Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERFACING
WITH A POINT OF SALE DEVICE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to wireless devices for paging their
users. More
specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
displaying
advertisements on a wireless device, such as a pager.
BACKGROUND
Wireless devices, such as pagers, have become common. These wireless devices
have
allowed individuals to communicate more efficiently in business and personal
settings. Typical
pagers include a display for displaying a message, such as a phone number to
return a call.
Typical pagers also include a receiver which "listens" for its particular
signal to be broadcast
from a base station. ~nce the pager's individual signal is broadcast, the
receiver in the pager will
recognise the signal has been sent and will indicate an alarm to the user of
the pager. The pager
will then display the message on the display.
In the past, cards easy to use and convenient to carry were widely being used
instead of
cash. The cards may be a credit card, a cash card, an advance payment card or
a direct payment
card. For example, cards are frequently used to settle accounts. Recently,
wireless devices have
been used in combination with optical payment transceivers and optical payment
systems for
settling an expense. ~ne particular type of system is disclosed in U.S. Patent
Application No.
2002/0194137, with inventors Par); et al. entitled "~ptical Payment
Transceiver And System
Using The Same." The Parlc optical transceiver provides a device for use in an
optical
transceiver apparatus for payment of expenses. The transceiver does not
increase the speed of
tl~e transaction by using a modified Irda standard. Moreover, the transceiver
is not capable to
transmitting a plurality of coupons to a point of sale terminal.
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One particular type of pager is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,999,088 issued
to Sibbitt,
entitled "Information Display Pager." The Sibbitt pager provides a method and
apparatus of
providing active entertainment for persons waiting for service. Such persons
are provided with
an electronic pager assembly for notifying when service is available. The
pager includes an
electronically controllable pager assembly having a controllable screen
display which is
programmed with information likely to be desirable to a person holding the
pager. A set of
instructions enabling a person to access the information programmed in the
pager assembly is
printed on the assembly. The pager notification capability functions
regardless of whether the
information display is or is not active. The information is not automatically
placed on the screen.
Moreover, the user can choose to completely ignore the information within the
pager and to wait
until the pager "vibrates" as the notification that the user is ready to be
seated in the restaurant.
Another particular type of pager is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,008,739,
issued to
Hymel, entitled "Increasing The Size Of Memory Available For Storing Messages
In Response
To The User Reading Advertisements In A Selective Call Receiver." The Hymel
patent is
directed to a method of encouraging a user of an SCR (Selective Call Receiver)
to read
advertisements stored in the SCR. The user is provided with an initial level
of access to a feature
of the SCR that enhances the SCR's usefulness. When the user reads an
advertisement, additional
access to that feature is provided for a predetermined time period.
Preferably, the feature is
memory space, and each timc the user reads an advertisement, the memory space
available for
storing messages is temporarily increased.
Another further particular type of pager is disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
6,031,4~~7, issued
to Hymel et al., entitled "Method In a Selective Call Radio For Ensuring
Reception Of
Advertisement Messages." The Hymel et al. patent discloses an SCR that
receives personal
messages and corresponding advertisement messages, and includes a receiver,
memory,
presentation circuit and processor. The processor is adapted to cause the
receiver to receive a
personal message, to deternzine whether a corresponding advertisement message
has becn
previously stored in the memory, and in the event the corresponding
advertisement message is
not found, cause the presentation circuit to present the personal message to a
user of the SCR.
Additionally, the processor causes the presentation circuit to present a
warning to the user that
the SCR must receive the corresponding advertisement message within a
predetermined time. If
the corresponding advertisement message is not received within the
predetermined time, the
processor immediately disables the SCR. Thus, the advertisement messages can
be lost when the
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pager is not on. In addition, a complicated structure is needed to ensure and
encourage viewing
of advertisement messages.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.
SUMMARY
The present invention is a wireless device, such as a pager, that has an
identity, such as a
frequency and capcode. The wireless device is provided for notifying a user of
a page, such as a
telephone number, directed specifically to the identity of the wireless
device. The wireless
device includes a housing and a display attached to the housing. The wireless
device further
includes a driver connected to the display for causing indicia to appear on
the display. The
wireless device further includes a controller, such as a microprocessor
connected to the driver for
sending to the display a signal comprising indicia to appear on the display.
The wireless device
also has a memory preprogrammed with advertising indicia and a receiver
connected to the
controller for receiving a page signal directed specifically at the identity
of the wireless device
and for communicating the page signal to the controller. When the controller
receives the page
signal received by the receiver, the controller will then send to the driver a
signal comprising the
advertisialg indicia preprogrammed in the memory for causing the display to
display the
advertising indicia. The controller will then send to the driver a signal
comprising an
identification of the message for display on the display.
The display can be a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the memory can be an
electrically
eraseable programmable read only memory (EEPR~M). The advertising indicia can
be a logo of
a company, a company name, or other advertising indicia.
When the controller receives the page signal received by the receiver, the
controller can
then immediately send to the LCD driver a signal comprising the advertising
indicia in the
memory for causing the LCD to display the advertising indicia. The controller
can then send to
the LCD driver, within five seconds or less from the sending of the signal
comprising the
advertising indicia, a signal comprising the message.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is
a memory
device for a wireless device with its structure and functions generally as
described. The memory
device has a storage location preprogrammed with advertising indicia. When the
controller
receives the page signal received by the receiver, the controller will then
send to the driver a
signal comprising the advertising indicia preprogrammed in the memory for
causing the display
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to display the advertising indicia, and the controller will then send to the
driver a signal
comprising an identification of the message for display on the display.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a
method of
providing advertising indicia to a user of a wireless device on the display of
the wireless device.
