System and method for providing services across a network

• US 20050154736A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Mcneill Meikleham, Grahame John Entwistle, John Meikleham
• Original Assignee: Daniel Mcneill Meikleham, Grahame John Entwistle, John Meikleham
• Inventors: Meikleham, John, Meikleham, Daniel McNeill, Entwistle, Grahame John
• Application Number:
  US11/022,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154736A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

The invention provides a thin-client system and method that enables users to interact with a remote server in order to eliminate local computer systems being required within private and semi-private spaces such as hotel rooms. The system enables secure and personalized short term access to high-speed services and enables an operator to deliver personalized information services to different users.

Claims

1. A computer system for providing at least one service to users within a space, the system comprising:

a user interface in the space, for permitting users to interact with the computer system;

a local thin-client module operatively connected to the user interface and a network, the local thin-client module having a unique identification number for broadcasting to the network to establish an operative and secured link with a central server;

wherein the central server includes software for providing at least one service to the user through the thin-client module.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the central server supports a graphical user interface for a user to access a plurality of information and service resources through the thin client module, the information and service resources selected from any one of or a combination of email services, messaging, stories, dining, entertainment and travel reservation services, business services, local information, promotion and discount services, game services, internet browser services and shopping services.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user interface includes an operative combination of a monitor, keyboard, mouse, touch-screen, tablet, voice-recognition, card-swipe device or position sensing gloves.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thin-client module is a stateless device that operates as a node on a network and contains a unique MAC address.

5. The system as in claim 2 wherein the central server provides different facility-specific information to a plurality of different facilities through separate graphical user interfaces, each facility having a plurality of individual thin-client modules operatively connected to the central server.

6. The system as in claim 1 wherein the space is a room in a hotel.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the at least one service is selected from information or data services including any one of or a combination of email services, messaging, stories, dining, entertainment and travel reservation services, business services, local information, promotion and discount services, game services, internet browser services and shopping services.

8. A method for an operator to provide information services to the users of a space comprising providing a user interface within said space, the user interface for permitting users to make a selection from among said services through a thin-client module operatively connected to the user interface in the space and a central server, the central server including software for delivering said services to the user interface.

9. A computer system for establishing an operative link between a plurality of distributed thin-client processors comprising:

a central server having a database of unique identification numbers corresponding to registered thin-client processors, the central server for operative connection to the internet;

at least one registered thin-client processor having a unique identification number for operative connection to the internet and a user interface,

wherein the registered thin-client processor broadcasts the unique identification number when connected to the internet and the central server receives the unique identification number to verify that the registered thin-client processor is registered to establish an operative link between the central server and the thin-client processor and whereupon registration a user has access to space-related services hosted by the central server.

10. A computer system for providing at least one service to users within a space, the system comprising:

a central operations server for managing at least one thin-client processor, the central operations server for receiving and processing input commands from each thin-client processor and directing those input commands to information application software on the central operations server for delivering information to each thin-client processor, the information being selected from information or data services including any one of or a combination of email services, messaging, stories, dining, entertainment and travel reservation services, business services, local information, promotion and discount services, game services, internet browser services and shopping services.

11. An integrated computer interface system comprising:

a monitor having a display side and back side, the back side having integrated user input system connectors operatively connected to a thin-client processor,

a network interface card and network interface connectors.

12. An integrated computer interface system as in claim 11 wherein the integrated computer interface system further comprises an integrated uninterrupted power supply operatively connected to the thin client processor.

13. An integrated computer interface system as in claim 12 wherein the monitor is an LCD monitor.