Systems, devices and methods for providing services in a proximity-based environment

• US 20070259653A1
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dataspread LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pando Networks Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Damarla, Chanakya, Pollard, Mark, Tang, Hong
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A system is provided for delivery of services to at least one mobile device adapted to communicate in a wireless manner including a plurality of communication/detection devices. Each of the communication/detection devices is adapted to detect the presence of the mobile device when the mobile device is within the range thereof. Each communication/detection device is adapted to communicate information between the mobile device and the communication/detection device when the mobile device is within the range thereof. The system includes at least one multiplexer in communication with at least one of the communication/detection devices and at least one server including content stored thereon to provide at least one service to the client program on mobile device. The server is in communication with the multiplexer. The service to be provided to the mobile device depends on which one of the plurality of communication/detection devices is in communication with the mobile device.

Claims

1. A system for delivery of services to at least one mobile client capable of wireless communication comprising:

a plurality of communication/detection devices, each of said communication/detection devices capable of communicating with the at least one mobile client when the at least one mobile client is located within an associated physical area;

at least one server programmed to host at least one service configured to provide content targeted for at least one physical area; and

at least one multiplexer capable of communicating with at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices to obtain a location of the at least one mobile device, and capable of communicating with the at least one server, the at least one multiplexer being configured to notify the at least one server when the at least one mobile client is located in the at least one physical area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said communication/detection devices, the multiplexer and the server are each present at separate locations.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is programmed to host at least one service group including at least one service, the at least one service group configured to provide related content targeted to the aggregate space.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server is programmed to host at least one service configured to provide content targeted for an aggregate space defined by a set of at least two physical areas, and wherein the at least one multiplexer being configured to notify the at least one server when the at least one mobile client is located in at least one of the at least two physical areas represented by the aggregate space.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a first of the at least two physical areas defining the aggregate space overlaps with the associated physical area associated with a first of the plurality of communication devices and a second of the at least two physical areas defining the aggregate space overlaps with the associated physical area associated with a second of the plurality of communication devices.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the aggregate space is associated with a particular business having a first facility located at least partially within a first of the at least two physical areas, and a second facility located at least partially within a second of the at least two physical areas.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the content targeted for the aggregate space includes at least one advertisement for the first facility and the second facility.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the content targeted for the aggregate space includes at least one first advertisement for a first product and/or service located proximate the mobile client within the first of the at least two physical areas and at least one second advertisement for a second product and/or service located proximate the mobile client within the second of the at least two physical areas.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein a first of the at least two physical areas defining the aggregate space and a second of the at least two physical areas defining the aggregate space both overlap with the associated physical area associated with a first of the plurality of communication devices

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of communication/detection devices, the multiplexer and the at least one server communicate over a network, and each of the plurality of communication/detection devices, the multiplexer and the at least one server are physically separate components connected at different locations on the network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of servers is adapted to provide the content targeted for the aggregate space over the network to the at least one multiplexer when the mobile client is located within at least one of the at least two physical areas represented by the aggregate space.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one multiplexer is configured to transfer content received from the plurality of servers to the at least one mobile client over the network via one of the plurality of communication/detection devices in communication with the at least one mobile client.

13. A method of providing services to a mobile client capable of wireless communication, the method comprising steps of:

establishing a wireless connection between the mobile client and at least one of a plurality of communication/detection devices when the mobile client is located within a physical space associated with the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices; and

communicating information obtained by the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices to at least one server programmed to host at least one service configured to provide content targeted to at least one physical area, the communication including a notification to the at least one server that the mobile client is located in the at least one physical area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein communicating information includes communicating information obtained by the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices to at least one server programmed to host at least one service configured to provide content targeted to an aggregate space defined by a set of at least two physical areas, the communication including a notification to the at least one server that the mobile client is located in at least one of the at least two physical areas represented by the aggregate space.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of communicating the information obtained by the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices to the at least one server is performed by an intermediary device configured to receive information about a location of the mobile client from the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices and to notify the at least one server when the mobile client is located within at least one of the at least two physical areas represented by the aggregate space.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the content targeted for the aggregate space to the intermediary device in response to the at least one server being notified by the intermediary device that the mobile client is located within the at least one of the at least two physical areas represented by the aggregate space.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transferring the content from the intermediary device to the mobile client via the at least one of the plurality of communication/detection devices.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the content targeted to the aggregate space includes at least one advertisement.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one advertisement relates to products and/or services proximate the location of the mobile client.