Information system

• US 7,180,427 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Niehoff, Wolfgang, Meyer, Rolf, Kuehn, Heinz, Roth, Bernd, Sanders, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber; Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANGACHON, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US11/158,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20050245190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.49, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/7.2, 340/7.21, 340/7.43, 340/7.51, 340/7.54, 340/7.46, 340/7.55, 379/88.05, 704/8
• US Class Current: 340/524
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/04 using magnetically coupled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast

Abstract

An information system for supplying a predetermined region with information includes a transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form and a hand-held device. The hand-held device includes a receiver for receiving the information transmitted by the transmitter, a digital memory device for storing the received information, a reproduction device for reproducing the stored information, in particular acoustically and/or optically, and an event detection device for detecting specific events, wherein, upon detection of an event from the stored information, the information which is assigned to the detected event is selected for reproduction.

Claims

1. An information system for supplying a predetermined region with information, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form; and

a hand-held device which further comprises a receiver for receiving the information transmitted by the transmitter, a digital memory device for storing the information received, a reproduction device for acoustically and/or optically reproducing the stored information, and an event detection device for detecting specific events, wherein, upon the detection of an event from the stored information, the information which is assigned to the detected event is selected for reproduction,

wherein the event detection device comprises a navigation system for determining the present location, the event for which the associated information is selected corresponds to reaching a determined location

wherein the signals for determining the present location are transmitted from a transmitter which is different from the transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form

wherein the determined region is determined by the information system,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device without an involvement from the user,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device independently of a previously planned route,

wherein the transmission of the information is performed blockwise and is modulated on a carrier signal.

2. An information system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the information from the transmitter to the receiver takes place more quickly than a subsequent reproduction by the reproduction device.

3. An information system according to claim 1, wherein the information is multilingual.

4. An information system according to claim 3, wherein the hand-held device comprises a selection device for selecting one of the languages in which the information is transmitted.

5. An information system according to claim 4, wherein only the information which comprises the language selected by the selection device is stored in the memory device of the hand-held device.

6. An information system according to claim 1, wherein a location determination device receives signals for determining the location,which are emitted by signal generators which are disposed in the region at predetermined locations.

7. An information system according to claim 6, wherein the signal generators are formed by infrared transmitters and/or induction transmitters,each emitting a signal characterizing the location.

8. An information system according to claim 1, wherein the region is divided into several information cells in each of which a transmission device is disposed.

9. An information system according to claim 8, wherein the transmitter transmits the information which is associated to events which can occur in the respective information cell.

10. A method for supplying a predetermined region with information, comprising the steps of:

receiving information in digitally coded form transmitted from a transmitter, said information

received by a receiver contained in a hand-held device; and

storing said information in a digital memory device of the hand-held device;

whereby, upon detection of an event from the memorized information, the information which is assigned to the detected event is selected for reproduction, acoustically or optically,

determining the present location by a navigation system,

wherein the signals for determining the present location are transmitted from a transmitter which is different from the transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form

wherein the determined region is determined by the information system,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device without an involvement from the user,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device independently of a previously planned route,

wherein the transmission of the information is performed blockwise and is modulated on a carrier signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the transmission of the information from a transmission device to a receive device takes place more quickly than a subsequent reproduction by the reproduction device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the information is multilingual.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein one of the languages in which the information is transmitted is selected at the hand-held device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein only that information which comprises the selected language is stored in the memory device of the hand-held device.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the event for which the associated information is selected lies within reach of a determined location.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the location is determined by signals which are emitted by signal generators which are disposed in the region at predetermined locations.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein a region is divided into several information cells, in each of which the information is transmitted, which information is assigned to events which may occur in the respective information cells.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of receiving information further comprises receiving information with a different priority identification is transmitted, with information with a higher priority identification, such as warning messages, being reproduced.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of receiving information further comprises receiving a plurality of related information articles are transmitted in individual sections, in each case the initial sections of the information articles being transmitted repeatedly in short time intervals, so that after entering an information cell at least the initial sections of the information articles have been stored in the handheld device as quickly as possible, and the following sections are stored for a later reproduction when the reproduction of the first section has already started.

