U.S. patent application number 10/006346 was filed with the patent office on 2002-04-18 for internet system for connecting client-travelers with geographically-associated data.
Invention is credited to Glorikian, Harry A..
Application Number | 20020046259 10/006346 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27044461 |
Filed Date | 2002-04-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020046259 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Glorikian, Harry A. |
April 18, 2002 |
Internet system for connecting client-travelers with
geographically-associated data
Abstract
A multi-dimensional information repository has a plurality of
stored data structures; and one or more tags associated with
individual ones of the plurality of data structures. The data
structures are tagged according to locations and defined regions
relative to the surface of the Earth, and a data retrieval system
retrieves information from the data structures according to
location data accompanying requests for data. In some cases data
structures are also tagged relative to time in addition to location
and defined regions, and both tags are used in retrieving data
structures. An Internet-connected subscription server system using
the data repository has a communication module for receiving data
requests accompanied by location data and a code set for managing
retrieval of information from the data repository in response to
the data requests. The system, receiving a data request, uses the
location data accompanying the request to determine location in
individual ones of pre-defined regions, and uses the pre-defined
region information to access data structures and retrieve
information related to the pre-defined regions for transmission in
response to the data requests.
Inventors: |
Glorikian, Harry A.;
(Belmont, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CENTRAL COAST PATENT AGENCY
PO BOX 187
AROMAS
CA
95004
US
|
Family ID: |
27044461 |
Appl. No.: |
10/006346 |
Filed: |
December 3, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10006346 |
Dec 3, 2001 |
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09502407 |
Feb 10, 2000 |
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09502407 |
Feb 10, 2000 |
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09474458 |
Dec 29, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/218 ;
455/440; 707/E17.11; 709/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/9537 20190101;
G01S 5/0027 20130101; G06Q 30/0267 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201;
G06Q 30/0261 20130101; G06N 5/02 20130101; H04L 61/5084
20220501 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/218 ;
709/203; 455/440 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16; H04Q
007/20 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A multi-dimensional information repository, comprising: a
plurality of stored data structures; one or more tags associated
with individual ones of the plurality of data structures; and a
data retrieval system; characterized in that data structures are
tagged according to locations and defined regions relative to the
surface of the Earth, and the retrieval system retrieves
information from the data structures according to location data
accompanying requests for data.
2. The repository of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the
plurality of data structures are tagged according to time in
addition to location and defined regions, and both tags are used in
retrieving data structures.
3. The repository of claim 1 wherein individual ones of the
plurality of data structures are tagged according to human interest
categories in addition to locations and defined regions.
4. An Internet-connected subscription server system, comprising: a
data repository having data structures tagged according to
locations and defined regions relative to the surface of the Earth;
a communication module for receiving data requests accompanied by
location data; and a code set for managing retrieval of information
from the data repository in response to the data requests;
characterized in that the system, receiving a data request, uses
the location data accompanying the request to determine location in
individual ones of pre-defined regions, and uses the pre-defined
region information to access data structures and retrieve
information related to the pre-defined regions for transmission in
response to the data requests.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein data structures are tagged
according to time data in addition to location, data requests
include time data, and the system accesses data structures in part
according to the time data.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein the system maintains subscriber
information profiles, including subscriber interests, data requests
identify individual subscribers, data structures are tagged
according to interest categories, and the system accesses data
structures in part according to the stored interests of the
subscriber initiating a data request.
7. The system of claim 4 wherein the data repository is a first
data repository local to the Internet server, and wherein the
system, though the code set, accesses remote Internet-connected
information sources, and retrieves information from said remote
sources according to one or more of stored client interests and the
location data accompanying the client's request.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is in the field of Internet services
and business models, pertains more particularly to apparatus,
methods, and models for providing a service tracking geographic
location of clients of the system, and providing information to the
clients based on the tracked location.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The well-known Internet and the subset of the Internet known
as the World Wide Web (WWW) is arguably the greatest present net
repository and source of information available to persons enabled
by suitable equipment to and connect to myriad Internet servers and
download information. Enabling equipment for end users includes all
computerized machines capable of establishing an Internet
connection and of asserting addresses known as Universal Resource
Locators (URLs) to connect to individual servers and pages on
servers (Web pages), and of communicating in the language of the
Internet. Such enabling equipment may be broadly termed Internet
appliances, and include in aggregate large Internet-connected
servers (which may be enabled to browse and connect to other
Internet servers), desk-top personal computers, which typically
connect to the Internet through telephone lines and Internet
Service providers (ISPs), Web TVs, computerized set-top boxes
typically using cable services for connection,and a wide variety of
portable computerized units (portable computers).
[0003] The latter category of portable computers is of primary
interest in the present invention, and includes an increasingly
diverse set of equipment taking a variety of names. Among these are
laptop computers, palmtop computers, hand-held computers, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), personal organizers, cellular
telephones, and many more. To fall into the class of Internet
appliances it is only required that such portable units be enabled
to connect somehow to the Internet backbone, and be able to browse
the Internet through some level of executable software, which
ability may be enhanced or largely provided by Internet-connected
proxy machines.
[0004] The Internet and Internet-related enterprise services, as of
the time of the present patent application, have been growing at a
very great rate, and one important reason for emergence of many new
services is the sheer volume and resulting granularity of the
Internet. A person accessing the Internet can be reasonably assured
that the information he or she might seek is out there somewhere.
Finding it, however can be another matter entirely.
[0005] A broad variety of services have been developed to help
individuals locate information on the Web, among them quite
sophisticated browser software executable on the end-user's
Internet appliances, powerful search engines available on proxy
servers to browse for subscribers and other clients, and indexing
and listing services which attempt to track and cross-reference
Internet information sources. For the purposes of the present
specification, a client is a person who uses a service, while a
subscriber is a client who registers and/or pays for using a
service.
[0006] Even with enormous effort going into new and better indexing
and searching services, partly because of the rate of growth of
sources and end users as well, there has been but little
improvement in ability to quickly find and easily access
information on the Web. Browsing the Internet can still be a
daunting task, especially for the relatively uninitiated client.
The present inventors have recognized, therefore, a need to
narrowly focus information services to provide highly specialized
information specific to needs and specialized interests of groups
of individual clients, and automatically or semi-automatically
provided to such clients.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a
multidimensional information repository is provided, comprising
plurality of stored data structures; one or more tags associated
with individual ones of the plurality of data structures; and a
data retrieval system. The repository is characterized in that data
structures are tagged according to locations and defined regions
relative to the surface of the Earth, and the retrieval system
retrieves information from the data structures according to
location data accompanying requests for data. In some cases
individual ones of the plurality of data structures are tagged
according to time in addition to location and defined regions, and
both tags are used in retrieving data structures. Individual ones
of the plurality of data structures may be tagged according to
human interest categories in addition to locations and defined
regions and time.
[0008] In another aspect of the invention an Internet-connected
subscription server system is provided, comprising a data
repository having data structures tagged according to locations and
defined regions relative to the surface of the Earth; a
communication module for receiving data requests accompanied by
location data; and a code set for managing retrieval of information
from the data repository in response to the data requests. This
system, receiving a data request, uses the location data
accompanying the request to determine location in individual ones
of pre-defined regions, and uses the pre-defined region information
to access data structures and retrieve information related to the
pre-defined regions for transmission in response to the data
requests.
[0009] In some embodiments of the system data structures are tagged
according to time data in addition to location, data requests
include time data, and the system accesses data structures in part
according to the time data. In some preferred embodiments the
system maintains subscriber information profiles, including
subscriber interests, data requests identify individual
subscribers, data structures are tagged according to interest
categories, and the system accesses data structures in part
according to the stored interests of the subscriber initiating a
data request.
[0010] In yet another embodiment the data repository is a first
data repository local to the Internet server, and the system,
though the code set, accesses remote Internet-connected information
sources, and retrieves information from said remote sources
according to one or more of stored client interests and the
location data accompanying the client's request.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
architecture for a service and business model according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram of basic elements of an Internet
appliance of FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a plan view of an indoor exhibition facility in an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a logic flow diagram illustrating steps in
practicing the invention in preferred embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration
interface to a database according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 6a is a timing diagram illustrating steps in
information access according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 6b is a timing diagram illustrating steps in
information access according to an alternative embodiment of the
invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating architecture for
accessing and using the database in embodiments of the invention by
a relatively fixed device, such as a PC.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
architecture for an Internet-implemented service and business model
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In
this system a service is provided on an Internet-connected server
13 in the well-known Internet network represented by cloud 11. The
service provided is particular to travelers, such as, for example,
tourists, who are enabled typically with unique, hybrid hand-held
units that are capable of informing server 13 regarding specific
geographic location of the units, and therefore the person (client)
using each unit.
