The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded Carnival, the world’s largest cruise ship company, three patents protecting 46 intellectual property innovations for its wearable OceanMedallion™. The wearable device contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies including Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), as well as other non-disclosed capabilities.
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The OceanMedallion communicates a guest’s unique digital identity with an intelligent shipboard network to provide crew members relevant information about each guest to enhance guest-crew interactions and deliver a high level of personalized service on a large scale. The device makes a guest’s vacation more effortless and enjoyable by offering benefits such as 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. It is the company’s second patent to connect physical and digital experiences onboard. 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™, said a press release.
The xIoT forms a unified guest experience platform by linking individual guest and crew devices, shipboard software and hardware as well as synchronized cloud computing through an invisible network of thousands of intelligent sensors and embedded devices mounted throughout the ship, as well as select ports.
Carnival received the third patent for its smart door portal solution that leverages NFC, BLE, proximity, capacitive sensors and cameras to allow guests to seamlessly and securely 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.
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“This level of innovation is unprecedented in the cruise and broader travel industry and reaffirms our commitment to develop solutions that deliver the very best vacation experience possible for our guests while leveraging the scale of our company,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. “To have our inventions recognized by the U.S. Patent Office is a tremendous source of pride for the entire company. It also sends a clear signal that we are leading the vacation industry in developing innovative solutions for personalizing the guest experience on a large scale to an even higher level. That is an exciting evolution for us and, more importantly, an exciting enhancement for our guests looking to make the most of their precious vacation time.”
