Relayed content distribution and data collection using vehicles

• US 8,964,710 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Sivertsen, Clas
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ohri, Romani
• Application Number:
  US13/189,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20130022031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Technologies for relaying digital content and collecting data using vehicles, and an access point associated with a vehicle or structure are provided. A stationary AP is associated with a stationary vehicle structure. A content distribution portal receives a content package including metadata and content segments from a content provider via the Internet. The content distribution portal sends the content package to the stationary AP via the Internet. A mobile AP is mounted on or in a vehicle and is associated with a display device mounted on the vehicle. The stationary AP wirelessly sends the content package to the mobile AP using a P2P protocol when a wireless connection is established between the stationary and mobile APs. After receiving the entire content package, the mobile AP presents the content segments on the display device mounted on the vehicle in a manner specified by the metadata.

Claims

1. A relayed content distribution and data collection system, comprising:

a stationary access point (“

AP”

) mounted on, in, or near a stationary vehicle structure and connected to an Internet;

a content distribution portal connected to the Internet and configured to receive a content package including metadata within the content package and content segments from a content provider via the Internet and to send the content package to the stationary AP via the Internet; and

a plurality of mobile APs mounted respectively on or in a plurality of vehicles and associated respectively with display devices mounted on the vehicles, wherein the stationary AP is configured to selectively send the content package including the metadata to one or more of the mobile APs as specified by the metadata that is in the content package and using a peer-to-peer (“

P2P”

) protocol when a wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and any one of the one or more of the mobile APs, and

wherein each of the one or more of the mobile APs to which the content package is sent is configured to receive the content segments in the content package and display the content segments in the content package on the corresponding display device without a triggering event or a manual input in a manner specified by the metadata that is in the content package that is received upon receiving the entire content package from the stationary AP, wherein when the wireless connection is established between a first mobile AP and a second mobile AP, any piece of the content package possessed by the first mobile AP but determined not to be possessed by the second mobile AP is sent to the second mobile AP using the P2P protocol, and any piece of the content package possessed by the second mobile AP but determined not to be possessed by the first mobile AP is sent to the first mobile AP using the P2P protocol.

2. The relayed content distribution and data collection system of claim 1, wherein

the mobile AP is configured to obtain demographic information of persons riding in the vehicle and to send the demographic information to the stationary AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and the mobile AP,

the stationary AP is configured to send the demographic information obtained by the mobile AP to the content distribution portal via the Internet, and

the content distribution portal is configured to send the demographic information obtained by the mobile AP to the content provider via the Internet.

3. The relayed content distribution and data collection system of claim 1, wherein

the first mobile AP is further configured so that any piece of the content package possessed by the first mobile AP but not the second mobile AP is sent to the second mobile AP using the P2P protocol upon a determination made with reference to the metadata that the content package is to be sent to the second mobile AP, and

the second mobile AP is further configured so that any piece of the content package possessed by the second mobile AP but not the first mobile AP is sent to the first mobile AP using the P2P protocol upon a determination made with reference to the metadata that the content package is to be sent to the first mobile AP.

4. The relayed content distribution and data collection system of claim 1, further comprising:

an offline AP mounted on, in, or near a stationary commuter structure and configured to establish a wireless connection with the mobile AP using a wireless connectivity technology, wherein the mobile AP is configured to send the content package to the offline AP using the P2P protocol when a wireless connection is established between the offline AP and the mobile AP, and

the offline AP is configured to present the content segments on a display device mounted on the stationary commuter structure in a manner specified by the metadata upon receiving the entire content package from the mobile AP.

5. The relayed content distribution and data collection system of claim 4, wherein

the offline AP is configured to obtain demographic information of persons at or in the vicinity of the stationary commuter structure and to send the demographic information to the mobile AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the offline AP and the mobile AP,

the mobile AP is configured to send the demographic information obtained by the offline AP to the stationary AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and the mobile AP,

the stationary AP is configured to send the demographic information obtained by the offline AP to the content distribution portal via the Internet, and

the content distribution portal is configured to send the demographic information obtained by the offline AP to the content provider via the Internet.

17. The relayed content distribution and data collection system of claim 1, wherein the content distribution portal establishes a web user interface and the content provider sends the content package using the web user interface.