[0020] In FIG. 1 two client's appliances 29 and 31 are represented
as portable, hand-held computer units. In this embodiment each of
units 29 and 31 are Palm.TM. hand-held computers enabled to connect
to the Internet through integrated cellular telephone equipment via
base stations. Unit 29 connects through base station 25 and ISP1 21
to Internet backbone 22, which represents all of the loosely
defined interconnections of nodes and servers worldwide.
[0021] Base station 25 represents many base stations in a cellular
telephony provider's network of such stations enabling cell user's
to connect typically to a public switched telephone network (PSTN),
hence to an ISP and to the Internet backbone. In some cases the
cellular provider may provide the ISP service directly. The skilled
artisan will recognize this diagram is exemplary, and will be aware
of the various ways this wireless connection may be
implemented.
[0022] In an alternative embodiment connection to the Internet for
units 29 and 31 and similar units is provided through a Wireless
Internet Protocol (WAP) technology, using systems and protocols
according to the new WAP cooperative industry standard. In the WAP
technology the wireless devices, such as units 29 and 31 connect
wirelessly to a WAP-enabled service provider (WAP-SP) connecting to
the Internet. In this embodiment server 31 enables according to the
present invention could be integrated as a WAP-SP, or could be a
separate server in the Internet accessible by the WAP-SP.
[0023] Unit 31 in the present example connects to Internet backbone
22 via representative base station 27 and ISP2 23, but in
alternative embodiments could connect through WAP technology as
described above. As users of units 29 and 31 move about
geographically, as long as the units are on and powered, wireless
connection may be maintained by connection through different
stations in the cellular provider's base station network.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of internal elements of hand-held
unit 29 of FIG. 1, including exemplary connectivity. The present
invention pertains most particularly to portable computing units,
of which there are many varieties, as described above in the
background section. In a preferred embodiment unit 29 is a modified
or enhanced Palm.TM. hand-held computer device. In this preferred
embodiment the unit has cellular telephone circuitry which serves
as a connection path for Internet communication, and this
combination is known in the art.
[0025] Unit 29, as shown in FIG. 2 has a central processing unit
(CPU) 39 and a system memory 41 communicating on an internal bus
67. The CPU and the nature of the memory will vary depending upon
the nature of unit 29. The CPU, for example, may be an Intel
Pentium.TM. microprocessor if unit 29 is a portable laptop computer
memory 41 may include read-only memory (ROM), such as a basic
input-output system (BIOS), random access memory (RAM) for
temporary storage, and non-volatile memory such as a hard-disk
drive or a flash memory, or any combination of known memory-storage
apparatus.
[0026] In a preferred embodiment a cellular telephone circuitry 43
connected to bus 67 and operating through an antenna 45 provides
connection to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) through a
cellular telephony provider's network as described above, hence to
an Internet service provider such as ISP1 or ISP2 of FIG. 1, to
Internet backbone 22 (also FIG. 1). Unit 29 is enhanced with
Internet browser software (not shown) to be able to access and
browse the Internet world. In some embodiments the browser software
is a commercially available product, and in other embodiments may
be an available browser enhanced with one or more plug-ins
according to embodiments of the invention, and in yet other
embodiments may be wholly provided as unique software according to
embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments the
browsing will be done principally at the network (source) end, and
data presentation at the hand-held unit will be by other than
browser technology.
[0027] In some embodiments conventional telephone circuitry 53 is
provided connected to a telephone connector 56, for Internet
access, and this circuitry may be in addition to or in lieu of
circuitry 43. For example, a laptop computer enabled to practice
the present invention may have only circuitry 55, comprising a data
modem and, in some cases voice circuitry as well, while a Palm.TM.
implementation may have only the cellular connection apparatus.
[0028] Common to most implementations of unit 29, there will be
display driver circuitry 63 and a display 65, for displaying
information from Internet sources as well as for performing other
routine output functions, and a user input interface 59 and input
apparatus 61. Input apparatus 61 comprises, for example, a keyboard
and a pointer device. In some embodiments of unit 29 there will be
one or both of a microphone and speaker circuitry 47 and one or
both of a microphone 49 and a speaker 51. It is also important to
understand that many implementations of client units such as units
29 and 31 may have more or fewer elements than shown in FIG. 2.
[0029] Common to all examples of units 29 and 31, there is a GPS
circuitry 57 for receiving signals from multiple GPS satellites and
for determining a location for the unit from the satellite signals.
Such GPS systems are known in the art, but not necessarily in
combination with other elements as disclosed herein. GPS system 57
communicates on bus 67, and the net effect is, that in operation,
the geographic position of unit 29 on the Earth's surface, accurate
to within a few feet at the most, is available to CPU 39 at all
times that the unit is in operation.
[0030] In some (OEM) embodiments of the invention the GPS apparatus
is integrated into the circuitry of the portable units. In others,
an add-on GPS unit is provided that may be attached to and
connected to an existing portable unit already having the
cell-telephone capability or other Internet connectivity. In still
other cases an add-on unit may be provided that adds cell-telephone
capability and GPS capability to an existing portable computing
unit that has neither capability. Such add-on units may connect
through a standard serial port, a universal serial port (USB), a
parallel port, such as the port typically used for printers, and so
on. Physical attachment may be made in a number of ways so the
resulting assembled unit is convenient to use.
[0031] In practice of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention specific information is transmitted (downloaded) from,
through, or initiated by Internet server 13 in response to requests
from a portable unit (29, 31), the request in preferred embodiments
is accompanied by global positioning data defining the global
position of the requesting unit. In a preferred embodiment the
portable unit (29, 31) is enhanced with software 42 that, among
other duties, accesses the Internet and asserts the URL of server
13 when the unit is powered on. In the case of WAP technology, this
access may be wireless access to a WAP-SP. Thenceforth periodic
requests are transmitted from the portable unit along with GPS
position, updating the info to server 13. In other embodiments
software 42 may provide a user interface allowing the user to
select the service of the present invention, such as by selecting
an icon on a desktop screen, as is known in the art, to initiate
the service of the invention.
[0032] Software 42 operating on the user's appliance may take many
forms, and may have many functions and duties, many of which are
described in more detail below. This software, in general, is
fashioned to provide a user interface and information presentation
functions particular to the embodiments of the invention.
[0033] It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that requests
from portable units may be identified as specific to individual
units (ID) in several ways. The typical protocol for such requests,
for example, includes transfer of a cookie which may identify the
individual unit, the cookie having been provided by the service to
the client unit at the time of initial log-in. Processes and
protocols for log-in and authentication are well-known in the art,
and new processes are being developed to make the process more
secure as well as more transparent to the user.
[0034] Referring now back to FIG. 1, a client using unit 29, for
example, moving about geographically, with unit 29 on and
operating, is connected to server 13 through Internet backbone 22,
which represents all of the loosely defined Internet connection and
interconnection pathways. Server 13 may have local access to a data
repository 14 of any convenient type and size, upon which may be
stored any convenient information. Server 13 also has access
through backbone 22 to the rest of the Web, represented by Web
servers WS1 15 and WS2 17, which may have access to other databases
and yet other repositories.
[0035] In a preferred embodiment a service is provided to such as
tourists and other travelers, wherein information of, for example,
historical interest is stored accessible to server 13 and indexed
by global position, and in some cases also by dynamics of global
position.
[0036] As an example of such a service, a tourist, also a client of
a service according to an embodiment of the present invention, may
be making a walking tour of Colonial Williamsburg in the U.S. state
of Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg, as is well-known, is a
superbly-maintained historical site presenting buildings and
artifacts pertaining to the original settlements by Western
Europeans along the James river in Virginia, and includes the
Jamestown colony, first peopled during the reign of James the First
of Britain in the early part of the 17th century, considerably
prior to the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth in the state of
Massachusetts. The landing of the pilgrims, by the way, occurred on
the outer island of Cape Cod, and these pilgrims were originally
bound for the Jamestown site.