The wireless device notifies the user of a page directed specifically to an
identity of the wireless
device. The method comprises the steps of receiving an advertising request for
placement of
advertising indicia within the wireless device; storing in a memory located
within the wireless
device the advertising indicia, before the user obtains permanent possession
of the wireless
device; providing permanent possession of the wireless device to the user;
and, providing paging
service to the user. The user receives the page signal. The advertising
indicia stored in the
memory of the wireless device then appear on the display of the wireless
device. The message
then appears on the display of the wireless device.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is
a method
for providing advertising indicia to a plurality of users of wireless devices
on a display of the
wireless device. The wireless device notifies a user of a page directed
specifically to an identity
of the wireless device. The method comprises the steps of providing a
plurality of wireless
devices to an advertiser that may want to advertise to the users of the
wireless devices, wherein
each wireless device has an identity; receiving a request from the advertiser
for placement of
advertising indicia on a sub-set of the plurality of users of wireless devices
wherein the request
for placement of advertising indicia comprises a demographic criteria for
selecting the sub-set;
determining the identities of the sub-set for placement of the advertising
indicia wherein the
identities of the sub-set have user demographic information corresponding to
the demographic
criteria received from the advertiser; and, providing paging service to the
plurality of users,
wherein the wireless devices of the sub-set receive the advertising indicia
and the advertising
indicia appears on the display of the wireless devices of the sub-set.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a
method for completing a commercial tr ansaction. The method utilizes a system
having a point of
sale terminal and a wireless device for ixansmitting commercial information to
the point of sale
terminal. The method comprises the steps of providing for receiving a first
infrared signal from a
wireless device for establishing communication with the wireless device
without utilizing at least
one infrared standard procedure; providing for receiving a second infrared
signal comprising the
commercial information; and, providing for processing the second infrared
signal. The at least
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one infrared standard procedure may comprise at least one of an address
conflict resolution
procedure and a sniff-open procedure. Further, the point of sale terminal may
comprise an
optical interface unit for receiving the first and second infrared signals and
for communicating
the commercial information to the point of sale terminal. The step of
establishing
communication may comprise at least one of a discovery procedure and a
connection procedure.
Further, the step of receiving the second infrared signal may comprise an
information exchange
procedure. The aforementioned discovery procedure may comprise an IrLAP Fast
Connect
Address discovery procedure. Moreover, the at least one infrared standard
procedure may
comprises at least one of an address conflict resolution procedure and a sniff-
open procedure.
Additionally, the method may comprise a step of completing the commercial
transaction wherein
the commercial information is coupon information. In this manner, the method
may comprise
the steps of providing for storing the coupon information as received coupon
information;
providing for comparing the received coupon information with recognized coupon
information;
providing for creating accepted coupon information comprising the received
coupon information
that matches with the recognized coupon information; providing for applying
the accepted
coupon information to the commercial transaction; providing for creating
remaining coupon
information comprising the received coupon information minus the accepted
coupon
information; providing for transmitting the remaining coupon information to
the wireless device;
and, providing for transmitting the accepted coupon information to the
wireless device.
Moreover, a method of securing the conmnercial information may be utilized
comprising the
steps of providing for receiving a random key index; providing for identifying
an encryption key
corresponding to the random key index; and providing for decrypting the
commercial
information utilizing the encryption key.
In a. further embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a
system and
method for providing a financial transaction to a user of a pager. The system
includes an
interactive point of sale terminal connected to an ATM network. The point of
sale terminal
comprises an input device for entering a personal identification number
(PIIV), an infrared
receiver for receiving an infrared signal and an infrared transmitter for
transmitting an infrared
signal. The system further includes a wireless device for transmitting an
infrared signal to the
interactive point of sale terminal. The wireless device comprises an
identification corresponding
to a personal identification number, a memory comprising financial
information, a processor
connected to the memory for processing the financial information and wireless
device
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identification to form an infrared transaction signal, and a transmitter
connected to the processor
for transmitting the infrared transaction signal to the interactive point of
sale terminal.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is
a system
for permitting access to a device having controller access. The system
comprises an access
control system connected to a device requiring controlled access. The access
control system has
an infrared receiver for receiving an infrared signal. The system further
includes a wireless
device for transmitting an infrared signal to the access control system. The
wireless device
comprises an identification, a memory comprising identification information, a
processor
connected to the memory for processing the identification information to form
an infrared signal,
and a transmitter connected to the processor for transmitting the infrared
signal to the access
control system.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is
a method
for providing advertising indicia to a sender of a page to a user of a
wireless device. The
wireless device notifies the user of a page directed specifically to an
identity of the wireless
device. The method comprises the steps of providing a plurality of wireless
devices to an
advertiser that may want to advertise to a sender of a page to one of a
plurality of users of the
wireless devices wherein each wireless device has an identity; receiving a
request from the
advertiser for placement of an audible advertising message on a voice mail
system; and,
providing the audible advertising message to the sender of the page in
response to the sender of
the page requesting to leave a voice mail message directed specifically to the
identity of the
wireless device of the user.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is
a method
for providing advertising to a sender of a page to a user of a wireless
device. The wireless device
notifies the user of a message directed specifically. to an identity of a
wireless device. The
method comprises the steps of providing a website to the sender for sending
the page to the user
of the wireless device, the website having a field for identifying the
identity of the wireless and a
field for identifying the message; receiving a request from the advertiser for
placement of
advertising indicia through the website; and, displaying the advertising
indicia in response to the
sender transmitting a page to a specific identity of the wireless device.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from
the Figures,
Detailed Description, and Claims below. It is intended that all such
additional systems, methods,
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features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the
scope of the present
invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following
drawings. The
components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead
being placed upon
clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the
drawings, like
reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a wireless device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the process of implementing
advertising indicia into the wireless device of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is an illustration of the main menu presenting the personal messages
folder of
the present invention.
FIG. 3B is an illustration of the individual messages stored in the personal
messages
folder of the present invention.
FIG. 3C is an illustration of the selected message stored in the personal
messages
folder of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a memory allocation of one embodiment of the wireless device of the
present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of what appears on the display of
the
wireless device of the present invention.
FIG. 6A is an illustration of the main menu presenting the Maildrop messages
folder of
the present invention.
FIG. 6B is an illustration of the channel selection screen highlighting the
Sports
Channel stored in the Maildrop messages folder of the present invention.
