System and method for the transfer of digital data to a mobile device

• US 6,714,797 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2000
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rautila, Heikki
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D
• Application Number:
  US09/572,905
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/463, 455/555, 455/556, 455/569, 455/574, 455/575, 455/517, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/554.2, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/550.1, 455/425, 455/422.1, 455/66.1, 345/901, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1453 Methods or systems for payment or settlement of the charges for data transmission involving significant interaction with the data transmission network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/39 Arrangements for preventing metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/204 UMTS; GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

A system, method and computer program for ordering, paying for and download digital products to a mobile device in a cost-effective manner. The mobile device includes a short range transceiver and a network transceiver. The mobile device accesses electronic shop server web sites which contain digital products for sale and hotspot network locations where these digital products may be downloaded to the mobile device via the short range transceiver. The hotspot network locations contain a hotspot device for transmitting the digital products to the mobile devices via the low power radio frequency signal of the short range transceivers when the mobile device has detected the low power radio frequency signal. Using this system, method and computer program, a user of a mobile device may download large amounts of digital data without incurring telephone or cellular phone charges.

Claims

1. A method of ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device, said method comprising:

accessing by the mobile device, an electronic shop server through a mobile network and ordering a digital product from the electronic shop server;

providing information through the mobile network to the mobile device identifying at least one hotspot network location where the ordered digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device via a low power radio frequency signal;

detecting, by the mobile device, the presence of a low power radio frequency signal from a signal source within one of the identified hotspot network locations; and

downloading the ordered digital product into the mobile device via the detected low power radio frequency signal.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein accessing the electronic shop server and ordering the digital product from the electronic shop server comprise:

accessing an Internet service provider using the mobile device;

logging onto a web page of the electronic shop server;

browsing a menu of digital products offered by the electronic shop server; and

selecting a digital product for purchase from the menu of digital products offered by the electronic shop server.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an estimated price to download the digital product from the electronic shop server using a network transceiver embedded in the mobile device.

4. The method received in claim 1, wherein providing information to the mobile device identifying at least one hotspot network location includes:

transmitting to the mobile device a list of hotspot network locations where the digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device via the low power radio frequency signal.

5. The method received in claim 1, wherein downloading of the digital product to the mobile device via the low power radio frequency signal includes downloading at least one advertisement to the mobile device for viewing by a user.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising paying for the digital product by charging a price for the digital product to a credit card or a telephone account for the mobile device.

7. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising paying for the digital product by paying the electronic shop server or paying the identified hotspot network location.

8. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving through the mobile network a unique order number corresponding to the mobile device, the ordered digital product, and the identified hotspot network location; and

transmitting the unique order number to the identified hotspot network location to initiate the downloading.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein downloading the digital product comprises:

transmitting by the identified hotspot network location a list of vendors in the identified hotspot network location having the selected digital product for purchase;

selecting one of the vendors; and

downloading the digital product from the selected vendor.

10. The method recited in claim 9, wherein transmitting the list of vendors comprises sorting the list by price.

11. The method recited in claim 9, further comprising:

paying the identified hotspot network location for the digital product prior to downloading the digital product.

12. The method recited in claim 9, further comprising:

paying the vendor for the digital product after downloading the digital product.

13. The method recited in claim 9, further comprising showing the list on a display on the mobile device.

14. A computer program executable by a computer and embedded on a computer readable medium for ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device, the mobile device including a short range transceiver for receiving and transmitting low power radio frequency signals, a network transceiver for receiving and transmitting cellular telephone signals, a processor connected to the short range transceiver and the network transceiver, a display connected to the processor, and a memory connected to the processor, said computer program comprising:

an electronic shop server code segment to generate a web page and transmit through a mobile network a list of digital products for sale and a list of hotspot network location from which the digital products may be downloaded encoded In a low power radio frequency signal, wherein the digital products may be purchased through the electronic shop server code segment and downloaded to a user via a hotspot network code segment;

a hotspot network code segment responsive to receipt of a low power radio frequency signal from a signal source within a hotspot network location for downloading a digital product from the list of digital products; and

a mobile device code segment for receiving the downloaded digital product and storing the received digital product in a memory of a mobile device.

15. The computer program recited in claim 14, wherein the electronic shop server code segment further comprises:

a order entry module code segment to accept an order from the mobile device code segment and to transmit a list of locations where the digital product may be downloaded to the mobile device code segment.

16. The computer program recited in claim 14, wherein the electronic shop server code segment further comprises:

a order/location module code segment to accept through the mobile network an order from the mobile device code segment and to transmit through the mobile network a location where the digital product may be downloaded to the mobile device code segment, wherein the location transmitted is closest to a starting location for the mobile device code segment.

