Event ticket management process

Abstract

Title: Event Ticket Management Method The present invention relates to a method for creating secure digital resources, consisting of: (a) receiving encrypted event ticket information from a ticketing system; (b) creating a digital precursor for the event ticket, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (c) upon receipt of said event ticket, registering an encrypted digital precursor in the user's terminal; (d) transmitting the ticket key and ordering registration in a separate and secure area of ​​the terminal of the event ticket holder; (d1) if said terminal is connected to the network, ordering the execution on said terminal of an application to decrypt said precursor in order to issue a controllable event ticket; (d2) in the absence of connectivity, ordering the execution of a decryption application.using the recorded decryption key of said encrypted precursor to generate a controllable event ticket. See Figure 1 for an abstract.

Description

Title of the invention: Method for managing event tickets Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of online ticketing, particularly for access to events in physical venues such as sports stadiums or concert halls and live events. Online ticketing systems are designed to manage the online purchase of tickets for events attracting tens or even hundreds of thousands of spectators, and to allow each ticket holder to easily and quickly access their seat in the venue where the event is taking place; finally, they allow the organizer to reliably and quickly verify the validity of the tickets.

[0002] For a long time, paper banknotes were the norm. Banknotes were often printed on expensive paper with elaborate graphics, making counterfeiting costly and easier to detect. Advances such as holograms have made counterfeiting even more difficult, but not entirely impossible.

[0003] The control of these tickets by stewards proves difficult during very high crowds, when spectators are impatient to access their seats and the slightest hesitation due to a doubt on the part of the steward about the conformity of the ticket makes them irritable to the point of triggering riots.

[0004] In the 2000s, with the emergence of digital technologies and personal computing, and the widespread adoption of smartphones, the ticketing industry began to adopt printable tickets. Some of these were documents that could be printed at home, allowing for instant delivery by email and eliminating the need for postal mail or any actual physical distribution of tickets. The growth and adoption of mobile devices made digital tickets even more prevalent, allowing not only for the copying of these same digital documents, but also for the use of technologies such as a digital wallet to store these tickets and, more specifically, the barcode required for venue access.

[0005] While digital delivery and exchange offered a far greater level of convenience than paper tickets, they also created a significant security problem. Digital assets have a long history of piracy, ranging from copies of computer software to digital music files pirated via peer-to-peer services. The spread of the internet has enabled an increasing number of malicious actors to participate in the piracy of these digital tickets. The main element of the ticket is the barcode or QR code, which can be defined For example, using a string of characters no more than ten symbols, reproducing tickets can be simpler than reproducing software or a digital audio file. Since no effort is made to mask these codes, reproducing them is very easy.

[0006] In 2021, a football match organized by UEFA at the Stade de France resulted in serious incidents due to a combination of organizational malfunctions, one of which concerned ticketing system failures. For 79,000 seats, the computer system recorded 8,000 ticket reading "incidents" at the turnstiles that evening, including approximately 2,500 tickets that had already been read—and were therefore potentially duplicated—as well as 2,500 unknown tickets. Other official sources suggest figures ten times higher. Investigations into this final established that the ticketing management was inadequate. Admittedly, issuing paper tickets was not in itself an exceptional situation and this possibility was in accordance with regulations.However, it was known that the use of this type of banknote results in a significant risk of fraud and the circulation of counterfeit banknotes, which was ten times higher than the averages usually observed.

[0007] Furthermore, by requiring the introduction of a check of the validity of tickets at the security pre-screening points, the organizer unintentionally contributed to the blocking of the control points, in particular given the larger than usual number of people with valid tickets.

[0008] It should also be noted that the ticketing dispute resolution system was inadequate, leading to rejected passengers lingering at the security checkpoints, and that the stewards' training was deficient, as they quickly seemed overwhelmed by the situation. Finally, the ticket verification methods were also a subject of debate, with the use of pens to mark tickets and the electronic ticket verification system not being considered sufficiently practical.