FIG. 6C is an illustration of the channel selection screen highlighring the
News Channel
stored in the Maildrop messages folder of the present invention.
FIG. 6D is an illustration of the channel selection screen highlighting the
Stocks Channel
stored in the Maildrop messages folder of the present invention.
o FIG. 6E is an illustration of the channel selection screen highlighting the
Custom Channel
stored in the Maildrop messages folder of the present invention.
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FIG. 7A is an illustration of the individual Maildrop messages stored in the
Maildrop
messages folder of the present invention.
FIG. 7B is an illustration of the selected Maildrop message stored in the
Maildrop
messages folder of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the dynamic infrared transfer system of the
present
invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the wireless device utilized in
the
dynamic infrared transfer system of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an illustration of a transceiver of the wireless device in FIG. 9
of the present
invention.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a sidekick unit utilized in
the dynamic
infrared transfer system of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is an overview of the phases utilized to transfer information between
optical
devices.
FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of a format of a frame of the present
invention.
FIG. 14 is one embodiment of an address field of the present invention.
FIG. 1 S is an illustration of one embodiment of an estimated timing diagram
for
completing the discovery phase of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is an illustration of one embodiment of an estimated timing diagram
for
completing the optical connection of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is an illustration of one embodiment of an estimated timing diagram
for
completing the optical information phase of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is an illustration of a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter
timing diagram
of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is an illustration of an optical transmit timing diagram of the
present invention.
FIG. 20 is an illustration of one embodunent of a coupon stock keeping unit
data of the
present invention.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart of data encryption and data decryption of the present
invention.
FIG. 22A is an illustration of the main menu presenting the Coupon Channel of
the
present invention.
FIG. 22B is an illustration of the individual coupons stored in memory of the
present
invention.
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FIG. 22C is an illustration of the selected coupon stored in the coupon memory
of the
presentinvention.
FIG. 23A is an illustration of the main menu presenting the Payment Channel of
the
presentinvention.
FIG. 23B is an illustration of a merchant payment option of the present
invention.
FIG. 23C is an illustration of a VISA credit card payment option of the
present invention.
FIG. 23D is an illustration of a MasterCard credit card payment option of the
present
invention.
FIG. 23E is an illustration of a Discover credit card payment option of the
present
invention.
FIG. 24 is a block diagram of the access control system of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTI~N
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms,
there is
shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred
embodiments of the
invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be
considered as an
exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to
limit the broad aspect of
the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
~-IARI~~dARE
With reference to Figure 1, one form of a wireless device 2, such as a pager,
is shown.
The wireless device 2 may be a devise comprising a mobile or computing device
capable of
electronic wireless communication and having a processor and memory such as a
personal digital
assistant (PDA), handheld computer, laptop computer, notebook computer,
wireless appliance.
These devices may include a stylus or keypad for controlling their operation
and entering
information, as well as a viewable display, and sound. The device may also
carry a microphone
for use with known voice recognition equipment and software included in the
device. Finally, a
mobile communication device such as a mobile or cellular phone may be operate
as the wireless
device 2.
The pager 2 has an identity in the form of a frequency or small frequency
range with
which signals are sent to the pager 2, and which the pager 2 will recognize
and respond to. The
pager 2 is used for notifying a user of a page directed specifically to the
pager 2. The page can
be a person or a number to reach the person sending the page. The pager 2 has
a housing 4 and a
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display 6 attached to the housing 4. 'The display 6 may be a liquid crystal
display (LCD). The
pager 2 includes a plurality of buttons 3 for allowing the user to control
operation of the pager 2,
such as selecting a message to read or a folder to open. The buttons 3 may be
soft buttons
thereby allowing their functions can be changed or modified allowing different
screens to utilize
different functions for the same buttons. The display 6 and the plurality of
buttons 3 create an
interface 5 by which the user operates the pager 2.
With further reference to FIG. 2, a display driver 8 is electrically connected
to the display
6 for causing indicia to appear on the display 6. The display driver 8 may be
a liquid crystal
display driver. A controller or microprocessor 10 is connected to the display
driver 8 for sending
to the display 6 a signal that has indicia therein. In one form of the present
invention, the
controller 10 is an MCU Hitachi 3827 microprocessor. The controller 10 and the
display driver 8
work together, as one of ordinary skill in the art would understand, to cause
the indicia to appear
on the display 6. The pager 2 also has an electrically erasable programmable
read only memory
(EEPIZOM) 12. The EEPIZ~M 12 is preprogrammed with advertising indicia, as
will be further
described below. The preprograrmned advertising indicia therein can be
changed, when the
EEPR~M 12 or other such changeable memory is used. The pager 2 further
includes a personal
messages memory 15 for storing messages received by the pager 2. The pager 2
has an audible
and/or vibrating alarm for notifying the user when a page is taking place or
has taken place. The
pager 2 further comprises a power source for powering the controller 10, the
display 6, and other
components needing a power source. A receiver is electrically connected to the
controller, as ~ne
of ordinary skill in the art would understand, for receiving a page signal
directed specifically at
the identity ~f the pager 2. The receiver will communicate the page signal to
the controller 10
and the alarm for notifying the user of the page.
I~CEI~I1~G A PAGE
In one form of the present invention, when the controller 10 receives the page
signal sent
to the controller 10 by the receiver, after the receiver receives the signal,
the controller 10
immediately sends to the display driver 8 a signal comprising the advertising
indicia in the
EEPh~M 12 for causing the display 6 to display the advertising indicia. The
advertising indicia
can be the name of a company, a logo, or some other form of advertising
indicia. Further, the
advertising indicia may be a full motion graphic, such as a FLASH graphic. The
controller 10
will then send to the display driver a signal comprising a message, such as a
number or person's
name, or both. Preferably, the signal comprising the message it sent to the
display driver 8
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within five seconds or less from the sending of the signal comprising the
advertising indicia. In
this way the user of the pager 2 does not have to wait an unnecessary amount
of time, with the
understanding that the user knows it has received the pager and the paging
service for little or no
charge.
