Method for broadcasting addressed data to a plurality of users

• US 6,968,383 B1
• Filed: 07/17/1998
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CP8 Technologies (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Heutschi, Walter, Ritter, Rudolf, Bouquet, Hanspeter
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/673,373
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-253
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels

Abstract

Method for broadcasting addressed data to a multiplicity of users via various broadcasting channels. The method includes setting up at least one information data base, which contains data that are intended to be transmitted through at least one of the broadcasting channels, the stored data from a multiplicity of information suppliers being transmitted through at least one communication channel into the information data base, storing of transmission criteria for each user or each user group, the transmission criteria including indications about the data from the information data base that have to be transmitted to each user or each user group, as well as an indication about the selected broadcasting channel, and automatic selection of the data to be transmitted according to the stored transmission criteria, and transmission of this data to the user or to the user group through the selected broadcasting channel.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting addressed data to a plurality of users, comprising:

providing at least one information data base that includes data to be transmitted through a broadcast channel;

storing transmission criteria, wherein the transmission criteria includes an address of a user or a user group, as well as an indication of the data from the information data base to be transmitted to the user or user group;

selecting at least one broadcasting channel, through which the selected data are to be transmitted, from among different broadcasting channels, and storing information of the at least one broadcasting channel with the transmission criteria; and

automatically selecting the data to be transmitted according to the stored transmission criteria, wherein

the stored data are obtained from a plurality of external information suppliers; and

the automatically selected data are transmitted through the selected broadcasting channel to the user or to the user group.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are transmitted as messages through a cellular digital mobile radio network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are transmitted as messages for paging systems.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are transmitted through the Internet as addressed messages, including as e-mail.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are transmitted through a teletext channel as a teletext page.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are transmitted through a public telecommunications network as a fax.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is shown on display panels.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the selected data are multimedia data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain transmitted information comprises at least one order code that recipients pass on directly to a supplier to order products or services.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the users administrate transmission criteria through at least one telecommunications system.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least certain of the users administrate transmission criteria through the Internet.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least certain of the users administrate transmission criteria with special messages through a mobile radio network.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least certain of the users administrate transmission criteria with standardized order codes through a mobile radio network, the identity of the users being automatically established with a user data base in the mobile radio network.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission criteria comprise at least one category of desired information.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise at least one data service.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise a standardized set of various data from different information providers.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein data in the set comprise all the information concerning an exhibition necessary for visitors.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise transmission time criteria.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise transmission periodicity criteria.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise event criteria.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria indicate certain data that are filed in the information data base only if at least one user has selected the certain data.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of data to the user is billed with a billing system.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically selecting the data to be transmitted is not performed in response to a request for the data by the user or the user group.

24. A data broadcasting system for the broadcasting of addressed data to a multiplicity of users, comprising:

at least one information data base configured to store data intended to be transmitted through a broadcasting channel;

a storage area configured to store transmission criteria for each user or each user group, wherein the transmission criteria include an address of a user or a user group, an indication of the data from the information data base to be transmitted to the user or the user group, and information of at least one broadcasting channel selected from among different broadcasting channels through which the data from the information data base are to be transmitted; and

an information dispatcher configured to automatically select data from the information data base that fulfill the desired transmission criteria of at least one user, wherein

the data broadcasting system is configured such that data from a plurality of information suppliers are transmitted through at least one communication channel to the information data base,

the data broadcasting system comprises at least one output driver for transmission of selected data through the selected broadcasting channel to the user or user group.

25. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, further comprising a plurality of output drivers for transmission of data to the user through a corresponding plurality of transmission channels in accordance with the transmission criteria.

26. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for a cellular digital mobile radio network to transmit selected data as messages to mobile radio telephones.

27. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for a pager network to transmit selected information as pager messages to pager terminals.

28. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for the Internet, to transmit selected information as e-mail.

29. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for a DAB network to transmit selected information as a radio program-accompanying service.

30. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for a teletext system to transmit selected information as a teletext page.

31. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one fax driver to transmit selected information as a fax.

32. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein said output drivers comprise at least one driver for display panels to display selected information on display panels.

33. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain transmitted data are linked with order messages, wherein said order messages are able to be passed on by recipients to a suitable system to request products or services.

34. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein the transmission criteria in said storage area are configured to be administered by the users through at least one telecommunications system.

35. The data broadcasting system according to claim 34, wherein the transmission criteria in said storage area are configured to be administered by the users by using the Internet.

36. The data broadcasting system according to claim 34, wherein the transmission criteria in said storage area are configured to be administered by the users with special messages through a mobile radio network.

37. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein the transmission criteria in the said storage area are configured to be administrated by the users with standardized order codes through a mobile radio network, the identity of the users being automatically established in the mobile radio network with a user data base.

38. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein the transmission criteria comprise at least one data type.

39. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria indicate at least one data service.

40. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise a standardized set of various data from different information suppliers.

41. The data broadcasting system according to claim 40, wherein data in the standardized set comprise all the information concerning an exhibition necessary for visitors.

42. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise transmission time criteria.

43. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise transmission periodicity criteria.

44. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria comprise event criteria.

45. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, wherein at least certain of the transmission criteria indicate data that are stored in the information data base only if at least one user has selected the data.

46. The data broadcasting system according to claim 24, further comprising a billing system to bill the transmission of information to the user.