System and method for managing operations at an activity venue

Abstract

A technologically improved system and corresponding method of operation tracks and manages activities occurring at an activity venue. The system operates to track locations and pace of play or participation of the patrons at the activity venue and through various improved technological processes and interactions enabled by the unique hardware of the system, to provide the patrons with feedback to manage their locations for an improved participation experience. The system leverages collected information and data to enable live traffic control of the patrons, provide predictive analytics related to gameplay and flow of traffic, and provide operators and patrons with information necessary to maximize a pace of play while optimally maintaining the venue around the patrons without interruption to the patrons and thereby improve the experience of the patrons at the activity venue.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for tracking movement and managing activity of a plurality of patrons of an activity venue, the activity venue including a plurality of sub-activities in which patrons participate, the system comprising:
 points of entry, recognized by the system, for each sub-activity of the plurality of sub-activities for the plurality of patrons to embark on the sub-activity;   a wireless gateway;   one or more patron sensor devices for disposition and transportation throughout the activity venue by the plurality of patrons, each of the one or more patron sensor devices comprising:
 a location sensor configured to provide real-time location data and time data indicating a location of the one or more patron sensor devices at different points in time within the activity venue; 
 and a wireless communication device in communication with the wireless gateway of the system, the communication comprising transmitting the real-time location data and time data from the one or more patron sensor devices to the wireless gateway, enabling the system to establish a real-time location of each of the one or more patron sensor devices within the activity venue; 
   a computing device in communication with the wireless gateway of the system, the computing device executing a tracking tool that receives the real-time location data for each of the one or more patron sensor devices via the wireless gateway and transforms the real-time location data into predictive data indicating anticipated locations of each of the one or more patron sensor devices within the activity venue at future times;   wherein the system identifies underutilized sub-activity areas of the activity venue and correspondingly identifies the points of entry for each underutilized sub-activity area;   wherein the system directs one or more patrons to identified points of entry for each underutilized sub-activity area via a communication to the one or more patron sensor devices.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags configured to communicate with the wireless gateway and provide real-time location and time data for the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , 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 real-time location data to the computing device, including a timestamp and identifier data associated with each venue asset device. 
     
     
         4 . 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. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a computing device records, stores and provides information related to at least one of: sub-activity time management, participant 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, and maintenance of the activity venue to at least an operator of the activity venue. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a cloud-based computing device infrastructure. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 two or more virtual cages designated for each sub-activity of the activity venue, the two or more cages defined by geolocation boundaries;   the wireless gateway configured to receive location data from the one or more patron sensor devices;   a tracking tool configured to track movements of each of the one or more patron sensor devices over a period of time based on received location data; a management tool configured to:   identify when one of the one or more patron sensor devices crosses into an area defined by one of the geolocation boundaries for one of the two or more cages based on data aggregate received location data and tracked movements to determine instructions to optimize traffic patterns and reduce playtimes of patrons of the activity venue;
 record a clock time for a crossing into an area and an identifier of the one of the one or more patron sensor devices; 
 determine a pace of play for a patron carrying the one of the one or more patron sensor devices based on the recorded clock time; and 
 transmit instructions to the one or more patron sensor devices and/or an operator to implement optimized traffic patterns and reduce playtimes based on the determined pace of play. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the recorded clock time is recorded each time a patron enters and exits each of the two or more virtual cages on a golf course. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein arcs covering predefined areas and/or boundaries, comprising a predetermined distance radius from a point of interest, define locations for the two or more virtual cages further defined by geolocation boundaries setup using unlinked sensor devices, comprising one or more venue asset devices or one or more venue asset tags, each configured to communicate with a wireless gateway and provide real-time location data for the one or more venue asset devices or one or more venue asset tags that are unassociated with any patron devices;
 wherein virtual cages and/or arcs are utilized in combination to gather data for the system to track and record events and derive metrics related to virtual cages and arcs, tracked events including when a patron or group of patrons enters, crosses or exits a boundary defined by one or more of the two or more virtual cages and/or arcs and where and when a patron or group of patrons is located in relation to other patrons;   wherein the computing device analyzes collected location data, time data, and other information and then provides information related to at least one of: pace of play for the each sub-activities, sub-activity start times, statistics, instructions and/or feedback information and weather to one or more patrons of the one or more patron sensor devices, the unlinked sensor devices, or one or more operator devices, within the activity venue, wherein crossing of a boundary of an arc or a virtual cage of the two or more virtual cages is tracked by recording a location of a patron or group of patrons at a particular point in time by periodically pinging a linked patron sensor device, where after each ping, the system determines whether the patron or group of patrons are located within or outside that virtual cage or arc and records location and a clock time when a patron or group of patrons first identified as being located in that virtual cage and/or arc and a clock time when that patron or group of patrons leaves that virtual cage and/or arc after recording a ping inside that virtual cage and/or arc.