METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING CONTEXTUAL SERVICES

• US 20120271666A1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiTL LLC (TRI Ventures, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LiTL LLC (TRI Ventures, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pennington, Robert Sanford Havoc, Tang, Aaron, Bambacus, Christopher, Eliason, Eben, Moody, Chris, Bilien, Johan, Chuang, John H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5016 Session
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for contextually providing services via a portable computer at a selected location. According to some embodiments, the systems and methods include processes for determining location-specific information about the selected location, determining status information about a user of the portable computer interface, and displaying an available service to the user on a display screen of the portable computer, the available service being selected based on the location-specific information and the status information, configuring a portable computer for transient use by a plurality of guests at a selected location.

Claims

1. A method of contextually providing services via a portable computer at a selected location, the method comprising:

determining location-specific information about the selected location;

determining status information about a user of the portable computer interface; and

displaying an available service to the user on a display screen of the portable computer, the available service being selected based on the location-specific information and the status information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining time-based information;

and

wherein the available service is selected based on the location-specific information, the status information and the time-based information.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the selected location is a hotel;

and wherein the status information includes the user'"'"'s status a guest at the hotel.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the location-specific information includes services offered at the hotel.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location-specific information includes at least one of weather information, news, and an event at the selected location.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

accepting an input from the user via the portable computer interface to allow the user to purchase the available service; and

updating a user profile to indicate purchase of the available service.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising linking a plurality of portable computers located at the selected location to form a group of portable computers including a first portable computer and a second portable computer.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising updating the available service displayed on the display screen of the second portable computer responsive to user activity on the first portable computer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the user activity on the first portable computer includes purchase of the available service by the user.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein displaying the available service includes displaying the same available service on the display screen of each portable computer in the group of portable computers, the available service being selected based on the location-specific information and the status information of the user of the first portable computer.

11. A computer system configured to contextually provide services to a plurality of transient users at a facility located at a specified location, the computer system comprising:

a plurality of portable computers located at the facility, each portable computer including a network connection, a display screen and a user interface configured to receive inputs from the plurality of transient users and to display digital content on the display screen;

computer storage separate from the plurality of portable computers and coupled to each of the plurality of portable computers via the respective network connection; and

a facility computer system coupled to the computer storage and to the plurality of portable computers, the facility computer system configured to provide facility-specific information to the plurality of portable computers;

wherein the digital content displayed on the display screen of a first portable computer of the plurality of portable computers includes an available service selected based on status information of at least one of the plurality of transient users and at least one of the facility-specific information and location-specific information about the specified location.

12. The computer system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first portable computer is configured to receive the location-specific information from the Internet via the network connection.

13. The computer system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the location-specific information includes at least one of weather information, news, and events within a predetermined distance from the specified location.

14. The computer system as claimed in claim 11, wherein available service is further selected based on at least one of a time and a date of access of the first portable computer by the at least one transient user.

15. The computer system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the facility-specific information includes an event at the facility.

16. The computer system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the facility is a hotel and wherein the status information includes the at least one transient user'"'"'s status as a guest at the hotel.

17. The computer system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of portable computers further includes a second portable computer;

and wherein the first and second portable computers are linked to form a group.

18. The computer system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the digital content displayed on the display screen of the second portable computer includes the same available service displayed on the display screen of the first portable computer.

19. The computer system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the digital content displayed on the display screen of the second portable computer includes content selected based on interaction of a first transient user with the first portable computer.