Method and apparatus for facilitating personal attention via wireless links

• US 6,937,154 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tabula RASA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tabula RASA Incorporated
• Inventors: James, Mark, Zeps, Rob, Moores, John Jr., Kremer, Kurt, Asaria, Nashina, Kramer, Rebecca, Visuri, Pertti, Franklin, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/938,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/572.4, 340/539.1, 340/691.1, 340/691.6, 340/692
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

A method and system for identifying individuals, accessing and updating background information and directing appropriate personal interactions through use of an automatically readable tag, such as an RFID tag. Information encoded on the tag is communicated to a computer system that has a database, wherein identification information encoded on the tag is used as a key to retrieve the relevant background information and communicate that information to a portable display device. The system also takes a photograph of the individual being identified and automatically sends the photograph to the portable display device.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating personal attention at an event site comprising:

providing each of a plurality of event hosts with a respective portable handheld display device;

assigning each host a respective guest to locate and contact at said event site;

providing a plurality of event guests with a radio frequency identification (RFID) card;

each respective card being encoded with a different identification code, each code uniquely identifying one of said guests;

each respective code further comprising a code for use in accessing a database entry containing information regarding the guest identified by that respective code;

detecting one of said codes in response to appearance of a first guest; and

responding to detection of said one of said codes to wirelessly signal the handheld display device of the host assigned to said first guest that said first guest is present at said event,

wherein said portable display device comprises a digital processor and a client application running on said processor, said client application employing a polling mechanism to determine if an event has occurred, said event comprising detection of one of said codes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said polling mechanism is implemented by repeatedly sending an HTTP request to a servelet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said servelet responds to said HTTP request by returning a time at which a last event occurred.