In an even further embodiment of the present invention, the controller 10 can
be
programmed such that the advertising indicia 16 will appear on the display 6
for a selected length
of time before the message is displayed on the display 6. As described above,
the pager 2 has an
audible and/or vibrating alarm for notifying a user when a page is taking
place, or has taken
place. The programmable time for the advertising indicia to be displayed in
the display 6 can
begin after the audible alarm is complete. Alternatively, the time that the
advertising indicia are
displayed on the display can begin about the same time as an alarm begins.
These programmable
features allow for flexibility in meeting the requests and demands of
companies and individuals
wishing to place advertising within a wireless device.
In another form of the invention, when the controller 10 receives the page
signal received
by the receiver, the pager 2 enters a NEW MESSAGE I~ECEIVEI~ mode. In the case
of the
NEVI MESSAGE I~ECEIVEI~ mode, the user can wait to view the message until a
later time
after the alarm indicates the page has been received. The user can then press
one of the buttons 3
to select to view the message. When the user selects to do this, the
advertising indicia will be
displayed on the display 6 in the manner described above.
After the first viewing of the advertising indicia and associated message, the
user can
choose to keep the message in a personal messages memory 15 which is accessed
via the
interface 5 as the Personal Folder 35 from the Main Menu 33 as seen in FIG.
3A. In order to
view a stored message, the user depresses a control button 3. In response, the
pager 2 displays a
screen as seen in FIG. 3A, allowing the user to access control functions
relevant to the
screen/function presented. Depressing the "~I~" button 36 selects the Personal
Message
Memory section 15 and displays a new screen as seen in FIG 3E. The display of
FIG 3E shows
the individual messages stored in the personal message memory section 15.
Using the "NEXT"
button 3~ and the "PlvEV" button 40, the user can navigate the cursor 46
through the full range
of indicators 44. To assist the user in selecting messages, the screen
additionally displays, below
the message indicators 46, a single text line 22 detailing the beginning of
the relevant message
indicated. This allows the user to glance at the first part of the message
stored in the personal
message memory 15 and scroll from slot to slot to find a selected message of
interest.
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Depressing the "OK" button 36 allows the user to display the selected message
on the display 6,
as seen in FIG. 3C.
FIG. 3C shows a selected message 24 stored in the personal messages memory 15
being
displayed on the display 6 of the pager 2. Upon the selected message 24 being
displayed, the
functionality of the "NEXT" button 38 and "PREY" button 40 change so that
depressing the
NEXT button 38 moves the display screen forward so as to show subsequent
screens of the
message 24. When the end of the current message 24 is reached, a depression of
the NEXT
button 38 displays the first screen of the next message in that direction.
Similarly, depressing the
PREY button 40 moves the display screen backwards in the current message 24
until the
beginning of the current message 24. When the beginning of the current message
24 is a reached,
depressing PREY button 40 will display the first screen of the message in the
previous direction.
Depressing the BACK button 42 moves the user up a level in the menu system as
seen in FIG.
3B thus allowing the user to move through the full range of indicat~rs 44 and
selecting individual
messages to be viewed. It should be noted the "OK" button 36, "NEXT" button,
38, "PREV"
button 40, and "BACK" button 42 may be arranged in any manner.
ST~I~I~dG TI3E AI~VE1~TISIhTG II~TI~ICIA III I~IElVII~I~~
In the emb~diment in FIG. 4~- FIG. 5, the memory device has several storage
1~cations 14,
at least one of which is preprogrammed with advertising indicia. FIG. 4
depicts the company
name "YAIi00.COI~I" (see FIG. 5) preprogrammed in the storage location 14. It
should be
n~ted that the advertising indicia may be of a non-commercial manner. As
described above,
when the controller 10 receives the page signal received by the receiver, the
controller 10 sends
to the driver 8 a signal comprising the advertising indicia preps~grammed in
the memory 12 for
causing the display 6 to display the advertising indicia. Thereafter, the
controller 10 will send to
the driver 8 a signal comprising the message for display on the display 6. As
will be described
further below, the advertising indicia is preprogrammed, at either the factory
or assembly facility
where the pager 2 is manufactured, or where the pager 2 is distributed, such
as a wholesaler or
retailer.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the sellers of the pager devices,
in order to
make the price more reasonable for the user, if at any price at all, contract
directly with a
company or person wishing to advertise a product, name, service, or other
thing representable
through indicia. The seller can, thus, receive a request' for placement of
advertising indicia
within the wireless device 2. The seller or other entity will then store in
the memory 12 of the
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wireless device 2 the advertising indicia. This is done before the user
obtains permanent
possession of the wireless device, although it can be done after the user has
identified in a store
or otherwise, which pager 2 the user is interested in using and receiving on a
permanent basis.
Once the seller has programmed the advertising indicia 16 within the pager 2,
the seller provides
the wireless device to the user on a permanent basis. This can be done on a no-
charge basis. The
paging service will then be provided to the user such that when the user
receives the page from
the source, the advertising indicia 16 stored in the memory 12 of the wireless
device 2 will
appear on the display 6, in the manner described above.
As mentioned above, the seller of the pager 2 can program the advertising
indicia 16 into
the pager 2. This can be accomplished by connecting a personal computer 18 to
the wireless
device 2. This connection may be remote or local and through, for example, an
RF connection.
Other remote/local means can be used as well. One example of a local means can
be a cable 20.
The cable 20 can connect through a serial port in the personal computer 18 at
one end of the
cable 20 and to an EEPROIVI programming board, having an EEPROM 12 thereon, at
the other
end of the cable 20. Software is then run on the personal computer 18 that
allows for
communication between the personal computer 18 and the EEPROIo~I 12 that is
then placed in the
wireless device 2. Alternatively, the other end of the cable 20 can be
directly connected to the
wireless device 2. The seller then enters the advertising indicia 16 into the
software running on
the personal computer 18, and the advertising indicia 16 is then sent to the
wireless device 12
from the personal computer 18 for storage in the memory 12, either directly or
indirectly through
the use of the EEPROI~ programming board. The connection between the personal
computer 18
and the wireless device is then disconnected, either directly or indirectly
from the EEPROl~
programming board.