[0037] This tourist, for example, may be presented with information
pertaining to items of very local interest. The tourist, a client
of the enterprise host of server 13, may be walking along the James
river on the plot known as Martin's Hundred, which was established
in 1617 by a group from London, arriving on the ship Guift of God.
This client will be pushed information about the history of
Martin's Hundred, the people who participated, and what happened
there.
[0038] In a preferred embodiment, because GPS positioning is quite
accurate, down to at most an error of less than three feet, the
granularity of the information selection can be quite high. For
example, as the client walks or rides in broad areas of Martin's
hundred not immediately adjacent to any specific, more limited
(lower-level) historical site, information of a general nature is
pushed to the client's portable device. As the client nears John
Boys' house on the banks of the James river, specific information
about John Boys (who was titular head of Martin's Hundred for a
time) and his family will be pushed. As the client walks toward a
trash pit near this site, where archeologists have discovered the
remains of a servant of the Boys household, who crawled there,
grievously injured, during the Powhatten uprising in the early
1620's , hid under the refuse, and died there of her injuries,
details of the Indian uprising may be pushed, along with details of
this archeological site.
[0039] The historical information pushed under these circumstances
may be selected by software at server 13 based on more than the
simple location of the portable unit. The direction of change in
location may be used as well, and the rate of change, and other
dynamics derivative from location and time. The information pushed,
for example would be different if the client walks toward the
rubbish site from the Boys' house, as opposed to walking from the
rubbish site towards the house. In the first case the info would be
about the rubbish site, and associated information, and in the
second about the house and its occupants, even though the actual
GPS position may be the same. The use of the dynamic data in
information selection and granularity is unique.
[0040] As an example of a use of rate of change, a client at
Martin's Hundred might well move from site to site on an electric
cart, or by automobile, and walk around at each site. In such a
case, the software at server 13 may present information quite
differently. If the client is seen to be moving at a rate
consistent with a vehicle, the service can provide site-to-site
information, scripted also by direction of movement. If the client
is seen to be moving at a walking rate, the information is more
granular and specific, related to an individual site, and so
forth.
[0041] There are many variations in practicing the invention that
may depend, for example, on the nature of the client's Internet
appliance (that is, its capabilities and characteristics), and this
client-profile information may be available to the service at
server 13, and be accessed to determine what to push to a client,
and how to push it. For example, in some embodiments a client may
be using a laptop computer connectable to the Internet only through
a standard telephone connector and modem. The laptop computer in
this case, of course, in preferred embodiments of practice of the
invention, is enabled by a GPS system, so, when connected to server
13, the laptop reports its position. If the client is a subscriber,
the client's profile, stored at server 13, will indicate the nature
of the laptop and connectability, and information will be selected
and pushed at a relatively high and general level, as suitable for
the situation.
[0042] A lot of detail about the nature of historical information
to be made available to clients is not necessary in this
specification. The volume of such information, concerning civil war
sites, genealogical sites and information, historical sites in
other parts of the world (Western Europe, for example, and much
more, is readily available to imagination of the skilled
artisan.
[0043] Information to be indexed by geography (location) is
certainly not limited to historical information, but extends to
many other kinds of information, and the type of information to be
provided may be selectable by a client. Archeological information
may be provided, including information about local geography,
mineral deposits, water supplies and the like. Information about
local government offices, local cemeteries, local museums and
exhibition sites, and so forth may be prepared and made available
to clients. Another information shell could be organized around
economic information, such as local industry, small businesses, and
the like. Historical data about a region may be organized around
not only geographical position, but relative to time as well. For
example, all sorts of data as mentioned above may be provided for
any different period of time (era) that a client may desire. There
are thus a vary great variety of information shells and granularity
relative to geographic position, time frame, and real time that may
be organized and made available to clients. All such data is
organized in the provider's database, or in databases accessible to
the host of the service. It is an object of the invention to make
information available to clients on a basis of the individual
client's interest as well as geographical and time dimensions.
[0044] It was described above that portable units to practice the
present invention may vary widely in components and architecture.
The mode in which information is provided may, in many cases, be
strongly influenced by the architecture of the units used. In many
cases, for example, information downloaded to field units will be
presented to the user in audible mode. This may be done in any of
several ways. For example, in some cases the portable field unit
may have text-to speech software, and downloaded text is converted
at the unit to synthesized speech. In other cases, text may be
displayed; along with graphics in some cases as well. In yet other
embodiments information to a client in the field may be sent in
analog or digital audio format, and rendered audible through the
circuitry and speaker system at the field unit.
Indoor Application Embodiments
[0045] It is well-known that presently-available GPS systems are
workable only out-of-doors, while cellular telephone systems
typically work quite well indoors. This is in part because signals
from satellites are diffuse, and therefore the signal strength at
any point on the Earth's surface is relatively low, while cellular
telephone and other wireless protocol signals are much stronger. It
is also well known that many sites of interest to tourists and
travelers, where information may well be organized by location, are
inside buildings where GPS may not be serviceable directly.
[0046] As an example of an indoor exhibit where an embodiment of
the present invention would be quite useful, consider the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NYC, on the upper East
Side (about 81st and Fifth Avenue on the Central Park side). This
museum is in very large buildings and typically has a large number
of exhibits for divergent interests. There are, for example,
collections of armor and weaponry, collections of paintings
organized by type, by artist, and in other ways, visiting
collections of art and artifacts from other countries and cultures,
and so forth. For the purposes of this invention, information about
all of the exhibits at this museum may be indexed according to
geographic location in the buildings, which may be accessed
selectively if one has a portable unit requesting such information
from a database while simultaneously reporting the device's
relatively precise position in the museum.
[0047] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a simple, exemplary indoor
exhibiting site 69 with indoor exhibits organized in specific
locations within the site, according to an embodiment of the
present invention. There is an entrance/exit in this example, and
there are three exhibit rooms, as shown in the figure. Exhibits in
cases A through J are arranged in rooms 1 and 3, and paintings (1)
through (14) are hung on the walls of room 2. All exhibits may be
documented in an information database by location from an arbitrary
reference point, such as point 0 as shown at the upper left comer
of site 69. This is a simple Cartesian reference system listing
locations of exhibits in two dimensions from reference point 0. In
other embodiments there may be a three-dimensional reference
system, allowing for differentiation of exhibits on multiple levels
of a multi-storied exhibit site, or any known sort of planar or
spatial reference system.
[0048] In this embodiment of the invention a secondary
communication link is opened between Internet appliance 71 and a
location system 73 provided by the host of the indoor exhibit. The
purpose of this communication is to establish the position and
dynamics of movement of a user of appliance 71 within the confines
of the indoor exhibit. The skilled artisan will recognize that
there are alternative ways this may be done. In one embodiment a
secondary receiver is provided in appliance 71 receiving on an RF
frequency common to sending equipment used for the purpose by
cooperating enterprises that host indoor exhibits. This receiver is
represented in FIG. 2 by secondary receiver 77. Multiple stations
within the exhibit premises may be used with triangulation
techniques for tracking movement of users, for example. In another
alternative embodiment there may be small transmitters of limited
range at strategic points within the exhibit premises, and the
appliance may determine its position according to signals received
by secondary receiver 77, much as a GPS system does.
[0049] Within the indoor facility appliance 71 with secondary
receiver 77 communicates with station 73 via antenna 75 and
circuitry 79. This facility is meant to be representative of any
wireless indoor system capable of locating a user's appliance
relatively precisely within an indoor facility.
[0050] In one embodiment the secondary position system simply
determines the position of the user of appliance 71 within the
exhibitors facility, and this information is passed to server 13 on
the Internet. Server 13 is informed not only of this position, but
of the fact that this is not a GPS position, and also the ID of the
exhibition facility. In this embodiment the host of the service
provided by server 13 maintains, with cooperation of the host of
the exhibition facility, a database relating exhibits according to
geographic and spatial position within the facility, and returns
information to the appliance user relating to the various
exhibits.
[0051] Again, dynamic position information may be used to relate to
the database as well as simple position within a facility. For
example, the fact of a user traversing from one room to another may
elicit information pertaining to the nature of exhibits in the room
being approached, while the fact of a user stopping for a
predetermined time before a specific exhibit may elicit information
about that specific exhibit, and so forth. In this alternative
embodiment, the database for the exhibit may be maintained and
updated by the host of server 13 with input from the host of the
exhibit facility.
