System and method for wireless communication to permit audience participation

• US 10,387,946 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IP Investment Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Mobilitie, LLC (Bai Communications Pty Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jabara, Gary B., Linder, Lloyd Frederick, Simon, David Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US15/278,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20170014716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/51 Server architecture
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 13/00 Voting apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

User equipment (UE) includes a short-range transceiver configured for communication with a plurality of wireless access points (APs) distributed throughout a venue. The individual UEs can communicate with the venue via the APs. The UEs can be configured to play interactive games with the venue, some of which may be displayed on the large screen in the venue and others that are displayed on the display of the UE. Data may be sent to the UEs individually or in groups. The data may be in the form of advertising, text messaging, images, video, multimedia, or the like. An array of UEs can receive portions of an overall image and function as individual pixels in a large display.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to permit audience participation in a venue associated with an event, the venue having a plurality of wireless access points (APs) distributed throughout to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of user equipment (UE) wireless communication devices, comprising:

a computer electronically coupled to the plurality of APs creating an electronic image display gallery associated with the event, the image display gallery including a large display screen within the venue and viewable by a large portion of an audience attending the event;

at least one of the plurality APs receiving a photo or video image transmitted from a short-range non-cellular transmitter of a first of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices on a non-cellular wireless communication link established between the first UE wireless communication device and the at least one of the plurality of APs, the photo or video image being generated by the first of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices at the event;

electronically determining that the first UE wireless communication device is within a predetermined geographic area associated with the event;

the computer using the photo or video image in the electronic image display gallery when the first UE wireless communication device is determined to be within the predetermined geographic area; and

displaying the electronic image display gallery on the large display screen within the venue.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer not using the photo or video image in the image display gallery when the first UE wireless communication device is electronically determined not to be within the predetermined geographic area.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of wireless access point (APs) has an area of coverage;

and

electronically determining that the first UE wireless communication device is within the predetermined geographic area comprises determining an identity of the at least one of the plurality APs and determining that the area of coverage of the at least one of the plurality APs is within the predetermined geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein electronically determining that the first UE wireless communication device is within the predetermined geographic area comprises determining an identity of the first wireless access point (AP).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality APs receiving the photo or video image transmitted from the first UE wireless communication device comprises receiving a plurality of photo or video images from the first UE wireless communication device and using the photo or video image in the image display gallery comprises the computer using the plurality of photo or video images in the image display gallery when the first UE wireless communication device is determined to be within the predetermined geographic area.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the plurality APs receiving a photo or video image comprises the at least one of the plurality APs receiving photo or video images transmitted from multiple ones of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices, the method further comprising:

electronically determining that each of the multiple ones of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices is within the predetermined geographic area associated with the event; and

the computer using the plurality of photo or video images in the image display gallery when each of the multiple ones of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices is determined to be within the predetermined geographic area.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the at least one of the plurality APs receiving geo-location data from the first UE wireless communication device along with the photo or video image wherein determining that the first UE wireless communication device is within the predetermined geographic area is based on the received geo-location data.

8. A wireless communication system for communication with a plurality of user equipment (UEs) wireless communication devices, comprising:

a plurality of wireless access points (APs) distributed throughout a venue associated with an event, at least one of the plurality of APs communicating wirelessly with a first of the plurality of UEs and receiving a photo or video image transmitted therefrom;

a large display screen within the venue and viewable by large portion of an audience attending the event within the venue;

a server configured for operation with the APs and communicatively coupled to the APs; and

the server controlling display of image data on an electronic image display gallery associated with the event, and further, being configured to transmit the image display gallery to the large display screen within the venue;

the server being configured to electronically determine, based on data received from one or more of the plurality of APs, that the first UE is within a predetermined geographic area associated with the event; and

when the server determines that the first UE is within the predetermined geographic area, the server being further configured to electronically display the received photo or video image on the image display gallery.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the server is further configured to not electronically display the photo or video image on the image display gallery when the first UE is electronically determined not to be within the predetermined geographic area.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the plurality of APs each have an area of coverage and the server is configured to determine when the first UE is within the predetermined geographic area by determining an identity of each of the plurality of APs that received a photo or video image transmitted from the first UE and electronically determining, based on the area of coverage, that the area of coverage of the at least one of the plurality of APs that received a photo or video image is within the predetermined geographic area.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the photo or video image transmitted from the first UE is received by the at least one of the plurality of APs;

and

the server is further configured to determine that the first UE is within the predetermined geographic area by electronically determining an identity of the at least one of the plurality of APs.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the at least one of the plurality of APs communicating wirelessly with the first UE and receiving a photo or video image transmitted therefrom is further configured to receive a plurality of photo or video images from the first UE;

and

the server is configured to electronically display the plurality of photo or video images on the image display gallery when the first UE is electronically determined to be within the predetermined geographic area.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the at least one of the plurality of APs communicating wirelessly with the first UE and receiving a photo or video image transmitted therefrom is further configured to receive a plurality of photo or video images transmitted from multiple ones of the plurality of UEs;

the server being further configured to electronically determine that each of the multiple ones of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices is within a predetermined geographic area associated with the event; and

the server being further configured to electronically display the plurality of photo or video images on the photo display gallery if each of the multiple ones of the plurality of UE wireless communication devices is electronically determined to be within the predetermined geographic area.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the each of the plurality of APs communicating wirelessly with the first UE and receiving a photo or video image transmitted therefrom is further configured to receive geo-location data from the first UE along with the photo or video image wherein the server is further configured to electronically determine that the first UE is within the predetermined geographic area based on the received geo-location data.