[0009] A first recommendation was to make the use of tamper-proof, i.e., electronic, tickets mandatory, along with reliable control systems, for the most important events. Another recommendation was to require organizers to inform ticket holders in real time, via email, SMS, or messaging, about access procedures to the event site, unforeseen events, and changes decided by the authorities when difficulties arise. State of the art

[0010] In the prior art, European patent EP3504835B1 is known, proposing a computer-implemented method for creating cryptographically secure digital resources, comprising the steps of:

[0011] (a) receive, on a ticketing distribution or management network, information ticket relating to an event ticket, including a ticket ID and an event ID, from a ticketing system;

[0012] (b) create a digital ticket for the event ticket based on the information ticket, wherein the digital ticket maintains a state that indicates an ownership and / or transfer status of the event ticket, and wherein the digital ticket encodes a set of policies governing one or more event ticket transactions, wherein the policy set applies spatial and temporal requirements with respect to the event ticket, and wherein the application of spatial requirements includes obtaining and confirming global positioning system coordinates of the location of one or more ticket transactions;

[0013] (c) deploy the digital ticket on the ticketing distribution or management network towards a blockchain system that implements cryptographic contract protocols, so that one or more ticket transactions are supported by the implementation; and

[0014] (d) store, in a database, a reference to the digital ticket deployed on the blockchain system.

[0015] This solution involving the injection of data into a blockchain has multiple disadvantages: slow execution, cost of transactions, cost of hosting nodes, problems of compliance with the GDPR and mobilizes very large and costly computing resources due to the large number of transactions per event.

[0016] Patent application EP3704610 describes another example of a method for providing and validating a digital ticket. In one embodiment, a ticket validation device contains one or more processors configured to obtain a digital ticket, a ticket server signature, and a device signature from a ticket holder device. The digital ticket is obtained from a ticket server by the ticket holder device, the ticket server signature is generated based on the digital ticket using a private key associated with the ticket server, and the device signature is generated based on the digital ticket using a private key associated with the ticket holder device. The processor(s) are also configured to validate the digital ticket.Digital ticket validation involves verifying the ticket server signature using a public key that matches the private key associated with the ticket server, and verifying the device signature using a public key that matches the private key associated with the ticket holder's device. Furthermore, the processor(s) are also... configured to trigger the production of an output based on a result of the digital ticket validation.

[0017] US patent 9038896 relates to a storage device comprising one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a ticket ID value from the camera or RFID module; form and send a request via the wireless network communication module for a server computer to validate the ticket ID value; receive a ticket validation response from the server computer via the wireless network communication module; and, based on the ticket validation response, drive the means to provide ticket validation feedback to generate either a valid response feedback or an invalid response feedback.

[0018] This solution is not entirely satisfactory because the exchange of information with the server is significant during the control process, and high traffic can lead to network saturation. Most importantly, in the event of an xG network failure, ticket control is compromised, which can cause disturbances and potentially serious riots in the event of very high traffic.

[0019] US patent 11593501B2 is also known, which relates to a computer-implemented method for detecting and using device identification codes to improve the security of access rights transfers. The computer-implemented method may consist of receiving a first communication from a first electronic device associated with a first user. The first communication may correspond to a first request to retrieve access data associated with the first user. For example, the access data may correspond to one or more access rights. The method may also include receiving a second communication from the first electronic device. Solution provided by the invention

[0020] To overcome these drawbacks, the present invention relates to a method for creating secure digital resources, comprising the steps of:

[0021] (a) receive, on a ticketing distribution or management network, information encrypted event ticket data for an event, originating from a ticketing system

[0022] (b) create a digital precursor for the event ticket based on the ticket information, and a set of policies governing one or more event ticket transactions, wherein the policy set enforces spatial and temporal requirements with respect to the event ticket, and wherein the enforcement of spatial requirements includes obtaining and confirmation of global positioning system coordinates of the location of one or more ticket transactions;

[0023] Characterized in that it further comprises the following steps:

