INTELLIGENT URBAN COMMUNICATIONS PORTAL AND METHODS

• US 20140335897A1
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kerbspace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kerbspace Incorporated
• Inventors: Summerfield, Leif, Clem, William E
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A system, device, and methods for monitoring and responding to information needs of users in an urban grid or local map area. The system is a platform to virtualize an urban space, provide map overlayers with local data content, and allow users to access personalized content having relevance based on proximity, location, time, and keyword search criteria such as guest entries, local ties recent user internet activity, time of day, special events related to a user'"'"'s profile, appointments in a user'"'"'s calendar, traffic conditions, destinations along a user'"'"'s footpath having possible significance, schedules and routes for transit, taxi or rental information for visitors, environmental conditions, and the like. In a second embodiment, the system may be expanded to assist guests with parking and traffic management issues.

Claims

1. An urban communications system, which comprises:

a) one or more mobile devices, each device having a unique address or handle identifiably associated with a guest user;

b) an urban communications portal having a body, said body having a display screen, said display screen comprising an interactive graphical user interface, said body further comprising;

i) a first radio transceiver with a first antenna adapted to be in communication with a cloud-based administrative server, said server having an internet address and an administrative engine for system administration;

ii) a second radio transceiver with a BLE antenna adapted to be in digital communication with a plurality of transceivers of mobile devices within a defined area around said BLE antenna, said defined area having an outer boundary within which said digital communication is effective;

iii) a processor with memory and program instructions, wherein said processor and instructions are configured to detect at least one of said one or more mobile devices within range of said BLE antenna, to initiate a query to said unique address of said one mobile device, to receive a response, and to display first local content on said display screen of said urban communications portal, wherein said first local content is based on timeliness and location within a physical map of said defined area, further wherein said first local content is a dynamic output of said administrative engine, said output having one or more map overlayers superimposed on a map of said defined area;

c) an application enabled to be operated on said mobile device, said application comprising instructions to send a response to said query and to establish a digital communication link with said urban communications portal; and

,

d) further wherein said paired digital communications handshake comprises a data transfer protocol enabled to make a data transfer to said mobile device, whereby said local content is mirrored onto a viewing screen of said mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is enabled to receive a selection of a subset of said first local content displayed on said display screen, and to mirror an expanded search result onto said viewing screen of said mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said map overlayers are enabled to be updated by an administrator acting on said administrative engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said mobile devices are configured to detect radio beacons disposed in said defined area and to relay said radio contacts as a trail of breadcrumbs to said urban communications portal.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said administrative engine is enabled to collect said trail of breadcrumbs from multiple guest pathways through said defined area and to define a quorum map of said pathways.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said system is enabled to detect traffic in said defined area and to analyze said traffic so as to refine said map of said defined area.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said application is enabled to transmit a keyword entered by a user on said mobile device so as to update said first local content on said display screen according to a search of local map overlayers for updated local content of specific relevance to said keyword.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said system is enabled to collect search and email data from a mobile device and to parse that data to refine a search for updated local content.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said expanded search result is enabled to be mirrored from said mobile device onto said display screen of said urban communications portal when said mobile device is brought into proximity to said portal and said viewing screen of said mobile device is locked.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is enabled to access a user profile from said address or handle identifiably associated with said guest user, and to push at least one notification or offer to said mobile device based on said user profile.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said system is enabled to mirror notifications pushed onto said mobile device of said guest user onto said display screen when said mobile device is brought into proximity to said urban communications portal.

12. A method for using one or more urban communications portals and one or more radio beacons in radio proximity thereto in cooperation with a compatible mobile device to navigate a defined local area of an urban grid:

which comprises,

(a) providing a navigational application operative with said mobile device, said navigational application operating cooperatively with said one or more urban communications portals and said one or more radio beacons in proximity thereto;

(b) establishing a digital link between said mobile device and said urban communications portal when said mobile device is in BLE radio proximity to said urban communications portal;

(c) copying any address or handle information from said mobile device and any breadcrumbs in a memory chip of said mobile device, wherein breadcrumbs are records of proximity to said radio beacons;

(d) parsing said address or handle and said breadcrumbs as keywords, searching cloud-based sources for relevant local content, and pushing a notification or offer onto an open application viewing screen of said mobile device;

(e) receiving a query from a touch screen of said mobile device in response to said notification or offer, parsing said query as one or more keywords, searching said keywords for related local content entries, and displaying any expanded local content;

(f) identifying a destination in said designated area associated with at least one said expanded local content search result and pushing said destination onto said viewing screen;

(g) mapping said destination as a map overlayer on a physical map of said designated area and displaying said map.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising a step for escorting a guest having said compatible mobile device along a pathway to said destination while monitoring progress in said defined local area.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising tracking said mobile device and pushing an updated notification to said mobile device when new local content is relevant, said updated local content including a map representation of a trail of said breadcrumbs.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising tracking said mobile device and pushing an updated notification to said mobile device when said mobile device is brought into proximity to a radio beacon, said radio beacon having associated relevant local content.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising storing said user address or handle and any proximity contacts to said radio beacons recorded by said mobile device, thereby tabulating a trail of breadcrumbs that defines a guest journey.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a set of guest journeys are collated for a quorum map of pathways through said designated area.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising mirroring any notification to a guest user onto a display screen of said urban communication portal when said mobile device is brought into proximity to said display screen of said portal and said mobile device viewing screen is locked.

19. The method of claim 13, comprising notifying a merchant when said mobile device has reached said destination.

20. The method of claim 12, comprising analyzing activity of BLE radio traffic in proximity to said urban communications portal and activity of other environmental sensors and making notifications to one or more guest users in response to said activities.

21. A method for using one or more urban communications portals and one or more radio beacons in radio proximity thereto in cooperation with a compatible mobile device to navigate a defined local area of an urban grid:

which comprises,

(a) providing a navigational application operative with said mobile device, said navigational application operating cooperatively with said one or more urban communications portals and said one or more radio beacons in proximity thereto;

(b) establishing a digital link between said mobile device and said urban communications portal when said mobile device is in BLE radio proximity to said urban communications portal;

(c) copying any address or handle information from said mobile device and any breadcrumbs in a memory chip of said mobile device, wherein breadcrumbs are records of proximity to said radio beacons;

(d) parsing said address or handle and said breadcrumbs as keywords, searching cloud-based sources for relevant local content, and pushing a notification or offer onto a display screen of said urban communications portal;

(e) receiving a query from a touch screen of said urban communications portal in response to said notification or offer, parsing said query as one or more keywords, searching said keywords for related local content entries, and displaying any expanded local content;

(f) identifying a destination in said designated area associated with at least one said expanded local content search result and pushing said destination onto said display screen;

(g) mapping said destination as a map overlayer on a physical map of said designated area and displaying said map,

further displaying said map according to face forward mapping such that the map on the display is oriented to be viewed by a guest user in the same orientation as any map contents would be viewed in the physical world.