Method and vehicle for sending electronic advertisements

• US 7,397,345 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Lauper, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US11/257,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/7.48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2027/002 Advertising message recorded in a memory device
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/049 giving information to passengers inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/06 by aeroplanes, airships, balloons, or kites
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A method and a vehicle (11) for sending electronic advertising announcements, information news or voice messages are described. A controllable, moving, unmanned vehicle (11) moves in a network of communication devices (9, 20) in a direction. When the vehicle (11) moves close to a communication device (9, 20) the sending of an electronic advertising announcement, information news or voice message to the communication device (9, 20) is triggered by the vehicle (11) itself or by another communication device (1), for example by a message server (1) within a telecommunication network (8). The vehicle (11) itself has a memory area (14) for storing the electronic advertising announcements and at least one interface for sending these messages to another communication device (9, 20).

Claims

1. A method for sending electronic advertising announcements, information, or news, by means of a controllable, moving, unmanned vehicle, the method including the steps of:

the vehicle moving in a network of communication devices in one direction; and

during said moving, when the vehicle moves close to a communication device, sending at least one of an electronic advertising announcement, and an information news item, to the communication device, wherein said sending is triggered by the vehicle itself or by another communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sends the electronic advertising announcement or information news item, by means of an interface including one or more of Bluetooth, DECT, WLAN, and RFID to electronic communication devices located in the vicinity, wherein said communication devices include one or more of a computer, portable computer, headphones, mobile telephone, Bluetooth device, play console and PDA.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message server or the vehicle sends the advertising announcement or information news item as SMS, USSD, e-mail, IP packets, files, voice message, or web pages.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user of a mobile device or of a communication device must pay or is paid for receiving said advertising announcement or information news item from the message server and/or from the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a user of a mobile device or of a communication device sends an advertising announcement or information news item to the vehicle or to the message server for forwarding, and this is billed to the sender of this message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the advertising announcement or information news item is stored upon receipt in the message server or in the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle searches for an advertising announcement or information news item in a communication device and downloads it and forwards it to other communication devices.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle sends to other vehicles located in the vicinity and/or receives from other vehicles located in the vicinity an advertising announcement or information news item.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle moves along a predefined and preprogrammed route.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle moves in a direction or along a route that changes or is adapted after certain events.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle stores and processes certain recurring events and adapts its route or direction of movement accordingly.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle changes its route or direction upon instruction of a sender of an electronic message.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle moves in a direction or along a route where the density of the communication devices remains constant or increases.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle moves in a direction or along a route where certain characteristics of the communication devices change.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein an airplane or micro aircraft, a helicopter or micro helicopter, a balloon, a car or a toy car, a boat or a robot moves as the vehicle along said route or in said direction.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle draws attention to itself continuously or at certain pints in time during its movement with acoustic or optical means.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is powered with petrol, hydrogen, gas, by solar energy, batteries or accumulators and/or that the vehicle, to refuel, returns to a service station.

15. The method of 1, wherein the vehicle is identified by a message server as said other communication device within a telecommunication network, wherein the message server detects the position of the vehicle and of mobile devices located in a vicinity of the vehicle and wherein the message server and/or the vehicle sends said advertising announcement or information news item, over the telecommunication network to said communication devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the message server and/or the vehicle sends the advertising announcement or information news item, to all mobile devices located in the vicinity of the vehicle or only to the mobile devices located in the vicinity of the vehicle whose users have subscribed a certain service, who have a certain user profile or who have a certain characteristic.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the message server and/or the vehicle sends the advertising announcement or information news item by means of an available telecommunication network including one or more of GSM, UMTS, TDMA, and CDMA.

21. An unmanned vehicle for sending electronic advertising announcements or information news item, said vehicle having a memory area for storing the electronic advertising announcements or information news item and at least one interface for sending the electronic advertising announcements or information news item to another communication device.

22. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said vehicle is provided with an interface such as Bluetooth, DECT, WLAN or RFID working at close range.

23. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said vehicle is provided with a sending station with which the electronic advertising announcements or information news item can be sent within a telecommunication network to other mobile devices.

24. A method for sending recorded messages by means of a controllable, moving, unmanned vehicle, the method including the steps of:

storing a predetermined message in a memory;

moving the vehicle along a specified route;

detecting when the vehicle is in a vicinity of one or plurality of communication devices, said communication devices using a public communications network;

after said detecting, broadcasting, utilizing said public communications network, said stored message to at least one of said communication devices in the vicinity of said vehicle wherein, said stored message is at least one of an electronic advertising announcement, and an information news item.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

after said broadcasting, said vehicle continuing on said route;

after said continuing, second detecting when the vehicle is in a vicinity of an additional one or plurality of communication devices, said additional one or plurality of communication devices using said public communications network;

after said second detecting, second broadcasting, utilizing said public communications network, said stored message to at least one of said additional communication devices in the vicinity of said vehicle.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said route is predefined and preprogrammed.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said route changes upon receipt of an electronic message.