System and method for managing and interacting with patrons at an activity venue

Abstract

A technologically improved system and corresponding method of operation tracks and manages activities and tasks occurring at an activity venue. In particular, the system operates to track locations and leverage collected information and data to provide operators and patrons with information necessary to optimally maintain the venue around the patrons without interruption to the patrons and thereby improve the maintenance of the activity venue and the experience of the patrons at the activity venue.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for managing maintenance tasks within an activity venue, the system comprising:
 one or more maintenance staff operator devices associated with maintenance staff individuals, each device comprising:
 a location sensor configured to provide real-time location and time data indicating the location of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices at different points in time within the activity venue; 
 a wireless communication device for communication with the system, the communication comprising transmitting the real-time location and time data from the one or more maintenance staff operator devices to the system, enabling the system to establish a real-time location of each of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices within the activity venue; 
   one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags comprising a wireless communication device for communication with the system and providing real-time location and time data from a location sensor for the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags; and   a computing device in communication with the system, the computing device comprising a management tool that tracks maintenance being performed within the activity venue using sensor devices, the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags and the one or more maintenance staff operator devices;   wherein the computing device and the management tool receive data, analyze maintenance task data, and send instructions to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices for maintenance task location, timing, and target completion.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool tracks maintenance tasks and assigns or dispatches maintenance tasks using instructions to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices based on analytics derived from one or more of maintenance staff operator devices, patron sensor devices, sensor devices, venue asset devices or venue asset tags, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool:
 assigns, using the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, a set of operators to perform a set of maintenance tasks in a schedule of maintenance tasks,   assigns one or more maintenance vehicles or maintenance equipment to the set of operators and each maintenance task of the set of maintenance tasks;   manages the schedule of maintenance tasks by receiving requested maintenance tasks, scheduling requested maintenance tasks received, tracking requested maintenance tasks being performed, and receiving updates from the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, tracking locations of maintenance equipment; and   updates the schedule of maintenance tasks corresponding to completed maintenance tasks.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device:
 optimizes a schedule of maintenance tasks for a set of operators, or for a maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment, wherein optimization reduces one or more of duration of operation, overall completion time, operator completion time, task completion time, maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment duration of operation, distance traveled, travel time between tasks, time idle comprising dwell time while indicating a maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment is not being operated, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the computing device optimizes the schedule of maintenance tasks for the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment by tracking maintenance staff operators performing the maintenance tasks, scheduled to perform the maintenance tasks, and/or idle maintenance staff operators unassigned to any tasks;
 adjusting or re-assigning, using the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, the set of operators to perform the set of maintenance tasks using the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment; and   sending updated instructions to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices for maintenance task location, timing, and target completion using one or more assigned maintenance vehicles or maintenance equipment.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags are attached to or integrated into a maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment and configured to detect vibration of the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment during operation and transmit a duration of operation to the computing device; and   detected vibration can be used to determine how many hours the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment has been running, and one or more venue asset devices, venue asset tags, sensor devices, and/or operator devices transmit a signal with a duration of operation once operation of the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment has stopped, indicating an amount of time that the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment has been running.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags include accelerometers to detect vibration during vehicle operation, and transmit a signal periodically indicating that the maintenance vehicle or maintenance equipment is being operated. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the computing device optimizes a maintenance schedule for the maintenance vehicle based on the duration of operation or comparing progress in a given activity or sub-activity against a benchmark indicating on schedule or behind schedule for a maintenance task, wherein running time of the maintenance vehicle, and other collected data, are used by the management tool to project maintenance schedules and recommend an optimal time to perform maintenance to the maintenance vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device:
 aggregates location and time data associated with the one or more maintenance staff operator devices and/or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags or use with aggregated patron, staff, and operator location and time data;   updates historic maintenance data by storing aggregated patron, staff, and operator location and time data in the historic maintenance based on task parameters; and   stores, using a database or data storage device, updated historic maintenance data.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the management tool assigns, using the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, a set of operators to perform a set of maintenance tasks in a schedule of maintenance tasks using one or more maintenance vehicles or maintenance equipment, based on:
 a current location of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices and/or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags;   an estimated time of completion computed for an assignable operator, assignable vehicle or equipment, a location of a maintenance task, and location conditions derived from the updated historic maintenance data.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the management tool assigns the set of operators to perform the set of maintenance tasks in the schedule of maintenance tasks using the one or more maintenance vehicles or maintenance equipment based on an identified gap in which to perform maintenance activities with a time interval larger than a duration between an estimated start time and the estimated time of completion computed for assigned operator, assigned vehicle or equipment, assigned location, and location conditions derived from the updated historic maintenance data. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool:
 prioritizes or redistributes tasks based on one or more of live traffic control, traffic prediction, maintenance instructions, and proactive instructions, based on maintenance tasks being performed or scheduled to be performed, identifying bottleneck issues before they occur using analytics, re-optimizes accordingly, and   issues additional proactive instructions to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices and/or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the management tool forecasts future paces, wait times, identified gaps, and bottleneck issues and incorporates such data into the analytics. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the analytics further comprise determined pace of play and locations of patrons throughout the activity venue, to identify locations of gaps throughout the activity venue and calculate a duration of time the gaps will remain until a patron occupies each of the locations, and predict a future flow of traffic to identify potential trouble spots, to assign the one or more maintenance staff operator devices of maintenance staff operators to perform maintenance tasks during the gaps. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool maintains a web application publishing a schedule of maintenance tasks, updates, and instructions accessible to any combination of one or more of staff members, maintenance staff operators, and patrons at the activity venue unassigned to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags is in local communication with at least one of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices without use of an intermediary device, and the computing device receives live data from the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, wherein historical data is used in conjunction with the live data to create metrics and measurements for analytics comprising a distance between the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags and at least one of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices and a typical duration to perform a particular form of maintenance. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags each comprise a motion sensor, and when the motion sensor does not detect motion for a predefined period of time, the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags enter a low power state, and upon a detection of motion, the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags are woken from the low power state and transmits corresponding data to the computing device. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more maintenance staff operator devices each comprise a motion sensor, and when the motion sensor does not detect motion for a predefined period of time, the one or more maintenance staff operator devices enter a low power state, and upon a detection of motion are woken from the low power state and transmits corresponding data to the computing device. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein when a maintenance staff operator inputs into the one or more maintenance staff operator devices that a maintenance task is complete, the one or more maintenance staff operator devices sends completion data to the management tool and the management tool records the maintenance task as completed and updates a schedule of maintenance tasks, then identifies a next maintenance task to perform. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein prior to recording the maintenance task as completed, the management tool cross-references the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags assigned to the maintenance task and any corresponding sensor devices or patron sensor devices with one or more of tracked locations of maintenance staff operating devices, locations of maintenance vehicles, locations of maintenance equipment, or aggregate data related to location and times comprising timestamps or clock times, verifying whether the maintenance task was completed, wherein the management tool provides feedback to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each venue asset device of the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags comprises a microcontroller, a transceiver with antenna, a global positioning system locator, a battery power source, a light emitting diode, and a display, and each venue asset device is configured to gather location data for each venue asset device and transmit the location data to the computing device, including a timestamp and identifier data associated with each venue asset device. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device:
 receives real-time location and time data for each of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices and the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, and   transforms the real-time location and time data into predictive data:
 estimating completion times for a set of maintenance tasks based on one or more of historical tracked activity, venue data, location condition data, or weather data, 