[0052] In an alternative embodiment server 13 may simply establish
an Internet connection to an Internet-connected source maintained
by the host of the exhibit, and, through cooperative software and
communication protocol, the information is pulled from the
exhibitors facility and pushed to the user of the appliance via the
cellular Internet connection.
[0053] In yet another embodiment the entire information service for
an indoor exhibition facility is provided at the facility, and
system 73 at the facility determines not only the user's position,
but pulls the information and pushes it to the user via the
communication link between element 77 and system 73. In some cases
element 77 in the user's appliance may be a transmitter as well as
a receiver.
[0054] Referring now back to FIG. 2, the typical appliance in
embodiments of the present invention has a speaker 51 and a
microphone 49. These elements may be used with suitable software
and the like to use the appliance as a cell telephone and to
accomplish computer simulated telephony over the Internet, often
termed IP calls. In some embodiments information pushed to a user
may be rendered as speech and announced to the user, who may use
earphones or an ear-piece speaker system.
[0055] FIG. 4 is a logic flow diagram illustrating a series of
steps in practicing the present invention. At step 81 a user/client
powers on an appliance enables according to an embodiment of the
present invention. At step 83 the client selects the information
service according to an embodiment of the invention. This step may
not exist in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments
simply powering on the appliance will select the information
service. This is a dedicated embodiment. In other embodiments the
service is optional, and the appliance may be used for many other
functions.
[0056] At step 85 the appliance establishes connection to the
service. This connection typically involves logging onto the
Internet through the cell telephone service, and making the
Internet connection. It will be apparent to the skilled artisan
that this may be done transparently to the user, or may require
user intervention.
[0057] At step 87 the appliance determines if the service is to be
for an indoor or an outdoor facility. This may be as simple as the
presence or absence of a GPS signal received by the appliance's GPS
system. In the event the service is indoor, the appliance will
receive identifying and initializing input from the local position
system.
[0058] If the application is indoor, the identification will
determine in step 89 whether the particular service is local
position only, with Internet information, or both local position
and information. For the local position and information system,
control goes to step 91, and the local system determines position,
and the position, and in some cases dynamic information derived
from changes in position relative to time, is used to pull
information and push it to the client. The process loops (95)
continuing to tell position and pass information until such time as
the user intervenes, or some basic parameter changes. Although this
loop is shown as between steps 91 and 93, in reality the loop may
be back to, for example, step 87 at least periodically, so, if the
client exits the building, the system may switch to the outdoor
service.
[0059] If at step 89 the determination is that the service is local
position but Internet information, the appliance determines local
position at step 97 (communication with local position system) and
passes the position data to the Internet service, which pulls info
and pushes it to the client at step 99. Again, dynamic data may be
determined and used as well, as previously described, and the
system continues to loop (101) re-determining position and
continuing to access and push information. The loop may
periodically revert at least to step 87 as well, as also previously
described.
[0060] If, at step 87 it is determined that the appliance is
out-of-doors, which may be determined by the access to and strength
of a GPS signal, control passes to step 103,where the appliance
determines the GPS position and passes that to the Internet
service, which pulls the relevant information at step 105 and
pushes it to the client. Return logic path 107 indicates that, as
the client outdoors continues to move around, the system accesses
different information, by position and dynamic data derived from
position and change in position, and continues to push the data to
the client.
[0061] It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that the flow
diagram of FIG. 4 is but one rendition of steps that may depict
practice of the present invention in various embodiments. The order
of steps may vary in different embodiments, some steps shown in
FIG. 4 may not be present in some other embodiments, and in some
embodiments there may be steps not shown in FIG. 4.
Intermittent Service
[0062] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention,
useful in situations where Internet access may not be readily
available on a continuing basis, or may be relatively expensive,
portions of a database maintained by a host of the service may be
downloaded by a user/client, based on current or expected location,
and stored locally accessible to the client's portable unit. In
this case a user interface allows the client, while maintaining
Internet access, to specify the kind of information desired and the
geographic location of interest. The relevant information is then
downloaded, such as, for example, information about Colonial
Williamsburg or the Metropolitan Museum of art. The client, having
the relevant information stored locally, such as on a flash card,
floppy disk, or hard disk drive, may then operate in the specific
area, accessing the locally-stored information by real-time GPS
position, just as in the Internet-connected situation described
above.
Advertisement
[0063] The inventor recognizes that broad practice of the present
invention will create a new opportunity for commercial enterprises
to advertise products and services. Such advertisement in Internet
models and services is at present quite well-known. Practice of the
present invention, however, presents a unique opportunity for
adding a previously unknown dimension to such advertisement. Now
advertisement can be focused for services desirable to tourists and
other travelers to just such persons, these being people enabled by
the apparatus and service of the present invention, and moreover,
offers of products and services to the enabled portion of the
population can be made in a geographically-focused manner.
[0064] As an example of geographic focusing of advertisement,
consider the traveler previously described as visiting Colonial
Williamsburg, in Virginia. Such a tourist will likely have made
arrangements (reservations) in advance for travel and overnight
accommodations. This does not mean, however, that the person is
completely satisfied with the arrangements. The actual aspect of
accommodations after arrival, compared to what was advertised, is
frequently one of the big surprises of a trip.
[0065] Because travelers may become dissatisfied with arrangements
made in advance, there is good reason to suppose that some may be
moved to change those accommodations if good information is
presented. In an embodiment of the present invention, therefore,
the host of the Internet-based service or of the indoor facility
that pushes its own information locally to enabled clients, may
arrange with hotels, motels, tour services, eateries, and the like,
also indexed and selectable by geography, to provide advertisements
to the enabled clients. The traveler visiting Colonial Williamsburg
may be presented with availability of overnight accommodations,
restaurants, and the like, in the immediate vicinity of Colonial
Williamsburg.
[0066] There are a number of ways that advertisements may be
focused and presented without being offensive to the travelers. For
example, in one embodiment all advertisement is pushed to the
traveler's portable unit, and cached in memory 41 (FIG. 2) under
control of software 42. A display interface is provided (such as a
selectable icon) that allows the traveler to access the
advertisements as desired. It is left up to the traveler to
determine the access. For example, at lunch time, or when hunger
strikes, the traveler may simply access the cache and peruse a
short list of local lunch establishments. Alternatively, the
caching of such advertisements may be made at the Internet-based
service for the traveler and based on the traveler's position as
reported by virtue of the GPS capability. In this case the traveler
accesses the cache through Internet request rather than from the
local memory of the portable unit.
[0067] The geographic filtering nature of the service of the
invention creates further selectability and granularity that may be
of large advantage to both travelers and advertisers. For example,
advertisements sent to the traveler's portable device may be
updated as the traveler moves about, so that advertisements outside
of the traveler's instant location are not presented. In the
embodiment described wherein advertisements are cached and the
traveler is given a measure of control over the access and display,
ads are removed from the cache as the traveler moves about, this
movement reported to the service by virtue of the GPS
capability.
[0068] There is still further service that may be provided for
travelers. In the case of advertisement, the service can arrange
with advertisers to keep a record of availability of services
offered by the advertisers, such as rooms available at a bed-and
breakfast. A traveler looking for a better accommodation may then
make arrangement (reservation) through the information service of
the present invention. The same applies to dinner and lunch
reservations, tour services, who may advertise their schedules and
availability, and so forth.
[0069] In yet another embodiment of the invention services may be
provided to both travelers and advertiser clients based on the
identification and location of the travelers using the hosted
service. The service, by virtue of transmission of and return of
cookies by a client, knows where the client is and, in some cases,
where the client is going to be. Arrangements may be made with such
as large exhibitors, such as in the example of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art described above, to notify the exhibiting hosts of
the presence of or pending arrival of clients of the service, such
that special offers and arrangements may be made for the individual
clients, and personal service may be rendered.
Database Structures Configuration and Use
[0070] The organization of the databases or databases in
embodiments of the present invention is unique as are methods in
accessing and dynamically restructuring the databases. For purposes
of the following explanations and descriptions database (singular)
is used, but it must be understood that there may be several
associated databases in use at any particular time.
[0071] In the following discussion of database topics it is
important to understand that the information categorized, stored,
and accessed in embodiments of the invention is not limited to any
one language. It is intended that end-users of any nationality and
language may be enabled according to embodiments of the invention,
and information may be stored in any language, translated
dynamically as required, and provided in the best form according to
needs of different users. In some cases this means there will be
redundancy in the database, and the necessary redundancy is
provided.
