Method and system for infrared data communications

• US 20030020993A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Mehravari, Nader, Madden, Patrick H., Ternullo, Noah J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/114 Indoor or close-range type systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2569 due to polarisation mode dispersion [PMD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method and system for conveying contextually relevant information to a wireless client are disclosed. More particularly, a transmitter transmits a diffuse infrared signal to a client having an IrDA compliant communication interface. The transmitter communicates with the client by making a link layer in the transmitter compliant with an IrDA link layer running on the client. To perform communication, data is received at the transmitter from a service provider. The data is formatted into an IrDA compliant diffuse infrared signal and transmitted to the client. The client receives the data and parses it to extract contextually relevant information contained therein. The client may reply to the transmitter if a user of the client is interested in a service offered by the service provider. If the service provider receives a reply from the client, the service is made available to client.

Claims

1. A system for making a service available over a network in response to an advertisement conveyed to a user operating a handheld device, said system comprising:

means for advertising said service over said network by conveying said advertisement to a transmitter having a photo emissive device associated therewith, said photo emissive device for conveying said advertisement as a transmitted signal to said handheld device located within a coverage area associated with said transmitter; and

means for providing said service over said network.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said photo emissive device is an infrared emitter.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said transmitted signal is a diffuse infrared signal.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said transmitted signal has a wavelength in the range of substantially 850 nanometers to 1250 nanometers.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein a first link layer in said transmitter matches a second link layer in said handheld device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said second link layer is an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant link layer.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said advertisement is comprised of an XML element.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said advertisement is encapsulated in an integrity element.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said integrity element is an XML element.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said service is provided to said handheld device in response to a preference expressed by a user of said handheld device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said preference is expressed using a plug-in running on said handheld device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said preference is stored in a service controller associated with said network, said service controller communicatively coupled to said system and said handheld device.

13. The system of claim 6 wherein said handheld device generates a reply in response to said advertisement.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said reply is conveyed to said system using a point-of-presence (POP) associatively coupled to said network and said system.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said system generates a response after receiving said reply, said response comprising at least a portion of said service associated with said advertisement.

16. A method for providing a service over a network in response to an advertisement, said method comprising:

generating said advertisement about said service at a service provider; and

conveying said advertisement to a transmitter having a photo emissive device associated therewith and operatively coupled to said network, said transmitter further conveying said advertisement to a handheld device having a user associated therewith.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

associating a first XML element with said advertisement.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said conveying further comprises:

at said transmitter, generating a diffuse infrared signal having a wavelength in the range of substantially 850 nanometers to 1250 nanometers.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

encapsulating said advertisement in an integrity element.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

associating a second XML element with said integrity element.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

receiving a reply from said transmitter, said reply having originated at said handheld device in response to said user having expressed an interest in said advertisement.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

generating a response to said reply, said response comprising at least a portion of said service.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

communicating with a financial vendor over said network to obtain a payment for said at least a portion of said service.

24. A method utilizing executable code to provide a service over a network, said method comprising the steps of:

generating an advertisement associated with said service at a service provider;

making said advertisement available to said network, said network for conveying said advertisement to a transmitter having a photo emissive device associated therewith; and

receiving a reply over said network, said reply having been placed on said network by said transmitter after receiving said reply from a handheld device, said handheld device having generated said reply after displaying said advertisement to a user associated therewith.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

interacting with said advertisement using a plug-in.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

interacting with said advertisement if a user of said handheld device has expressed an interest in said advertisement prior to receiving it.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

receiving said advertisement in a diffuse infrared signal compliant with an infrared-data-association (IrDA) link layer running on said handheld device.

28. A network for conveying an advertisement associated with a service offered by a service provider to a user operating a handheld device, said network comprising:

means for determining a destination for said advertisement, said destination having a photo emissive device capable of generating an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant diffuse infrared signal having a coverage area associated therewith; and

means for conveying said advertisement to said destination over said network.

29. The network of claim 28 further comprising:

means for receiving a reply generated in response to said user having expressed an interest in said service.

30. The network of claim 29 further comprising:

means for delivering said reply to said service provider.

31. The network of claim 30 further comprising:

means for receiving a response from said service provider, said response comprising at least a portion of said service.

32. The network of claim 29 wherein said reply is received from said destination.

33. The network of claim 32 wherein said destination is a transmitter capable of receiving a reply from said handheld device operating within said coverage area and having an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant bidirectional communication interface and link layer associated therewith.

34. The network of claim 33 wherein said network executes a protocol selected from the group of protocols consisting of Jini and Corba.

35. The network of claim 33 further comprising:

means for passing financial information to a payment vendor, said payment vendor for debiting a client device account associated with said handheld device and for crediting a service provider account associated with said service provider.

36. The network of claim 29 wherein said reply is received from a point-of-presence (POP) communicatively associated with said handheld device operating within said coverage area.

37. A method for conveying an advertisement over a network from a service provider to a handheld device operating within a coverage area associated with a transmitter conveying an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compatible diffuse infrared signal, said method comprising:

receiving said advertisement from said service provider over said network;

routing said advertisement to said transmitter over said network;

receiving a reply from said transmitter, said reply having been generated at said handheld device; and

conveying said reply to said service provider over said network.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising:

generating said reply in response to a user of said handheld device having expressed an interest in said advertisement.

39. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

running an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant link layer compatible with said diffuse infrared signal on said handheld device.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said diffuse infrared signal has a wavelength in the range of substantially 850 nanometers to 1250 nanometers.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

associating an XML element with said advertisement.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

encapsulating said advertisement in an integrity element prior to conveying it to said handheld device.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising:

using a Jini network protocol for conveying said advertisement to said transmitter and said reply to said service provider.

44. The method of claim 42 further comprising the steps of:

conveying a debit request associated with said handheld device to a financial vendor over said network; and

conveying a payment from said financial vendor to said service provider over said network.

45. A system for performing infrared data communication with a handheld device using an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compatible diffuse infrared singal, said system comprising:

means for generating an advertisement associated with a service, said service further being associated with a service provider;

means for converting said advertisement into an advertising signal;

means for making said advertising signal available to a network;

means for receiving said advertising signal at a transmitter over said network, said transmitter further having a photo emissive device associated therewith for producing a transmitted signal containing at least a portion of said advertising signal;

means for transmitting said transmitted signal to a destination;

means for receiving a reply from said destination; and

means for conveying said reply to said service provider over said network.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein said network is an Internet protocol network.

47. The system of claim 45 wherein said transmitted signal is compatible with an infrared-data-association (IrDA) link layer, said transmitted signal further having a wavelength in the range of substantially 850 nanometers to 1250 nanometers.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein said destination is a handheld device having a bidirectional infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant communication interface.

49. The system of claim 48 further comprising a plug-in for facilitating generation of said reply at said handheld device.