Consensual service registration and delivery

• US 7,835,732 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Simons, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho; Un C
• Application Number:
  US10/213,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,024 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/41.2, 455/63.4, 455/456.3, 348/207.1
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A communications system is described wherein consensual push of services from radio beacons (30, 32, 33) to a user'"'"'s portable device (14) is enabled. The consent process comprises a user registering the portable device (14) at a registration beacon (30) to consent to data delivery from other relevant beacons (32, 33) in a network. The registration beacon (30) has a broadcast range which is constrained within, and highlighted to a user as, an indicated interaction zone (16). The range is preferably constrained and highlighted using electromagnetic shielding (18), or by using a directional antenna, or a combination of both. In use, the user must position their portable device (14) within the indicated interaction zone (16) to register for service delivery.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a registration beacon device that is configured to provide interactive services, the beacon device capable of transmitting wireless transmissions according to a communications protocol over a broadcast range, and

at least one portable device capable of receiving the transmissions according to the protocol, wherein;

a broadcast range of the registration beacon device is constrained substantially within an interaction zone that includes visual or physical indication to identify limits of the interaction zone to a user of the portable device, wherein;

the transmissions include service registration offers to receive additional information from at least one data delivery beacon device, the service registration offers being communicated to the user when the portable device is located within the indicated interaction zone, and

the registration beacon device is configured to receive one or more inputs from the user to selectively accept one or more of the service registration offers.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast range is constrained by electromagnetic shielding within, or at the boundaries of, the interaction zone.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration beacon device has an adjustable broadcast range that is adjusted to provide a constrained range substantially within the interaction zone.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one directional antenna to constrain the broadcast range substantially in at least one direction within the interaction zone.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast range is constrained by electromagnetic shielding within, or at the boundaries of, the interaction zone, the registration beacon device further comprising at least one directional antenna to constrain the broadcast range substantially in the interaction zone based on an orientation of the directional antenna.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interaction zone comprises a portion of a walkway that is colored to identify the limits of the interaction zone.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interaction zone comprises a kiosk or booth, at least one of walls and floor of the kiosk or booth being colored to identify the limits of the interaction zone.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the indication comprises a surface within the kiosk or booth, the surface shaped or visually labeled to indicate the interaction zone and where in use, the portable device is placed on, or moved across the surface to interact with the beacon device.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication comprises an audible alert.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration beacon device is configured for infrared communications and the transmissions conform to a predetermined infra-red protocol.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration beacon device is configured for radio communications and the transmissions conform to a predetermined radio protocol.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

the at least one data delivery beacon device operable to deliver information wirelessly to the portable device over a delivery broadcast range, wherein delivery of services to the portable device requires prior registration of the portable device within the interaction zone and wherein the delivery of services is triggered by detection of the portable device within the delivery broadcast range.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the portable device accepts the registration offers by transmitting a portable device identifier to the registration beacon device following receipt of the transmissions, and wherein the data delivery beacon device receives the portable device identifier from the registration beacon device, and wherein the delivery of the services is triggered by the detection of the portable device having a matching portable device identifier.

14. The system of claim 13, including a plurality of the data delivery beacon devices, at least one of which has a constrained broadcast range substantially within a corresponding indicated interaction zone.

15. The registration beacon device for use with the communication system of claim 1, the registration beacon device having a broadcast range constrained substantially within an indicated interaction zone, wherein the registration beacon device provides at least one information key to the portable device within the interaction zone, the information key enabling the portable device to receive additional information associated with the provided information keys.

16. A method for enabling a user of a portable device to perform service interaction with a communications system, the system comprising a registration beacon device operable to broadcast services wirelessly over a broadcast range, wherein the broadcast range of the registration beacon device is constrained and visually or physically indicated as an interaction zone to a user of a portable device, the method comprising:

broadcasting, by the registration beacon device, offering services wirelessly over the indicated interaction zone;

receiving the broadcasts at the user'"'"'s portable device when positioned within the indicated interaction zone and

making available a menu of different offering service interactions available from which the user selection for registration may be made, wherein the registration beacon device provides at least enabling the portable device to receive additional information associated with provided information keys.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

exchanging an identifier between the portable device and the registration beacon device thereby registering the portable device for registration to one or more of the service interactions.

18. A registration beacon device comprising:

a wireless transceiver that is configured to provide communication with a portable device via wireless transmissions when the portable device is located within an interaction zone that is identified by one or more visual or physical indications, and

a communications interface that is configured to facilitate communication with a plurality of data delivery beacon devices,

wherein the registration beacon device is configured to;

communicate at least one registration offer to a user of the portable device, the registration offer corresponding to an offer to receive communications from one or more of the plurality of data delivery beacon devices,

receive an identifier of the portable device when the portable device is within the interactive zone, and

providing the identifier of the portable device to one or more of the data delivery beacon devices corresponding to the registration offer.

19. The registration beacon device of claim 18, wherein the registration beacon device is configured to:

receive a notification that the portable device has departed an area associated with the data delivery beacon devices, and

notify the one or more data delivery beacon devices corresponding to the registration offer that the portable device has departed the area.

20. The registration beacon device of claim 18, wherein the transceiver has an adjustable broadcast range that is adjusted to provide a constrained range substantially within the interaction zone.

21. The registration beacon device of claim 18, wherein the registration beacon device is configured to provide a menu to the user to facilitate communicating a plurality of data delivery offers to the user and receiving the one or more inputs from the user.