Interactive room status/time information system

• US 4,994,908 A
• Filed: 04/20/1989
• Issued: 02/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ting, Jeffrey C., Williams, Fitzroy E., Johnson, Lee R., Smith, Elizabeth A., Myers, Howard L., Kuban, Curt M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US07/340,660
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 358/86, 455/5, 455/4
• US Class Current: 725/83
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/221 Local indication of seats occupied in a facility, e.g. in a theatre
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0888 Subscription systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive room status/time information system is provided having a terminal associated with a television comprising a processor for processing data, an associated memory for storing operation data and control algorithms, a keypad with remote control for inputting information, a character generator responsive to the processor for generating a multiple character, multiple line display, a power supply input, and a cable transmission link for communication at television frequencies with a system manager. A maid or inspector can send status information from a hotel/hospital room terminal over a cable television system to a system manager location. The status of a room for occupancy is determined by a two-step procedure. Input from both a maid and an inspector must be received before a room has a ready-for-occupancy status. Screens of compiled room status and historical data can be displayed at the system manager. Also, certain screens of room status data may be displayed on an associated television at the room terminal. Functions can be performed at the system manager location including searching stored status information for historical data of a particular room or maid. In accordance with a further time control feature of the present system, a hotel guest may actuate a wake-up mode of operation of a room terminal through a terminal keyboard or remote control. The system manager subsequently polls the terminal to determine if the room terminal is properly operating or if the wake-up alarm has been responded to. If not, hotel personnel may be dispatched to the room.

Claims

1. Two-way interactive room terminal for communicating room status information with a system manager of a cable television system, the terminal comprising:

memory means for storing data for generating a plurality of predetermined character screens and for storing room status data, said character screen data comprising character screen commands and said room status data comprising room status information;

character generator means for generating character screens from the stored character screen data;

data entry means for entering room status information in response to at least one character screen;

two-way cable television transceiver means, for communicating with the system manager; and

control means for processing entered room status information, for controlling said memory means and said character generator means for composing at least one predetermined character screen related to room status information requiring a data entry response, and for further controlling said two-way transceiver means for communicating processed room status information with the system manager.

2. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one screen of characters comprises an indication of the entered room status information.

3. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 2, wherein the at least one screen of characters further comprises an indication of rooms to be prepared for occupancy.

4. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 2, wherein the at least one screen of characters further comprises an indication of rooms to be inspected.

5. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 2, wherein the at least one screen of characters further comprises an indication of one or more of the following status indications:

occupied, vacant, clean, dirty, ready, or out-of-service.

6. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one screen of characters indicates the location of at least one maid or inspector.

7. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, further comprising a tunable up/down video converter, responsive to the control means, for tuning cable television channels for reception at a television receiver, and being further coupled to the transceiver means, for transmitting data to and receiving data from the system manager.

8. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, wherein the data entry means comprises a remote control.

9. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, wherein the data entry means comprises a keyboard.

10. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, wherein at least one other display screen indicates functions assigned to said data input means.

11. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 1, further comprising an on/off switch and an AC outlet controlled by the on/off switch, the terminal capable of data entry and communication with the system manager regardless of the state of the on/off switch.

12. Two-way interactive room system comprising:

at least one room terminal comprising an audible wake-up alarm, a keyboard having at least one key, and a two-way transceiver for communicating data comprising at least wake-up data at cable television frequencies, the wake-up data comprising the time the audible wake-up alarm is to be activated;

a system manager comprising a two-way transceiver for communicating at least the wake-up data with at least one room terminal at cable television frequencies; and

a television transmission link for connecting the transceivers of the system manager and the at least one room terminal.

13. The room system of claim 12, wherein the two-way transceiver of the at least one room terminal sends a wake-up alarm responded to signal at cable television frequencies over the television transmission link to the system manager two-way transceiver upon actuation of the at least one key of the keyboard of the room terminal to turn off the audible wake-up alarm.

14. The room system of claim 13, wherein the system manager indicates a first warning condition if a predetermined warning time after the activation of the audible wake-up alarm has lapsed and said wake-up alarm responded to signal has not been received.

15. The room system of claim 13, wherein the system manager indicates a second warning condition at a predetermined pre-warning time before a scheduled alarm time if a room terminal is incapable of activating the audible wake-up alarm at the scheduled alarm time.

