Combined advertising and entertainment system network

• US 6,298,218 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ClubCom, LLC
• Original Assignee: Clubcom Incorporated
• Inventors: Lowe, Danny D., Simpson, Todd G.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US09/161,892
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/6.01, 455/6.02, 455/66, 455/63, 455/62, 455/517, 455/41, 455/42, 455/45, 455/575, 455/91, 455/115, 455/310
• US Class Current: 455/66.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/03 Constructional details, e.g. casings, housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/08 Constructional details, e.g. cabinet

Abstract

A wireless remote unit is operable to demodulate signals received over a plurality of different bands, such as the FM broadcast band, and one or more higher frequency bands. The various bands have different channels and the selection of the band and the channel is accomplished by control signals received by the receiver. The control signal can carry menu information in one direction to the user and can carry user data, including the identity of the user, in the other direction. There can be multiple transmitters, wherein each transmitter sends information on a different channel within a band, and tunes remote units to a particular transmitter based upon proximity to that transmitter. The transmitter is capable of displaying visual data. The visual data includes a predetermined number of advertisements to be displayed during a user session, prompted either by a user logging onto the system, or by the system'"'"'s detection of a user'"'"'s presence.

Claims

1. A method for disseminating data to at least one information unit comprising the steps of:

storing the data in a storage medium;

transmitting the data to the information unit;

displaying the data on the information unit; and

preventing a user of the information unit from interfering with the step of displaying the data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user obtains at least a portion of the transmitted information via a headphone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said user'"'"'s headphone identifies said user and causes specific data to be transmitted for display to said user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a local server transmits data to one or more information units.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data to be disseminated is selected based upon the identity of the user at a particular information unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is chosen from the group consisting of magnetic, electronic, laser and optical.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage format is chosen from the group consisting of RAM, ROM, hard disk, CD, tape cartridge, floppy disk, and DVD.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage medium is capable of storing digital data.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes information to be conveyed.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes instructional information.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes advertising.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes instructional data.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes advertising and instructional data.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes advertising and additional information.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes instructional data and additional information.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the data includes advertising, instructional data, and additional information.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the advertisement includes a video component and an audio component.

18. The method of claim 9 wherein the advertisement includes a video component.

19. The method of claim 9 wherein the advertisement includes an audio component.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the data is in digital form and the transmitting step further comprises the step of:

converting the digital data into analog form.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the video component includes full motion video.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the video component includes at least one billboard.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the video component includes full motion video.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the video component includes at least one billboard.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the data is transmitted through a channel.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the data includes at least one advertisement and the transmitting step comprises the step of:

transmitting the advertisements on separate channels.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes at least one advertisement, and the synchronizing step comprises the step of:

synchronizing the advertisement on a channel with the information units, whereby the entire advertisement is presented to the user.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step further comprises the step of:

detecting the presence of a user.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the detecting step comprises the step of:

tuning a portable receiver to a particular channel based on momentary communication between the receiver and the information unit.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the detecting step further comprises the step of:

tuning a portable receiver to a particular channel based on a control signal exchanged between the receiver and the information unit.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the detecting step comprises the step of:

detecting the presence of the user in proximity to the information unit via a sensor, wherein a mode of sensing used by the sensor is chosen from the group consisting of ultrasound, motion, IR, sound, light, applied manual pressure, heat and air pressure.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the preventing step comprises the step of:

disabling at least one control on the information unit thereby preventing the user from switching off the information unit.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the preventing step comprises the step of:

disabling at least one control on the information unit thereby preventing the user from changing channels.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein the preventing step comprises the step of:

disabling at least one control on a portable receiver thereby preventing the user from switching bands.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes an audio component and a video component, and the displaying step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting the audio component and the video component of the data to the information unit; and

re-transmitting the audio component from the information unit to a portable receiver.

36. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes a video component, and the displaying step further comprises the step of:

displaying the video component on a visual device associated with the information unit.

37. The method of claim 1 wherein the data includes an audio component, and the displaying step comprises the step of:

transmitting the audio component to a portable receiver.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying step has been performed, the method further comprises the step of:

enabling at least one control of the information unit thereby allowing the user to turn off the information unit.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying step has been performed, the method further comprises the step of:

enabling at least one control of the information unit thereby allowing the user to change channels.

40. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying step has been performed, the method further comprises the step of:

enabling at least one control of a portable receiver thereby allowing the user to switch bands.

41. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step comprises the step of:

transmitting the data in digital form.

42. The method of claim 31 wherein the data includes at least one advertisement, and the synchronizing step further comprises the step of:

synchronizing the advertisement on a channel with the information units, whereby the entire advertisement is presented to the user.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the preventing step further comprises the step of:

disabling at least one control on the information unit thereby preventing the user from switching off the information unit.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the data includes a video component, and the displaying step further comprises the step of:

displaying the video component of the data on a visual device associated with the information unit.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the displaying step has been performed, the method further comprises the step of:

enabling at least one control of the information unit allowing the user to turn off the information unit.

