Carnival Corporation & plc is announcing that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued the corporation three patents protecting 46 intellectual property innovations for OceanMedallion, its wearable device that powers the guest experience platform behind MedallionClass vacations on its Princess Cruises brand.
U.S. Patent No. 10,037,642 has been issued for OceanMedallion, which contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies including Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), as well as other non-disclosed capabilities.
The Medallion device communicates a cruise guest’s digital identity with an intelligent shipboard network to provide crew members relevant information about each guest designed to enhance guest-crew interactions. Carnival Corporation & plc says the device enables all aspects of an elevated guest vacation including hassle-free payment; keyless, personalized stateroom access; frictionless embarkation; on-demand services and more.
The OceanMedallion activates a travel industry first with an Experience Internet of Things (xIoT) platform – the focus of the company’s second patent (U.S. No. 10,045,184) – to connect physical and digital experiences onboard. Carnival Corporation & plc says the guest-centric approach helps maximize the vacation experience in real-time based on guest choices and preferences as well as real-time Experience Intelligence.
The xIoT platform features an invisible network of thousands of interactive sensors and embedded devices mounted throughout the ship, as well as select ports, linking individual guest and crew devices, shipboard software and hardware as well as synchronized cloud computing.
Carnival Corporation’s third patent (U.S. No. 10,049,516) has been awarded for its smart door portal solution that leverages NFC, BLE, proximity, capacitive sensors and cameras to allow guests to access their stateroom without the need for a room key or room card. The door portal system also features external smart touch-display screens to deliver personalized guest interactions that recognize guest identity attributes such as brand loyalty levels and celebratory occasions. The proprietary door portals also provide conditional crew access and multi-stateroom access capabilities.
The company’s guest experience innovations currently are being deployed on Caribbean Princess from Princess Cruises. Guests sailing on board Caribbean Princess MedallionClass vacations are experiencing an extensive portfolio of OceanMedallion-enabled features including:
- Keyless Stateroom Access: Stateroom entry is an experience where each guest is validated and the door automatically unlocks, with personalized greetings launching soon.
- OceanNow: Using smart devices, guests have the ability to place a food or drink order and have it delivered directly to them in food and beverage locations throughout the ship.
- MedallionPay: All guests use this payment experience enabling crew members to focus on guest service interactions.
- OceanCasino: On smart devices and select portals, guests can wager real money on a portfolio of games, including slots, poker, bingo, roulette, keno and lottery from anywhere on board.
- OceanCompass featuring OceanNav and ShipMates: On select portals guests can use OceanNav for point-to-point wayfinding throughout the ship via a navigation assistant, and utilize ShipMates to easily locate friends, family and kids.
- JourneyView: On portals throughout the ship, guests can access a real-time look at their itinerary, along with events and activities taking place during their cruise.
- OceanView: Guests can stream more than 100 hours of award-winning Ocean Original travel content – which airs nationally on weekends on ABC and NBC - to their smart device anywhere on the ship for free.
- PlayOcean: On portals located ship wide, guests can play family games, including trivia, word jumble, a matching game, and Ocean Treks Adventure – an interactive, ship wide digital scavenger hunt.
For more information, visit http://www.carnivalcorp.com/
Related Stories
Carnival Corporation Supports Community Projects Across Caribbean
Carnival Adds Halloween-Themed Activities to All October Sailings
Princess Cruises Reports Ocean Medallion Activation Milestone