Wireless system for broadcasting, receiving and printing packets of information

• US 7,495,788 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NCH Marketing Services Incorporated (MX Holdings One LLC)
• Original Assignee: NCH Marketing Services Incorporated (MX Holdings One LLC)
• Inventors: Kulakowski, Robert T., Marshall, Robert, Rogers, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Douglas Q
• Application Number:
  US09/812,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20010046064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,899 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11- 118, 705/14, 398/99, 710 31- 34, 710 46- 47, 709212-213, 709/223, 709228-232
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/86 Arrangements characterised by the broadcast information itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32069 simultaneously to a plurality of destinations, e.g. multi-casting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32523 a plurality of output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging

Abstract

A system is provided for dispatching one or more packets of information selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets to potential recipients of said packets at a remote location. The steps included in such a system are: (1) developing a subscriber directory containing unique identification information for each of said potential recipients; (2) creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said recipients; (3) identifying the potential recipients for a particular packet; (4) transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said potential recipients; and (5) receiving and selectively processing and printing only those packets intended to be processed and printed by said appliance.

Claims

1. A system for passively delivering selected printed packets of information or messages to intended recipients of said packets on a network of printer appliances without the need for any interaction by a user of said printer appliances, said system including:

means for compiling and storing the packets to be delivered;

wireless transmission means for transmitting all of said packets to the entire network without any interaction by users of said printer appliances, said wireless transmission means comprising a pager system; and

at least one printer appliance on said network of printer appliances, said at least one appliance including;

means for identifying individual printer appliances;

receiving means for receiving all of said packets without any interaction by users of said printer appliances;

processing means for automatically accepting and selectively processing only those packets intended for said individual printer appliance from all those packets received without any interaction by users of said printer appliances; and

printing means for passively printing the intended packet without any further action by a user of said appliance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further includes a subscriber directory for storing subscriber information concerning the intended recipients of said packets.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said system further includes a database manager for processing said packets from said means for compiling and storing said packets and the subscriber information from said subscriber directory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said system further includes a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said system further includes at least one modem for conveying said packets from said transmission sequence compiler to said wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said printer appliances is adapted to provide printed copies of said packets using a thermal printer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said printer appliances is adapted to transfer said packets to an electronic smart card for subsequent use by the recipient.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, event tickets, warnings, alerts, and advertisements.

10. A system for passively delivering printed packets of information to intended recipients of said packets on a network of printer appliances without the need for any interaction by a user of said printer appliances, said system including:

a bank for receiving and storing the packets to be delivered;

a subscriber directory for storing the names and information of intended recipients of said packets;

a database manager for processing the packets from the bank and subscriber information from said subscriber directory and identifying those recipients eligible for receiving said packets;

a pager network for transmitting said packets to said recipients without any interaction by users of said printer appliances;

a transmission sequencer for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances; and

at least one printer appliance on said network of printer appliances, said at least one printer appliance including;

means for identifying individual printer appliances;

receiving means for receiving all of said packets without any interaction by users of said printer appliances;

processing means for automatically accepting and selectively processing only those packets intended for said individual printer appliance from all those packets received without any interaction by users of said printer appliances; and

printing means for passively printing the intended packet without any further action by a user of said appliance.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said system further includes a transmission sequence compiler for placing the packets to be delivered into a predetermined order of transmission to the printer appliances.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said system further includes a modem bank including at least one modem for conveying said packets from said transmission sequence compiler to said pager network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, event tickets, warnings, alerts, and advertisements.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein each of said printer appliances has a unique appliance code number.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said database manager is adapted to identify the intended recipients of said packets prior to transmission by identifying the appliance code number of the characteristics of its owner.

16. A method for transmitting packets of information over a pager network to a network of remote printer appliances, each of said appliances including means to receive and selectively print predetermined packets, said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting one or more of said packets over said pager network to all of the appliances on the network, each of said packets including a destination identifier to identify only those printer appliances intended to process and print a particular packet;

passively receiving said packets at each of said appliances without any interaction by users of said printer appliances;

decoding said destination identifier to identify those individual printer appliances for which each of said packets is intended;

automatically accepting and selectively processing only those packets intended for said printer appliance using said decoded destination identifier without any further action by a user of said appliance; and

passively printed said accepted and selectively processed packets.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets.

19. A method for transmitting packets over a pager network to a network of remote printer appliances each having a unique appliance identification number, said method comprising the steps of:

developing a subscriber directory of all subscribers including the appliance number of their printer appliance;

creating a packet to be dispatched to at least one of said recipients;

identifying the potential recipients for the packet;

coding said packet with the appliance identification number of the intended recipients;

transmitting said packet through a pager network to all of said appliances;

passively receiving said packet at all of said appliances without any interaction by users of said printer appliances; and

automatically accepting and selectively processing and passively printing only those packets whose identification numbers match the appliance identification number from all those packets received without any further action by a user of said appliance.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said packets are redeemable coupons.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said packets are selected from the group consisting of redeemable coupons, messages, appointment reminders, confirmations, tickets, warnings and written packets.