20. An information system for supplying a predetermined region with information wherein the region includes a plurality of information cells, comprising:

a transmitter located in each information cell and operable to transmit information in digitally coded form which is associated to events in the respective information cell; and

a hand-held device which includes;

a receiver for receiving the information transmitted by the transmitter,

a digital memory device for storing the information received,

a reproduction device for reproducing the stored information acoustically and/or visually, and

a navigation device that automatically determines the present information cell the hand-held device is located in, wherein upon determination of the present information cell, the stored information which is associated to events in the determined information cell is selected for reproduction by the reproduction device,

wherein the signals for determining the present location are transmitted from a transmitter which is different from the transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form

wherein a determined region is determined by the information system,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device without an involvement from the user,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device independently of a previously planned route,

wherein the transmission of the information is performed blockwise and is modulated on a carrier signal.

21. The information system according to claim 20, wherein the transmission of the information from the transmitter to the receiver takes place more quickly than a subsequent reproduction by the reproduction device.

22. The information system according to claim 20, wherein the information is multilingual.

23. The information system according to claim 22, wherein the hand-held device comprises a selection device for selecting one of the languages in which the information is transmitted.

24. The information system according to claim 23, wherein only the information which comprises the language selected by the selection device is stored in the memory device of the hand-held device.

25. The information system according to claim 20, wherein the navigation device comprises a GPS device that determines the present location using satellite signals.

26. The information system according to claim 20, wherein the navigation device receives signals for determining the location,which are emitted by signal generators which are disposed in the region at predetermined locations.

27. The information system according to claim 26, wherein the signal generators are formed by infrared transmitters and/or induction transmitters, each emitting a signal characterizing the location.

28. A method for supplying a predetermined region with information wherein the region includes a plurality of information cells, comprising the steps of:

receiving information in digitally coded form transmitted from a transmitter wherein the transmitted information is associated to events in at least one information cell, said information received by a receiver contained in a hand-held device; and

storing said information in a digital memory device of the hand-held device;

upon automatic determination by a navigation device contained in the hand-held device of the present information cell the hand-held device is located in, selecting the stored information which is associated to events in the determined information cell for reproduction acoustically and/or optically,

wherein the signals for determining the present location are transmitted from a transmitter which is different from the transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form

wherein the determined region is determined by the information system,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device without an involvement from the user,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device independently of a previously planned route,

wherein the transmission of the information is performed blockwise and is modulated on a carrier signal.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the transmission of the information from a transmission device to a receive device takes place more quickly than a subsequent reproduction by the reproduction device.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the information is multilingual.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein one of the languages in which the information is transmitted is selected at the hand-held device.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein only the information which comprises the selected language is stored in the memory device of the hand-held device.

33. The method according to claim 28, wherein a navigation device includes a GPS device that automatically determines the present location using satellite signals.

34. The method according to claim 28, wherein a location is determined by signals which are emitted by signal generators which are disposed in the region at predetermined locations.

35. The method according to claim 28, wherein the transmitter transmits information with different priority identification, and the information with a higher priority identification is reproduced first.

36. The method according to claim 28, wherein the step of receiving information further comprises receiving a plurality of related information articles are transmitted in individual sections, in each case the initial sections of the information articles being transmitted repeatedly in short time intervals, so that after the hand-held device enters an information cell at least the initial sections of the information articles have been stored in the hand-held device as quickly as possible, and the sections following the initial sections are stored for a later reproduction when the reproduction of the first section has already started.

37. A hand-held device for receiving, storing and reproducing information in an information system, comprising:

a receiver for receiving digitally coded information which is associated with events in information cells of a region;

a digital memory device for storing the information received;

a reproduction device that reproduces the stored information acoustically and/or optically; and

a navigation device that automatically determines the present information cell the hand-held device is located in, wherein upon determination of the present information cell, the stored information which is associated with events in the determined information cell is selected for reproduction by the reproduction device

wherein the signals for determining the present location are transmitted from a transmitter which is different from the transmitter for transmitting information in digitally coded form

wherein the determined region is determined by the information system,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device without an involvement from the user,

wherein the information is transmitted to the hand-held device independently of a previously planned route,

wherein the transmission of the information is performed blockwise and is modulated on a carrier signal.