Mobile telephony device and process enabling access to a context-sensitive service using the position and/or identity of the user

• US 20020028683A1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inria Institut National de Recherche EN Informatique et EN Automatique
• Original Assignee: Inria Institut National de Recherche EN Informatique et EN Automatique
• Inventors: Banatre, Michael, Couderc, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 6,901,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

An access interface (Bai) allows access to a context-sensitive service to a user portable set (Ui) according to a chosen geographical coverage. A mobile station (SMi) distributed in the access interface area of coverage is equipped with communication means to establish short-range radio frequency communication within a chosen perimeter. The user portable set (Ui) is equipped with short-range radio frequency communication means paired with those of the mobile station to establish the said short-range radio frequency communication within the chosen perimeter. The user portable set (Ui) communicates with the mobile station (SMi) and the access interface (Bai) to access the said context-sensitive service (Si) which is adapted according to the position and/or identity of the user.

Claims

1. Mobile telephony process in which:

a) at least one context-sensitive service (Si) capable of using the position and/or identity of a user with a portable set (Ui) is envisaged to create, control access and/or adjust at least some characteristics of the said service,

b) at least one access interface (Bai) belonging to a chosen communication infrastructure is envisaged, to allow access to the said context-sensitive service to at least one user portable set (Ui) according to a chosen geographical coverage,

c) at least one mobile station (SMi) distributed in the access interface area of coverage is envisaged

d) the mobile station (SMi) is equipped with communication means capable of establishing short-range radio frequency communication within a chosen perimeter between the user portable set (Ui), and the mobile station (SMi), and

e) at least one user portable set (Ui) is equipped with short-range radio frequency communication means paired with those of the mobile station to establish the said short-range radio frequency communication within the chosen perimeter between the portable set and the mobile station,

which allows the said user portable set (Ui) to communicate with the mobile station (SMi) as well as with the access interface (Bai) to access the said context-sensitive service (Si) adapted according to the position and/or identity of the user.

2. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least some characteristics of the context-sensitive service (Si) belong to the group formed by the absence/presence, content, availability, access control, pricing of the said service.

3. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of network equipped mobile stations (SMi) is envisaged.

4. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mobile station or plurality of network equipped mobile stations cover(s) practically exactly the interior of a chosen perimeter (Pi).

5. Process in accordance with claim 4, wherein a perimeter identifier (Pid) is attributed to identify the said perimeter (Pi), at least one attribute (Aij) enabling location of the user/and or characterisation of the perimeter being associated with each perimeter identifier (Pid).

6. Process in accordance with claim 5, wherein with each perimeter identifier (Pid) is associated a list of attributes (Aij).

7. Process in accordance with claim 5, wherein a service identifier (Sid) is attributed, in particular of URL address type or similar to enable access to the service associated with the said perimeter (Pi).

8. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the mobile station (SMi) is capable of establishing communication with the access interface (Bai), the mobile station (SMi) thus fulfilling the role of a portable set.

9. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein a user identifier (Uid) is attributed for each user portable set in order to identify the said user.

10. Process in accordance with claim 5, wherein the context-sensitive service is adapted according to the user identifier (Uid) and/or the identifier of the perimeter (Pid) in which the user portable set is located.

11. Process in accordance with claim 5, wherein a phase is envisaged for acquisition of the service identifier (Sid) and the perimeter identifier (Pid) after a short-range radio frequency communication (2) established between the user portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi).

12. Process in accordance with claim 11, wherein a phase is envisaged for application of the context-sensitive service thus known by the service identifier (Sid) after a bi-directional (4 and 6) communication established between the user portable set (Ui) and the access interface (Bai).

13. Process in accordance with claim 5, wherein a phase is envisaged for acquisition of the user identifier (Uid) after a short-range radio frequency communication established between the user portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi) , and in that a phase is envisaged for application of the context-sensitive service after communication established between the mobile station and the access interface to announce to the service (Si) the presence of the user within the perimeter considered (Pi), the service being capable of establishing interaction with the user portable set by adapting the content of the said service according to the user profile thanks to the user identifier (Ui) and perimeter identifier (Pid) pair.

14. Process in accordance with claim 6, wherein a phase is envisaged for acquisition of the attributes (Aij) of the perimeter identifier (Pid) and of the associated service identifiers (Sid) after a short-range radio frequency communication (2) established between the user portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi).

15. Process in accordance with claim 14, wherein a phase is envisaged for selection of a context-sensitive service after a request/answer type selection session between the user portable set (Ui) and a remote server belonging to the access interface (Bai), and in which the selection request includes at least some attributes (Aij) of the parameter identifier (Pid) so acquired while the remote server communicates to the user portable set via the access infrastructure all the relevant service identifiers matching the request and from which the user selects the service identifier (Sid) of his choice.

16. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein a communication infrastructure belonging to the group formed by the global cellular network of the GSM, UMTS or similar type, ad hoc local network or similar type, is envisaged.

17. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein a portable set belonging to the group formed by mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA) or similar is envisaged.

18. Mobile telephony device for the implementation of the process in accordance with one of claims 1 to 17.

19. User portable set intended for co-operating with the mobile telephony device in accordance with claim 18.

20. Mobile station intended for co-operating with the mobile telephony device in accordance with claim 18.

21. Access interface intended for co-operating with the telephony device in accordance with claim 18.