Method and system for determining whether an entered character string corresponds to terminology utilized in a database

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, in a database, a predefined catalog of venue attributes describing sections of a venue utilized for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, wherein one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by a seller must match a venue attribute in the predefined catalog in order to display a ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller for sale to other users;

presenting a graphical user interface to a computer of the seller for receiving a character string representing one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by the seller;

accepting the character string as entered by the seller;

comparing the character string as entered by the seller to the predefined catalog of venue attributes stored in the database;

determining if the character string as entered by the seller corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database;

if the character string as entered by the seller does not correspond to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database applying an initial rule in a set of pre-defined rules to the character string to edit the character string prior to reporting an unsuccessful match; and after applying the initial rule:

determining if the character string corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying the initial rule;

if the character string does not correspond to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, applying one or more subsequent rules in the set of pre-defined rules to further modify the character string and determining whether the character string corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying each subsequent rule; and

if all of the pre-defined rules have been applied and it was never determined that the character string corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, then reporting an unsuccessful match; and

if the character string as entered or as modified by any one or more of the pre-defined rules corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database:

associating the character string with an identifier corresponding to a venue attribute utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale that corresponds to the character string of the ticket provided by the seller; and

determining a location for displaying the ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller for sale to other users with ticket listings of like tickets that have been provided by other sellers and are listed for sale in the database.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

cleaning the character string, the cleaning comprising performing one or more of removing non-alphanumeric characters, removing unidentified characters, adding spacing between letters and numbers, and reducing spacing between characters to a single space.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

stemming the character string, the stemming comprising performing one or more of changing recognized abbreviated words to their non-abbreviated forms and changing non-abbreviated forms to their recognized abbreviated forms.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

formatting the character string, the formatting comprising moving around characters in the character string so that their position complies with a pre-determined format.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

checking the character string for an alias, the alias being a word that is an alternative or equivalent word for a word or partial word in the character string.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

updating the character string with an internal identifier of a section of the venue utilized in the database if the character string corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

if it was never determined that the character string corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, updating the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database to include the character string or an alternate version of the character string.

8. A computer-implemented system comprising a computing device having a database storing a predefined catalog of venue attributes describing sections of a venue utilized for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, wherein one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by a seller must match a venue attribute in the predefined catalog in order to display a ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller to other users and executing an application for:

presenting a graphical user interface to a computer of the seller for receiving a character string representing one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by the seller;

accepting the character string as entered by the seller;

comparing the character string as entered by the seller to the predefined catalog of venue attributes stored in the database;

determining if the character string as entered by the seller corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database;

if the character string as entered by the seller does not correspond to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database applying an initial rule in a set of pre-defined rules to the character string to edit the character string prior to reporting an unsuccessful match; and after applying the initial rule:

determining if the character string corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying the initial rule;

if the character string does not correspond to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, applying one or more subsequent rules in the set of pre-defined rules to further modify the character string and determining whether the character string corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying each subsequent rule; and

if all of the pre-defined rules have been applied and it was never determined that the character string corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, then reporting an unsuccessful match; and

if the character string as entered or as modified by any one or more of the pre-defined rules corresponds to the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database:

associating the character string with an identifier corresponding to a venue attribute utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale that corresponds to the character string of the ticket provided by the seller; and

determining a location for displaying the ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller for sale to other users with ticket listings of like tickets that have been provided by other sellers and are listed for sale in the database.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

cleaning the character string, the cleaning comprising performing one or more of removing non-alphanumeric characters, removing unidentified characters, adding spacing between letters and numbers, and reducing spacing between characters to a single space.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

stemming the character string, the stemming comprising performing one or more of changing recognized abbreviated words to their non-abbreviated forms and changing non-abbreviated forms to their recognized abbreviated forms.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

formatting the character string, the formatting comprising moving around characters in the character string so that their position complies with a pre-determined format.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the set of pre-defined rules comprises:

checking the character string for an alias, the alias being a word that is an alternative or equivalent word for a word or partial word in the character string.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein if the character string corresponds to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, the application updates the character string with an internal identifier of a section of the venue utilized in the database.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein if the character string does not correspond to terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, the application updates the terminology for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database to include the character string or an alternate version of the character string.

15. A computer-implemented method for displaying ticket listings comprising:

storing, in a database, a predefined catalog of venue attributes describing sections of a venue utilized for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, wherein one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by a seller must match a venue attribute in the predefined catalog in order to display a ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller to other users;

presenting a graphical user interface to a computer of the seller for receiving a character string representing one or more ticket attributes of a ticket provided by the seller;

accepting the character string as entered by the seller;

comparing the character string as entered by the seller to the predefined catalog of venue attributes stored in the database;

determining if the character string as entered by the seller corresponds to a venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database;

in the event that the character string as entered by the seller does not correspond to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database applying an initial rule in a sequence of pre-defined rules relating to the venue section taxonomy to edit the character string prior to reporting an unsuccessful match; and after applying the initial rule:

determining whether the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying the initial rule;

if the character string does not correspond to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, applying one or more subsequent rules in the sequence of pre-defined rules relating to the venue section taxonomy to further modify the character string and determining whether the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database after applying each subsequent rule; and

if all of the pre-defined rules have been applied and it was never determined that the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database, then reporting an unsuccessful match; and

if the character string as entered or as modified by any one or more of the pre-defined rules corresponds to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database:

associating the ticket provided by the seller with an identifier corresponding to a section in the venue described by the predefined catalog of venue attributes stored in the database; and

determining a location for displaying the ticket listing for offering the ticket provided by the seller for sale to other users with ticket listings of other tickets in the section that have been provided by other sellers and are listed for sale in the database.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sequence of pre-defined rules comprises:

cleaning the character string by performing one or more of removing non-alphanumeric characters, removing unidentified characters, adding spacing between letters and numbers, and reducing spacing between characters to a single space;

stemming the character string by performing one or more of changing recognized abbreviated words to non-abbreviated forms and changing non-abbreviated forms to recognized abbreviated forms;

formatting the character string by repositioning characters within the character string; and

checking for an alias of an attribute represented by the character string.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

updating the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database in the event that it was never determined that the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy for venue attributes utilized by the predefined catalog in the database for comparing tickets for the venue that are listed for sale in the database.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising queuing the ticket listing of the ticket provided by the seller for processing based on priority.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

displaying the ticket listing of the ticket provided by the seller to allow the seller to edit the ticket listing after it is determined that the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

displaying the ticket listing of the ticket provided by the seller in a format consistent with the ticket listings of the other sellers that are listed for sale in the database after it is determined that the character string corresponds to the venue section taxonomy.