Device for location-dependent automatic delivery of information with integrated custom print-on-demand

• US 6,477,542 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Papaioannou, Dimitrios
• Original Assignee: Papaioannou, Dimitrios
• Inventors: Papaioannou, Dimitrios
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/626,642
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/104.1, 707/10, 701/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A system delivering tour-related information to a person touring an area-of-interest, and enabling post-tour custom print-on-demand of a book containing information desired by the user, includes a network of fixed radio frequency transceivers each transmitting a signal unique to the point-of-interest near which it is located, and at least one mobile information storage and playback unit receiving such signal. The fixed transceivers are connected together through a local area network (LAN) which contains a server computer. When a mobile unit detects a signal generated by a fixed transceiver, it delivers information concerning the corresponding point-of-interest through a listening device to the user. In this way, the informational content delivered to the user corresponds to the point-of-interest the user is near. The user indicates his or her interest level relative to each point-of-interest he or she visits through use of keys on an enclosure of the mobile unit. The mobile unit transmits such indication to the nearest fixed transceiver which in turn forwards it to the LAN'"'"'s server. The invented system subsequently uses these interest-level indications to print on demand a book customized to the user'"'"'s interests.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving and delivering to a user taking a tour of an area-of-interest an information stream about a plurality of points-of-interest within an area-of-interest, comprising:

a) a server device for storing information concerning said points-of-interest and for causing generation of a print-on-demand book;

b) a plurality of point-of-interest identification devices coupled to said server device, each such identification device being assigned to a corresponding one of said points-of-interest, being disposed in an area from which said corresponding point-of-interest can be observed, and transmitting a point-of-interest identification signal identifying said corresponding point-of-interest, each comprising;

i) means for transmitting said point-of-interest identification signal;

ii) means for receiving interest-level indicia for said corresponding point-of-interest; and

iii) means for communicating said interest level indicia to said server device;

c) a plurality of portable devices for delivering said information stream to said user, each comprising;

i) means for receiving said point-of-interest identification signals;

ii) means for transmitting interest-level indicia;

iii) a storage device for storing point-of-interest information concerning said points-of-interest, said information for each point-of-interest being associated in said storage device with one point-of-interest identification signal;

iv) an audio output device adapted to output audio data in said point-of-interest information stored on said storage device;

v) processing means coupled to said receiving means, said storage device and said audio output device, retrieving from said storage device point-of-interest information associated with said point-of-interest identification signal received by said receiving means, and conveying said retrieved point-of-interest information as said information stream to said audio output device;

vi) a playback-control device coupled to said processing means, having a plurality of playback-control components engageable by said user, each corresponding to a playback command, and responding to an engagement of one of said playback-control components by communicating to said processing means indicia of said engaged playback-control component, such that said processing means modifies delivery of said point-of-interest information to conform with said corresponding playback command; and

vii) an interest-level-designation device coupled to said interest-level indicia transmitting means, having a plurality of interest-level-designation components engageable by said user, each corresponding to an interest-level designation in a set of interest-level designations, and responding to an engagement of one of said interest-level-designation components by communicating to said interest-level indicia transmitting means indicia of said engaged interest-level-designation component, such that said interest-level indicia transmitting means responds by transmitting a signal identifying a mobile unit of which said interest-level-designation device is a part, said corresponding point-of-interest, and said interest-level indicia; and

d) printing means coupled to said server device, for printing on demand said customized book,

such that each portable device delivers to said user said information stream when said user brings said portable device into an area within which said user can conveniently observe said point-of-interest, and said printing means, when said user finishes said tour, prints a book customized according to said transmitted interest-level indicia.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said set of interest-level designations is a set which includes a designation of increased interest level and a designation of decreased interest level, or a set which includes a plurality of designations each corresponding to a different number.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said playback-control components comprise

a restart component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a beginning of said information stream; and

a skip-back component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a point in said stream earlier than a current point but later than said beginning.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said point-of-interest identification signal is transmitted via a form of radiation selected from the group consisting of infra-red radiation, non-modulated substantially-constant-frequency radio wave radiation, amplitude-modulated radio wave radiation, and frequency-modulated radio wave radiation.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said interest-level-designation device is coupled to said interest-level-indicia transmitting means by being coupled to said processing means, wherein said processing means is coupled to said interest-level-designation device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said storage device is selected from the group consisting of a compact-disk drive, a hard disk drive, and a flash memory drive.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said information for each point-of-interest is stored in a plurality of available languages, further comprising a means for said user to select a desired language, wherein after said user makes said selection said information stream is delivered to said user in said desired language.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein said playback-control components further comprise a pause component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be paused if said delivery was not paused, and a resume component which, when engaged, causes said delivery to be resumed if said delivery was paused, wherein said pause component and said resume component are optionally one component.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein said playback-control components further comprise a skip-forward component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a point in said stream later than a current point but earlier than an end.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said information is stored in said available languages on said storage device.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said information is stored in at least one language on said storage device, further comprising a means of downloading to said storage device information in said desired language.