[0072] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating communication between
field device 29 and database 14 through a configuration interface
107 in information server 13 to database 14 in an embodiment of the
present invention. FIG. 5 is intentionally general to represent a
wide variety of situations within the scope of the invention. For
example, a general two-way communication is represented between
field unit 29 and server 13, and this communication can be
implemented in any one of various ways described above, including
several wireless and land-line methods and apparatus. Further,
database 14 may represent data storage local to server 13 or remote
but accessible, and can be implemented in a broad variety of
hardware and software.
[0073] Configuration interface 107 represents the interface between
incoming requests from user/clients and the associated database. In
preferred embodiments Interface 107 is primarily a software suite,
but may also comprise, in some embodiments, hardware elements.
There are several unique aspects and features in this interface and
the structure of the associated database.
[0074] The kinds of data and information assembled for users in
databases 14 has been briefly explained above. Generally the
assembled information is related to geography. The kinds of
information stored and the various dimensions of the databases is
explained in more detail below:
(A) GPS Boundaries and Regions
[0075] An important dimension of the databases is position on the
Earth's surface. Depending on purpose and application, the position
may be relatively general, or very, very precise. For example, a
position may be described as within a particular state, or
alternatively (and at the same ttime) at a very precise coordinate
on the Earth's surface. To accomplish this purpose, at a relatively
general level, the surface of the Earth is mapped according to GPS
boundaries, as well as precise GHPS position. The GPS boundaries
may follow, for example, boundaries of continents, boundaries of
countries, and boundaries of regions within countries and other
regions, which may be somewhat arbitrary to the service itself, and
so on. These boundaries define GPS regions that are identified in
various ways, and the identifications are used as cross-references
in the database.
[0076] The GPS regions defined as database references are in some
cases very general and in others quite granular and specific. For
example, the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern hemisphere of the
Earth, defined by the equator, are identified each as a separate
GPS region. In any query the GPS position, if any, accompanying or
associated with the query, may be identified quickly as within
either the Northern or the Southern hemisphere. In any case of a
reported position falling on a boundary, rules apply for defining
the location relative to defined GPS regions. In some such cases
the position will be confined to one or the other region, and in
some cases both. In still other cases the position may be
determined as associated with a defined GPS region according to
dynamic data of user movement, and so on.
[0077] At a slightly more detailed level GPS boundaries are defined
for all continents and ocean regions, according to geography
without respect to political considerations (national jurisdiction
and the like). At a still more detailed level GPS regions are
defined for boundaries of countries and territories according to
national jurisdiction. In many cases these GPS regions will define
several areas. For example the contiguous states of the United
States of America, and then separate areas for Alaska, Hawaii, and
territories of the United States.
[0078] GPS boundaries may be established also crossing national
boundaries. For example, there may be a definition for boundaries
of river drainage regions of the world, which may, of course cross
national boundaries, such as the drainage region of the Amazon
river in South America. Another GPS boundary category of interest
is economic regions, such as the European Economic Community and
other such trade regions.
[0079] At a still more detailed level. GPS boundaries are defined
for regions of interest in larger countries and regions. For
example, the Southern States of the US, the Western states of the
US, the New England areas of the US, the various provinces of
Canada, the various countries in Europe, the desert regions within
any country, the provinces within France, for instance, the
counties in the State of Indiana in the United States, the voting
districts in any democratic jurisdiction, the city limits of any
major city anywhere in the world, the limits of villages below a
certain population in Ireland, and so on, and so forth.
[0080] At a still more detailed level, GPS boundaries may be
established and defined for sites on the surface of the Earth
according to any of several information categories. As an example,
organized World War II sites in Europe may be defined, such as the
regions of the Battle of the Bulge, the location of cemeteries and
monuments, and the like. Regions may be defined for Civil War sites
in the US in much the same way, defining regions for major and
minor battles, cemeteries, organized sites like Gettysburg and
Andersonville and Fredericksberg and the like, as well as sites
that are not formally organized.
[0081] At another level, commercial boundaries may be defined as
GPS boundaries as well. In such a category locations of restaurants
within easy driving distance of the center of Cincinnati Ohio may
be defined as a GPS boundary. The same might be done for men's
clothing stores in upper Manhattan in New York city, and so
forth.
[0082] At a very specific and detailed level information is stored
related to specific exhibition sites, for example, and the result
is specific to very small regions. The example of an indoor site,
such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was
described above. In this case small regions may be defined such
that the system may be able to access information about a painting,
for example, related to a region of a few square feet at most,
within which a person is standing to conveniently view the
painting. In this case, as described above, a portable unit may
report to the system a specific and relatively exact position
within the museum, and the system can locate that position within a
small region in front of a painting hanging on a wall of the
museum. The system then "knows" to pass information to the
user/client about that specific painting. The system may even know,
for example, if the client is facing the painting or not, or make
an educated guess, based on very recent history of the client's
movement.
[0083] In the situation of an exhibition site such as a museum
neutral regions may also be defined, being regions not associated
with any specific display. For example, a defined region in the Met
may encompass all of the floor area in a room further than six feet
from any wall. The system, recognizing a user position in such a
region may deliver, for example, general information about what may
be found on which walls of the room within which the user is
located.
[0084] The identification of defined GPS regions may be done in any
of several ways. In one embodiment regions are assigned metadata
designations, in which each defined region has a unique digital
designation. A table is prepared and stored for each region in
which the boundaries of the region are defined and related to the
identity of the region. In processing, when a GPS position is
reported or accompanies an information request in some fashion, the
system may enter the table structure and quickly establish all of
the defined GPS regions bounding the reported position. Then, as
information is stored in the database related to defined regions,
information may be easily and reliably accessed according to
region. In another aspect, once the regions are defined for a
request, the user's profile may also provide other information that
may be used to further refine the nature of a database inquiry and
response to the user's request. The particular user may, for
example, have requested that certain kinds of information not be
sent.
(B) The Time Database Dimension
[0085] The position database dimension has been described in some
detail above. Another dimension used in the database is time. Time
boundaries for purposes of embodiments of the present invention are
defined in a similar manner to position boundaries. For example,
time boundaries may be defined for past, present and future,
defining thereby three defined time regions. Time regions within
the past region may be defined in a wide variety of ways; for
example each past millennium, each 100 years within each
millennium, each ten year period, each year, and so on down to very
small time intervals in some cases. Some data may be associated in
the time dimension as present, or real time. Future time may be
defined in intervals similarly to the intervals for past time.
[0086] In some cases time intervals may be defined for subject
matter. As an example, civil war data may be tagged as to the year
in which certain events occurred, such as 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864
and so forth. Similar divisions may be defined for many other
special categories, including wars, presidential terms, dynasties
in ancient China, and so forth.
(C) The Personal Interest Dimension
[0087] Another, and very important, database dimension in
embodiments of the present invention is personal interest. Interest
categories are defined for database relationships according to very
broad and very narrow categories. For example art may be a very
broad category. Within the category of art there may be
subcategories for painting, sculpture, music, literature, and so
forth. Within the subcategories there may be further granularity,
such as Impressionist painting, modem, surreal, and so forth.
Similar granularity is established within other art categories,
such as classical music, hip-hop, jazz, country, big band, and so
forth.
[0088] Another example of interest category is history, which may
be have sub categories for regional, ethnic, dynasty, monarchies,
history of particular countries, history of particular cultures,
and much, much more. There may be categories at broad and more
detailed levels for all areas of human interest, only a very few of
which are mentioned here; but the skilled artisan will recognize,
given the present teaching that interest is a very broad
category
(D) Commercial Enterprises
[0089] Commercial enterprises are a special database category, and
information is stored, tagged and otherwise cross-referenced for
many commercial enterprises, such as hotels and motels,
bed-and-breakfast establishments, restaurants, bus tour services,
railroads, airlines, taxi services, beauty shops, barbershops,
doctors and hospitals, and many, many more established businesses
and government services world-wide, in every necessary language.
There are many uses in embodiments of the invention at many levels
for such information, as is made apparent in further descriptions
below.
[0090] I some cases information about certain commercial
establishments is relatively limited, such as nature of goods and
services, telephone numbers, and address. In other cases the
relationship may extend to on-line connectability between the
present service in many embodiments, and call-centers, web pages,
and the like hosted by the commercial establishments made a part of
the database of the present invention.