[0024] c) upon receipt of said event ticket, proceed to register an encrypted digital precursor in the memory of a user terminal,

[0025] d) at least one instant, proceed with the transmission of the ticket key and automatically order registration in a separate and secure storage area of ​​the connected terminal of the event ticket holder

[0026] dl) in the case where said terminal is connected to the network, command the execution on said terminal of an application for decrypting said encrypted precursor in order to edit a controllable event ticket and command the display of said controllable event ticket

[0027] d2) in the absence of connectivity, locally control the execution on said terminal of a decryption application, using the decryption key stored in said separate and secure storage area, of said encrypted precursor to edit a controllable event ticket and command the display of said controllable event ticket

[0028] e) command, when a control equipment reads a controllable event ticket, the transmission to a server by said control equipment of a digital message to deactivate the corresponding event ticket.

[0029] Advantageously, said command to execute said decryption application in the absence of connectivity is conditioned on the conformity of at least one parameter of said terminal.

[0030] According to one variant, said command to execute said decryption application in the absence of connectivity is conditioned on the conformity of a plurality of parameters of said terminal.

[0031] Advantageously, said parameters include geolocation information, terminal timestamp, status of a biometric control means, status of a KYC (Know Your Customer) verification means, connectivity status, or terminal identifier.

[0032] Detailed description of a non-limiting example of embodiment

[0033] The present invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, concerning non-limiting examples of embodiments illustrated by the accompanying drawings where:

[0034] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents the diagram of the hardware architecture of the invention

[0035] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents the diagram of the functional architecture of the invention

[0036] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents the functional diagram of an optional local processing of the invention General principles of the invention

[0037] The invention provides a solution for making digital tickets available to participants in an event in a space whose access is secured by an access control requiring the presentation of a valid ticket, generally in the form of a graphic display, for example of type QR Code / Aztec / PDF417, on the screen of an individual terminal, generally a smart phone (in English "smartphone").

[0038] The invention relates to a system for distributing event tickets to enable access control to a site, and which operates in conjunction with a ticketing management system.

[0039] The term "event ticket" shall mean a right to participate in an event associated with the ticket, this right being able to be materialized by a digital sequence and / or by a graphic representation, for example a QR Code, a barcode, or a document containing text and / or images.

[0040] An event ticket will initially be materialized by a "digital precursor" which is a digital sequence whose processing by a "local application" will produce a "controllable event ticket".

[0041] The local application is provided to each event ticket holder by the ticket distribution system server and installed on a connected user terminal. It consists of a numerical code executable by the computer of the connected user terminal.

[0042] This processing may take into account a "ticket key" which may be generic or specific to each event ticket. This "ticket key" is a digital sequence stored in a separate and secure storage area of ​​the user's terminal, accessible only by the application.

[0043] This controllable event ticket can be edited in a digital or graphic form to interact with a control equipment in order to order the authorization, in case of conformity and validity, to the event for which the event ticket was generated by a ticketing system.

[0044] The event ticket distribution system:

[0045] a) Receives event tickets from the ticketing system in the form of digital precursors consisting of digital files containing information relating to each ticket and its beneficiary, in encrypted form,

[0046] b) Transmits to a connected terminal, for example a smartphone, one or more digital precursors and a link to download a local application onto the connected terminal, if the latter does not already have this local application. This local application controls the saving of the digital precursor(s) to memory.

[0047] c) Subsequently transmits to the connected terminals of event ticket holders, at a time close to the opening of the event, "ticket keys" consisting of digital information required to activate the graphical printing of the event ticket on the connected terminal. The local application orders ticket keys from a separate and secure storage area of ​​the connected terminal.

[0048] During access control, when the user requests the graphic display or digital transmission of the event ticket, the local application initiates a process for printing and displaying the ticket based on data provided by one or more sensors of the connected terminal. This information includes, for example, geolocation data, timestamp information, or information captured locally by the smart terminal's camera or an NFC sensor. This information is transmitted to the ticket distribution service server, which in turn transmits a digital means that instructs the local application to execute a routine for graphically displaying or digitally transmitting the event ticket(s).

