Mobile Ticketing App Offline Validation via Local Data Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile transit ticketing technologies are costly, unreliable, and inefficient, particularly due to the need for continuous connectivity to validate tickets, which limits their use in offline or out-of-range locations.
Innovation Solution
A transit ticket system that includes a mobile computing device with a rider application configured to download a mobile ticketing application, receive ticket rendering instructions, and render an active ticket using a graphical data sheet, ticket dictionary, and ticket strings, allowing ticket use regardless of connectivity to the ticket management server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mobile ticketing requires continuous connectivity to ticket management server for validation, then ticket reliability is improved, but usability in offline locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by downloading and storing ticket validation data, graphical data sheets, ticket dictionaries, and ticket strings locally on the mobile device before offline use is needed. This allows the device to render and validate tickets without real-time server connectivity, resolving the contradiction between reliable validation and offline usability.
2Measurement precision
If QR code scanners are installed on transit vehicles for ticket validation, then ticket verification accuracy is improved, but infrastructure cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring physical QR code scanners on transit vehicles, the system creates a digital copy of the ticket validation capability within the mobile application itself. The app contains all necessary validation logic and data locally, eliminating the need for external scanning infrastructure while maintaining verification accuracy through software-based validation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mobile ticketing application stores all ticket data locally, then offline usage is enabled, but application size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The application segments ticket data into modular components: graphical data sheets, ticket dictionaries, and ticket strings. This segmentation allows the system to store only essential validation data locally while maintaining offline functionality, reducing the overall data volume required compared to storing complete ticket information.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a transit ticket system are provided. The transit ticket system may include a mobile computing device configured to (i) download a mobile ticketing application from a ticket management server, the mobile ticketing application including a graphical data sheet, a ticket dictionary, and ticket strings, (ii) receive ticket rendering instructions from the ticket management server in response to completion of a ticket purchase process via the mobile computing device, and (iii) render for display an active ticket on the mobile computing device with data stored on the mobile computing device based on the ticket rendering instructions, the graphical data sheet, ticket dictionary, and ticket strings in response to an activation input command.