[0091] It will be apparent to the skilled artisan, given the
teachings herein, that most information stored in the database of
the present invention will relate to more than one, and in many
cases, several database dimensions. For example, detailed
information about the battle of Hoover's Gap in the US state of
Tennessee during the Civil War, at which battle the 17th Indiana
Mounted Infantry first used repeating Spencer rifles, will be
tagged as positionally in the Northern hemisphere, in North
America, in the USA, in the state of Tennessee, and in the county
or region where the battle took place. In the time dimension the
time region is the past, in the 19th century, in the sixth decade,
in the year it occurred, and specifically by the exact dates and
times.
[0092] In the personal interest dimension for the Hoover's Gap
example above the categorizations may be war, civil war, US Civil
War, land battles, and so forth. There may be many more tags and
cross-references for personal interest as well. Commercial
enterprises associated with this battle may include present-time
hotels, motels, eating establishments, and the like, which are in
the region where the battle was fought.
[0093] It will be apparent to the skilled artisan, given the
teachings herein, that there may be several more database
dimensions utilized within the scope of the invention.
[0094] There are a variety of ways information in the database may
be tagged or otherwise cross referenced in line with the dimensions
described, and other dimensions. For example, information may be
grouped in most instances according to some close relationship. For
example, all information about Colonial Williamsburg may be grouped
by the particular fact of being about Colonial Williamsburg
regardless of physical grouping, this information will be tagged as
history, US history, colonial history, and so forth in the area of
personal interest. The information will be further tagged according
to particular periods in US history.
[0095] For this example of Colonial Williamsburg specific site
information will be tagged according to position on-site, and
according to defined regions within the bounds of Colonial
Williamsburg. A GPS position within the defined bounds of this site
will be recognized as such for purposes of accessing information,
and within the region, detailed information about specific sites is
related more closely to exact position.
[0096] There are a variety of ways data tagging may be done.
Typically data elements in the database structure will be tagged by
a digital word of suitable length, different bits at different
significance positions providing the dimensional information. In a
64-bit word, for example, 16 bits may be reserved for positional
specification, 16 bits for time specification, 16 bits for
interest, and 16 more bits for other classification. There are many
methods known in the art for data tagging.
Accessing the Database and Examples of Services Provided
[0097] Referring again to FIG. 5, requests of many sorts may come
to server 13 from enabled appliances from anywhere on Earth, and in
literally any language. Device 29 in FIG. 5 is meant to represent
any appliance that may be able to access the on-line service, such
as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, another web site, a cell
telephone, a caller to a call-center via a conventional telephony
service, or via an enabled WAP or cellular-enabled device having
also GPS capability as described above. In examples below, methods
of accessing and sorting are described by specific examples of
defined services in embodiments of the invention.
[0098] Continuous on-site access and delivery--In one example
above, in a preferred embodiment, a traveler/client has a hand-held
device enabled to access the Internet in a wireless manner, and
also to track its own position via an integrated GPS system. A
traveler with such a device may at any point in time initialize the
device and access the services in embodiments of the present
invention generally represented by server 13 in this
specification.
[0099] In this situation the device may be a completely dedicated
device, so when it is powered on, contact with server 13 is
established automatically and transparently, and maintained until
intentionally terminated by the client. In other cases the device
may have multiple uses, and a client may be required to select the
service of embodiments of the present invention through a
convenient user interface, such as a graphic interface displayed.
The means and protocol of access is not particularly material to
the invention.
[0100] In this example, in the initial contact with the
Internet-enabled service of the invention, the service typically
identifies the client and sends a cookie, which is lodged at the
client device in a cookie file. This process is known in the art,
and may require the user to fill out a log-in form with such as a
user-name and a password pair, which may be a remembered pair
automatically entered in the form by the user's device. In other
embodiments the log-in and confirmation may be done transparently
to the user of the client device. In some instances authentication
is not particularly critical, because no secure or sensitive
information is downloaded in the process. In others higher levels
of security are required. Typically, after initialization and until
the client intentionally terminates, the filed cookie is used in
further communication to maintain authentication and client
identity with the service.
[0101] Device as Client--Further to the above, there are
embodiments of the invention wherein the device itself is the
client, rather than a particular person who is the owner and
operator of the device, and this situation is covered below
firstly. This situation attains, for example, at highly organized
exhibit sites. Such sites are, for example, the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New York City and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, used
in previous examples, or, as a new example, the San Francisco Zoo.
At such sites, through cooperation between the services of the
present invention and the host of each site, client devices may be
provided for use by visitors. There are many possibilities in how
such devices may be provided and maintained, accounted for, and so
forth, and how the users visiting such sites may pay for the
service, if at all.
[0102] In this situation, a visitor registers at the exhibit site
and is provided with a working client device. For purposes of
description assume the device renders downloaded information to the
visitor by audio through a single earphone. FIG. 6a is a flow
diagram depicting communication between the Internet service in
this embodiment of the invention and the client device expanding on
the loop of steps 103, 105, and 107 of FIG. 4, and including
database access interface 107 shown in FIG. 5.
[0103] In this diagram the client side is depicted as a vertical
line on the left of the diagram, and the server side by a vertical
line on the right side. Communication is shown by arrows between
the two sides, manipulations wholly accomplished on one side are
shown on that side, and time is on vertical scale, advancing top
down.
[0104] After initialization, at step 1, a log-in request goes from
the device to the server. The server recognizes the client unit,
and opens a session for the client unit at the exhibit. This
session is software managed at server 13 (FIG. 5), and may be one
of a very large number of sessions being managed for different
devices and clients.
[0105] Once the client unit is identified and a session is opened,
the service acknowledges the log-in. At step 3 a data request is
sent by the client device. There are a number of protocols under
which data requests may be made. In one protocol, data requests are
made at pre-programmed time intervals, such as every ten seconds.
In an alternative protocol no data request goes to the server
unless a user of the client device initiates the request. There may
be other protocols, and there may also be an interface under which
a user may switch from one protocol to another.
[0106] In any case, when a data request goes to the server (step 3)
that request is accompanied by a precise location for the device.
In outdoor sites this position may be the result of GPS
coordination, or determined by a local position system. In indoor
sites the position will typically be determined by a local system
as described above.
[0107] In this example, in response to the request at step (3) the
server accesses exhibit information according to position
(location) and sends appropriate information. Typically, in this
situation, where the device is the client, provided at a site for
temporary use by a user, there is no server-stored user profile
which may be used for further filtering of requests. However, the
information accessed and sent may be selected by more dimensions
than just the instantaneous position. The device's (user's )
movement may be used as well, and the rate and direction of
movement, or recent history of movement.
[0108] After the service determines the information to be sent,
that information goes to the client device (step 4). At step (5)
another data request is sent by the device to the server, and the
server, in response, updates the dynamic location and history data
for the session, and stores the necessary data for the session. At
any point in time, then, the system knows the precise location of
the client device, the previous locations, providing a track record
including direction and rate, and can make future predictions as
well, based on past movement. There may be included an interface
for a client to, for example, retrace the history of a session, and
so on.
[0109] At step (6) the server has again accessed appropriate
information about an exhibit and sent that information along to the
client device. When a user is finished with a tour and turns in the
temporary client device, a worker at the site may cause a document
to be printed describing the user's tour, as a souvenir. This
document may include boilerplate elements about specific exhibits,
which may be organized and presented according to the session
history.
[0110] Once the tour is finished, and any peripheral services, such
as the souvenir document, is provided, the device is turned off, or
a signal is sent terminating the session. The server software 107
may archive some information (# of visitor, length of tour, etc.,
for statistical purposes, for example). Then the session is erased.
A new session will be initiated the next time the specific device
is activated with a new user.
[0111] User as Client--In other embodiments the device, the
Internet appliance that is used to access the server and download
information, is owned by, or at least registered to a specific
user. In these embodiments the user will typically be a subscriber
to the service, and, in the process of subscribing, the user will
have entered a considerable amount of information. At a minimum the
service will have the user's address, name, and such identity
information. At another level, according to user preference, the
user may supply considerable additional information, including data
about age, gender, education, occupation, specific areas of
interest, and so on, perhaps prioritized. There will be levels of
service that can be provided to users who are willing to subscribe
to the higher levels and to provide the kinds of user-profile
information that will be required to provide the higher levels of
service. Further services may require such as credit card
information, deposit accounts, ability to access accounts for
payment for services, and so on.
