Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs for displaying information on mobile units, with reporting by, and control of, such units
First Claim
1. A system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
- an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer includes programming defining an operating system having a set of commands and programming to enable a remote system to have remote access to commands of said operating system over said radio.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for publicly displaying messages includes one or more mobile units, each including an automotive vehicle carrying a publicly visible electronic display; a computer for controlling the images shown on the display; and a radio for transmitting and receiving information, including information about which messages should be shown on the mobile unit'"'"'s display. A central system receives and sends information to radios on the mobile units to control what messages they display. In some embodiments the mobile unit includes programming to enable a remote computer, such as a central system computer, to have remote access over the radio to commands of the mobile unit'"'"'s computer'"'"'s operating system. In some embodiments, the information transmitted by a mobile unit'"'"'s radio includes information about the status of the mobile unit'"'"'s computer. This can include how much more room its memory has, how utilized its CPU is, how much radio traffic it is having, what display message it is currently showing, etc. In some embodiments, the radio transmits real time information about the status of the mobile display unit. This can include information about one or more temperatures in the display device, the amount of light falling on or near the display'"'"'s screens, the amount of light emitted by the display'"'"'s screens, whether or not the vehicle'"'"'s ignition is on, and the strength of the signal being received by a mobile unit'"'"'s radio.
286 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer includes programming defining an operating system having a set of commands and programming to enable a remote system to have remote access to commands of said operating system over said radio. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying to and from the computer digital information, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display, and for transmitting to remote computers information supplied to the radio by the vehicle'"'"'s computer;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system information about the status of said computer. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20)
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14. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system real time information about the status of said mobile display unit.
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17. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
one or more enclosures enclosing said display, computer, and radio;
a sensor for providing a measurement of the temperature inside one of said enclosures;
a connection for communicating said temperature measurement to said computer;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system information about said temperature measurement.
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18. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a light sensor for providing a measurement of the amount of light falling on said display from sources other than the display itself;
a connection for communicating said measurement to said computer;
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system information about said light measurement.
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19. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle and;
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a connection for communicating to said computer an indication of the amount of light being emitted by said display;
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system information about said amount of light being emitted.
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21. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle having and ignition system and means for turning the ignition system on and off; and
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a connection for communicating to said computer an indication of whether said ignition system is on or off;
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system an indication of whether said ignition system is on or off.
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22. A mobile display system for publicly displaying messages comprising:
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an automotive vehicle; and
the following elements carried by the vehicle;
a publicly visible electronic display;
a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on said display; and
a radio connected to said computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on said display;
wherein;
said radio includes electronics for generating an indication of the strength of the radio frequency signal which is being received by that radio;
said computer receives said signal strength indication; and
said computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over said radio to a remote computer system information about the signal strength indication.
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Specification