[0049] In the absence of connectivity, the local application conditionally triggers the decryption of the ticket stored in the memory of the connected terminal, using decryption information stored in the separate and secure storage area. Compliance with the activation condition is calculated by the execution of the local application, based on geolocation data, timestamps, or information captured locally by the smart terminal's camera or an NFC sensor. If the information or a combination of information meets a validity criterion associated with the event ticket, the local application executes a routine for graphically displaying or digitally transmitting the event ticket(s) through a process that takes into account the digital precursor(s) stored in the terminal's memory as well as the ticket key(s) stored in the terminal's separate and secure storage area.

[0050] Detailed description of a non-limiting example of embodiment

[0051] Fig. 1 represents a schematic view of the material architecture of the invention.

[0052] The event ticket distribution and management system according to the invention is coupled to a ticketing system (100) comprising a server (1) associated with a secure data center (2), and connected to ticket kiosks (3), ticket vending machines (4), distribution agencies (5), and online purchasing services via smartphones (6). The invention complements existing ticketing systems, so as not to modify the use of the solutions in place.

[0053] It is interfaced with the server (1) of the ticketing system (100) via a server (7) communicating with the server (1) of the system ticketing (100) via a communication protocol with end-to-end encryption.

[0054] The server (1) transmits to the server (7) digital messages containing an event ticket identifier and a ticket holder identifier. This information may be supplemented in the same message or by pointers to pre-recorded information with information relating to the event ticket payment policy (time, date and location of the payment area, etc.) and seating (assigned or zoned seating, etc.).

[0055] The server (7) records this event ticket data and transmits to the recipient a digital message containing a link to an application server and a code constituting a digital precursor. This digital precursor is associated with an event ticket in a bijective manner. This digital precursor will generate a ticket that can be controlled by a specific process executed by an application running on the processor of a smartphone (8) belonging to the recipient, after receiving other information that is distinct from and complementary to the digital precursor.

[0056] The message received by the recipient's smartphone (8) activates a notification that displays a page offering the option to register the digital precursor in a digital wallet managed by the management application. If this application is not already installed on the recipient's smartphone (8), the user activates a link appearing on the displayed page, which triggers the download of the executable code from the application server and the loading of the digital precursor after the application is activated.

[0057] At a later time, the server (7) commands the sending of a generic or personalized message to each event ticket holder, containing a ticket key that is automatically stored in a separate, secure storage area accessible only by the management application. The data contained in the secure area cannot be transferred to other devices via unapproved sharing methods such as USB or Wi-Fi Direct.

[0058] During the ticket inspection, the smartphone user (8) can request the display of a scannable ticket in the form of a QR code, a barcode, or the generation of an NFC message, from the management application. This application performs online processing of the ticket precursor to generate the scannable ticket when the smartphone (8) is connected.

[0059] If it is not connected or if the network is too unreliable, the application commands a local ticket production process controllable by a processing of the ticket precursor and the ticket key recorded in the separate and secure area.

[0060] Operation of a non-limiting example of implementation

[0061] Fig. 2 represents a schematic view of the functional architecture of the invention.

[0062] Step (10): First, the user buys a ticket via the event organizer's usual ticketing system (100)

[0063] Step (11): After validation of the event ticket purchase, the ticketing server (100) transmits the information to the server (7), which then sends a digital message to the recipient's address. This message triggers a notification on the recipient's phone (8), inviting the recipient to download the event ticket and, if they do not have the service-specific application installed on their smartphone (8), to download it.

[0064] Step (12) the application checks if the user has a user account.

[0065] If so, the server (7) commands the association of the event ticket with the user account (step (13).

[0066] Otherwise, the server (7) commands an account opening procedure (step (14)) before proceeding to the previous step (13) of associating the event ticket with the user account.