[0112] In any case, subscribers will have each a user profile to
some depth, determined by the subscriber. In addition to the raw
profile, a data record is kept for each subscriber, storing many
kinds of information, including a history of on-line sessions,
types of sessions, tours planned and taken, purchase history, and
so forth. All of the archived information for a subscriber is
cross-referenced and may be accessed by the subscriber for many
purposes, and by the service for other purposes, with permission of
the subscriber. Many of these additional services and abilities are
described in further detail below.
[0113] In the case of a user-related device, where a user is a
subscriber and a user profile is kept, the range of services is
much broader than described above for temporarily-assigned devices.
In this example continuous, or frequent intermittent access is
still the norm, just as described above for the
temporarily-assigned devices.
[0114] In this example, assume the subscriber client initiates the
device at any particular geographic point, which may any precise
position on the surface of the Earth. FIG. 6b is a time diagram
similar to that of FIG. 6a illustrating information access and
provision in this case, where the client is the subscriber
(person).
[0115] When the subscriber powers on the device (dedicated device)
or signals for access to the service, such as by asserting a URL
for server 13 (multi-purpose device), a log-in request goes to
server 13 at step (1). In this case rather than an automatic log-in
wherein the server recognizes the Internet appliance, as above, the
server will identify the client/user/subscriber. This is done in a
preferred embodiment by the server sending back a log-in form at
step (2). At step (3) the subscriber has populated the form and
sends it back to the server. This may be done by entering data in
the form fields, or in some cases, the form-filling may be
automatic, and even transparent to the client.
[0116] In response to the filled-in form, the Server Software
verifies the client (user) and opens a session for client. The
Server also accesses a client profile, if available, and client
history. The Serve rthan acknowledges verification to the user
device in step (4). The client is now involved in an active session
with the service, and may send information requests. As previously
described in the case for the unit as client, the information
requests may be automatic, timed requests, say one every two
minutes, or the system may wait for the client to initiate a
request, such as through a graphic user interface, or there may be
some combination.
[0117] In any case, at step (5) an information request goes to the
service, accompanied by a precise location, which may come from GPS
in outdoor locations, and from a local positioning system in many
indoor locations, as previously described. The server now may
respond in a number of different ways, depending on circumstances.
Server Software uses the precise position to identify all defined
regions occupied, including whether the unit is in an exhibit
region, such as a zoo or museum. The service then consults client
profile data and retrieves and sends to client the appropriate
information based on all applicable database dimensions (Step
6).
[0118] There are a broad variety of possibilities. For example, the
user may be identified as being within an exhibit site, such as the
Met as in previous examples above. The server may in this case
behave and respond to information requests just as described above
for the case of temporarily assigned devices. In some cases, the
subscriber may have a special relationship with the exhibit, such
as being a lifetime donor for a zoo, and this information may be a
part of the user profile. In such cases there may be special
services provided by the service, often in cooperation with the
enterprise hosting the exhibit.
[0119] As another example, according to position returned with an
information request, the client may not be in a specially
choreographed site, but at-large. Geographically roaming might be
an apt description. In this case the service may, through access to
the client profile, determine that the client is especially
interested in this session in U.S. Civil War information, and may
return information about sites and exhibits of interest within a
pre-defined range of the client position, or within a defined
region.
[0120] In another example, developed more fully below, the client
profile may indicate a client pre-planned itinerary, and return
information according to different interest dimensions according to
location, including defined regions associated with the
location.
[0121] At step (7) the client's device sends another information
request, either automatic or user-initiated. The server in response
updates dynamic location and other statistical and historic data,
and stores necessary data. This action is continuing in a session
to develop and store a complete record of user locations, static
and dynamic, and all user activities. The Server Software also
accesses information in database according to all pertinent
dimensions and profiles, and sends appropriate information in step
(8).
[0122] The process continues throughout a client session, with more
requests to the server, and more data accesses and deliveries to
the client.
Fixed Access Uses of System
[0123] The unique structure of database 14 (FIG. 5), wherein
information about a broad variety of subjects is crossed-referenced
in several dimensions, such as geographic position in defined
regions and precise locations, by time, and also by information
type relative to client interest categories, is described in some
detail above. This unique cross-referencing and ability to access
information by these dimensions provides an opportunity for a range
of unique services that do not require use of and interaction with
a portable device.
[0124] In another aspect of the invention the system of the
invention may be used for a variety of unique services not
involving a particularly portable client device, or real-time
knowledge or input of the client's geographic position. In this
aspect FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting access to server 13 by a
client using a desktop PC, such as the client may have in a home or
business.
[0125] Tour Planning--One unique use of the system is in tour
planning by subscribers. A subscriber using a desktop computer 109
(for example), connecting to server 13 through an ISP 111 (for
example), is provided with a unique service for planning tours and
trip itineraries. In one embodiment the subscriber, logging on to
server 13, after log-in and authentication, is presented with a
Graphical User Interface (GUI) having hyperlinks for various
available service, one of which is for trip planning. By selecting
this hyperlink the subscriber is presented with a new GUI with a
range of parameter fields for planning a trip.
[0126] FIG. 8 is an exemplary interface 113 for trip planning in an
embodiment of the invention. Title 115 identifies the interface,
and there are three input fields in this simple example, field 117
for selecting an interest category, field 121 for defining a region
for the trip, and field 123 for selecting a time window. A help
link 125 links the subscriber to help functions if needed.
[0127] In field 117 the subscriber provides input for an interest
to define the trip. Interest categories were defined to some extent
above. For example, interests may be such as sculpture, music,
American history, the Gulf War, rare books, antique collections,
beat poetry, and so forth. A constraint is that interests to be
input must be interest dimensions defined for the database, or the
database cannot function according to the dimension.
[0128] In a preferred embodiment server 13 is enabled to deal with
natural language input, so a subscriber may type in, for example,
"Civil War", or "War of Rebellion", or "War between North and
South", or some other natural language input. The system has a
parser function for selecting significant nouns, and using these to
determine most probable defined interest. In some cases in this
mode, the server may come back with a pop-up query to further
define the interest. For example, the user may input "War between
North and South", and the system may come back with "U.S. Civil
War? (Yes) (No). To which the subscriber is expected to
respond.
[0129] In this manner the system may take typed input and arrive at
a defined interest dimension. There may also be further
interrogatories, such as defining time ranges for interest. A
person interested in the U.S. Civil War may be interested only in
one particular year of the Civil War.
[0130] Alternatively to the above, the subscriber may use a
drop-down menu activated by arrow 119, in which case a menu of
interest dimensions will be displayed, and the user may
point-and-click, or scroll to highlight and select, techniques that
are well-known in the art. In this facility, because there are
numerous interest dimensions defined in the system dimensions may
be presented first by category, such as Art, war, and so forth, and
upon one of the higher level categories being selected, a new
drop-down list providing further definition is displayed. Again,
when a defined interest dimension is finally selected, additional
information may be solicited.
[0131] In field 121 the subscriber selects a region for the trip.
Again, natural language input can be used, or the subscriber may
use the drop-down menu method, and the system may respond with
interrogatories to refine the selection. For example, the
subscriber may have selected Modern Art as an interest, and now
defines Spain as a region. One further dimension is sometimes
required for the system to perform the unique trip-planning
function. This is a time window selectable via field 123. The time
window is a range in time when the subscriber wishes to make the
trip. This, of course, will always be a future window. The same
kinds of input characteristics as described above are operable for
field 123.
[0132] One reason the time dimension is needed is that for many
interest categories, certain exhibits displays, auctions, and the
like may or may not be available at certain times. The database is
maintained on a continuing basis with new information. For example,
given one particular month in a coming year, the data base may list
one matrix of displays and exhibits for modem art in Spain, and for
another month, the matrix may be somewhat, or even radically
different. On the other hand, for some interest categories the time
window may be irrelevant. A subscriber may, for example, have
selected Spanish villages in the Basque region as an interest, and
the villages will be the same over very long periods of time.
