Method and system for providing electronic content to a user

• US 9,069,934 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kip Raymond Meeboer
• Original Assignee: Kip Raymond Meeboer
• Inventors: Meeboer, Kip Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad L
• Application Number:
  US13/590,678
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0872 using geo-location information, e.g. location data, time, relative position or proximity to other entities

Abstract

A method and system for providing a user with digital content includes a user interface provided to a user for allowing the user to be presented with the digital content. The method and system includes receiving authentication information from the user and authenticating the user if the authentication method correctly corresponds with previously stored information of the user. As a result, the user has access to the digital content, wherein the digital content is information from a third party, e.g., a vendor of goods or services or information provider, based on a user profile which comprises user preferences. The digital content is then presented to the user interface.

Claims

1. A method for providing electronic content to a user at a publically accessible user interface kiosk based on a user profile and at no cost to the user, said method comprising:

interfacing a plurality of user interface kiosks to a server though a network, wherein the user interface kiosks can receive digital content from the server through the internet and present the digital content to a user and the user interface kiosks are publicly accessible but privately owned by an owning entity;

receiving profile information from a plurality of users and storing the profile information in the server;

receiving digital content information from a plurality of third parties and storing the digital content information within the server;

the server detecting a particular user accessing a particular user interface kiosk, the particular user interface kiosk having a fixed and known geographic location;

the server retrieving the user profile for the particular user and selecting digital content based at least in part on the user profile for the particular user and the geographic location of the particular user interface kiosk, wherein at least a portion of the digital content is limited to be digital content that advertises services from third parties local to the location of the particular user interface kiosk;

the server transmitting the selected digital content to the particular user interface kiosk over the network for presentment on the particular user interface kiosk;

enabling the particular user to engage in general access to internet based services;

obtaining revenue from one or more of the third parties in exchange for presenting the digital content of the one or more third parties on the particular user interface kiosk; and

providing at least a portion of the obtained revenue to the benefit of the owning entity to be applied as payment for the particular user interface kiosk;

whereby each of the plurality of user interface kiosks is provided, in part, from the revenue collected from the one or more third-parties.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the action of receiving digital content further comprises soliciting third parties that are physically located in the vicinity of the particular user to provide digital content corresponding to the user profile of the particular user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the action of the server detecting the particular user accessing the particular user interface kiosk further comprises receiving a user request from the particular user interface kiosk to access the digital content and the action of soliciting third parties is conducted in real-time, following the reception of the request.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the received digital content in a third party database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of user interface kiosks is a client device owned by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of the user interface kiosks is a multi-function device for public use.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the action of receiving authentication information comprising a username and password.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the action of receiving authentication information comprising indicia stored on identification media of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the stored identification media is selected from the group consisting of a credit card, access key, and a merchant card/keyfob, containing the indicia.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the action of receiving profile information further comprises receiving preferences provided by the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of user interface kiosks presents authentication information and content in a uniform format among authenticated sessions.

12. A system for providing localized electronic content from at least one third-party vendor to a user based at least in part on a user profile and the proximity of the user to the at least one third-party vendor, said system comprising:

plurality of user interface devices, at least one of the user interface devices being associated with an owning vendor and one or more of the plurality of user interface devices being publicly accessible;

at least one computer database containing electronic information, including user profile information relating to a plurality of users, and containing electronic content from a plurality of third-party vendors; and

a server communicatively coupled to the plurality of user interface devices through a network and communicatively coupled to the at least one database, the server configured to;

receive authentication information for a particular user, wherein the authentication information is entered at a particular one of the plurality of user interface devices;

identify the location of the particular user interface device from which the authentication information is received;

authenticate the particular user if the authentication information correctly corresponds with previously stored information in the computer database relating to the particular user, thereby allowing the particular user access to the electronic content, wherein the electronic content comprises information from a third party corresponding to a user profile which comprises user preferences, the location of the particular user and the third party is located in the vicinity of the particular use;

obtaining electronic content provided by the third party located in the vicinity of the user, the electronic content being based at least in part on the user profile and the location of the authenticated user interface device;

presenting the electronic content to the particular user interface device;

debiting an account of the third party for the presentment of the electronic content; and

crediting an account of the owning vendor associated with the authenticated particular user interface device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to solicit electronic content from other third parties in the vicinity of the particular user, which electronic content corresponds to the user profile.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server solicits electronic content in real-time, following the reception of authentication information for the particular user.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to receive electronic content from third parties and store the received electronic content in at least one computer database.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more of the plurality user interface devices is owned by the user.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the particular user interface device is a kiosk.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the particular user interface device is a client device.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of user interface devices is selected from a group of kiosks comprising standalone public terminals, fuel pumps, airline kiosk and ATM machines.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of user interface devices is adapted to read authentication information from the group consisting of a credit card, access key, or a merchant card/keyfob, containing stored authentication information.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer database comprises a user profile containing user preferences.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface device presents authentication information and content in a uniform format among authenticated sessions.

23. The system of claim 12, wherein a single database comprises the computer database containing shared information relating to at least one user and the electronic content from at least one third-party vendor.

24. A method for providing electronic content from a plurality of third-party vendors to a user based on a user profile and the proximity of the user and the plurality of third-party vendors, said method comprising the actions of:

interfacing a plurality of user interface devices that are disparately located to a server over a network, the plurality of user interface devices configured to receive electronic content from the server and present the electronic content to a user and, at least a subset of the user interface devices being publicly accessible kiosks;

the server receiving a user profile for each of a plurality of users having authentication credentials to access one or more of the plurality of user interface devices;

a particular user interface device of the plurality of user interface devices receiving authentication information entered into the particular user interface device from a particular user and transmitting the received authentication information to the server;

the server identifying the particular user associated with the authentication information and identifying the location of the particular user based on a location of the particular user interface device;

the server receiving vendor content from at least one third-party vendor over the network;

the server operating to authenticate the user if the authentication information correctly corresponds with previously stored information of the user, thereby allowing the user access to the electronic content, wherein said content is information from at least one third-party vendor corresponding to a user profile which comprises user preferences;

enabling the particular use to access the Internet via the particular user interface device;

the server selecting electronic content based at least in part on the identification of the user, the user profile, the location of the particular user and the location of the third-party vendors being proximate to the particular user; and

collecting revenue from any third party having electronic content that is presented on any one of the plurality of user interface devices, wherein the user interface devices are associated with an owner-vendor, and providing a portion of the collected revenue to the owner-vendor associated with the user interface device at which the electronic content was presented.

25. A system for providing locally focused electronic content to a user, wherein the electronic content is obtained from a third-party vendors that are in the vicinity of the user, the electronic content being based at least in part on a user profile, said system comprising:

one or more user interface devices, at least one of the user interface devices being associated with an owner-vendor that pays a fee for being associated with the at least one user interface device;

at least one computer database containing electronic information, including stored information relating to at least one user, and containing electronic content obtained from at least one third-party vendor; and

a server communicatively coupled to the at least one computer database and communicatively coupled through a network to the one or more user devices, said server being configured to;

receive authentication information entered at the user interface device by a user at a known location;

receive electronic content from at least one third-party vendor that is located within the vicinity of the known location;

authenticate the user if the authentication information correctly corresponds with previously stored information of the user, thereby

allow the user access to the electronic content, wherein said electronic content is information from the at least one third-party vendor based on a user profile which comprises user preferences;

presenting the electronic content to the user interface device; and

enabling the user to have access to the Internet at the user interface device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein a single database comprises the at least one computer database containing electronic information, including stored information relating to at least one user, and containing electronic content from at least one third-party vendor.