17. The computer program recited in claim 14, wherein the hotspot network code segment further comprises:

a hotspot order entry module code segment to accept orders for the digital product from a mobile device code segment over the low power radio frequency and to transmit a list of vendors where the digital product may be downloaded.

18. The computer program recited in claim 17, wherein the hotspot network code segment further comprises:

a hotspot download module code segment to download the digital product to the mobile device code segment, wherein the digital product is purchased either through the electronic shop server code segment or through the hotspot network code segment.

19. A mobile terminal for ordering and downloading a digital product, said mobile terminal comprising:

a processor;

a network transceiver connected to the processor for accessing through a mobile network an electronic shop server to order a digital product, and for receiving information through the mobile network identifying at least one hotspot network location where the ordered digital product may be downloaded via a low power radio frequency link; and

a short range transceiver connected to the processor for detecting a signal indicating the presence of a low power radio frequency link from a signal source within one of the at least one identified hotspot network locations, and for downloading the ordered digital product to said processor via the detected low power radio frequency link at the one of the at least one identified hotspot network locations.

20. The mobile terminal recited in claim 19, further comprising:

a memory connected to the processor for storing the downloaded digital product.

21. The mobile terminal recited in claim 19, further comprising:

a display connected to said processor for displaying the downloaded digital product.

22. The mobile terminal recited in claim 19, wherein said short range transceiver is further for receiving a unique order number corresponding to the mobile terminal, the ordered digital product, and the one of the at least one Identified hotspot network locations;

and for transmitting the unique order number to the one of the at least one identified hotspot network locations to initiate downloading of the ordered digital product.

23. A machine readable medium having stored thereon at least one sequence of instructions that, when executed, cause a mobile device to:

access an electronic shop server through a mobile network and order a digital product from the electronic shop server;

respond to information from the mobile network identifying at least one hotspot network location where the ordered digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device via a low power radio frequency link upon detecting of the presence of a low power radio frequency link generated by one of the at least one identified hotspot network locations; and

download the ordered digital product into the mobile device via the detected low power radio frequency link.

24. The machine readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the instructions cause the mobile device to access the electronic shop server and order the digital product from the electronic shop server by:

accessing an Internet service provider;

logging onto a web page of the electronic shop server;

browsing a menu of digital products offered by the electronic shop server; and

selecting a digital product for purchase from the menu of digital products offered by the electronic shop server.

25. The machine readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile device to pay for the digital product by charging a price for the digital product to a credit card or telephone account for the mobile device.

26. The machine readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile device to pay the hotspot network location for the ordered digital product prior to downloading the digital product.

27. The machine readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile device to pay the vendor for the ordered digital product after downloading the ordered digital product.

28. A method of ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device having a network transceiver for receiving and transmitting cellular telephone signals and a short range transceiver for receiving and transmitting low power radio frequency signals, said method comprising:

accessing an internet service provider using the mobile device;

logging Into a web page of an electronic shop server;

browsing a menu of digital products offered by the electronic shop server;

selecting a digital product for purchase from the menu of digital products from the electronic shop server;

identifying a hotspot network location where the identified digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device using the short range transceiver;

detecting, by the mobile device, a low power radio frequency signal generated by the hotspot network location;

receiving an estimated cost to download the identified digital product from the electronic shop server using the network transceiver; and

downloading the digital product Into the mobile device via the hotspot network location, using the low power radio frequency signal.

29. The method recited in claim 28, wherein:

identifying the hotspot network location comprises transmitting to the mobile device a list of hotspot network locations from which the digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device using the short range transceiver; and

detecting the low power radio frequency signal comprises detecting by the mobile device the presence of a low power radio frequency signal generated by one of the listed hot spot network locations.

30. The method recited in claim 28, wherein downloading of the digital product to the mobile device via the detected low power radio frequency signal includes downloading at least one advertisement to the mobile device for viewing by a user.

31. The method recited in claim 28, further comprising paying for the digital product by charging a price for the digital product to a credit card or a telephone account for the mobile device.

32. The method recited in claim 28, further comprising paying for the digital product by paying the electronic shop server or paying the hotspot network location.

33. A system for ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device, comprising:

a hotspot network for transmitting a low power radio frequency signal having a digital product encoded in the low power radio frequency signal;

the mobile device having a short range transceiver for receiving the digital product encoded in the low power radio frequency signal, a network transceiver for receiving and transmitting cellular telephone signals, a processor connected to the short range transceiver, the network transceiver, a display, and a memory for storing the digital product; and

an electronic shop server to generate a web page and transmit a list of digital products for sale and a list of hotspot network locations where the digital products may be downloaded encoded in the low power radio frequency signal, wherein the digital products may be purchased at the electronic shop server and either downloaded to a user over the Internet through a public switched telephone network or a cellular telephone network or may be downloaded via the hotspot network location.