Courtesy announcement system and method of using

• US 8,077,877 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Electronic Designs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MITEK CORPORATION
• Inventors: Martin, Hardison G., Tench, Kenneth A., Green, Jody W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/230,296
• Time in Patent Office: 2,276 Days
• Field of Search: 381/82, 725/143, 725/145, 715/730, 715/731, 379/37, 455/3.01
• US Class Current: 381/82
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 25/00 Audible advertising sound recording or reproducing per se G11B; public address systems H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/07 characterised by processes or methods for the generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A courtesy announcement system and method for broadcasting messages audially and visually having a central database server connected to operator workstation computers. Announcements stored and maintained in the database server can be accessed, viewed, modified, and replayed by any of a plurality of operators located at the workstation computers. Operators receive and construct announcements to be broadcast using announcement templates and the broadcasts can be multi-lingual even if the operator is not multi-lingual. Announcement templates includes pre-translated variables, and optional announcement delivery settings permit the operator to conduct the destination of the announcements, when the announcement should be broadcast, and start times for broadcast, among other settings.

Claims

1. A courtesy announcement system, comprising:

a. at least one operator workstation for inputting, storing on a networked announcement database server, accessing, editing, and replaying a plurality of announcements by an operator;

b. said networked announcement system database server networked to said at least one operator workstation and operable to store a plurality of operator-accessible, editable, and re-playable announcements, to store a plurality of operator-editable announcement templates, and to provide access to said operator-accessible, editable, and re-playable announcements and said operator-editable announcement templates to said at least one operator workstation on said network;

c. an announcement log maintained in said announcement system database server, said announcement log providing a record of said plurality of announcements previously input by an operator at said at least one operator workstation; and

d. at least one audio reproduction device for at least one audio broadcast of at least one particular announcement of said plurality of announcements from said announcement system database server;

e. wherein at least one particular announcement of said plurality of announcements is formulated by an operator selecting a particular announcement template of a plurality of said announcement templates and inputting information as required by the selected particular announcement template; and

f. wherein said replaying comprises replaying at least one previously broadcast announcement.

2. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said networked announcement system database server is comprised of an audio message output connected to an audio controller, said audio controller providing a plurality of audio output signals to said at least one audio reproduction device.

3. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said networked announcement system database server is comprised of an extensible markup language output for transmitting said announcements to alternative display devices.

4. The courtesy announcement system of claim 3, wherein said alternative display devices comprise visual displays broadcast simultaneously and in synchronization with said audio reproduction devices.

5. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said announcement template is selected from the group consisting of “

Pickup a Courtesy Phone,”

“

Item Left at Security,”

“

Standby Passenger See Agent;

”

“

Meet Your Party,” and

an individually created template.

6. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said announcement template is comprised of modifiable variables and delivery settings.

7. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said audio broadcast comprises a recorded voice announcement.

8. The courtesy announcement system of claim 1, wherein said audio broadcast comprises a text-to-speech announcement.

9. A courtesy announcement system, comprising:

a. a central networked announcement database server maintaining an announcement log, said announcement log for storing a plurality of announcements;

b. at least one operator workstation connected to said central networked announcement database server for entering said plurality of announcements into said announcement log and for accessing, viewing, altering, and replaying operator-selected announcements of said plurality of announcements stored in said announcement log, wherein said replaying comprises replaying at least one previously broadcast announcement;

c. at least one audio reproduction device for broadcasting said operator-selected announcement; and

d. at least one operator-editable announcement template, said at least one announcement template comprised of a courtesy announcement, announcement content, operator-modifiable variables, and operator-modifiable delivery settings, wherein said operator-modifiable delivery settings comprise at least two of;

i. a particular announcement destination among a plurality of possible announcement destinations;

ii. a frequency of broadcasting an announcement;

iii. a time for broadcasting an announcement,

iv. length of time between announcement play; and

v. languages of announcement; and

e. wherein at least one announcement of said plurality of announcements is defined by said at least one announcement template.

10. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, wherein said operator workstation comprises a personal computer having a web-based graphical user interface.

11. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, wherein said central networked announcement database server is comprised of an extensible markup language output for transmitting announcements for display on a video system.

12. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, wherein said modifiable delivery settings are comprised of announcement destination, frequency of announcement, time of announcement, length of time between announcement play, start time of announcement, and languages of announcement.

13. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, further comprised of a microphone connected to said at least one operator workstation on said network for vocally recording said announcement.

14. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, wherein said central networked announcement database server is comprised of a text-to-speech converter.

15. The courtesy announcement system of claim 9, wherein said announcement template is further comprised of a batch message option for batching and broadcasting identical announcements for a plurality of recipients.

16. In a courtesy announcement system, a method for broadcasting announcements comprising the steps of:

a. providing a plurality of operator workstations operable to access an announcement system database server networked to said plurality of operator workstations;

b. receiving via a particular operator workstation of said plurality of said operator workstations;

1. a request for an operator-editable announcement template at said one of said plurality of operator workstations;

together with

2. information responsive to said announcement template, whereby an announcement is constructed;

c. storing said announcement in an announcement log in said networked announcement system database server wherein said announcement log comprises an operator-accessible, editable, and re-playable record of a plurality of said announcements wherein said replayable record enables replaying at least one previously broadcast announcement; and

d. broadcasting to at least one operator-selected destination said announcement stored in said networked announcement system database server as defined by said announcement template.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said announcement template is comprised of commonly used phrases in multiple languages.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of entering a request into said announcement template further includes selecting a courtesy announcement.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of entering a request into said announcement template further includes selecting announcement content, said announcement content comprised of a message, modifiable variables, and modifiable delivery settings.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said delivery settings are comprised of an announcement destination, announcement frequency, announcement start time, and broadcast zone.

21. The method of claim 16, further including the step of selecting an announcement type before the step of broadcasting said announcement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said announcement type is a voice recorded announcement.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said announcement type is a text-to-speech announcement.

24. The method of claim 16, further including the step of accessing, reviewing, modifying, and broadcasting said announcements stored in said announcement log.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein said request for said announcement is a request for a new announcement.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein said request for said announcement is a request to replay said announcement.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of broadcasting comprises the step of playing said message on audio reproduction devices and visual displays simultaneously and in synchronization.

28. The method of claim 16, further including the step of accessing said announcement from a list of pending announcements, wherein said announcement is optionally replayed, modified and replayed, or a private message as stated in said announcement template is transmitted to an intended recipient.

29. In a courtesy announcement system, a method for broadcasting announcements comprising the steps of:

a. receiving an announcement request at an operator workstation connected to an announcement system database server, said announcement system database server including an announcement log;

b. determining if said announcement request is a request for a new announcement;

1. if so, proceeding to step c;

2. if not, proceeding to step f;

c. selecting a type of announcement from a plurality of announcement templates;

d. selecting announcement content and announcement delivery settings for an announcement;

e. recording said announcement in said announcement log, and proceeding to step n;

f. determining if said announcement request is a request to replay a previously entered announcement;

1. if so, proceeding to step g;

2. if not, proceeding to step j;

g. locating said previously entered announcement in said announcement log;

h. selecting to replay said previously entered announcement;

i. recording said previously entered announcement in said announcement log, and proceeding to step n;

j. determining if said announcement request is a request by a recipient to retrieve an announcement intended for said recipient;

1. if so, proceeding to step k;

2. if not, proceeding to step 0;

k. locating said announcement intended for said recipient in said announcement log;

l. transmitting announcement content of said announcement intended for said recipient to said recipient;

m. indicating said announcement intended for said recipient as delivered, and proceeding to step o.

n. automatically broadcasting said announcement based on said announcement delivery settings;

o. end method.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein step h further comprises modifying announcement content or announcement delivery settings of said previously entered announcement.