 identifying gaps in usage of a plurality of activities or sub-activities based on the location and time data for each of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices or one or more patron sensor devices, and 
   wherein the computing device receives, monitors, and stores locations and timestamps for each of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, and/or one or more patron sensor devices and one or more sensor devices throughout the activity venue and associates the locations and timestamps with the identifiers associated with each respective device.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system identifies predictive gaps in locations at the activity venue where maintenance is required and issues notifications to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, recommending types of maintenance tasks to be performed during the predictive gaps. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system issues notifications to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags based on a percentage completed of a currently assigned maintenance task associated with the one or more maintenance staff operator devices or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system issues notifications to the one or more maintenance staff operator devices or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags based on an impending arrival of one or more patron sensor devices, or one or more maintenance staff operator devices or one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system reschedules and re-assigns uncompleted tasks of scheduled maintenance tasks when a task completion notification is not received within a scheduled duration for the uncompleted tasks. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system identifies bottleneck issues and re-assigns, using proactive instructions one or more maintenance staff operator devices, or one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags to resolve the bottleneck issues, and tracks maintenance and re-optimizes accordingly. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a wireless gateway corresponding to the computing device and the wireless communication device communicate over any combination of communication mediums comprising one or more of a long range wide area network (LoRa) gateway, Wi-Fi, M1 cellular, 5G cellular, or radio frequency communication protocols for transmission by a transceiver to the computing device. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system identifies:
 gaps or underutilized areas of the activity venue that can further be utilized for venue maintenance;   duration of the gaps between scheduled tasks, activities, sub-activities or patrons and tagged for particular types of maintenance   predictive gaps in usage of each sub-activity based on location data for each of a plurality of patron sensor devices;   calculated distance between the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags and at least one patron sensor device without use of an intermediary device; and   optimal locations and durations of time for periodic maintenance of sub-activities within the activity venue.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system, using the computing device and management tool,
 recommends particular types of maintenance to be performed within identified gaps,   schedules maintenance to be performed, start times, and points of entry,   based on data aggregated from throughout the activity venue including any combination of live location and time data, historic data, weather data, tracked grass length, projected paces, and live traffic;   wherein the system issues notifications of recommended points of access for sub-activities at future times having identified predictive gaps in usage in such a way that maximizes a number of a plurality of patrons engaging in each sub-activity of a plurality of sub-activities and minimizes a number of the plurality of patrons waiting to engage in usage of each sub-activity due to the sub-activity being utilized by other of the plurality of patrons; and   wherein instructions or notifications related to dispatch to a particular location within the activity venue are transmitted to one of the one or more maintenance staff operator devices or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system
 computes analytics to assess resources, anticipate maintenance, send notifications, anticipate failures of equipment, performs maintenance,   provides information to at least an operator of the activity venue related to at least one of: sub-activity time management, maintenance staff operator matching, live traffic control, statistics related to tracked movements of a plurality of patrons, predictive analytics of the plurality of patrons, layout of the activity venue, pace of play for sub-activities, sub-activity start times, sub-activity completion times, statistics, weather data and maintenance of the activity venue.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein scheduled tasks comprise particular types of maintenance including one or more of watering, grass cutting, raking bunkers, and repairs. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a computing device records, stores and provides information related to at least one of: sub-activity time management, live traffic control, statistics related to tracked movements of a plurality of patrons, predictive analytics of the plurality of patrons, layout of the activity venue, and maintenance of the activity venue to at least an operator of the activity venue. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more venue asset tags are attached to or integrated into sprinkler heads, and are configured to monitor an operating state of the sprinkler heads and turn on and off the sprinkler heads in response to receiving instructions from the computing device. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the activity venue is a golf course, a plurality of sub-activities are holes on the golf course, and a plurality of patrons are golfers on the golf course. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the one or more venue asset tags are attachable to, or integrated into, at least one of a flag stick, a golf cart, a piece of maintenance equipment, a maintenance vehicle, a yardage marker, sprinkler heads, and a sign.   
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more maintenance staff operator devices, the one or more venue asset devices, or one or more patron sensor devices each comprise an electronic ink (e-Ink) display, the e-Ink display configured to display a distance to another one of the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, one or more patron sensor devices, or one or more sensor devices.