[0067] As the date of the event approaches, the server (7) commands the issuance of ticket keys (step (15). Upon receiving this message, the management application executes on the user's smartphone (8) a command to register this ticket key in a secure detached area of ​​the smartphone (8).

[0068] During access control, a notification is sent to the smartphone (8) in step (17). If the smartphone (8) is connected to the network (control (8)), the controllable ticket associated with the event ticket is transmitted from the server (7) to the phone (8), allowing the user to view or edit the controllable ticket and present it at the control station (step 19). The event ticket is then immediately deactivated in the ticketing system (100) and on the server (7) to prevent any fraudulent reuse (step 22).

[0069] If the smartphone (8) cannot connect to the network, the application commands a local processing (step (21)) consisting of locally calculating the controllable ticket from the ticket precursor and the ticket key, and then proceeding to step (20). Conditional treatment

[0070] The local processing (21) optionally provides for conditional activation.

[0071] It is executed only if a conformity criterion, or a combination of conformity criteria, is verified locally, from the information available on the smartphone (8), even in non-connected mode.

[0072] These conditions may include:

[0073] Geolocation information (31) provided by the smartphone (8). This information can be used alone to trigger the ticket calculation process when the location is less than a predefined distance from the event venue. This geolocation information (31) can also be weighted by a factor P31 to be taken into account in conjunction with other information.

[0074] The timestamp information (32) constitutes another criterion that can be used alone to trigger the controllable ticket calculation process when the time is close to the time and date of the event. This timestamp information (32) can also be weighted by a factor P32 to be taken into account with other information.

[0075] The biometric information (33) provided by the biometric sensor of the cell phone (8) constitutes another criterion that can be used alone to trigger the activation of the ticket calculation process when the user is recognized by the fingerprint or facial recognition sensor. This biometric information (33) can also be weighted by a factor P33 to be taken into account along with other information.

[0076] Other information (3n) may be taken into account. • KYC (Know Your Customer) information is a procedure implemented to verify the identity of a person • Smartphone identifier verification information (8), for example the IMSI number •

[0077] The activation of the production of the controllable ticket can be ordered according to the conformity of one or more of these criteria, or by a combination of the relative degree of conformity of several of these criteria.

Claims

1. Demands - A process for creating secure digital resources, comprising the steps of: (a) receive, on a ticketing distribution or management network, encrypted event ticket information concerning an event, originating from a ticketing system (b) create a digital precursor for the event ticket based on the ticket information, and a set of policies governing one or more event ticket transactions, wherein the policy set applies spatial and temporal requirements with respect to the event ticket, and wherein the application of the spatial requirements includes obtaining and confirming Global Positioning System coordinates of the location of one or more ticket transactions; Characterized in that it further comprises the following steps: (c) upon receipt of said event ticket, register an encrypted digital precursor in the memory of a user terminal, d) at least once, proceed with the ticket key transmission and automatically initiate registration in a separate and secure storage area of ​​the connected terminal of the event ticket holder d1) If said terminal is connected to the network, command the execution on said terminal of a decryption application for said encrypted precursor to generate a controllable event ticket and command the display of said controllable event ticket. d2) If there is no connectivity, command the local execution on said terminal of a decryption application, using the decryption key stored in said separate and secure storage area, for said encrypted precursor to generate a controllable event ticket and command the display of said controllable event ticket. e) command, when a control device reads a controllable event ticket, the transmission to a server by said control device of a digital message to deactivate the corresponding event ticket.

2. - Method for creating secure digital resources, according to claim 1 characterized in that said command to execute said decryption application in the absence of connectivity is conditioned by the conformity of at least one parameter of said terminal.

3. - Method for creating secure digital resources, according to claim 2 characterized in that said command to execute said decryption application in the absence of connectivity is conditioned by the conformity of a plurality of parameters of said terminal.

4. - Method for creating secure digital resources, according to claim 2 or 3 characterized in that said parameters include geolocation information, terminal timestamp, the state of a biometric control means, the state of a KYC Know Your Customer verification means, connectivity state, or terminal identifier.

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