46. A method for disseminating an advertisement to a plurality of information units comprising the steps of:

storing components of the advertisement on a storage medium;

detecting the presence of a user near the information unit;

selectively delivering stored ones of said advertisements to an information unit, upon the detected presence of a user of said information unit, including at least one control for controlling the components of delivered ones of said advertisements;

disabling at least one of said controls so that said user cannot interfere with delivery of said advertisement;

continuing to deliver a particular advertisement to information unit until a predetermined criterion has been met; and

reactivating any said disabled controls after the predetermined criterion has been met.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the components are audio and video.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein the video component includes full motion video.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein the video component includes at least one billboard.

50. The method of claim 47 wherein the delivering step further comprises the step of:

transmitting the audio component to a portable receiver.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the portable receiver has at least one control for controlling the receiver, and the disabling step further comprises the step of:

disabling at least one of said controls of the portable receiver so that the user cannot switch bands on said portable receiver.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein the reactivating step further comprises the step of:

reactivating any disabled control of the portable receiver.

53. The method of claim 47 wherein the delivering step further comprises the step of:

displaying the video component on a video display.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein the disabling step further comprises the step of:

disabling the video display so that the user cannot remove the delivered video advertisement therefrom.

55. The method of claim 46 wherein the predetermined criteria is the delivery of a predetermined number of advertisements to a particular user.

56. The method of claim 46 wherein the predetermined criteria is a passage of a predetermined amount of time.

57. The method of claim 46 whereby the storage medium is chosen from the group consisting of magnetic, electronic, laser and optical.

58. The method of claim 46 whereby the storage format is chosen from the group consisting of RAM, ROM, CD, hard disk, tape cartridge, floppy disk, and DVD.

59. An information system including a transmitting device and a plurality of receiving devices capable of receiving data from the transmitting device, the system comprising:

means for storing the data;

means for synchronizing the data with at least one of the plurality of receiving devices;

means for displaying the data on the one receiving device; and

means for preventing a user from interfering with the means for displaying the data.

60. The information system of claim 59 wherein the data is in digital form.

61. The information system of claim 59 wherein the data includes an advertisement.

62. The information system of claim 61 wherein the advertisement includes a video component and an audio component.

63. The information system of claim 59 wherein the transmitting device is operative via a channel.

64. The information system of claim 63 wherein the data includes at least one advertisement, and the transmitting device comprises:

means for transmitting the advertisement onto separate channels.

65. The information system of claim 59 wherein the transmitting device comprises:

means for detecting the presence of a user.

66. The information system of claim 65 wherein the means for detecting comprises:

means for tuning a portable receiver to a particular channel based on a momentary connection between the portable receiver and the one receiving device.

67. The information system of claim 65 wherein the means for detecting comprises:

means for tuning a portable receiver to a particular channel based on a control signal exchanged between the portable receiver and the one receiving device.

68. The information system of claim 65 wherein the means for detecting comprises:

means for detecting the presence of the user in proximity to the one receiving device via a sensor, wherein a mode of sensing used by the sensor is chosen from the group consisting of ultrasound, motion, IR, sound, light, applied manual pressure, and air pressure.

69. The information system of claim 59 wherein the means for preventing comprises:

means for disabling at least one control on the one receiving device thereby preventing the user from switching off the one receiving device.

70. The information system of claim 69 wherein the means for displaying further comprises:

means for enabling the one control on the one receiving device thereby allowing the user to switching off the one receiving device.

71. The information system of claim 59 wherein the means for preventing comprises:

means for disabling at least one control on the one receiving device thereby preventing the user from changing channels.

72. The information system of claim 71 wherein the means for displaying further comprises:

means for enabling the one control of the receiving device thereby allowing the user to change channels.

73. The information system of claim 59 wherein the means for preventing comprises:

means for disabling at least one control on a portable receiver thereby preventing the user from switching bands.

74. The information system of claim 73 wherein the means for displaying comprises:

means for enabling the one control of the portable receiver thereby allowing the user to switch bands.

75. The information system of claim 59 wherein the data includes an audio component and a video component, and the means for displaying comprises:

means for transmitting the audio component and video component to the one receiving device; and

means for re-transmitting the audio component from the one receiving device a portable receiver.

76. The information system of claim 59 wherein the data includes an audio component and the means for displaying further comprises:

means for transmitting the audio component of the data to a portable receiver.

77. The information system of claim 59 wherein the data includes an advertisement, and the means for synchronizing comprises:

means for synchronizing the advertisement with the one receiving device, whereby the entire advertisement is presented to the user.