METHOD, SYSTEM AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR BROADCASTING SERVICES AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS AT A LOCATION WHEN RELEVANT

• US 20090172729A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bateman, Anita J., Dinh, Hung T., Lee, David P.
• Application Number:
  US11/968,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172729A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side

Abstract

A method, system and program product for automatically broadcasting services available at a location within a broadcast area. The method includes inputting, into a tool configured to broadcast, services available at different locations from multiple service providers and broadcasting in a broadcast area covering the different locations the services available from the multiple service providers. The method further includes delivering broadcasts of services available to a consumer at a location within the broadcast area at a point-in-time, the consumer having a device configured to send a respective location of the consumer to the tool and configured to receive delivery of the broadcasts of the services available at the respective location while the consumer is at the respective location, such that, the broadcasts of the services available alerts the consumer of the services available at the respective location at the point-in-time.

Claims

1. A method for automatically broadcasting services available at a location within a broadcast area, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting, into a tool configured to broadcast, one or more services available at one or more locations from a plurality of service providers;

broadcasting in a broadcast area covering said one or more locations said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers; and

delivering broadcasts of said one or more services available to at least one consumer of a plurality of consumers at a location within said broadcast area at a point-in-time, said at least one consumer having a device configured to send a respective location of said at least one consumer to said tool and configured to receive delivery of said broadcasts of said one or more services available at said respective location while said at least one consumer is at said respective location, wherein said broadcasts of said one or more services available alerts said at least one consumer of said one or more services available at said respective location at said point-in-time.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

storing, in a first repository, service data pertaining to said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers for providing said broadcasts to said plurality of consumers at said one or more locations within said broadcast area.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:

paying, by a respective service provider of said one or more service providers, a fee to a broadcast provider for broadcasting said one or more services available in a respective broadcast area.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

detecting when a new service is available within said broadcast area; and

retrieving data from said repository for broadcasting said new service to said plurality of consumers within said broadcast area.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said broadcasting step further comprises the step of:

broadcasting in one or more broadcast areas covering said one or more locations said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers, said one or more broadcast areas having one or more areas of overlap;

wherein said at least one consumer may receive delivery of broadcasts for said one or more services available from said one or more broadcast areas when at a location covered by said one or more broadcast areas.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said delivering step further comprises the step of:

determining whether said at least one consumer at said location within said broadcast area is interested in receiving delivery of broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location; and

if said at least one consumer at said location is interested in receiving delivery of broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location, configuring said device for receiving delivery of said broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location within said broadcast area.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said storing step further comprises the step of:

storing, in a second repository, one or more profiles for said respective consumer with respect to broadcasts delivered to said respective consumer over a period of time.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

updating said service data stored in said first repository pertaining to said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers within said broadcast area covering said one or more locations; and

updating said consumer data stored in said second repository pertaining to said one or more profiles for said respective consumer with respect to broadcasts delivered to said respective consumer over a period of time.

9. A system for automatically broadcasting services available in a location, comprising:

a broadcasting sub-system comprising of one or more broadcast towers having one or more antenna, said broadcasting sub-system being configured to broadcast;

a network communications channel;

at least one server coupled to said broadcasting sub-system and said network communications channel, said at least one server having deployed thereon a tool configured to broadcast one or more services available from a plurality of service providers, in a broadcast area covering one or more locations, said tool utilizing said broadcasting sub-system and said network communications channel to broadcast in said broadcast area;

one or more clients coupled to said network communications channel, each of said one or more clients having a user interface configured to send, to said tool, a respective location of a respective consumer of one or more consumers at a given point-in-time and configured to receive broadcasts of said one or more services available at said respective location from said plurality of service providers;

wherein said tool further comprises;

a subscription module configured to create an account for a service provider of said one or more service providers interested in broadcasting said one or more services available within said broadcast area;

a service module configured to receive input pertaining to said one or more services available from said one or more service providers at said one or more locations within said broadcast area;

a broadcasting module configured to broadcast said one or more services available at said one or more locations in said broadcast area;

a service configuration module configured to configure a service available from said one or more service providers within said broadcast area; and

a client device configuration module configured to configure a client device of a consumer to send said respective location of said respective consumer and to receive said broadcasts of said one or more services available at said respective location from said one or more service providers; and

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said tool further comprises:

a consumer profile module configured to maintain a profile for said respective consumer with respect to broadcasts delivered to said respective consumer over a period of time.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said tool further comprises:

an update module configured to update said one or more services available from said one or more service providers within said broadcast area covering said one or more locations.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said tool further comprises:

a fee calculation module configured to calculate a fee to be paid by said one or more service providers to a broadcast provider for broadcasting said one or more services available within said one or more locations.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said tool further comprises:

a fee calculation module configured to calculate a fee to be paid by said one or more consumers for receiving said broadcasts of said one or more services available within said one or more locations.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said tool further comprises:

a storage and retrieval module configured to store data pertaining to said one or more services available from said one or more service providers and configured to retrieve said data pertaining to said one or more services available for said respective consumer of said one or more consumers at said respective location.

15. A computer program product for automatically broadcasting services available in a location, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

first program instructions to input data pertaining to one or more services available at one or more locations from a plurality of service providers;

second program instructions to broadcast in one or more broadcast areas covering said one or more locations said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers, said second program instructions including instructions to receive payment from a respective service provider of said one or more service providers for broadcasting said one or more services available at said one or more locations;

third program instructions to deliver broadcasts of said one or more services available to a device of at least one consumer of a plurality of consumers at a location within said broadcast area at a point-in-time while said at least one consumer is at said location, said device being configured to send a respective location of said at least one consumer at said point-in-time, and wherein said first, second and third program instructions are recorded on said computer readable medium.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:

fourth program instructions to store in a first repository service data pertaining to said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers for providing said broadcasts to said plurality of consumers at said one or more locations within said broadcast area, to store in a second repository consumer data pertaining to consumer profiles for said and plurality of consumers with respect to broadcasts delivered to said plurality of consumers over a period of time, and wherein said fourth program instructions are recorded on said computer readable medium.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said first program instructions include instructions to update said service data stored in said first repository pertaining to said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers within said broadcast area covering said one or more locations and to update said consumer data stored in said second repository pertaining to said consumer profiles for said and plurality of consumers with respect to broadcasts delivered to said plurality of consumers over a period of time, respectively.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said second program instructions include instructions to broadcast in one or more broadcast areas covering said one or more locations said one or more services available from said plurality of service providers, said one or more broadcast areas having one or more areas of overlap;

wherein said at least one consumer may receive delivery of broadcasts for said one or more services available from said one or more broadcast areas when at a location covered by said one or more broadcast areas.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to determine whether said at least one consumer at said location within said broadcast area is interested in receiving delivery of broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location, and if said at least one consumer at said location is interested in receiving delivery of broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location, to configure said device for receiving delivery of said broadcasts of said one or more services available at said location within said broadcast area.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein said fourth program instructions include instructions to detect when a new service is available within a respective broadcast area and to retrieve data from said repository for broadcasting said new service to said plurality of consumers within said respective broadcast area.