The advertiser 34 can pay for some or all of the wireless device or associated
paging
service, if needed. Several different advertising indicia can be preprogrammed
into memory
before the user receives permanent possession thereof. In a further embodiment
of the present
invention, when a first page is received, a first advertising indicia, such as
"~AI300.COTV~"
stored in memory 12 can be displayed on the display 6 of the wireless device
2. When a second
page is received, a second advertising indicia, such as "COI~EE" stored in
memory 12 can be
displayed on the display 6 of the wireless device 2. When more than one
advertising indicia are
preprogrammed into memory 12, the advertising indicia can alternate being
displayed on the
display 6. In an even further embodiment, the controller 10 of the wireless
device 2 can be
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programmed to cause the first advertising indicia to appear on the display a
particular percentage
of the time of the overall number of pages for a given time period. For
example if YAHOO and
COKE placed advertising requests, and YAHOO paid more than COKE, then the
wireless device
2 could be programmed to have a cycle with four slots, and YAHOO would take up
three of the
four slots, with COKE taking up the fourth slot. Thus, YAHOO would appear
three times in a
row, for the first three pages, and COKE would come up on the fourth page.
'This cycle can be
repeated. Other numbers of slots in one cycle could also be used. Other
programming methods
come to mind of one of ordinary skill in the art, so long as the proper
percentage of appearances
is achieved.
MAILDROP FUNCTION/PRIVATE CHANNEL
The pager 2 further includes a plurality of channels such as the Maildrop
Message
Channel, Coupon Channel, and Payment Channel. The Maildrop Message Channel
presents
advertising messages, rather than personal text messages as described above.
°The advertising
messages are stored in a Maildrop messages memory 17 and are accessed via the
interface 5 as
the Maildrop Folder 48 as seen in FIG 6A. Selecting the Maildrop Folder 48
opens a new menu
screen presenting a plurality of selected Maildrop Message Channels thereof as
seen in FIG 6E -
FIG 6E. The plurality of Maildrop Message Channels may include a Sports
Channel 50, a News
Channel 52, a Stocks Channel 54, and other Custom channels 56, such as Cable
TV Information
Source. In addition, the Maildrop Message Channel may include the Coupon
Channel and the
Payment Channel. It should be noted that the Custom channels 56 would change,
dependent
upon the advertiser's 34 custom requirements and the demographic criteria of
the user of the
pager 2, described her~;inafter.
The different categories described above are referred to as capcodes. The
capcodes are
presented to the user as menu selections. One embodiment of the capcodes and
menu selections
of the present invention are illustrated below:
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Capcode Menu Option
1 Primary
2 Main Maildrop
3 News
4 Sport
Info 1
6 Info 2
7 Info 3
8 Info 4
9 Info 5
11
12
13
14
16
Individual pager 2 Maildrop Message Channels may be programmed over the air
(~Tt~)
via an identification. after a user has purchased the pager 2, the pager 2 is
activated. This
5 activation may be done via the Internet or over the telephone. then
activating the pager 2, the
user supplies personal demographic information, such as age, gender, and/or
profession. 'The
personal demographic information is utilized to assemble the identification of
the data that rnay
be transmitted to the various capcodes. This identification is transmitted ~TA
to the pager 2,
thereby programming the Custom channels 56 to receive Maildrop messages
intended for
10 members of a sub-set of users that an advertiser 34 wishes to contact.
When the advertiser 34 wishes to contact a sub-set of users, a request is
received from the
advertiser 34 for placement of a select Maildrop message 26 on the sub-set of
users.
Confirmation of the receipt of the request is transmitted back to the
advertiser. The request
comprises the requisite demographic criterion of the sub-set of users thereby
allowing
15 identification of the capcodes corresponding to the demographic criterion
received from the
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advertiser 34. In a further embodiment, the request comprises a plurality of
different
demographic criterion for selecting the sub-set. A page signal is then
transmitted such that the
wireless devices 2 of the sub-set receive the page signal comprising the
selected Maildrop
message 26. When the controller 10 receives a page signal comprising the
selected Maildrop
message 26 received by the receiver, the controller 10 sends a signal to the
alarm for notifying to
the user that a page has taken place. The controller 10 further sends to the
display driver a signal
for causing the display 6 to display an identification of the channel from
wherein the Maildrop
message 26 can be accessed. The Maildrop message 26 is stored in the
appropriate channel
location in the Maildrop message memory 17 and can be accessed in the manner
described
above.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, an individual Maildrop
Message
Channel, such as the Custom Channel 56 may be programmed with the name of a
selected
advertiser as seen in FIG 6E. In such circumstances, this Private Channel is
reserved for
messages originating from a select Private Channel sponsor and allows the
Private Channel
sponsor to have constant communication with the user of the pager 2. In this
manner, it is
possible for the Private Channel sponsor to advertise to a select group of
users at any time.
FIG 6A - FIG 6E and FIG. 7A - FIG. 7E display the method utilized to read a
Maildrop
message stored in the Maildrop message memory 17 via Maildrop Folder 48. The
access and
presentation of the Maildrop message from the Maildrop message memory 17 is
similar to the
access of the personal message from the personal messages mem~ry 15. In order
to view the
Maildr~p message, the user selects the Maildrop Folder 48 from the Main Menu
33 by
depressing the "~I~" button 36 as seen in FIG 6A. In response, the pager 2
displays a screen as
seen in FIG. 6E- FIG. 6E all~wing the user to access the plurality of
lViaildrop hflessage Cannels.
The user may utilize the "RIGHT" button 60 and the "LEFT" button 62 to
navigate the cursor 46
through the full range of Maildrop Message Channels. To assist the user in
selecting a Maildrop
Message Channel, the screen additionally displays, above the message channel
indicators
50,52,54,56, the title of the selected Maildrop Message Channel. Depressing
the "~I~" button 58
displays the selected Channel on a new screen as seen in FIG. 7A.
FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B show the method of how a Maildrop message is presented to
the
user. The display 6, as seen in FIG. 7A, shows the individual Maildrop
messages stored in the
Maildrop Message Channel 56 of FIG. 6E. Using the "NEXT" button 38 and the
"PREV" button
40, the user can navigate the cursor 46 through the full range of indicators
44. To assist the user
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in selecting messages, the screen additionally displays, below the indicators
44, a single line of
text 22 detailing the beginning of the relevant Maildrop message indicated.
This allows the user
to glance at the first part of the message stored in the Maildrop message
memory 17 and scroll
from slot to slot to find a selected message of interest. Depressing the "OK"
Button 36 allows the
user to display the selected message 26 on the display 6, as seen in FIG. 7B.
FIG. 7B shows a selected message stored in the Maildrop messages memory 17
being
displayed on the display 6 of the pager 2. Upon the selected message 26 being
displayed, the
functionality of the "NEXT" button 38 and "PREV" button 40 change so that
depressing the
NEXT button 38 moves the display screen forward so as to show subsequent
screens of the
message 26. When the end of the current message 26 is reached, a depression of
the NEXT
button 38 displays the first screen of the next message in that direction.
Similarly, depressing the
PREY button 40 moves the display screen backwards in the current message 26
until the
beginning of the current message. When the beginning of the current message 26
is a reached,
depressing PREV button 40 will display the first screen of the message in the
previous direction.
Depressing the BACK button 42 moves the user up a level in the menu system as
seen in FIG.
7A, thereby permitting navigation through the full range of messages and
selection of individual
messages to be viewed.
I~~'1~IA1VIIC I1~~1FI~AI~EI~ TINA l~TSlE"E~ ~~~TEM
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a dynamic infrared transfer
system 70
utilises the wireless device 2 as means to transfer and receive data via
electromagnetic signals,
such as optical signals. With reference to FIG. 8, in the preferred embodiment
the dynamic
infrared transfer system 70 includes the wireless device 2, an interfacing
unit 72 such as optical
interfacing unit or a sidekick unit, and a point of sale terminal 74. The
dynan~ac infrared transfer
system 70 is an enhancement that allows a user of the wireless device 2 to
make a conunercial
transaction such as a coupon transaction or a financial transaction over a
wireless interface to the
point of sale terminal 74. Preferably, the wireless device 2 may maintains all
of the features and
capabilities described above. In addition, an optical transceiver such as an
infrared transceiver
76 is added to the wireless device 2. The wireless device 2 communicates
transaction data via
the infrared transceiver 76 to the sidekick unit 72. The sidekick unit 72 acts
as the interface
between the wireless device 2 and the point of sale terminal 74. The sidekick
unit 72 stores and
processes transaction data received from the wireless device 2 and transfers
at least a portion of
the transaction data to and from the point of sale terminal 74 to complete the
transaction.
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One embodiment of a block diagram for the wireless device 2 having an infrared
transceiver 76 is shown in FIG. 9. The wireless device 2 processes incoming
messages over a
radio frequency channel. The wireless device 2 includes radio frequency
component 78, an
interfacing chip 80, processor 82, and memory 84. The radio frequency
component 78 processes
the incoming signal. The interfacing chip 80 is preferably a Flex Chip and
interfaces the radio
frequency component 78 with the processor 82. 'The processor 82 performs the
necessary
functions to complete the message transaction.
As mentioned above, the wireless device 2 has memory 84 having various types
of
personal information data stored therein. The wireless device 2 utilizes the
memory 84 to copy
selected transfer data and configures the data for transmission via the
infrared transceiver 76, in a
manner known by one of ordinary skill in the art. The selected transfer data
may be buffered in
an on-chip memory 83 of the processor 82 of the wireless device 2. The
transmitter IR LED 92
utilizes invisible modulated infrared light as a transmission medium thereby
avoiding problems
associated with radio frequency (RF) interference and electromagnetic
radiation (EMR)
interference.
As noted, the wireless device 2 includes an infrared transceiver 76 which
interfaces with a
universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter infrared interface 86 of the
processor 82. The
transceiver 76 may be added as an enhancement to an existing device such that
the existing
device provides the necessary power, control, and export leads, such as data
export leads.
Alternately, it is possible for the infrared transceiver 76 to be configured
with a dedicated cont<~ol
system such that it operates independently of the wireless device's 2
functionality. Further, due
to the high-speed and short range of data transfer in the dynamic infrared
transfer system 70, a
standard IrDA data protocol may be utili~.ed. 1=Iowever9 the inherent
flexibility of the dynannc
infrared transfer system 70 permits the wireless device 2 to accept a complete
spectrum of
defined data types and data protocols.
The transceiver 76 may include a transmitter module and a receiver module. The
transceiver 76 comprises an infrared light emitting diode (IR LED) 92, an
integrated circuit (IC)
chip 94 having an IC memory and data encryption software connected to the IR
LED 92 for
driving the IR LED 92, and a user interface 5 section for operating the
transceiver 76.
Preferably, the receiver module utilizes the same IC chip 94 and user
interface 5 as the
transmitter module 88; however, the receiver module may utilize a separate IC
chip and a
separate interface.
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With reference to FTG. 10, the receiver module utilizes an IR LED 92 and an
integrated
circuit (IC) chip 94 having an IC memory and data decoding software connected
to the IR LED
92 for decoding data received by the IR LED receiver 98. Upon receiving data
by the IR LED
92, the IC chip 94 transmits the received data to the memory 84. Preferably,
the data is
transferred via a RS232 standard serial interface thereby allowing the dynamic
infrared transfer
system 70 to be utilized with a plurality of host systems in addition to the
wireless device 2. The
IC chip 94 further decodes the received data so that the wireless device 2 may
utilize it. The
addition of the receiver module allows for flexibility of application of the
dynamic infrared
transfer system 70 such that data intended for transport via the dynamic
infrared transfer system
user interface 5 can be loaded into the wireless device 2 via the infrared
transfer in addition to
traditional input means, such as RF signals.