[0133] Once the input is made, the server software loosely
indicated by element 107 in FIG. 7 queries the database, applies
pre-programmed rules, and builds one or more itineraries of
interest for consideration by the subscriber. Staying with the
present example of Modem Art, Spain, and assuming a time window of
the last two weeks in July of the year 2000, the server software
enters the database, determines all of the Modem Art exhibits and
displays in Spain, which are tagged by location and defined
sub-regions (see above for defined GPS regions) for the time
window, and builds one or more itineraries for a proposed
trip/tour.
[0134] In building the candidate tour(s) the system may apply a
number of rules. One such rule has to do with location of major
airports and/or ports of entry. This rule is applied if the
subscriber profile indicates the subscriber is likely to begin such
a trip from, say, the U.S. or Japan. Beginning with a major
airport, for example, the system will find exhibits in the interest
dimension within easy access distance of this potential arrival
point. The system will apply a time relative to the total time
window for visiting these close sites, say two days for the number
of sited selected, then the system will range to another region
near the arrival point, and do the same. In this manner one or more
candidate itineraries are built around the input dimensions.
[0135] The next steep is for the system to present the candidate
itineraries to the subscriber, which may done in several ways. The
subscriber may be presented with, for example, a sequential list of
places (cities and towns, for example), the stopover times, and a
list of all of the exhibits to be visited at each stopover. There
may also be, for example, a map showing the same information, to
make the itinerary more graphic. The subscriber is now given an
interface for selecting one of the candidates, and than is also
allowed to make alterations. The subscriber may, for example,
through a GUI and input field interface, delete exhibits, delete
stopovers, re-arrange the order of stopovers, and so forth, until
satisfaction is struck.
[0136] Tour implementation--Once a tour is planned, it remains to
implement the tour, if the subscriber intends to make the trip.
[0137] By implementation is meant actually buying the airline
tickets into and out of the point of arrival in Spain, say Madrid,
for the example Modem Art tour. Also all of the overnight
accommodations necessary and travel between stopover locations on
the tour; all of the details of actually making the tour. For this
purpose a number of facilities are provided. A subscriber may, for
example, jump from the display provided by server 13 to the home
page of a major airline, where reservations may be made and paid
for, and may locate and jump to local travel services and overnight
accommodations in all of the various places on the tour, and
accomplish thereby, all on-line, all of the implementing details
for the tour.
[0138] Alternatively, a referral service is provided, whereby the
subscriber may be transferred to a travel service which will offer
experienced input to aid the subscriber in making all of the
necessary accommodations. The travel service, cooperating with the
service of the present invention, is then provided with a copy of
the itinerary for the subscriber, and the travel service than
performs the necessary functions. In the final implementation it
will be understood that further alterations (hopefully minor) may
still be made in the scope and progression of the planned tour.
[0139] Virtual Tours--In an alternative embodiment of the invention
a subscriber may define a tour around specific interest, regions,
and time frames as above, then request from the service a virtual
tour. The multi-dimensional database, for this embodiment, stores,
or has access to multimedia files relating to the defined tour. For
example all, or a portion of, pictures in museums of modern art in
the various defined stopover points are accessible as
high-resolution picture files. General interest pictures and sound
files, or even video clips, may be available for the regions where
the exhibits, museums and the like are located. In this way a fully
graphic virtual tour is created, and presented to the subscriber.
The tour, once created may, for example, be downloaded to the
subscriber, provided on a CD-ROM, streamed in real time, or a
combination of delivery means.
[0140] Professional Tour Creation--In another embodiment of the
invention, subscribers may be referred directly to professional
tour planners, who intervene on the subscriber's behalf to use the
services provided in embodiments of the present invention to create
tours for the clients, and then verify and implement the tours. In
some embodiments the professional tour planners are agents of the
enterprise hosting the services of embodiments of the present
invention, that is, the host of server 13.
[0141] In still another embodiment of the present invention a
service is provided to professional travel planners and agents for
creating group tours around interest dimensions, just as an
individual subscriber creates an individual tour in the example
above. In this embodiment the professional agent may create tours,
verify the tours for pre-panned numbers of travelers, then
advertise and fill the tours. In some cases the advertisement and
filling of tours may be done through facilities of server 13 as
well.
[0142] Variations--In one variation of the above tour planning and
implementation a subscriber may plan a tour, then download all of
the pertinent information for use in storage with a portable
device, such as a hand-held computer or a laptop computer. Then
when the tour is actually taken, the subscriber person may, at each
stopover, use the information stored to provide guidance and
supplemental information on the tour. This variation has an
advantage that the times and stopovers may be changed considerably,
and th information is still useful, because it does not necessarily
have to be accessed in the order of the original tour stopovers.
Also, the information may be displayed on the computerized device,
or may be printed out and carried along, or may be rendered as
speech, for example, as needed and wanted. In still another
variation the subscriber may implement the tour and save it in the
subscriber's own profile information at the server. Then, when the
subscriber makes the tour, he/she may access the service with a
GPS-enabled hand-held device, as described in detail above, and
receive real-time guidance according to position while in the field
on the tour.
Additional Services and Applications
[0143] The combination of a multi-dimensional database wherein many
types of information is cross-related by location, time, and
interest categories, with or without a position-reporting
appliance, affords opportunities for a wide variety of unique
services beyond the services described in embodiments of the
invention above. Several such applications in alternative
embodiments of the invention are described below:
Corporate Applications
[0144] There are many services afforded for corporate and other
enterprise and organization users of the GlobalRover system. For
example, employees of an enterprise may be provided with portable,
position-reporting units, and the enterprise may maintain an online
database and cooperating software for use by the employees. The
employees may then be provided with corporate information according
to time and location as they move about among many enterprise
locations. The areal extent will of course vary from enterprise to
enterprise. One corporation may be a multi-national business with
locations all over the globe. In this case, information may be
referenced by defined regions, which are defined by corporate
facilities in different countries.
[0145] Other enterprises may have a single location, and
information may then by organized by defined regions within the
location. Within one building, for example, an electrical
maintenance worker my be provided with electrical diagrams and
schematics pertinent to a building according to his/her location in
the building. Workers checking underground pipelines and cables may
be provided with charts of the underground facilities in the
immediate vicinity of the worker's location just as though the
portable device might be a radar machine seeing under the surface.
In this case the diagram might change as the worker moves,
according to the direction and speed of movement. The kinds of
information that may presented dynamically by location,
extrapolating from the examples just given, are truly very
large.
[0146] In still other embodiments it will not be necessary that a
worker or employee of an enterprise have a location-reporting
appliance, in the sense that the appliance automatically reports
location to the remote database. A network-connected appliance
without, for example a GPS system or another position pinpointing
system may be used by a person to enter location; either the actual
location or another location of interest, and the system will then
transmit the information associated with the location.
Locating Users Through Devices
[0147] In another embodiment, because the system has user profiles,
and users carry portable devices that report position, the system
may be configured in some embodiments to report locations of
registered persons. Such an application may be used by, for
example, by a delivery service to track locations of delivery
trucks/drivers. A supervisor may then make decisions based upon
mapped employee location. This or a similar application is useful
for all sorts of fleet enterprises, delivery services, rental car
agencies, postal services, and many more. In applications wherein
children have a location-reporting device, the system can locate
missing or lost children
[0148] In the case of children, as mentioned above, the unit need
not be a two-way device like the appliances described above. A
device according to the invention may be simply a box having GPS
and an Internet connection reporting position to the remote system
(server 13). An authorized person (parent, police worker) may
access the system and find the location of any registered user that
has an operating device.
[0149] The skilled artisan will recognize that there are a variety
of alterations that may be made in the embodiments of the invention
thus far described, without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention. For example, the nature of the appliance used may
vary, with the requirement that there be a position determining
system upon which selection of information may be predicated. There
may be for example one of either a local position determination
system (indoor application) or a GPS system; or both may be
present. In the selection of information to be provided to a
client, simple position may be used, or position data derived from
simple position reported over time may be used, or both.
[0150] Because Internet access is not uniformly available in all
regions of the planet, ability to download chunks of information to
a portable device is important in various aspects of the invention.
The information may be refreshed an upgraded at periodic intervals
that access is available, such as kiosks in various places.
[0151] In some embodiments there may be an interface for a user to
interface with the service, as exemplified at the appliance.
Information may thus be cached, rather than delivered to the client
in a steady stream, and the client can control the presentation,
and the mode of presentation. There are many such alternatives
within the spirit and scope of the invention, and the scope of the
invention is therefor defined by the claims that follow.
* * * * *