Method of controlling media devices of a hospitality establishment to associate credit with guest room for use toward pay-per-use media function, and system and controller thereof
View Patent ↗A hospitality establishment includes guest rooms having media devices installed therein. Each guest room has one or more in-room media devices for providing a pay-per-use media function. A media system controller dynamically associates a credit corresponding to a monetary value with a particular guest room in response to an occurrence of a first event, configures an in-room media device of the particular guest room to indicate the credit associated with the particular guest room and allow a guest of the particular guest room to utilize at least an amount of the credit toward an order of the pay-per-use media function, activates the pay-per-use media function on at least one of the in-room media devices of the particular guest room in response to a received order, and decreases the credit associated with the particular guest room according to the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order.
1. A media system for use at a hospitality establishment having a plurality of guest rooms, the media system comprising:
a plurality of media devices for installation in the guest rooms wherein each guest room has one or more in-room media devices for providing media functions therein, the media functions including at least a pay-per-use media function; and
a media system controller for performing data communications with the media devices and operable to:
dynamically associate a credit corresponding to a monetary value with a particular guest room in response to a guest checking in to the particular guest room,
dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to every occurrence of a predetermined time period as long as the guest remains checked in to the particular guest room,
configure an in-room media device of the particular guest room to indicate the credit associated with the particular guest room and allow the guest of the particular guest room to utilize at least an amount of the credit toward an order of the pay-per-use media function,
activate the pay-per-use media function on at least one of the in-room media devices of the particular guest room in response to a received order, and
decrease the credit associated with the particular guest room according to the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order.
2. The media system of claim 1 , wherein the media system controller is further operable to:
retrieve a user profile stored at a user profile server, the user profile corresponding to the guest and having a stored credit value; and
dynamically associate at least the stored credit value with the particular guest room when the guest checks in to the particular guest room.
3. The media system of claim 2 , wherein the media system controller is further operable to update the user profile stored at the user profile server with a remaining credit associated with the particular guest room when the guest checks out of the particular guest room.
4. The media system of claim 1 , wherein when the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order is less than a price of the pay-per-use media function, the media system controller is further operable to initiate billing of the guest by applying a billing amount equal to the price minus the amount of credit utilized.
5. The media system of claim 1 , wherein:
a maximum credit amount that can be utilized toward an order involving a licensed content asset is limited such that a price of the licensed content asset minus the maximum credit amount is equal to a required royalty payment; and
when the credit associated with the particular guest room exceeds the maximum credit amount and the received order involves the licensed content, the media system controller is further operable to initiate billing of the guest by applying a billing amount equal to the required royalty payment and to decrease the credit associated with the particular guest room by the maximum credit amount.
6. The media system of claim 1 , wherein the media system controller is further operable to dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to receiving a notification message indicating that a profit generating service offered at the hospitality establishment has been billed to the particular guest room.
7. The media system of claim 1 , wherein the media system controller is further operable to dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to receiving a notification message indicating that a complimentary service offered at the hospitality establishment was declined for the particular guest room.
8. The media system of claim 1 , wherein the hospitality establishment is a lodging establishment.
9. A method of controlling a plurality of media devices at a hospitality establishment having a plurality of guest rooms, each guest room having one or more in-room media devices for providing media functions therein, the media functions including at least a pay-per-use media function, the method comprising:
dynamically associating a credit corresponding to a monetary value with a particular guest room in response to a guest checking in to the particular guest room;
dynamically increasing the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to every occurrence of a predetermined time period as long as the guest remains checked in to the particular guest room;
configuring an in-room media device of the particular guest room to indicate the credit associated with the particular guest room;
allowing the guest of the particular guest room to utilize at least an amount of the credit toward an order of the pay-per-use media function;
activating the pay-per-use media function on at least one of the in-room media devices of the particular guest room in response to a received order; and
decreasing the credit associated with the particular guest room according to the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
retrieving a user profile stored at a user profile server, the user profile corresponding to the guest and having a stored credit value; and
dynamically associating at least the stored credit value with the particular guest room when the guest checks in to the particular guest room.
11. The media system of claim 10 , further comprising updating the user profile stored at the user profile server with a remaining credit associated with the particular guest room when the guest checks out of the particular guest room.
12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising initiating billing of the guest by applying a billing amount equal to a price of the pay-per-use media function minus the amount of credit utilized when the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order is less than the price of the pay-per-use media function.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
a maximum credit amount that can be utilized toward an order involving a licensed content asset is limited such that a price of the licensed content asset minus the maximum credit amount is equal to a required royalty payment; and
when the credit associated with the particular guest room exceeds the maximum credit amount and the received order involves the licensed content, the method further comprising initiating billing of the guest by applying a billing amount equal to the required royalty payment and decreasing the credit associated with the particular guest room by the maximum credit amount.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
dynamically increasing the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to receiving a first notification message indicating that a profit generating service offered at the hospitality establishment has been billed to the particular guest room; and
dynamically increasing the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to receiving a second notification message indicating that a complimentary service offered at the hospitality establishment was declined for the particular guest room.
15. A media system controller for controlling a plurality of media devices at a hospitality establishment having a plurality of guest rooms, each guest room having one or more in-room media devices for providing media functions therein, the media functions including at least a pay-per-use media function, the media system controller comprising one or more processors configured to:
dynamically associate a credit corresponding to a monetary value with a particular guest room in response to a guest checking in to the particular guest room;
dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room in response to every occurrence of a predetermined time period as long as the guest remains checked in to the particular guest room;
configure an in-room media device of the particular guest room to indicate the credit associated with the particular guest room;
allow the guest of the particular guest room to utilize at least an amount of the credit toward an order of the pay-per-use media function;
activate the pay-per-use media function on at least one of the in-room media devices of the particular room in response to a received order; and
decrease the credit associated with the particular guest room according to the amount of the credit utilized toward the received order.
16. The media system controller of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the predetermined time period according to a type of the particular guest room.
17. The media system controller of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room by a periodic credit increase amount in response to every occurrence of the predetermined time period as long as the guest remains checked in to the particular guest room; and
determine the periodic credit increase amount according to a category of the particular guest room.
18. The media system controller of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
dynamically increase the credit associated with the particular guest room by a periodic credit increase amount in response to every occurrence of the predetermined time period as long as the guest remains checked in to the particular guest room; and
determine the periodic credit increase amount according to a category of the guest of the particular guest room.
19. The media system controller of claim 15 , wherein:
the guest is not a member of a loyalty program associated with the hospitality establishment when the guest checks in to the particular guest room; and
the one or more processors are further configured to update a user profile at a user profile server with a remaining credit associated with the particular guest room when the guest checks out of the particular guest room, the user profile corresponding to the guest as a result of the guest joining the loyalty program before checking out of the particular guest room, whereby the guest is enabled to save the remaining credit associated with the particular guest room by joining the loyalty program.
20. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 9 .