Validation of queue tickets in wireless communications terminals by near-field communicatons with ticket machines

摘要

Methods, wireless communication terminals, and queue management system are disclosed that operate electronically accessible queues, such as customer service queues. A wireless communications terminal is used to obtain a queue ticket from a ticket machine. The queue ticket indicates that a ticket client has been entered a queue associated with the ticket machine. The queue ticket is stored in the wireless terminal. The queue ticket in the wireless terminal is validated via a near-field communications protocol wireless interface between the wireless terminal and the ticket machine. Service for the ticket client is authorized in response to validation of the queue ticket and movement of the ticket client to a threshold level within the queue.