6. A relayed content distribution and data collection method, comprising:

receiving a content package at an Internet content distribution portal from a content provider via the Internet, the content package including metadata and content segments;

sending via the Internet the content package that includes the metadata from the content distribution portal to a stationary access point (“

AP”

) mounted on, in, or near a stationary vehicle structure;

selectively sending the content package that includes the metadata to one or more mobile APs mounted respectively on or in a plurality of vehicles and associated respectively with display devices mounted on the vehicles, from the stationary AP as specified by the metadata and using a P2P protocol when a wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and any one of the one or more mobile APs, wherein any piece of the content package possessed by the first mobile AP but determined not to be possessed by the second mobile AP is sent to the second mobile AP using the P2P protocol that utilizes the wireless connection, and any piece of the content package possessed by the second mobile AP but determined not to be possessed by the first mobile AP is sent to the first mobile AP using the P2P protocol that utilizes the wireless connection; and

presenting the content segments in the content package by each of the one or more mobile APs to which the content package is sent on the corresponding display device without a triggering event or a manual input and in a manner specified by the metadata upon receipt of the entire content package from the stationary AP by the each of the one or more mobile APs.

7. The relayed content distribution and data collection method of claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining demographic information by the mobile AP of persons riding in the vehicle;

sending the demographic information obtained by the mobile AP from the mobile AP to the stationary AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and the mobile AP;

sending the demographic information obtained by the mobile AP from the stationary AP to the content distribution portal via the Internet; and

sending the demographic information obtained by the mobile AP from the content distribution portal to the content provider via the Internet.

8. The relayed content distribution and data collection method of claim 6, wherein when the first mobile AP and the second mobile AP are mounted on or in a vehicle and associated with a display device mounted on the vehicle.

9. The relayed content distribution and data collection method of claim 6, wherein any piece of the content package possessed by the first mobile AP but not the second mobile AP is sent to the second mobile AP using the P2P protocol upon a determination made with reference to the metadata that the content package is to be sent to the second mobile AP, and any piece of the content package possessed by the second mobile AP but not the first mobile AP is sent to the first mobile AP using the P2P protocol upon a determination made with reference to the metadata that the content package is to be sent to the first mobile AP.

10. The relayed content distribution and data collection method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending the content package from the mobile AP to an offline AP, which is mounted on, in, or near a stationary commuter structure, using the P2P protocol when a wireless connection is established between the offline AP and the mobile AP; and

presenting the content segments on a display device mounted on the stationary commuter structure in a manner specified by the metadata upon receipt of the entire content package from the mobile AP by the offline AP.

11. The relayed content distribution and data collection method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining demographic information by the offline AP of persons at or in the vicinity of the stationary commuter structure;

sending the demographic information obtained by the offline AP from the offline AP to the mobile AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the offline AP and the mobile AP;

sending the demographic information obtained by the offline AP from the mobile AP to the stationary AP using the P2P protocol when the wireless connection is established between the stationary AP and the mobile AP;

sending the demographic information obtained by the offline AP from the stationary AP to the content distribution portal via the Internet; and

sending the demographic information obtained by the offline AP from the content distribution portal to the content provider via the Internet.

12. An access point associated with a vehicle or structure and used in a relayed content distribution and data collection system, comprising:

a port unit configured for wired communication with another device;

a wireless transceiver configured to establish a wireless connection with another device using a wireless connectivity technology;

a P2P unit configured to enable the sending and receiving of data using a peer-to-peer (“

P2P”

) protocol;

a data transmission controller configured to send an advertising content package including metadata to another access point as specified by metadata in a received content package using the P2P protocol and through the wireless transceiver, wherein any piece of the content package possessed by the access point but determined not to be possessed by the another access point is sent to the another access point using the P2P protocol, and any piece of the content package possessed by the another access point but determined not to be possessed by the access point is sent to the access point using the P2P protocol; and

a player configured to display content segments in the advertising content package on a display device of the vehicle or structure without a triggering event or a manual event in a manner specified by the metadata in the content package and upon receipt of the entire content package.

13. The access point of claim 12, further comprising:

a camera configured to capture images; and

a controller configured to execute instruction in a demographics module causing the controller to analyze the images captured by the camera and obtain demographic information of persons associated with the vehicle or structure;

wherein the data transmission controller is configured to send the demographic information to another access point using the P2P protocol and through the wireless transceiver or to a device connected to the Internet via the port unit.

14. The access point of claim 13, wherein the demographic information comprises the number of persons associated with the vehicle or structure during a predetermined duration of time.

15. The access point of claim 12, further comprising a memory configured to store data received through the port unit and the wireless transceiver.

16. The access point of claim 12, wherein the player is configured to selectively present the content segments in the content package on the display device of the vehicle or structure during specific times of the day, as specified by the metadata in the content package.

18. The access point of claim 12, wherein the data transmission controller is further configured to perform at least one of receiving the advertising content package through the wireless transceiver using the P2P protocol, or receiving the advertising content package through the port unit and the Internet.