System and method for public wireless network access subsidized by dynamic display advertising

• US 7,062,469 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2001
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Uusilehto, Janne, Meyers, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/750,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/355, 455/414, 705/14, 705/18, 705/75, 705/1, 705/26, 340/643, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

System and method for public wireless network access subsidized by dynamic display advertising that includes a mobile device at a location, such as a commercial establishment, detecting the presence of a Local Area Network (LAN). The mobile device requests access to the LAN from node, e.g., a hub, on the LAN. The hub requests identification information from the mobile device. The mobile device sends user information that includes identification and demographic information about a user of the mobile device to the hub. The hub gives access to the LAN to the mobile device. The mobile device now has access to a global communication data network, such as the Internet, through the hub on the LAN. The hub sends the demographic information about the users of all mobile devices at the location to an advertising server. The hub receives commercial messages from the advertising server. The commercial messages are selected based on the demographic information of the users. The hub sends the commercial messages to a display where they are displayed at the location for viewing by the users.

Claims

1. A method for public wireless network access comprising:

detecting presence of at least one mobile device at a Local Area Network (LAN) location;

requesting user identification information from the at least one detected mobile device through a wireless access node of the LAN;

receiving the requested user identification information from the at least one mobile device through the wireless access node of the LAN, the user identification information including personal and demographic information about a user of the at least one mobile device;

providing access to a global communication data network through a gateway of the LAN to the at least one mobile device in response to receiving the demographic information about the user;

forwarding at least part of the received demographic information about the user of the at least one mobile device to an advertising server;

receiving commercial messages from the advertising server, the received commercial messages being selected based on a comparison between the forwarded demographic information of each of the users provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and commercial advertising content at the advertising server; and

displaying the received commercial messages on at least one display at the LAN location for viewing by all persons at said LAN location including the users provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and other persons not accessing the global communication data network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the advertising server is managed by an advertising service.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving payment from the advertising service for display of the commercial messages.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending payment by the advertising service to an Internet Service Provider for the cost of providing Internet access.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving commercial messages based on the demographic information of a single user.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring when users are no longer present at the location.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising periodically sending updated demographic information about users of the at least one mobile device at the LAN location to the advertising server.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the LAN location is a commercial establishment.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising registering each user of the at least one mobile device the after providing access to the to the global communication data network through a gateway of the LAN, the user henceforth being registered at all other participating commercial establishments of the same corporate owner.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the requested personal information comprises at least one of name, email address, and social security number.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the requested demographic information comprises at least one of age, zip code, income, profession, and sex.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the commercial messages comprise product advertisements.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the commercial messages comprise advertisements for services.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the LAN comprises a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the global communication data network comprises the Internet.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless access node comprises a hub on the LAN.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the LAN comprises a Bluetooth network.

18. A system for providing public wireless Internet access comprising:

a hub, the hub operatively connected to a global communication data network through a gateway;

at least one display device operatively connected to the hub, the at least one display device displaying commercial messages received from an advertising server connected to the global communication data network; and

a Local Area Network (LAN) operatively connected to the hub,

wherein the hub detected mobile devices at LAN location to access the global communication data network through the gateway in response to receiving demographic information about users of the mobile devices,

wherein the demographic information is received in response to requesting user identification information from each of the detected mobile devices, the user identification information including personal and demographic information about the users of the mobile devices,

wherein the displayed commercial messages received from the advertising server are selected based on a comparison between the received demographic information of the users of the mobile devices provided with the access to the global communication data network and commercial advertising content at the advertising serve.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the display device comprises one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), touch screen display, E-ink display, autostereoscopic lenticular monitor display, and Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display.

20. The system according to claim 18, further comprising an enclosure, the hub, the display, and the LAN being contained in the enclosure.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the enclosure resides at a commercial establishment.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein only mobile devices at the commercial establishment have accessibility to the LAN.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein the enclosure is wall mountable.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein the LAN comprises a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein the LAN comprises a Bluetooth network.

