Socially distant seating arrangement management

Abstract

Socially distant seating arrangement management includes loading a seating chart for a seating area of an event venue into memory of a computer, setting both a social distancing parameter and also a seat width parameter for seats in the seating area and computing a number of successive seats with a combined width according to the seat width parameter minimally exceeding the social distancing parameter. The method further includes enabling for selection in a user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in a selected row of the seating area that are separated from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats. Finally, the method includes recording in the memory of the computer, different selections in the seating chart by different end users of the available ones of the seats.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for socially distant seating arrangement management, comprising:
 loading a seating chart for a seating area of an event venue into memory of a computer;   setting both a social distancing parameter and a seat width parameter for seats in the seating area;   computing in the memory of the computer, a number of successive seats with a combined width according to the seat width parameter minimally exceeding the social distancing parameter;   enabling for selection in a user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in a selected row of the seating area that are separated from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats; and,   recording in the memory of the computer, different selections in the seating chart by different end users of the available ones of the seats.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 initially enabling for selection in the user interface, end ones of the seats in the seating area that border only one other of the seats; and,   enabling others of the seats in the seating area as the available ones of the seats separated from one another and from the end ones of the seats by the computed number of seats.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving through the user interface a request to seat a grouping of individuals exempt from social distancing requirements;   locating within the seating chart a sequence of consecutive ones of the seats equal to or greater than a number of seats required for the grouping between two of the available ones of the seats;   recording in the memory of the computer, a group selection of the number of seats required for the grouping from amongst the sequence of consecutive ones of the seats beginning with one of the two of the available ones of the seats; and,   re-enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in the row separated from the group selection and from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats and the group selection.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying in a different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the different row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the different row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 on condition that none of the seats in the different row are determined to be separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter, disabling selection of all of the seats in the different row, identifying in an adjacent row of seats to the different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the adjacent row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the adjacent row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the different row is adjacent to the selected row. 
     
     
         7 . A data processing system adapted for socially distant seating arrangement management, the system comprising:
 a host computing platform comprising one or more computers, each comprising memory and at least one processor; and,   a socially distant seating arrangement management module comprising computer program instructions enabled while executing in the host computing platform to perform:
 loading a seating chart for a seating area of an event venue into memory of a computer; 
 setting both a social distancing parameter and a seat width parameter for seats in the seating area; 
 computing in the memory of the computer, a number of successive seats with a combined width according to the seat width parameter minimally exceeding the social distancing parameter; 
 enabling for selection in a user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in a selected row of the seating area that are separated from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats; and, 
 recording in the memory of the computer, different selections in the seating chart by different end users of the available ones of the seats. 
   
     
     
         8 . The data processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the program instructions further perform:
 initially enabling for selection in the user interface, end ones of the seats in the seating area that border only one other of the seats; and,   enabling others of the seats in the seating area as the available ones of the seats separated from one another and from the end ones of the seats by the computed number of seats.   
     
     
         9 . The data processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the program instructions further perform:
 receiving through the user interface a request to seat a grouping of individuals exempt from social distancing requirements;   locating within the seating chart a sequence of consecutive ones of the seats equal to or greater than a number of seats required for the grouping between two of the available ones of the seats;   recording in the memory of the computer, a group selection of the number of seats required for the grouping from amongst the sequence of consecutive ones of the seats beginning with one of the two of the available ones of the seats; and,   re-enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in the row separated from the group selection and from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats and the group selection.   
     
     
         10 . The data processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the program instructions further perform:
 identifying in a different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the different row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the different row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         11 . The data processing system of  claim 10 , wherein the program instructions further perform:
 on condition that none of the seats in the different row are determined to be separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter, disabling selection of all of the seats in the different row, identifying in an adjacent row of seats to the different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the adjacent row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the adjacent row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         12 . The data processing system of  claim 10 , wherein the different row is adjacent to the selected row. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product for socially distant seating arrangement management, the computer program product including a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method including:
 loading a seating chart for a seating area of an event venue into memory of a computer;   setting both a social distancing parameter and a seat width parameter for seats in the seating area;   computing in the memory of the computer, a number of successive seats with a combined width according to the seat width parameter minimally exceeding the social distancing parameter;   enabling for selection in a user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in a selected row of the seating area that are separated from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats; and,   recording in the memory of the computer, different selections in the seating chart by different end users of the available ones of the seats.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the method further includes:
 initially enabling for selection in the user interface, end ones of the seats in the seating area that border only one other of the seats; and,   enabling others of the seats in the seating area as the available ones of the seats separated from one another and from the end ones of the seats by the computed number of seats.   
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the method further includes:
 receiving through the user interface a request to seat a grouping of individuals exempt from social distancing requirements;   locating within the seating chart a sequence of consecutive ones of the seats equal to or greater than a number of seats required for the grouping between two of the available ones of the seats;   recording in the memory of the computer, a group selection of the number of seats required for the grouping from amongst the sequence of consecutive ones of the seats beginning with one of the two of the available ones of the seats; and,   re-enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, available ones of the seats in the row separated from the group selection and from one another by the computed number of the seats and disabling from selection in the user interface, the seats separating the available ones of the seats and the group selection.   
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the method further includes:
 identifying in a different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the different row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the different row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , wherein the method further includes:
 on condition that none of the seats in the different row are determined to be separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter, disabling selection of all of the seats in the different row, identifying in an adjacent row of seats to the different row of seats in the seating chart, ones of the seats in the adjacent row that are separated from the available ones of the seats in the selected row of seats in the seating chart by at least the social distancing parameter; and,   enabling for selection in the user interface to the seating chart, the identified ones of the seats in the adjacent row of seats in the seating chart.   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , wherein the different row is adjacent to the selected row.