As noted above, the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 includes the
interfacing unit 72,
such as the optical interfacing unit interfacing the wireless device 2 with a
point of sale terminal
74. The optical interfacing unit 72 may be capable of multitasking
communication between the
wireless device 2 and the point of sale terminal 74 thereby communicating with
the point of sale
terminal 74 and the wireless device 2 simultaneously. The optical interfacing
unit 72 may be, f~r
example, a general purpose computer that is capable ~f wireless electronic
corrnnunication, such
as infrared c~mmunication. The optical interfacing unit may have voice
recogniti~n capability,
as well as a display, a microphone, and a keyboard, all of which may be used
for entering and
retrieving information.
Wireless communication between the interfacing unit 72 and the wireless device
2 may
be accomplished using one or more known communication application protoc~ls,
such as
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), )~luetooth, Infrared (IrDA), 802.119 as
well as ~ther
corrununication and application protocols known to those skilled in the art.
Each of these
protoc~ls is herein incorporated by reference. The interfacing unit 72 and
wireless device 2 each
include communication hardware and s~ftware known in the art for implementing
these
protocols.
Preferably, the interfacing unit 72 is an optical interfacing unit and
receives data from the
wireless device 2 via an infrared transmission. With reference to FIG. 11, the
optical interfacing
unit 72 includes a processor 96, a memory 98, and an infrared transceiver 100
for communicating
with the wireless device 2. The processor 96 includes a universal asynchronous
receiver-
transmitter (UART) interface 102 for interfacing the optical interfacing unit
72 to the point of
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sale terminal 74. Preferably, the universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter
interface 102 is a
standard interface such as RS-232, however other interfacing techniques are
possible. In
addition, the processor 96 has a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter
(UART) infrared
interface 104 for interfacing the optical interfacing unit 72 with the
wireless device 2.
Additionally, the optical interfacing unit 72 may include an on-chip memory
88, a power source
90, and/or a reset 89.
The UART infrared interface 104 of the processor 96 may interface with the
wireless
device 2 utilizing a standard Irda protocol or a derivative thereof as will be
described herein. The
derivative protocol may be a subset of the provisions provided for by the
Infrared Data
Association Serial Infrared Link Access Protocol IrLap 1.1, incorporated
herein by reference.
FIG. 12 illustrates an overview of the phases and procedure utilized to
establish an Irda
link and transfer information between a first infrared capable device and a
second infrared
capable device. In the following description, the optical interfacing unit 72
may be the first
device and the wireless device 2 may be the second device, or vice versa. In a
discovery phase
106 of the Irda connection, devices having Irda capabilities identify other
devices having infrared
capability within a communication range and exchange operating conditions. A
connection
phase 110 is utilized to establish an infrared Link Access Protocol (IrLAP)
connection between
the optical interfacing unit 72 and a wireless device 2. An information
exchange phase 112
determines how IrLAP layers exchange information frames over an established
IrLAP
connection. A reset phase 114 is utilized to reset an established IrLAP
connection and a
disconnect phase 116 is utilized to terminate an established IrLAP connection.
As noted above, the Irda protocol of the present invention utilizes a frame as
the method
for grouping all information for transmission over tlae Irda link. FIG. 13
illustrates the format of
one embodiment of a frame 113 used in the present invention. Preferably, the
frame format has a
beginning of a frame (13~F) flag 118, a frame check sequence 120 using an
address field 115, a
control field 117, and a information field 119 in its computation, and a end
of frame (E~F) flag
122.
At a first level of grouping, the frame 113 has two variables Ns and Nr in the
control field
117 for allowing sequencing frames and checking for missing or duplicate
frames. Ns identifies
the sequence number of the transmitted frame and Nr identifies the sequence
number for the next
expected sequence frame. Preferably, the count capacity for Ns or Nr is 8,
utilizing 7 through 0
where 7 wraps around to 0 for sequencing an unlimited number of frames.
Although the
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dynamic infrared system 70 may transmit un-sequenced data, it is preferred
that the dynamic
infrared system 70 transmit sequenced frames when transferring information and
use error
checking procedures for missed or duplicated frames.
The address field 115 of the frame 113 is a connection address uniquely
identifying a
second station connected to a first station when in normal response mode.
Preferably, the
address field 115 is set to NULL (B'0000000) or Broadcast (B' 1111111) by at
least one station
in a normal disconnect mode. When a connection is established, the first
station allocates a
random 7-bit value that does not conflict with an existing connection, and
assigns it as the
connection address. As shown in FIG. 14, the address field 115 comprises 7
address bits 124 and
a command/response bit 126. Preferably, a '1' in the commandlresponse bit
identifies the frame
113 as a command frame. Similarly, a '0' in the command/response bit
identifies the frame 113
as a response frame.
The control field 117 defines the function of the frame 113. Preferably, the
control field
has at least one of three formats including an unnumbered format, a
supervisory format, or an
information format. Generally, the unnumbered format is used for data link
management
including discovery, activating and initializing the second station, reporting
procedural errors not
recoverable by retransmission, and transferring data when the location of the
data in a sequence
of frames is not to be checked. The supervisory format assists in the hansfer
of information
including acknowledging the received frames, conveying ready or busy
conditions, and reporting
frame sequencing errors. The information format provides for the transfer of
information in the
information field 119 including the Nr and Ns variable used to keep track of
sequenced frames.
The frame 113 further includes the frame check sequence 120. The frame check
sequence 120 is an error detection method for the frame 113 and utilizes the
address field 115,
the control field 117, and the information field 119 in its computation.
Preferably, the field
check sequence utilizes a CIZC-16 algorithm.
As noted above, one of the phases in establishing an Irad link is the
discovery phase 106.
The discovery phase 106 includes a procedure for address discovery 108 in
which the optical
interfacing unit 72 determines wireless device 2 addresses within a
communication range.
Preferably, the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 utilizes an IrLAP Fast
Connect Address
discovery procedure. The IrLAP Fast Connect discovery procedure provides a
faster method of
establishing an infrared connection between two Irda devices within the
communication range.
