Information delivery
First Claim
1. A local information delivery system comprising a beacon, wherein:
- i) the beacon has a memory adapted to store a code identifying a predetermined item of information;
ii) the beacon has a local communications means adapted to transmit the code wirelessly to at least one client device when the at least one client device is in a vicinity of the beacon, the client device then using this code to upload the predetermined item of information by way of a global communications system;
iii) the local communications means of the beacon is adapted to receive the uploaded item of information when transmitted from the at least one client device;
iv) the beacon stores in its memory the item of information received or uploaded from the at least one client device; and
v) the local communications means of the beacon is adapted to transmit the item of information, in place of or alongside the code, to at least one further client device when in the vicinity of the beacon.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A beacon is placed at a specific location, such as a bus stop and has a local communicator which transmits a code to a mobile telephone. The code identifies a predetermined item of information stored on a remote server, such as a bus timetable document. This information is retrieved by the mobile telephone using its network communicator. The mobile telephone then transmits a copy of the information to the beacon which stores it in its cache and also displays the document to its user. A PDA, which lacks a network communicator, is then able to retrieve the cached information directly from the beacon using only its local communicator. The PDA then displays the bus timetable document to its user.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A local information delivery system comprising a beacon, wherein:
- i) the beacon has a memory adapted to store a code identifying a predetermined item of information;
ii) the beacon has a local communications means adapted to transmit the code wirelessly to at least one client device when the at least one client device is in a vicinity of the beacon, the client device then using this code to upload the predetermined item of information by way of a global communications system;
iii) the local communications means of the beacon is adapted to receive the uploaded item of information when transmitted from the at least one client device;
iv) the beacon stores in its memory the item of information received or uploaded from the at least one client device; and
v) the local communications means of the beacon is adapted to transmit the item of information, in place of or alongside the code, to at least one further client device when in the vicinity of the beacon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- i) the beacon has a memory adapted to store a code identifying a predetermined item of information;
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14. A method of efficiently updating information stored in a beacon having a memory and at least one local communications means, in which:
- i) a client device retrieves or uploads a code from the beacon by way of the local communications means, the code identifying a predetermined item of information that is available over a network;
ii) the client device uses a network communications system to retrieve or upload the predetermined item of information from the network and then transmits a copy of the item of information to the beacon using the local communications means;
iii) the beacon stores the predetermined item of information in its memory;
iv) other client devices then retrieve or upload the predetermined item of information directly from the beacon by way of the local communications means. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- i) a client device retrieves or uploads a code from the beacon by way of the local communications means, the code identifying a predetermined item of information that is available over a network;
Specification