Informational messages display system for mass transit systems and method for same

• US 6,674,357 B1
• Filed: 11/11/2000
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Signpost Networks LLC
• Original Assignee: The Transit Grapewine LLC
• Inventors: Bermel, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US09/710,553
• Time in Patent Office: 1,151 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.48, 340/7.45, 340/7.43, 340/7.39, 340/7.38, 340/7.35, 340/7.55, 340/825.26, 340/825.27, 455/412.1, 455/49.1, 455/70, 455/67, 455/345, 709/219, 709/236, 705/14-16, 705/27
• US Class Current: 340/7.55
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for displaying informational messages communicated by wireless apparatus to selected ones of a plurality of display devices (16) and displayed in a sequence of such informational messages, having message sources (18, 20, 22) such as news and advertising sources that create a plurality of message records (34) which each have a cap code (36), a pin code (37) which identifies one of a plurality of message memory slots associated with the particular display device (16) to receive the message, a message (38) and at least one display characteristic (40) for the message. The cap code (36) uses conventional messaging apparatus to designate the display devices (16) to receive a particular message record (34). Each display device (16) has storage (44) for storing a plurality of communicated messages and associated display characteristics therefore based on the pin code (37) and a visual display screen (46) for displaying the stored messages based on the display characteristics for each of said stored messages. A method of displaying informational messages is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of displaying informational messages communicated from at least one message source by wireless apparatus to a plurality of display devices located in public facilities, particularly mass transit systems including stations and vehicles, for display of the informational messages to the public using such facilities, comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a plurality of message records, each message record generated by a message source, and including a message, a cap code which identifies at least one particular display device which is to receive the message, a pin code which identifies one of a plurality of message memory slots associated with the particular display device to receive and store the message, and at least one display characteristic associated with the message;

(b) communicating by wireless apparatus each of the message records from the message source to one or more particular display devices based on the cap code;

(c) storing the display characteristics and the message in one of the plurality of message memory slots associated with each particular display device based on the pin code; and

(d) displaying on each particular display device the messages based on the display characteristics associated with each message in a selected sequence.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of repeating step (d) continuously.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps (a), (b) and (c) for communicating a new message and associated display characteristics therefor to the each particular display device based on the cap code in the message record, while the each particular display device simultaneously repeats step (d).

4. An informational message display system for displaying informational messages communicated from message sources by wireless apparatus to a plurality of display devices which each display the informational messages in a selected sequence, comprising:

at least one message source for creating a plurality of message records, each message record including a message, a cap code which identifies one or more selected display devices to receive the message, a pin code which identifies one of a plurality of message memory slots associated with each display device to receive and store the message, and at least one display characteristic for the message;

each one of the plurality of display devices having a storage means comprised of a plurality of message memory slots for storing a plurality of communicated messages and the display characteristics associated with each of said communicated messages, each display device having a transceiver which receives and stores each communicated message and the display characteristics based on the cap code and the pin code, and each display device having a visual display screen for displaying the stored messages based on the display characteristics for each of said stored messages;

means for communicating each of the message records from the message source to at least one selected display based on the cap code; and

a controller associated with each display device for displaying on the visual display screen the plurality of messages based on the display characteristics associated with each message in a selected sequence.

5. The informational message display system as recited in claim 4, in which the controller continuously displays the messages in the selected sequence.