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising one or more venue asset tags configured to communicate with the wireless gateway and provide real-time location data for the one or more venue asset tags the computing device executing the tracking tool is configured to determine that one or more patron sensor devices have been linked in a group, and the system tracks how long a group of patrons spends in a particular virtual cage and/or arc and derives a dwell time wherein the system stores a first crossing reading as a minimum crossing time and then a subsequent crossing time is stored as a maximum crossing time with each new crossing time replacing previously stored maximum crossing times, then the system subtracts a minimum crossing time from a maximum crossing time to derive the dwell time as L(i,k,j,n)=Pmax(i,k,j,n)−Pmin(i,k,j,n), where i is a group number, k is a partron number in group i, j is a hole number, n is a virtual cage number on the hole j, L(i,k,j,n) is the dwell time at virtual cage n on hole j for group i, Pmax(i,k,j,n) is a final crossing clock time for patron k in group i, on hole j for exiting virtual cage n, and Pmin(i,k,j,n) is the first crossing clock time for patron k in group i, on hole j for entering virtual cage n. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the pace of play of the patron is calculated by determining a difference of recorded clock times for each patron throughout a golf course. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the pace of play of the patron is determined in accordance with:
     TT ( i,j )= T ( i,j )− WW ( i,j )
   where i is a group number,   j is a hole number,   n is a cage number,   TT(i,j) is a play time minus a wait time to play hole j by group i,   T(i,j) is an actual time duration group i took to play hole j, and   WW(i,j) is a total wait time for group i on hole j for all cages on hole j.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein locations of patrons are tracked through identification of recorded clock times and a statistical regression analysis is performed on recorded clock times for patrons crossing geolocation boundaries of the two or more virtual cages to calculate a patron pace rating for each of the patrons based on pace of play for each patron associated with the one or more patron sensor devices. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the management tool determines a relative pace of play of a patron in completing one or more sub-activities, incrementing a success level by one when the patron is ahead of relative pace on a particular sub-activity or decrementing a success level by one when the patron is behind the relative pace on the particular sub-activity, wherein upon completion of a group of particular sub-activities a score is tallied and displayed to the patron that reflects the success level for an expected period of time, and wherein the patron is prevented from the decrementing of a success level value when the reduced pace of the patron is caused by slow pace of other patrons ahead of the patron. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the system calculates a deviation value, written as D(−1,j), for any deviation from a schedule or deviation value by taking a difference between patron or group standard play times and a hole milestone and/or a hole-by-hole schedule. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the system detects, using sensors whether there are other devices, carried by other patrons, immediately ahead of a particular patron sensor device or located in a next adjacent cage or arc from the particular patron sensor device, and when there are, the system instructs the particular patron sensor device to wait for other patrons to exit an area immediately ahead or the next cage or arc, and the system initiates relative pace analysis at the particular patron sensor device, wherein the relative pace analysis comprises an adjusted patron or group pace comprising wait time, to be displayed to the particular patron or group thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the system utilizes a deviation value to determine whether a patron or group is being impeded by other patrons or groups, wherein a deviation value identifies a time difference for a group ahead for hole j, being a hole that group i just finished, such that when the deviation value is negative or zero, group i has not been impeded by a group ahead, and when the deviation value is positive, group i has been impeded and the system labels a particular patron or group as impeded. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein when the system does not detect other devices immediately ahead of a particular patron sensor device or located in a next adjacent cage or arc, then the system instructs the particular patron sensor device to make forward progress, and thereafter, any time the patron or group takes to complete a hole without any other devices immediately ahead or in a next adjacent cage or arc is charged to the particular patron sensor device as impeding other patrons. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein system calculations include a margin of acceptance such that when D(i,j) is less than one minute, group i is still considered, by the system, to be on schedule. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the system calculations are be performed using patron or group adjusted play times in place of the patron or group standard play times to account for impeded wait times caused by other patrons and the system combines metrics related to on-schedule, on-pace, impeded, and impeding to provide instructions, relative pace of play information, and pace of play ratings to the one or more patron sensor devices. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the geolocation boundaries for the two or more virtual cages are positioned around a tee off area and a green area on each hole of a golf course. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the geolocation boundaries for the two or more virtual cages are positioned around at least one fairway area on at least one hole of a golf course. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the geolocation boundaries for the two or more virtual cages are positioned at designated areas other than a tee off area, a green area, and at least one fairway area. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 7 , further comprising at least two virtual arcs designated on each hole of a golf course. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein at least two virtual arcs designate a position of geolocation boundaries for virtual cages on a fairway of a hole on a golf course, and wherein the position is identified by points in which two of the at least two virtual arcs overlap. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein instructions are transmitted to the one of the one or more patron sensor devices and are related to the patron being on pace or behind pace. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more patron sensor devices each comprise a light-emitting diode (LED), the LED configured to change color based on an actual pace of a patron carrying the one or more patron sensor devices relative to another patron or group of patrons carrying one or more patron sensor devices ahead of the patron and a target pace for the patron. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more patron sensor devices each comprise an electronic ink (e-Ink) display, the e-Ink display configured to display instructions and/or a distance to another one of one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, one or more patron sensor devices, or one or more sensor devices. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device provides information related to at least one of: pace of play for each of the sub-activities, sub-activity start times, statistics including statistics for a golf course and individual holes, and weather to the plurality of patrons of the one or more patron sensor devices within the activity venue. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool instructs patrons participating in a particular sub-activity, via one or more devices, that said patrons will have to skip a subsequent sub-activity if their pace does not improve. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the management tool assigns golfers together in groups of golfers that share similar historical pace of play times based on compatible availability and historical pace of play. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the real-time locations of patrons on a golf course are utilized by the system for real-time adjustment of a tee time based on current throughput, wherein spacing between start times is increased or decreased according to a level of congestion, wherein a management tool tracks historical usage patterns and predictive analytics to determine optimal tee times for golfers, wherein a smaller start time gap between golfers is provided for golfers with efficient pace of plays than for golfers with slower pace of play times. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system performs various analytics comprising determined pace of play to calculate metrics based on location data and time data of patrons throughout the activity venue, to assign the one or more patron sensor devices to perform sub-activities during identified and/or predicted gaps at the activity venue. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein historical data is used in conjunction with the live data to create metrics and measurements for analytics wherein a management tool:
 receives, monitors, aggregates. and stores locations and timestamps for real-time location data and time data from each of the one or more patron sensor devices and one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags throughout the activity venue and associates the locations and timestamps with the identifiers associated with each respective device;   uses the real-time location data and time data to identify and/or predict gaps in usage of each sub-activity of the plurality of sub-activities or underutilized sub-activity areas throughout the activity venue based on the location data and time data for each of the one or more patron sensor devices or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags, wherein a venue asset device or venue asset tag is in local communication with at least one patron sensor device of the one or more patron sensor devices and enables calculation of a distance between the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags and the at least one patron sensor device without use of an intermediary device;   calculates a time and duration of time that the identified gaps will remain open at the locations between scheduled tasks, activities, sub-activities or patrons and until a patron occupies each of the locations, using a typical duration to perform a particular sub-activity wherein a displayed distance is a distance; and   assigns patrons to those identified gaps and/or predicted gaps, and schedules sub-activities to be performed, start times, and points of entry, dispatching one or more patron sensor devices determined based on one or more of patron sensor device proximity to the gap, availability of the patron, a skill level or rating, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein calculation of a distance comprises a distance to a pin with a venue asset tag located on a current hole on a golf course. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the computing device identifies, from multiple points of entry to begin a sub-activity, points of entry closest to the identified gaps or underutilized sub-activity areas and directs one or more patron sensor devices to those points of access. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a management tool transforms the real-time location data and time data into predictive data by estimating completion times for a set of sub-activities based on based on data aggregated from throughout the activity venue comprising one or more of historical data, venue data, maintenance data, location condition data, tracked grass length, projected paces of play, and live traffic, or weather data. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system identifies areas of congestion of patrons at the activity venue and directs the plurality of patrons to the underutilized sub-activity areas away from the areas of congestion of patrons. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device optimizes a schedule comprising a set of sub-activities for the one or more patron sensor devices scheduled to play, and/or idle patrons unassigned to any sub-activities,
 wherein a management tool maintains a list of tasks or sub-activities to be completed at various locations at the activity venue and a duration of time needed to complete those tasks or sub-activities;   wherein the management tool performs, utilizing the schedule, the list of tasks or sub-activities and the predicted and identified gaps,   matching the appropriate patron to tasks or sub-activities to be performed at one or more predicted and identified gaps,   adjusting or re-assigning, using the one or more patron sensor devices, based on matching, the set of patrons to perform the set of sub-activities, and   sending updated instructions to the one or more patron sensor devices for the set of patrons comprising one or more of sub-activities location, timing, and target completion.   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the computing device and the management tool continue monitoring the location and time data provided by the one or more patron sensor devices progressing through the activity venue and re-optimizes, wherein the management tool:
 aggregates all patron, staff, and operator location and time data associated with the one or more patron sensor devices, sensor devices, and one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags;   updates historic data by storing aggregated patron, staff, and operator location and time data in the historic data based on parameters, and stores, using a database or data storage device, updated historic data;   forecasts future paces, wait times, identified gaps, and bottleneck issues before they occur, incorporates such data into the analytics, and   reschedules and adjusts or re-assigns the one or more patron sensor devices, issuing additional proactive instructions to the one or more patron sensor devices, based on:
 a current location of the one or more patron sensor devices and/or the one or more venue asset devices or venue asset tags; and 
 an estimated time of completion computed for an assignable one or more patron sensor devices, a location of a sub-activity, and location conditions derived from the updated historic data. 