12. A system for retrieving and delivering to a user an information stream about a plurality of points-of-interest within an area-of-interest, comprising:

a) a server device for storing information concerning said points-of-interest and for causing generation of a print-on-demand book;

b) a plurality of point-of-interest identification devices, each such identification device being assigned to a corresponding one of said points-of-interest and being disposed in an area from which said corresponding point-of-interest can be observed, and transmitting said point-of-interest identification signal, each comprising means for transmitting a point-of-interest identification signal identifying said corresponding point-of-interest;

c) a plurality of portable devices for delivering said information stream to said user and storing said user'"'"'s interest level concerning each one of said points-of-interest, each comprising;

i) means for receiving point-of-interest identification signals, each signal identifying one of said points-of-interest;

ii) a storage device for storing point-of-interest information concerning said points-of-interest, said information for each point-of-interest being associated in said storage device with one point-of-interest identification signal;

iii) an audio output device adapted to output audio data in said point-of-interest information stored on said storage device;

iv) processing means coupled to said receiving means, said storage device and said audio output device, retrieving from said storage device point-of-interest information associated with said point-of-interest identification signal received by said receiving means, and conveying said retrieved point-of-interest information as said information stream to said audio output device;

v) a playback-control device coupled to said processing means, having a plurality of playback-control components engageable by said user, each corresponding to a playback command, and responding to an engagement of one of said playback-control components by communicating to said processing means indicia of said engaged playback-control component, such that said processing means modifies delivery of said point-of-interest information to conform with said corresponding playback command;

vi) means for storing interest-level indicia;

vii) an interest-level-designation device coupled to said interest-level indicia storage means, having a plurality of interest-level-designation components engageable by said user, each corresponding to an interest-level designation in a set of interest-level designations, and responding to an engagement of one of said interest-level-designation components by communicating to said interest-level indicia storage means indicia of said engaged interest-level-designation component, such that said interest-level indicia storage means responds by storing a correlation between an interest level corresponding to said interest-level designation and said corresponding point-of-interest; and

viii) means for communicating said correlations to said server device; and

d) printing means coupled to said server device, for printing on demand said customized book,

such that each portable device delivers to said user said information stream when said user brings said portable device into an area within which said user can conveniently observe said point-of-interest, and said printing means, when said user finishes said tour and causes said mobile unit to communicate said correlations to said server device via said communicating means, prints a book customized according to said interest-level designations.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said set of interest-level designations is a set which includes a designation of increased interest level and a designation of decreased interest level, or a set which includes a plurality of designations each corresponding to a different number.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said playback-control components comprise

a restart component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a beginning of said information stream; and

a skip-back component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a point in said stream earlier than a current point but later than said beginning.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein said point-of-interest identification signal is transmitted via a form of radiation selected from the group consisting of infra-red radiation, non-modulated substantially-constant-frequency radio wave radiation, amplitude-modulated radio wave radiation, and frequency-modulated radio wave radiation.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein said interest-level-designation device is coupled to said interest-level-indicia storage means by being coupled to said processing means, wherein said processing means is coupled to said interest-level-designation device.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein said storage device is selected from the group consisting of a compact-disk drive, a hard disk drive, and a flash memory drive.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein said information for each point-of-interest is stored in a plurality of available languages, further comprising a means for said user to select a desired language, wherein after said user makes said selection said information stream is delivered to said user in said desired language.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein said playback-control components further comprise a pause component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be paused if said delivery was not paused, and a resume component which, when engaged, causes said delivery to be resumed if said delivery was paused, wherein said pause component and said resume component are optionally one component.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein said playback-control components further comprise a skip-forward component which, when engaged, causes delivery of said information stream to be interrupted and then restarted from a point in said stream later than a current point but earlier than an end.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein said information is stored in said available languages on said storage device.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein said information is stored in at least one language on said storage device, further comprising a means of downloading to said storage device information in said desired language.