Managing passenger flows is an important issue in modern buildings. Particularly in high buildings there will be a lot of people arriving and leaving typically through one access floor. When passenger flows are not managed and passengers are not instructed facilities of buildings are not in optimal use. People may be queuing for one elevator group when another elevator group is not used in full capacity. This can be improved by using an access gate arrangement where the controller of the access gate arrangement receives information from external systems in the building.

A system and method for managing virtual queues. A cloud-based queue service manages a plurality of queues hosted by one or more entities. The queue service is in constant communication with the entities providing queue management, queue analysis, and queue recommendations. The queue service is likewise in direct communication with queued persons. Sending periodic updates while also motivating and incentivizing punctuality and minimizing wait times based on predictive analysis. The predictive analysis uses “Big Data” and other available data resources, for which the predictions assist in the balancing of persons across multiple queues for the same event or multiple persons across a sequence of queues for sequential events.

A system and method for managing virtual queues. A cloud-based queue service manages a plurality of queues hosted by one or more entities. The queue service is in constant communication with the entities providing queue management, queue analysis, and queue recommendations. The queue service is likewise in direct communication with queued persons. Sending periodic updates while also motivating and incentivizing punctuality and minimizing wait times based on predictive analysis. The predictive analysis uses “Big Data” and other available data resources, for which the predictions assist in the balancing of persons across multiple queues for the same event or multiple persons across a sequence of queues for sequential events.

The virtual queue system includes a virtual queue controller comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the processor and is configured to receive a request, the request being associated with an individual guest, for a position in a virtual queue of an attraction, assign the individual guest to the position in the virtual queue in response to the request, receive ride schedule data for the attraction comprising information about a change in status of individual rides of the attraction, and determine a wait time for the individual guest for the attraction based at least on the position of the individual guest in the virtual queue, the ride schedule data, and historical guest throughput at the attraction. The virtual queue system is further configured to output a signal to a guest-associated device indicating the wait time for the attraction.

The virtual queue system includes a virtual queue controller comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the processor and is configured to receive a request, the request being associated with an individual guest, for a position in a virtual queue of an attraction, assign the individual guest to the position in the virtual queue in response to the request, receive ride schedule data for the attraction comprising information about a change in status of individual rides of the attraction, and determine a wait time for the individual guest for the attraction based at least on the position of the individual guest in the virtual queue, the ride schedule data, and historical guest throughput at the attraction. The virtual queue system is further configured to output a signal to a guest-associated device indicating the wait time for the attraction.

There is provided a wireless portable device for providing location-based data to a user in a defined geographical area including a plurality of points of interest, the wireless portable device comprising a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, and a display. The wireless transmitter can transmit location information to a wireless server over a wireless network. The wireless receiver can receive location-based data relating to a point of interest from the wireless server periodically and automatically, based on the location of the wireless portable device. By optimizing map routes and schedules using the location-based data and user preferences including wish lists, the wireless portable device can provide helpful recommendations via the display, enabling the user to plan an efficient schedule of activities in the defined geographical area optimized by walking distance, queue wait times, booking and arriving at reserved events, and/or by other user preferences.

A customer order is received and associated with a list of items being ordered from an in-store counter of a store. An estimated time of preparing the order by attendants of the in-store counter is calculated. The customer selects a time to pickup the order after presented with the estimated required time to fulfill and prepare the order. The order is placed on behalf of the customer with the store. Status updates for the order are sent to the customer on a customer-operated device. Once the status of the order indicates the order is completed, the customer travels to the in-store counter within the store and picks up the order.

A customer order is received and associated with a list of items being ordered from an in-store counter of a store. An estimated time of preparing the order by attendants of the in-store counter is calculated. The customer selects a time to pickup the order after presented with the estimated required time to fulfill and prepare the order. The order is placed on behalf of the customer with the store. Status updates for the order are sent to the customer on a customer-operated device. Once the status of the order indicates the order is completed, the customer travels to the in-store counter within the store and picks up the order.

The subject matter of the present invention concerns a sensor for counting and/or determining the direction of passage of objects and/or living beings, each having a thermal signature, comprising or consisting of: a pyroelectric component, preferably digital, integrating at least two pairs of detection cells; and one cell of which is masked in each pair of cells.

The present invention further concerns a mechanical passage collecting unit comprising such a sensor and an optical lens. The present invention further concerns the use of such a sensor, for example in the form of a mechanical passage collecting unit, in a device. The present invention concerns the device as such. The present invention also concerns the sensor data processing algorithm.

Provided is a method and device for determining a queuing scheme. The method includes: obtaining candidate queuing schemes by using each to-be-executed item as a first-order item, using the to-be-executed item other than the first-order item as other items; for each candidate queuing scheme, obtaining a completion time for the first-order item according to a number of current queueing people and a unit execution time for the first-order item; determining a number of increased queuing people for each of the other items according to the completion time for the first-order item; obtaining the completion time for all the other items according to the number of the current queuing people, the number of the increased queuing people and the unit execution time for each of the other items; calculating a total time for completion of all the to-be-executed items in each candidate queuing scheme, and determining a target queuing scheme.