   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system determines and provides from predictive analytics for proactive management of patrons, notifications or instructions to the one or more patron sensor devices, that provide dispatch to start play at a particular location or recommended points of entry for sub-activities within the activity venue at future times during the identified gaps and/or the identified predictive gaps in usage of each sub-activity based on the location data for each of the one or more patron sensor devices, wherein the identified gaps and/or the identified predictive gaps in which to perform sub-activities with a time interval larger than a duration between an estimated start time and the estimated time of completion computed for assigned patron, assigned vehicle or equipment, assigned location, and location conditions derived from the updated historic data. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device provides feedback to the patrons with identified predictive gaps in usage/ based on the completed analysis in such a way that maximizes a number of the 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, reduce wait times during activities, optimally maintain the venue itself, and maximize profitability for the activity venue. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein mitigating instructions comprise information related to placement location and placement time of patrons comprising golfers on a golf course including instructions issued to start play at a particular gap in the golf course or tee off on holes that have a gap in play between existing groups of patrons on the course instructions allocating additional patron start time spacing or time between tee offs, based on congestion of patrons comprising golfers on the golf course. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device optimizes a schedule for a set of patrons, based on real-time location data and historical location data for patrons at the activity venue, wherein optimization reduces one or more of playtimes, duration of operation, overall completion time, patron completion time, sub-activity completion time, distance traveled, travel time between sub-activities, time idle comprising dwell time while patron sensor device is not being operated, wait times, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein optimization maximizes scheduled number of patrons playing on a course at any given time, distributing the patrons evenly throughout the holes of a golf course, such that each patron can play with reduced wait times and a reduction in overall playtime, or maximizes revenue from patron participation for the activity venue by maximizing throughput. 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 45 , wherein analytics based on location and time data of the one or more patron sensor devices are used to implement revenue models based on one or more of duration, completing a number of sub-activities at the activity venue, or supply and demand, reducing prices to attract patrons, during slow periods, wherein a management tool adjusts prices based on a number, or predicted number, of patrons participating at the activity venue including where patrons pay per hole or pay per an amount of time on a golf course, regardless of a number of holes completed. 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein instructions are transmitted to one of one or more operations staff operator devices and are related to the patron being on pace or behind pace, wherein based on pace of play determinations and locations of patrons, proactive instructions are conveyed to one or more maintenance staff operator devices to mitigate potential bottleneck issues. 
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more venue asset tags and/or the one or more patron sensor devices each comprise a motion sensor, and when the motion sensor for one or more venue asset tags or a patron sensor device does not detect motion for a predefined period of time, one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor device enters a low power state, and upon a detection of motion, one or more venue asset tags or the patron sensor device is woken from the low power state and transmits corresponding data to the computing device. 
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device provides an interactive course map for the live traffic control a representation of a flow of traffic of individuals or subgroups of individuals throughout the activity venue comprising any combination of patrons, operators, and staff members at the activity venue, including heat maps comprising features to assist in visualizing patron locations, patron traffic flow and congestion to users comprising operators and/or patrons. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the activity venue is a golf course and wherein each sub-activity of the plurality of sub-activities is a single hole of the golf course. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more patron sensor devices can be at least one of a golf bag tag, a key chain, a card, a club grip, and a ball mark repair tool 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein 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.