Information distributing system with sub-stations transmitting broadcast information by wireless and terminals receiving the information

• US 5,884,140 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dosa Advances LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Mariko, Kadooka, Yoshimasa, Ishizaki, Masayuki, Satoh, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US08/512,263
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/12.1, 455/54.2, 455/56.1, 455/66, 455/89, 455/351, 455/11.1, 455/45, 455/406, 455/407, 455/412, 455/413
• US Class Current: 455/2.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18578 Satellite systems for providing broadband data service to individual earth stations for selecting H04W; provisions for broadband connection, H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/27 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53 - H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/17 on recording information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An information distribution system for distributing information, containing: a first station for transmitting a first signal carrying information to at least one second station; the at least one second station for receiving the first signal, and transmitting a second signal carrying the information to an area around a place at which the second station is located; and at least one terminal for receiving the second signal, and displaying the information. The second signal is a wireless signal. The at least one terminal contains, a wireless receiver unit for receiving the second signal, a storage unit for storing the information, a display unit for displaying the information stored in the storage unit, a display control unit for controlling the storage unit and the display unit in accordance with a display command, and a unit for inputting the display command for commanding the display control unit how the information stored in the storage unit is to be displayed.

Claims

1. An information distribution system for distributing information, comprising:

a first transmission station for transmitting a first signal carrying information;

at least one second transmission station for receiving the first signal, and broadcasting a second signal carrying the information to an area around the second transmission station, where said second transmission station includes information storing means for storing said information received from said first transmission station, wireless transmitter means for transmitting the second signal by wireless, price payment receiving means for receiving payment of a price predetermined for the information stored by the information storing means, and transmission control means for controlling the wireless transmitter means so that the wireless transmitter means transmits the second signal only when said price payment receiving means receives the payment of the price for the stored information; and

at least one piece of terminal equipment for receiving the second signal, and displaying the information carried by the second signal, said second signal being a wireless signal;

said at least one piece of terminal equipment being portable and including,

wireless receiver means for receiving said second signal,

storage means for storing the information carried by the second signal received by the wireless receiver means,

display means for displaying the information stored in the storage means,

display control means for controlling the storage means and the display means in accordance with a display command, and

display command information input means for inputting the display command for commanding the display control means how the information stored in the storage means is to be displayed by the display control means, said display command information input means having a man-machine interface.

2. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the first signal is transmitted to the second transmission station through a transmission network provided on the ground.

3. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said first signal is a wireless signal, and

said information distribution system further comprises a communications satellite for receiving the first signal transmitted by the first transmission station, and transmitting the first signal to the at least one second transmission station.

6. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said information contains a plurality of kinds of information,

said wireless receiver means comprises an information discriminating means for receiving only a predetermined kind of information among the information carried by the second signal.

7. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said second signal is transmitted by millimeter wave.

8. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said price payment receiving means includes,

a money receiving means for receiving money,

a money counting means for counting an amount of the money received by the money receiving means, and

a money amount determining means for determining whether or not the amount of the money received by the money receiving means is not less than a predetermined amount to allow transmission of the second signal.

9. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said price payment receiving means comprises,

a card receiving means for receiving a card on which said allowance information is recorded, and

a card reading means for reading the allowance information on the card.

10. An information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless transmitter means comprises a scrambling means for scrambling the second signal.

4. An information distribution system according to claim 4, wherein said information contains a plurality of kinds of information,

said at least one piece of portable terminal equipment includes,

allowance information inputting means for inputting allowance information which indicates which kind of information is allowed to be stored by the storage means in each terminal equipment when the allowance information is input into the terminal equipment,

information discriminating means for discriminating a kind of information indicated by the allowance information from the other kinds of information carried by the second signal when receiving the information by the wireless receiver means, and

storing control means for controlling the storage means so that only the kind of information indicated by the allowance information is stored in the storage means;

and

said allowance information inputting means includes,

a card receiving means for receiving a card on which said allowance information is recorded, and

a card reading means for reading the allowance information on the card.

5. An information distribution system according to claim 4, wherein said card is a prepaid card.