Patently Apple just dug up an Apple patent for an interesting electronic ticket system. The Concert Ticket+ will be an iPhone app through which you could purchase, use, or store your tickets, removing the need for paper tickets than can be easily misplaced. Despite its name, the electronic ticket app is designed to also cover sporting events, amusement parks, weddings, and a lot more.
One of the more interesting features of Apple’s e-ticket patent is that it includes the possibility of an NFC (near field communication) interface that would allow the iPhone to communicate with other NFC enabled devices or RFID tags. These could potentially include ticket kiosks, turnstiles, or RFID tickets.
There are a number of potential benefits to using this system. The most obvious benefit is you would no longer have to worry about losing or forgetting your ticket because the NFC technology would allow the iPhone to completely replace the paper ticket. The app would also allow you to easily transfer your tickets to others as well as access more information about the concert or event. From the business perspective, Apple’s e-ticket system would allow companies to target the ticket purchaser with live recordings, exclusive content, and concert refreshments.
While none of the technology is particularly new, this system could certainly change the way we buy and use concert tickets in the future. Of course, as with most Apple patents, we’re not going to get our hopes up.