Patent ID: 11900734
Assignee: ACCESSO TECHNOLOGY GROUP PLC
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A queuing system for controlling access by a plurality of user accounts to one or more resources, the plurality of user accounts having a plurality of access keys, each access key being associated with at least one user account from the plurality of user accounts, wherein the at least one user account is allocated to one of a plurality of groups, wherein the plurality of groups comprises a first group and a second group, the queuing system comprising:
an electronic queue management server, configured to manage at least one virtual queue, each of the at least one virtual queue being associated with a respective resource of the one or more resources, the electronic queue management server being further configured to:
receive, via a communications network, electronic requests for resource access, each request relating to a respective access key and being for the at least one user account associated with the access key to access a resource from the one or more resources, and
determine, in response to each request, a waiting time associated with the resource for the respective at least one user account, and

a plurality of access control devices, each access control device being associated with a respective resource of the plurality of resources, wherein each access control device is in communication with the electronic queue management server and comprises an access control barrier and a sensor configured to detect an access key,
wherein, if the at least one user account is allocated to the first group of users, the electronic queue management server is further configured to:
allocate the at least one user account to a virtual queue of the at least one virtual queue associated with the resource, and
send, via the communications network, an electronic message comprising the waiting time indicating a time at which the respective at least one user account reaches a front of the allocated virtual queue and can access the resource on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device, where the access control barrier is controlled to open on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device at or after the indicated time, and

wherein, if the at least one user account is allocated to the second group of users, the electronic queue management server is further configured to:
send, via the communications network, an electronic message to the at least one user account, communicating that the at least one user account can access the resource immediately after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server instead of allocating the at least one user account to the virtual queue associated with the resource, thereby allowing access to the resource by the at least one user account immediately after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device, where the access control barrier is controlled to open on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device after the request has been received by the electronic queue management server, and
prevent the at least one user account from accessing further resources during a cool down period after access to the resource has been provided; and

wherein the access control device is arranged to control access to the respective resource such that access through the access control barrier to the resource is provided only if one of the following conditions is met, no other access to the resource being permitted:
the user account is allocated to the first group and an access key associated with the user account is presented at the access control device at the determined time for accessing the respective resource; or
the user account is allocated to the second group and an access key after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server, wherein the user account is allowed access immediately after the request has been received by the electronic queue management server.