System and method for location-based interactive content

• US 7,450,954 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPG Specialty Lending Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lamoda
• Inventors: Randall, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/275,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/456, 455/456.3, 455/456.1, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

A system and method for providing and managing location-based interactive content, including messages sent to specific location-based screens via mobile communication devices or the Internet. The location-based screens are display devices connected to a central content server that may be a central website, by a first network that may be the Internet. Each location-based display device may be independently controlled by a communications management module at the central website. The communications management module includes software and hardware so that it may record a user'"'"'s responses and may update any screen according to system policies.

Claims

1. A system for providing and managing location-based interactive content, comprising:

a plurality of display devices each located in a distinct geographic location, and wherein each display device comprises a unique display identifier,

a content server, remote from said display devices and connected to said display devices by a first network, said content server operable to store content, said content comprising at least one data package representative of an audible sound, a graphic image or an alphanumeric character, and to serve said content to said display devices;

at least one electronic communications device, connected to said content server via a second network, said electronic communications device operable to transmit and to receive messages to said server;

a communications management module, operable on said content server, comprising;

a user interface module operable to guide, respond to, and log a user initiated communication from an electronic communications device connected via said second network, said user interface module comprising means to capture and store voice messages and data messages entered by users, build profiles of users and record user interactions;

a content management module operable to receive, filter and store said content, send commands for said content via said first network, send said content via said first network, to associate said content with unique identifiers and to create said content from said messages, said creating said content comprising the generation of content display parameters, said content display parameters comprising a time-stamp, a degree-of-importance stamp, a display location stamp, a user id stamp, a user location stamp and a presence stamp;

a content direction and display module operable to direct said content and one or more screen display parameters to any of said display devices , and wherein said display module comprising means to translate said content display parameters into said screen display parameters, said screen display parameters comprising an effective font size, a color, a location, a zoom, a stacking level, a transparency, a location drift, a zoom drift, a stacking drift and a transparency drift; and

a screen display module, operable on said display device for receiving said content and displaying said content on said display device responsive to said screen display parameters.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said display device is one of a projector, a plasma screen, an light emitting diode (LED) screen and a cathode CRT, and further comprises an audio speakers.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said second network is a wireless net work that is one of a cellular phone network, and IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) protocol network, a Bluetooth protocol network, an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) protocol network, and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol wireless network.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said communications management further comprises a module Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system or a a Short Message System Center (SMSC), or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system is capable of handling more than one caller at a time and is capable of voice recognition.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a qualification interface configured to prompt a user to respond to queries that help the system direct the user'"'"'s message according to a set of rules.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising an interface configured to enable the download of data, and wherein said data is a ring tone, a game, a graphics file, a music file or a video file, or some combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for capturing user specific data, and wherein said user specific data is a mobile phone number, an area code, a cell ID, a GPS co-ordinate, a user'"'"'s name, an address or a PIN, or some combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a proximity sensor mounted on or near said display device, said proximity sensor configured to measure a number of people passing within a predetermined range of said display device, and wherein said display device is further configured to activate on receiving a signal from said proximity sensor.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a camera mounted on or near said display device, and wherein said display device is further configured to display live images from said camera.

11. A method for providing and managing location-based interactive content, comprising:

locating a plurality of display devices such that each display device is in a distinct geographic location, and wherein each display device comprises a unique display identifier,

storing content on a content server, said content server located remote from said display devices and connected to said display devices by a first network, said content comprising at least one data package representative of an audible sound, a graphic image or an alphanumeric character;

transmitting and receiving messages from at least one electronic communications device to said server via a second network;

operating a user interface module of a communications management module on said content server so as to guide, respond to, and log a user initiated communication from an electronic communications device connected via said second network, said user interface module comprising means to capture and store voice messages and data messages entered by users, build profiles of users and record user interactions;

operating a content management module of said communications management module on said content server so as to receive, filter and store said content, send commands for said content via said first network, send said content via said first network, associate said content with unique identifiers and create said content from said messages, wherein said creating said content comprises generating content display parameters, said content display parameters compising a time-stamp, a degree-of-importance stamp, a display location stamp, a user id stamp, a user location stamp and a presence stamp;

operating a content direction and display module of said communications management module on said content server so as to direct said content and one or more screen display parameters to one of said display devices, and wherein said display module translates said content display parameters into said screen display parameters, said screen display parameters comprising an effective font size, a color, a location, a zoom, a stacking level, a transparency, a location drift, a zoom drift, a stacking drift and a transparency drift; and

receiving and displaying said content on said display device responsive to said screen display parameters by a screen display module running on said display device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said display device is one of a projector, a plasma screen, an light emitting diode (LED) screen and a cathode CRT, and further comprises an audio speakers.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said second network is a wireless net work that is one of a cellular phone network, and IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) protocol network, a Bluetooth protocol network, an IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee) protocol network, and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) protocol wireless network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said communications management further comprises a module Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system or a a Short Message System Center (SMSC), or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system is capable of handling more than one caller at a time and is capable of voice recognition.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising prompting a user to respond to queries that help the system direct the user'"'"'s message according to a set of rules, using a qualification interface.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising downloading one or more data, and wherein said data is a ring tone, a game, a graphics file, a music file or a video file, or some combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising capturing user specific data, and wherein said user specific data is a mobile phone number, an area code, a cell ID, a GPS co-ordinate, a user'"'"'s name, an address or a PIN, or some combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising measuring a number of people passing within a predetermined range of said display device using a proximity sensor mounted on or near said display device, and activating said display device on receiving a signal from said proximity sensor.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying live images from a camera mounted on or near said display device.