the document is an admission ticket, and wherein the step of electronically transmitting information relating to the document comprises transmitting information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and wherein the printing step comprises printing such information on the medium.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the document is a gift certificate, and wherein the step of electronically transmitting information relating to the document comprises transmitting information relating to the amount of the gift certificate and the name of an establishment at which the gift certificate can be redeemed, and wherein the printing step comprises printing such information on the medium.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the ordering, assigning, transmitting and printing steps are effected without any requirement for a prior or existing relationship between the user and the supplier except, if appropriate, a relationship by which the user pays the supplier for the document.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the user has a credit card and including the step of the supplier charging the user's credit card for the ordered document.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user device comprises a telephone and the ordering step includes use of a keypad on the telephone to order the document.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the information to a fax machine designated by the user, and the printing step comprises the fax machine printing on the medium.  
     
     
         11 . A method for first party users of the Internet to obtain counterfeit resistant admission tickets from at least one supplier of the tickets over the Internet, the at least one supplier having a device coupled to the Internet and each user having a device by which the user can communicate with the at least one supplier's device over the Internet, comprising: 
 a user using a user device ordering a ticket from the at least one supplier's device over the Internet;    assigning unique information to the ticket prior to, during or after ordering thereof;    electronically transmitting from the at least one supplier's device at least information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and the unique information to a device designated by the user who ordered the ticket and from which, directly or indirectly, printing transmitted information can be effected on a medium; and    printing such information on the medium, with at least the unique information being printed in a machine readable form, the printed medium constituting the ordered ticket.    
     
     
         12 . The method of claim  111  wherein each user also has a printer coupled to the user device by which the user can print information transmitted from the at least one supplier's device over the Internet, and wherein the printing step comprises the user's printer printing on the medium.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the ordering, assigning, transmitting and printing steps are effected without any requirement for a prior or existing relationship between the user and the supplier except, if appropriate, a relationship by which the user pays the supplier for the ordered ticket.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the user has a credit card and including the step of the supplier charging the user's credit card for the ordered ticket.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the transmitting step comprises transmitting the information to a fax machine designated by the user, and the printing step comprises the fax machine printing on the medium.  
     
     
         16 . A method for first party users of the Internet to obtain counterfeit resistant admission tickets from at least one supplier of the tickets over the Internet, the at least one supplier having a server coupled to the Internet and each user having a PC by which the user can communicate with the at least one supplier's device over the Internet and a printer coupled to the user PC, comprising: 
 a user using a user PC ordering a ticket from the at least one supplier's server over the Internet;    assigning unique information to the ticket prior to, during or after ordering thereof;    electronically transmitting from the at least one supplier's server at least information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and the unique information to the PC of the user who ordered the ticket; and    the user's printer printing such information on a medium, with at least the unique information being printed in a machine readable form, the printed medium constituting the ordered ticket.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the ordering, assigning, transmitting and printing steps are effected without any requirement for a prior or existing relationship between the user and the supplier except, if appropriate, a relationship by which the user pays the supplier for the ordered ticket.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the user has a credit card and including the step of the supplier charging the user's credit card for the ordered ticket.  
     
     
         19 . A system for first party users of an open communications network to obtain counterfeit resistant documents from at least one supplier of the documents over the open communications network, comprising: 
 a plurality of supplier devices coupled to the network;    a plurality of user devices coupled to the network by which a user can communicate with a selected supplier's device over the network, each user also having a printer by which the user can print information received over the network from the at least one supplier's device;    the supplier device being programmed to provide unique information to a document ordered by a user prior to, during or after ordering thereof and to electronically transmit over the network at least information relating to the document and the unique information to a device designated by the user who ordered the document in a form suitable to be printed on a medium, the user device directly or indirectly effecting printing of the document.    
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the document is an admission ticket, and wherein the supplier's device is programmed to transmit information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and wherein the user device is capable of effecting printing of such information on the medium.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the document is a gift certificate, and wherein the supplier's device is programmed to transmit information relating to the amount of the gift certificate and the name of an establishment at which the gift certificate can be redeemed, and wherein the user device is capable of effecting printing of such information on the medium.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the network is the Internet, the user device is a PC, the supplier device is a server and comprising a user printed coupled to the PC which prints on the medium under control of the PC.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the document is an admission ticket, and wherein the supplier's device is programmed to transmit information relating to at least one of the event or activity to which the ticket provides admission, the date of the event or activity, the venue for the event or activity and seat information, and wherein the user device is capable of effecting printing of such information on the medium.  
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the document is a gift certificate, and wherein the supplier's device is programmed to transmit information relating to the amount of the gift certificate and the name of an establishment at which the gift certificate can be redeemed, and wherein the user device is capable of effecting printing of such information on the certificate.  
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the user device comprises a telephone and the supplier device comprises interactive telephone voice equipment.  
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 19  comprising a user fax machine which effects printing on the medium, the supplier device transmitting the information to the user fax machine.