16. The room system of claim 13, wherein scheduled alarm times may be entered at the keyboard of the room terminal or at the system manager.

17. The room system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined warning time may be entered at the system manager.

18. The room system of claim 12, wherein the at least one room terminal responds to polling signals from the system manager.

19. The room system of claim 12, wherein the at least one room terminal further comprises a character generator for generating at least one display of characters related to wake-up data.

20. Two-way interactive room terminal for communication of wake-up information with a system manager of a cable system, the terminal comprising:

a processor for processing data, the data comprising wake-up data, the wake-up data comprising wake-up time information;

a memory associated with said processor for storing the wake-up data;

a keyboard for inputting wake-up information to the terminal;

an audible wake-up alarm, responsive to the processor and the processed wake-up data;

a character generator, responsive to the processor, for generating at least one display screen of characters related to wake-up time information requiring keyboard response; and

a two-way cable television transceiver, responsive to the processor, for communicating wake-up information with the system manager.

21. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the at least one screen of characters indicates entered wake-up information.

22. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the room terminal sends a wake-up alarm responded to signal to the system manager upon activation of at least one key on the keyboard to turn off the audible wake-up alarm.

23. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 22, wherein the system manager indicates a first warning condition if a predermined warning time after the activation of the audible wake-up alarm has lapsed and said wake-up alarm responded to signal has not been received.

24. The two-way interactive terminal of claim 20, wherein the system manager indicates a second warning condition at a predetermined pre-warning time before a scheduled alarm time if a room terminal is incapable of activating the audible wake-up alarm at the scheduled alarm time.

25. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein scheduled alarm times may be entered at least at the keyboard of the room terminal.

26. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the two-way cable television transceiver communicates with the system manager at cable television frequencies.

27. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the room terminal responds to polling signals from the system manager.

28. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, further comprising a tunable up//down video converter, responsive to the processor, for tuning cable television for reception at a television receiver and, being further coupled to the transceiver means, for transmitting data to and receiving data from the system manager.

29. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, further comprising a real time clock, said audible alarm being further responsive to said real time clock.

30. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 29, wherein said system manager receives time calibration signals from a satellite and periodically sends time update signals to said room terminal.

31. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the character generator generates a display screen indicating functions assigned to keys on the keyboard.

32. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, further comprising an on/off switch and an AC outlet controlled by the on/off switch, the terminal capable of keyboard entry and communication with the system manager regardless of the state of the on/off switch.

33. The two-way interactive room terminal of claim 20, wherein the keyboard comprises a remote control.

34. A method of communicating room status information between a room terminal at a particular room location and a system manager of a cable television system, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving data at the system manager transmitted from the room terminal indicating a particular employee has begun work at said particular room location at a first point in time when the work begins;

b. storing at the system manager a label for the particular room location and a label for the particular employee with data indicating said first point in time;

c. receiving data at the system manager transmitted from the room terminal indicating work completion at said particular room location at a second point in time when the work is completed, said second point in time occurring after said first point in time; and

d. storing at the system manager data indicating said second point in time.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein step b. further comprises the step of storing a status of dirty with said labels and step d. further comprises the step of changing said status of a particular room location from dirty to clean.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising the steps of:

e. receiving at the system manager inspection data transmitted from a room terminal indicating inspection of a particular room location; and

f. storing at the system manager said inspection data for a particular room location.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said inspection data indicates whether said particular room location has a ready or a dirty status, and wherein step f. further comprises the step of changing said status for said particular room location to the ready or the dirty status indicated by said inspection data.

38. A method of communicating accurate time information between a room terminal and a system manager of a cable television system, said system manager having an internal clock, the method comprising the steps of:

a. periodically receiving at the system manager accurate time data sent from a satellite; and

b. transmitting a time update signal from said system manager to said room terminal.

39. The method of claim 38 further comprising step of the calibrating said system manager internal clock from the periodically received accurate time data.

40. A method of communicating accurate time information between a terminal and a system manager of a cable television system, both said room terminal and system manager having internal clocks, the method comprising the steps of:

a. periodically receiving at the system manager accurate time data sent from a satellite; and

b. transmitting a time update signal from said system manager to said room terminal.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising the calibration of said system manager internal clock after periodically receiving accurate time data.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising step of the calibrating said room terminal internal clock after receiving the time update signal.