26. The system according to claim 18, wherein the global communication data network comprises the Internet.

27. An article comprising a storage medium having instructions stored therein, the instructions when executed causing a processing device to perform:

requesting user identification Information from at least one mobile device by a hub on a Local Area Network (LAN), the requesting occurring after detecting the at least one mobile device at a LAN location;

receiving the requested user identification information from the at least one mobile device at the hub, the user identification information including personal and demographic information about a user of the at least one mobile device;

providing access to a global communication data network through the hub of the LAN to the at least one mobile device in response to receiving the demographic information about the user

forwarding at least part of the received demographic information about the user of the at least one mobile device to an advertising server coupled to the LAN;

receiving commercial messages at the hub from the advertising server, the commercial messages being selected based on a comparison between the forwarded demographic information of each of the users provided with the access to the global data communications network through the LAN and commercial advertising content at the advertising server; and

displaying the received commercial messages on at least one display at the LAN location for viewing by all persons at the LAN location including the users provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and other persons not accessing the global communication data network.

28. The article according to claim 27, the processing device further performing monitoring when users are no longer present at the location, the monitoring being performed by the hub.

29. The article according to claim 27, the processing device further performing periodically sending updated demographic information about users of the at least one mobile devices at the location to the advertising server.

30. The article according to claim 27, wherein the LAN comprises a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein the LAN comprises a Bluetooth network.

32. The article according to claim 27, wherein the global communication data network comprises the Internet.

33. A processing device having instructions stored therein, the processing device connected to a Local Area Network (LAN), the instructions when executed causing the processing device to perform:

requesting user identification information from at least one mobile device by the processing device, the requesting occurring after detecting the at least one mobile device at a LAN location;

receiving the requested user identification information from the at least one mobile device at the processing device, the user identification information including personal and demographic information about a user of the at least one mobile device;

providing access to a global communication data network through the hub of the LAN to the at least one mobile device in response to receiving the demographic information about the user

forwarding at least part of the received demographic information about the user of the at least one mobile device to an advertising server coupled to the LAN;

receiving commercial messages at the processing device from the advertising server, the commercial messages being selected based on a comparison between the forwarded demographic information of each of the users provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and commercial advertising content at the advertising server; and

displaying the received commercial messages on at least one display at the LAN location for viewing by all persons at the LAN location including the users provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and other persons not accessing the global communication data network.

34. The processing device according to claim 33, the processing device further monitoring when users are no longer present at the location.

35. The processing device according to claim 33, the processing device further periodically sending updated demographic information about users of the at least one mobile device at the location to the advertising server.

36. The processing device according to claim 33, wherein the LAN comprises a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

37. The processing device according to claim 33, wherein the LAN comprises a Bluetooth network.

38. The processing device according to claim 33, wherein the global communication data network comprises the Internet.

39. A method for public wireless paying network access comprising:

receiving a selection of items to purchase at a commercial establishment by a customer;

receiving customer identification information from a mobile device of the customer to a local at the commercial establishment through an access node of Local Area Network (LAN), the LAN providing wireless network access to a global communication data network, the customer information including personal and demographic information about the customer;

placing the customer identification information for the customer into a queue, the queue identifying customers ready to purchase items selected by each customer, the customer identification information being placed on the queue in a chronological order, the contents of the queue being displayed at the commercial establishment for viewing by all persons;

forwarding at least part of the demographic information about each customer on the queue to an advertising server coupled to the LAN;

receiving commercial messages from the advertising server, the commercial messages being selected based on a comparison between the demographic information of each of the customers provided with access to the LAN and commercial advertising content at the advertising server; and

displaying the received commercial messages on at least one display at the LAN commercial establishment for viewing by all persons at the commercial establishment including the customers provided with the access to the global communication data network through the LAN and other persons not accessing the global communication data network.

40. The method according to claim 39, further comprising monitoring, by the customer, when it is the customer'"'"'s turn, the customer paying for the selected items when it is the customer'"'"'s turn.

41. The method according to claim 39, further comprising deleting the customer from the queue after the customer has purchased the selected items.

42. The method according to claim 39, wherein the LAN allows access by at least one of a WLAN compatible device and a Bluetooth compatible device.