Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving and selectively printing packets of information using bit-string selection means

• US 6,229,621 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NCH Marketing Services Incorporated (MX Holdings One LLC)
• Original Assignee: Noworld Marketing Limited
• Inventors: Kulakowski, Robert T., Marshall, Robert, Rogers, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thanh Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/096,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 348/473, 348/359, 348/136, 348/172, 359/137, 359/158, 359/142, 359/200, 370/342, 370/413, 370/352, 400/88, 358/142
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side

Abstract

A system is provided for dispatching one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients at a remote location. The system utilizes a remote receiver and printer having a unique identification number and bit-string code based on predetermined characteristics of the subscriber. The steps included in the system include: (1) developing a subscriber directory containing unique identification information for each of the potential recipients; (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of the recipients; (3) identifying the potential recipients for a particular packet by identification number or bit-string code; (4) transmitting the packet through a pager network to all of the potential recipients; and (5) receiving and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by the appliance.

Claims

1. A system for delivering printed packets of information or messages to intended recipients of said packets, said system including:

means for receiving and storing the packets to be delivered;

means for creating a packet bit-string code for each packet based on certain pre-determined criteria;

a wireless pager network for transmitting said packets to said recipients, each of said packets containing a pre-determined bit-string code identifying intended recipient, each of said packets;

a network of printer appliances each having an appliance bit-string code based on certain predetermined criteria, each of said appliances adapted to receive all of said packets, selectively process only those packets having the same bit-string code as the appliance bit-string code, and passively print said selected packets without any further action by a user of said appliance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further includes a subscriber directory for storing subscriber information from which said bit-strings are created.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said system further includes a database manager for processing said packets from said means for receiving and storing said packets and the subscriber information from said subscriber directory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said system further includes a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said system further includes at least one modem for conveying said packets from said transmission sequence compiler to said wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said printer appliances are adapted to provide printed copies of said packets using a thermal printer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said printer appliances are adapted to transfer said packets to an electronic smart card for subsequent use by the recipient.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, event tickets, warnings, alerts, and advertisements.

10. A system for delivering printed packets of information to intended recipients of said packets, said system including:

a bank for receiving and storing the packets to be delivered;

a subscriber directory for storing the names and information of intended recipients of said packets;

means for creating a packet bit-string code for each packet based on certain predetermined criteria;

a database manager for processing the packets from the bank and subscriber information from said subscriber directory;

a pager network for transmitting said packets to said recipients, each of said packets containing a bit-string code identifying intended recipients of said packets;

a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances; and

a network of printer appliances each having an appliance bit-string code based on certain pre-determined criteria, each of said appliances adapted to receive all of said packets, selectively process only those packets having the same bit-string code as the appliance bit-string code, and passively print said selected packets without any further action by a user of said appliance.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said system further includes a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said system further includes a modem bank including at least one modem for conveying said packets from said transmission sequence compiler to said pager network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each of said printer appliances is adapted to receive all of said packets and process only those packets intended to be processed by said printer appliance.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, event tickets, warnings, alerts, and advertisements.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein each of said printer appliance has a unique appliance code number.

16. The system of claim 15, further including means for coding said packets with the appliance code numbers of those printer appliances to which said packets are intended for processing and printing.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said each of said printer appliances includes means for selectively processing only those packets identifying its printer appliance number.

18. A system for delivering printed packets of information to intended recipients of said packets, said system including:

a bank for receiving and storing the packets to be delivered;

a subscriber directory for storing the names and information of intended recipients of said packets;

means for creating a packet bit-string code for each packet based on certain predetermined criteria;

means for coding said packets with appliance code numbers of those printer appliances to which said packets are intended for processing and printing;

a database manager for processing the packets from the bank and subscriber information from said subscriber directory;

a pager network for transmitting said packets to said recipients, each of said packets containing a bit-string code identifying intended recipients of said packets;

a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances; and

a network of printer appliances each having a unique appliance code number and an appliance bit-string code based on certain predetermined criteria, each of said appliances adapted to receive all of said packets and selectively process and passively print only those packets having either the same bit-string code as the appliance bit-string code or the unique appliance code number as said printer appliance without any further action by a user of said appliance.

19. A method for transmitting packets of information over a pager network to a network of remote printer appliances, each of said appliances including means to receive and selectively print predetermined packets, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting one or more of said packets over said pager network to all appliances, each of said packets including a destination identifier to identify only those printer appliances intended to process and print a particular packet;

receiving all of said packets at each of said appliances, said appliance being adapted to decode said destination identifier and selectively process and print only those packets intended to be processed and passively printed by said appliance without any further action by a user of said appliance.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets.

22. A method for transmitting packets over a pager network to a network of remote printer appliances, said method comprising the steps of:

developing a subscriber directory containing unique identification information for each of said potential recipients;

creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said recipients;

identifying the potential recipients for a particular packet using a bit-string code based on predetermined information concerning the potential recipients;

transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said potential recipients, said packets containing a bit-string code identifying intended recipients of said packets; and

receiving, processing and printing only pre-selected packets on a subscriber'"'"'s printer appliance having a unique bit-string code based on certain pre-determined characteristics of said subscriber by matching the bit-string code of said packet with the bit-string code of said printer appliance without any further action by a user of said appliance.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets.