Service transmission system related to relevant geographical zones and receiver designed to be used with said transmission system

• US 7,107,046 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A., Telediffusion De France SA
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A., Telediffusion De France SA
• Inventors: Mainard, Laurent, Perrault, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US09/890,300
• Time in Patent Office: 2,415 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554141-4142, 455/443, 455/456.3, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 455/414.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transmission system for services which are linked to relevant geographic zones. Said system comprises at least one set of transmitters (1,2,3,4) transmitting said services to said zones (11,12,13,14) and a receiver (100) filled with a receiver sub-assembly (110) to receive said services, further with a locating unit (130) determining the said receiver'"'"'s geographic zone and a switching unit (140) switching said receiver sub-assembly (110) to receive the service(s) linked to the relevant zones corresponding to the geographic position determined by said locating unit (130). In the invention, said transmission system or each transmitter will transmit simultaneously the services linked to the relevant zones under its coverage and the descriptions of the relevant zones (11, 12, 13, 14), also the addresses of said services as well as the descriptions of the relevant zones (11, 12, 13, 14) and the addresses of the zones neighboring the zones under coverage. The present invention also applies to a receiver used in conjunction with said transmission system.

Claims

1. A transmission system for services linked to relevant geographic zones, said system comprising:

at least one transmitter for transmitting said services into said relevant zones;

a receiver comprising a receiver sub-assembly for receiving said services, a locating unit for determining the geographic position of said receiver; and

a switching unit for switching said receiver sub-assembly for enabling said receiver sub-assembly to receive at least one service linked to at least one relevant zone corresponding to the geographic position ascertained by said locating unit wherein;

while transmitting the services linked to overlapping relevant zones, said transmitter is arranged to transmit descriptions of the relevant zones, addresses of the services linked to the relevant zones, and descriptions and addresses of services of neighboring relevant zones.

2. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one relevant geographic zone among said zones overlaps at least one neighboring relevant zone.

3. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each relevant geographic zone is defined by a set of geometric features.

4. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one relevant geographic zone is determined by a closed set of geometric features defining one or more polygons defining at least one polygon.

5. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one apex of at least one of said one or more polygons is coincident with road markers.

6. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein some of said relevant zones are included rigorously within others of said relevant zones.

7. Services transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each transmitter is also arranged to transmit optional information about data density and service quality.

8. A receiver for receiving services linked to relevant geographic zones and transmitted by at least one transmitter, said receiver comprising:

a locating unit for determining a geographic position of said receiver;

a receiver sub-assembly which, simultaneously with said receiver, is arranged for receiving;

(a) the services linked to the zones wherein said receiver is located,

(b) descriptions of the relevant zones, addresses of the services linked to the relevant zones, and

(c) descriptions and addresses of services of neighboring relevant zones; and

a switching unit for receiving said descriptions and switching said receiver sub-assembly so that said receiver sub-assembly can receive at least one of the services linked to at least one of the relevant zones corresponding to the geographic position ascertained by said locating unit.

9. Receiver as claimed in claim 8, further including an actuator for enabling a user to activate the switching unit according to when the geographic position determined by said locating unit corresponds to boundaries of a relevant zone situated within one or more other relevant zones.

10. Receiver as claimed in claim 8, wherein said receiver sub-assembly is arranged for receiving information on density data and service quality, said receiver sub-assembly further including a user selector for enabling a user to select at least one of data density and service quality applied to the switching unit such that said switching unit is able to switch said receiver sub-assembly to receive the service(s) linked to the relevant zone(s) of which at least one of the data density and the service quality correspond to said user'"'"'s selection.

11. Receiver as claimed in claim 8, wherein the locating unit is fitted with an extrapolation function for instantaneously determining vehicle position based on previously sorted coordinates.

12. A method of transmitting services linked to relevant geographic zones, said method comprising:

transmitting said services into said relevant zones;

receiving said services at a receiver in one of said zones;

determining the geographic position of said receiver;

receiving at the receiver site at least one service linked to at least one relevant zone corresponding to the determined geographic position;

transmitting descriptions of the relevant zones, addresses of the services linked to the relevant zones, and descriptions and addresses of services of neighboring relevant zones while transmitting the services linked to a plurality of the relevant zones that overlap.