Creating and Using Access Zones for Delivering Content

• US 20150234868A1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextgeofence BV
• Original Assignee: Standard Beacon Network V.O.F.
• Inventors: Lavalaye, Jesse, Kerchmar, Carl William
• Granted Patent: US 10,324,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The invention enables providing content to an access zone or geographical sector within the access zone. The access zone comprises a first communication node or one or more further communication nodes forming together with a first communication node a mesh network within the access zone. Content is received in a distribution node from a content provider, which content is associated with a geographical location. The geographical location is mapped with location coordinates stored in a first storage device associated with the distribution node, wherein the location coordinates falls within the access zone or geographical sector, and the first communication node of the access zone is thus determined. The content is transmitted from the distribution node to the first communication node, where it is stored for use by a user device in the access zone or geographical sector.

Claims

1. A method for providing content to an access zone or geographical sector within the access zone, the access zone comprising a first communication node or one or more further communication nodes forming together with a first communication node a mesh network within the access zone, the method comprising:

receiving the content in a distribution node from a content provider, said content being associated with a geographical location;

mapping the geographical location with location coordinates stored in a first storage device associated with the distribution node, the location coordinates falling within the access zone or geographical sector, and retrieving from the first storage device an indication of a first communication node of the access zone;

transmitting the content from the distribution node to the first communication node; and

storing the content in a second storage device associated with the first communication node from where the content is providable to a user device in the access zone or geographical sector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content as received in the distribution node is further associated with a lifetime, the method further comprising:

matching the lifetime with a current time to obtain a matching result; and

based on the matching result enabling or disabling the content to be providable to the user device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content provider and the distribution node are located external to the access zone, for example on the Internet.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content provider and the distribution node are located within the access zone and wherein the content provider communicates with the distribution node via the first communication node or the mesh network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a geographical sector associated with the content changes in size and/or volume and/or moves from one place to another over time.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining a change in position and/or size of the geographical sector associated with the content on the basis of at least one of the following user-specified parameters;

acceleration, speed, path, and/or trajectory;

determining an updated geographical sector associated with the content based on the change, if any, wherein the updated geographical sector is different from the geographical sector;

determining a second access zone in which a second mesh network of communication nodes is located, wherein the second access zone includes and/or overlaps the updated geographical sector and the second access zone is different from the first access zone;

transmitting the content from the content provider and/or from at least one of the communication nodes of the mesh network to at least one of the communication nodes of the second mesh network associated with the second access zone;

storing the content in a third storage device associated with the at least one communication node of the second mesh network;

removing the content stored in the second storage device and/or preventing access to the content stored in the second storage device.

7. The method according to claim 1, further for providing the content to the user device in the access zone or the geographical sector within the access zone, the user device in wired or wireless communication with the first communication node or with the mesh network, the method further comprising:

determining in the first communication node or in one of the further communication nodes in the mesh network a position of the user device;

providing the content via any one of the first communication node and the further communication nodes to the user device if the position of the user device is within the access zone.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the position of the user device is determined by trilaterating the position within the access zone or the geographical sector using the first communication node and at least two other nodes, wherein one of the at least two other nodes is the user device.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

not providing the content from the first communication node to the user device when the location of the user device is not within the access area; and

/or

restricting the user device from accessing the content in the first communication node when the location of the user device is not within the access area.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving the content in the user device;

modifying the content in the user device to obtain additional content; and

storing the additional content with the user device from where the additional content is providable to a further user device in the access zone or geographical sector.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing directional information and/or a portion of the content to the user device when the user device is within the predefined access area but is not within the geographical sector,

wherein said directional information indicates, to a user of the user device, a route or direction to reach or enter the geographical sector.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

not providing the content from the first communication node to the user device when the location of the user device is not within the geographical sector but within the access area; and

/or

restricting the user device from accessing the content in the first communication node when the location of the user device is not within the geographical sector but within the first access zone.

13. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving from the user device a request for content, said request comprising at least one search parameter;

performing a search query on the second storage device and/or other storage devices in other communication nodes in the mesh network for content matching the at least one search parameter;

providing the content to the user device if the content matches the at least one search parameter and if access to the content is allowed.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing directional information to the user device when the user device is within a communication range with a communication node of the mesh network but the location of the user device is not within the first predefined access zone,

wherein said directional information indicates, to a user of the user device, a route or direction to reach or enter the first predefined access zone.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least a subset of the communication nodes in the mesh network is configured to render the content for display on a display device of the communication node.

16. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the user device is in proximity to a point of interest based the location of the user device, said point of interest being located substantially indoor and located in the access zone;

providing three-dimensional directional and/or routing information to the user device when the user device is in proximity to the point of interest.

17. The method according to claim 7, wherein the content is associated with a lifetime, said lifetime comprising time information and duration information, and the content is provided to the user device only during the lifetime of the content.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access zone is created using a method for creating an access zone for providing content from a content provider to a user device located in the access zone, the method for creating an access zone comprising:

determining one or more location coordinates falling within a predefined geographical area where the access zone is to be created;

storing in a storage device the one or more location coordinates falling within the access zone;

storing in the storage device an indication of a first communication node where the content is to be stored for use within the access zone and from where the content is providable to the user device.

28. A computer program product, implemented on computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product configured for, when run on a computer, executing the method steps according to claim 1.

18. A method for creating an access zone for providing content from a content provider to a user device located in the access zone, the method comprising:

determining one or more location coordinates falling within a predefined geographical area where the access zone is to be created;

storing in a storage device the one or more location coordinates falling within the access zone;

storing in the storage device an indication of a first communication node where the content is to be stored for use within the access zone and from where the content is providable to the user device.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

storing in the storage device indications of one or more further communication nodes to form a mesh network within the access zone for providing the content to the user device.

20. The method according to claim 18, further for creating a geographical sector within the access zone for providing the content to a user device located in the geographical sector, the method comprising:

storing in the storage device one or more location coordinates falling within the access zone and within the geographical sector; and

storing in the storage device indications of one or more communication nodes in the geographical sector from where the content is providable to the user device.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the indications of the communication nodes in the access zone are transmitted to the communication nodes for configuring the communication nodes to form the mesh network.

23. A communication node in a mesh network of communication nodes for providing content to a user device, said user device in wireless communication with at least one of the communication nodes of the mesh network and the communication nodes of the mesh network being located within a predefined access zone, the communication node configured to:

receive content from a content provider, said content being associated with a location in the predefined access zone;

store the content in a storage device associated with the communication node; and

provide the content from the communication node to the user device if the user device is located in the first access zone.

27. A content delivery system for delivering content associated with a predefined access zone or geographical sector to a user device, said system comprising at least one communication node according to claim 23 and a distributing node for enabling the delivery of content from a content provider to a communication node of a mesh network of communication nodes, one of the communication nodes being a first communication node, the communication nodes being located within a predefined access zone and configured to wireless communicate with a user device, said distributing node configured to:

receive the content from the content provider, said content being associated with a geographical location;

map the geographical location with location coordinates stored in a first storage device associated with the distribution node, the location coordinates falling within the predefined access zone or geographical sector, and retrieve from the first storage device an indication of a first communication node of the access zone; and

transmit the content from the distribution node to the first communication node.

24. A distribution node for enabling the delivery of content from a content provider to a communication node of a mesh network of communication nodes, one of the communication nodes being a first communication node, the communication nodes being located within a predefined access zone and configured to wireless communicate with a user device, said distributing node configured to:

receive the content from the content provider, said content being associated with a geographical location;

map the geographical location with location coordinates stored in a first storage device associated with the distribution node, the location coordinates falling within the predefined access zone or geographical sector, and retrieve from the first storage device an indication of a first communication node of the access zone; and

transmit the content from the distribution node to the first communication node.

25. The distribution node according to claim 24, wherein the content as received in the distribution node is further associated with a lifetime, the distribution node further configured to:

match the lifetime with a current time to obtain a matching result; and

based on the matching result enabling or disabling the content in the first communication node.

26. The distribution node according to claim 24, further configured to:

determine a geographical sector associated with the content;

determine whether the predefined access zone includes and/or overlaps the geographical sector;

determine at least one of the communication nodes of the mesh network that is associated with the geographical sector; and

transmit the content to the at least one communication node in the mesh network.