DOWNLOAD BOOTHS

• US 20150365464A1
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chris Hagan
• Original Assignee: Chris Hagan
• Inventors: HAGAN, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,871,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A download booth comprising a local file server operatively connected to a removable disk drive containing, in use, multimedia content, the local file server further comprising a network interface operatively connected to a plurality of wireless access points and a wireless connection manager, wherein the wireless connection manager is configured to authenticate incoming connection requests from a plurality of wireless devices and upon authentication, to temporarily connect each authenticated wireless device to its own access point for the duration of a connection session. The end of the connection session may be determined by an estimated download time for a particular multimedia file, or upon detection of completion of a download from the download booth to the wireless device. Suitably, the connection manager is configured to dynamically queue connection requests when the number of concurrent connection requests exceeds the number of available access points and to prioritise the connection requests according to an estimated aggregated end time for completing the download requests.

Claims

1. A download booth comprising a local file server operatively connected to a removable disk drive containing, in use, multimedia content, the local file server further comprising a network interface operatively connected to a plurality of wireless access points and a wireless connection manager, wherein the wireless connection manager is configured to authenticate incoming connection requests from a plurality of wireless devices and upon authentication, to temporarily connect each authenticated wireless device to its own access point connection for the duration of a connection session.

2. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the or each access points comprises a 802.11ac standard Wi-Fi access point.

3. The download booth of claim 1, further comprising an external bank of wireless access points operatively connected to the network interface.

4. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the file server is connected, via the internet, to a remote file server, and wherein the file server is adapted to download additional content from a remote source and to store the additional content on the removable hard drive.

5. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the file server comprises a file system for organising and searching the multimedia content and a web-based portal via which users can browse and/or search the file system for content, and wherein the web-based portal is accessible via a non-password-protected wireless connection to the download booth.

6. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the file server is connected, via the internet, to a remote file server, and wherein the file server is adapted to download additional content from a remote source and to store the additional content on a logically or physically separate hard disk of the file server.

7. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the wireless connection manager is configured to authenticate incoming connection requests from wireless devices.

8. The download booth of claim 7, wherein the connection manager authenticates incoming requests using an application executed in the wireless device.

9. The download booth of claim 8, wherein the application executed in the wireless device comprises an authentication interface whereby a user of the wireless device is able to authorise a download by entering authentication credentials for a subscription service.

10. The download booth of claim 8, wherein the application executed in the wireless device comprises an authentication interface whereby a user of the wireless device is able to authorise a download by entering payment credentials.

11. The download booth of claim 8, comprising an open access wireless connection via which, the application is downloadable to the wireless device.

12. The download booth of claim 11, wherein the connection manager comprises a web server via which a web browser form is made accessible to users of wireless devices, and wherein via the web browser form, users can input authentication details to gain access to the multimedia content on the file server.

13. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the connection manager is configured to close connections to individual wireless devices at the end of an estimated download time for a particular multimedia file.

14. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the connection manager is configured to close connections to individual wireless devices upon detection of completion of a download from the download booth to the wireless device.

15. The download booth of claim 1, wherein the local file server comprises a connection table containing a data relating to concurrent and/or historic connection sessions.

16. The download booth of claim 15, wherein the connection manager is configured to queue connection requests when the number of concurrent connection requests exceeds the number of available access points, and wherein the connection manager is configured to queue further access requests dynamically whereby the connection manager populates the connection table with the further connection requests:

the connection requests containing data indicating the size of a file to be downloaded from the download booth, and wherein the connection manager is configured to prioritise the connection requests according to an estimated aggregated end time for completing the download requests.

17. The download booth of claim 16, wherein the connection manager:

calculates the end time for completing all of the pending downloads, calculates the end time for completing all of the further downloads;

tabulates an aggregate end time for completing all of the pending and further downloads for downloads allocated to different access points in different orders;

determines the shortest aggregate time in which all of the pending and further downloads can be completed; and

orders and allocates the further download requests to different access points so as to minimise the aggregate download time.

18. A download booth comprising a local file server hosting multimedia content, at least one wireless access point operatively connected to the local file server to which wireless devices, in use, are operatively connectable to access the multimedia content on the local file server;

the download booth being characterised by;

at least one display screen adapted, in use, to display a menu of the multimedia content hosted on the local server, wherein the or each display screen comprises a plurality of NFC tags, each NFC tag being loaded with data associated with specific multimedia content hosted on the local file server, whereby, in use, when a wireless device is placed with range of one of the NFC tags, data is exchanged between the NFC tag and the wireless device to automatically initiate a download, via the wireless access point, from the local file server to the wireless device, of the said specific multimedia content, and wherein the download booth is adapted to display a graphical user interface on the display screen or screens, the graphical user interface comprising a plurality of display areas containing information about different specific multimedia content hosted on the local server, and wherein each display area is associated with a different NFC tag loaded with data corresponding to the respective specific multimedia content.

19. The download booth of claim 18, further comprising a display comprising a display screen having a first side and a second side, a first projector arranged to project a first image onto the first side of the display screen, and a second projector arranged to project a second image onto the second side of the display screen the display screen being manufactured from a transparent or translucent material and wherein the NFC tags are sandwiched between two layers of the display screen forming the first and second sides.

20. The download booth of claim 19, wherein each NFC tag is loaded with data associated with specific multimedia content hosted on the local file server.