Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular system function
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-15
2003-08-19
Pope, Daryl (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular system function
C340S539230, C340S905000, C340S995190, C455S059000, C701S208000, C701S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06608556
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing a user of a mobile communication terminal or a group of users with a time-dependent information message.
The method comprises the steps of:
a) determining the location of the mobile communication terminal;
b) determining a user profile of the user or the group of users;
c) generating a content of the information message according to the determined user profile and according to the current time; and
d) providing the information message to the user or the group of users, for providing a user of a mobile communication terminal or a group of users with geographically localized information message.
The apparatus comprises:
a) means for determining the location of the mobile communication terminal;
b) means for determining a user profile of the user or the group of users;
c) means for generating a content of the information message according to the determined user profile and according to the current time; and
d) means for providing the information message to the user or the group of users.
The invention is based on a priority application EP 00 44 0277 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and an apparatus of the above mentioned kind is known from Rosen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,090, filed on Dec. 22, 1997. This document discloses a way of providing a user of a mobile communication terminal with dynamic information. The information is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal upon request, i.e. the information is “pulled” by the user, and has an audio content. The information provided is relevant to the geographical location of the mobile communication terminal or the user respectively. The information is transmitted to the user only upon his request. The user may control the level of detail of the provided dynamic information to match his needs and interests. The information is time-dependent, i.e. the information is up-to-date.
The location of the mobile communication terminal is determined by means of a Global Positioning System (GPS) or a bar code scanner, which reads bar coding signs (e.g. highway signs including a bar code indicating the geographic location of that particular sign) fixedly located external from the mobile communication terminal. Alternatively, the user associated with the mobile communication terminal can provide the geographic location information. The geographic location information is transmitted over a wireless link to a server making part of a telecommunications network.
Additional information other than the geographic location information may be transmitted to the server with the geographic location information. For example, a request for a specific type of information (e.g. a request for a particular facility or service) or a user identifier may be transmitted over the wireless link in the case where the user has predefined a profile comprising preferred facilities and services. Such a user profile can be stored in a memory of the server.
A multiplicity of addresses is selected in the server according to the location of the mobile communication terminal and according to the user profile stored in the memory of the server. The addresses selected are transmitted to the mobile communication terminal. The user selects a desired address, the mobile communication terminal is connected to a server associated with the address selected and the dynamic information is provided to the user via a user interface device of the mobile communication terminal.
This method know from the U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,090 may be useful to provide a traveler with travelling information about the local area corresponding to the traveler's location. In contrast to conventional travel books or travel agents, which can only provide relatively static (out of date) information, this known method can provide up-to-date information. The whole method is aimed at information services, whose main issue is to let the user choose whether he wants to be provided with information or not, and which information he wants to be provided with.
The method known from the U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,090 certainly is not suitable for advertisement services, whose main issue is to provide a user with increasingly relevant information. The relevance of information depends on the time (up-to-date information is more relevant than out-of-date information), on the location of the user (a user in a certain location may be interested in certain products or services which would not be of interest to him in other locations) and on the user's interests (some users are interested in certain products or services which are of no interest to other users). To increase the effect of advertisement on users it is mandatory that the users cannot influence the time of presentation and the content of the advertisement.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a user or a group of users with highly relevant information, i.e. with up-to-date information concerning the user's interests and depending on his location.
For a method as described above, according to the present invention this object is solved by a method further comprising the steps of:
e) selecting an electronic display for providing the information message to the user or the group of users according to the determined location of the user or the group of users; and
f) automatically displaying the information message to the user or the group of users by means of the electronic display selected, whereas
g) the user profile is determined by means of a terminal identifier associated to the mobile communication terminal and/or the location of the mobile communication terminal is determined by means of a location identifier received from the mobile communication terminal.
If the electronic display is mobile (e.g. mounted on a zeppelin or on a public transport vehicle) the electronic display is additionally selected according to the location of the electronic display.
The mobile communication terminal may be a pager of some kind or a mobile phone, particularly a cellular mobile phone according to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)-standard, to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)-standard or to some other standard. The terminal identifier and/or the location identifier is received from the mobile communication terminal via a telecommunication network. The terminal identifier comprises information about the specific terminal and the location identifier comprises information about the location of the terminal. This information is used for determining the user's interests stored in the user profile and/or the location of the mobile communication terminal.
The method according to the present invention provides a possibility to provide a user with highly relevant information, i.e. with up-to-date information concerning the user's interests and depending on his location. More specifically the present invention provides a possibility to provide a user or a group of users with on-time personalized advertisement. By means of the present invention, advertisement or personal service offers can be provided with the right content, on the right time, on the right place, for the right duration to the right people. The information is “pushed” to the user or the group of users. The users cannot influence the time of presentation, the content of the information and the place of presentation.
The invention may be realized as part of a Value Creation Environment (VCE). VCE is an environment wherein certain techniques, technologies and services are brought together in order to create a new service with more or added value to the various participants of the VCE. The participants are, for example, a user of the mobile communication terminal or a group of users, an Individual Electronic Advertising service provider (IEA service provider), an advertiser, an owner of the VCE platform, an operator of a telecommunica
De Moerloose Jan
Godon Marc
Overmeire Luk
Westerhuis Frans
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