The Fast Connect uses a 1-Slot discovery which assumes only one Irda device is
within
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communication range of the initiating device. Preferably, the initiating
device is the wireless
device 2, however the optical interfacing unit 72 may be the initiating
device. During the Fast
Connect procedure, the initiator transmits a 1-Slot exchange identification
(XID) command; the
responder sends an XID response containing responders 32-bit device address
and optional hint
bits and at least one device name; and the initiator sends a final XID command
with optional hit
bits and device name. Preferably, the initiator transmits the 1-Slot XID
command at a 115.2 I~
baud rate followed by a 25 ms listening period. The expected response is an X~
response
frame. The XID command/response frame includes discovery information whose
content is
specified by the service user layer. One embodiment of the frame content of
the XID command
and response is as follows:
BOF 1 Byte
Address Address 1 Byte
Xl~ Command Control 1 Byte
or
Resp~nse
S~urce Address Information 4 Byte
Destination Address 4 Byte
Discovery Flag 1 Byte
Slot Number 1 Byte
Version Number 1 Byte
Discovery Info 32 Byte
FCS 2 Byte
EOF 1 Byte
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FIG. 15 illustrates a preferable estimated timing diagram for completing the
discovery
phase. As noted above, the wireless device transmits the 480 bit 1-Slot XID
command at a 115.2
K baud rate 143. Preferably, the transmit time is 5 ms. This is followed by a
25 ms listening
period 145. The expected response is an XID response frame taking 5ms 147.
Preferably, the
total estimated time for address delivery is 35 ms.
The link procedure further includes the connection phase 110 to establish an
infrared Link
Access Protocol (IrLAP) connection between the first infrared capable device
and the second
infrared capable device. The first infrared capable device and/or the second
infrared capable
device may actively attempt to establish a connection by sending a Send Set
Normal Response
Mode (SNRM) frame comprising fields indicating connection parameters that can
be supported
by the sender of the SNRM frame. An example of the contents of the SNRM
command frame is
shown below:
B~F 1 Byte
Address Adcliess 1 Byte
SNRM Command Control 1 Byte
Source Address Information 4 Byte
Destination Address 4 Byte
Connection Address 1 Byte
Negotiation Parameters N Byte
~FCS 2 Byte
E~F 1 Byte
Upon receipt of the SNRM frame, the receiving device determines whether it
will accept
or refuse the attempted connection. If the receiving device accepts the
connection, the receiving
device utilises a negotiation procedure to determine a set of mutually
acceptable connection
parameters and transmits an Unnumbered Acknowledgement (UA) frame accepting
the
connection and indicating the parameters. If the receiving device decides to
refuse the
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connection attempt, the receiving device returns a Disconnect Mode (DM) frame.
An example of
the contents of a UA response frame is shown below:
BOF 1 Byte
Address Address 1 Byte
Unnumbered Control 1 Byte
Acknowledgement (UA)
Response
Source Address Information 4 Byte
Destination Address 4 Byte
Negotiation Parameters N Byte
FCS 2 Byte
EOF 1 Byte
The SNRM command and UA response frames include a negotiation parameters field
used to pass connection parameters to each other that both devices can agree
upon. In the
dynamic infrared t1 ansfer system 70, the preferred parameter s may be set as
defaults and thus are
not required to be passed or negotiated between the first infrared capable
device and the second
infrared capable device. The preferred parameters are as follows:
Baud Rate 115.2 kbps
Flax Turn Around 100 ms
Time
Data Sire 1024 byte
~Jindow Sire 1
Additional BFOs 0
Minimum Turn Around 5 ms
Time
Link Disconnect 12 seconds
The connection may be set up such that coupon data may be split into large
information
frames when sent from the wireless device 2 to the optical interfacing unit
72. For each frame
received at the optical interfacing unit 72, the optical interfacing unit 72
may transmit an
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acknowledgement back to the wireless device 2. The acknowledgement releases
the frame and
allows for it to be pipelined through the optical interfacing unit 72 to the
point of sale terminal
74.
An illustration of the preferred estimated time to complete the Irda
connection is shown
in FIG. 16. Preferably, the 150-bit SNRM frame is transmitted at 115.2 kbps
with a transmit
time of 2 ms 149. This is followed by the turn around time in which the
receiving device
determines whether it will accept or refuse the attempted connection. The
preferable turn around
time is 10 ms 151. In the event the receiving device accepts the connection,
the receiving device
transmits the 150-bit UA frame at 115.2 kbps with a preferable transmission
time of 2 ms 153.
Preferably, the total time for connection establishment is 14 ms.
As noted, the link procedure further includes an information exchange phase
112 to
govern information exchange among IrLAP layers during the connection. After
having sent the
UA response in response to an SNRM cormnand frame or having received the UA
response
frame to a sent SNIUVI frame, the IrLAP layer may accept and send unnumbered
information
(UI) frames, information format and supervisory format frames. ~ne embodiment
of the
information format is as f~llows
B~F 1 Byte
Address Address 1 Byte
Information Format Control 1 Byte
Payload Information N Bytes
(~98 Bytes
for a
coupen data
format)
FCS ~ Byte
E~F 1 Byte
The Ns and Nr fields for checking frames are in the control field 117. An
embodiment of
the supervisory ready receive frame is shown below:
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BOF 1 Byte
Address Address 1 Byte
Supervisory Control 1 Byte
Receive Ready (RR)
Response
FCS 2 Byte
EOF 1 Byte
The link procedure may permit up to 7 frames to be sent before the responder
sends back
a supervisory ready receive frame. Moreover, the responder may selectively
request for any of
the 7 frames to be re-transmitted. In the dynamic infrared transfer system 70,
the information
frames may be pipelined through the optical interfacing unit 72 to maximize
throughput. In this
case, the ~ptical interfacing unit 72 can seaid a supervis~ry ready receive
frame after each
received information frame so that the data can be pr~cessed and transmitted
t~ the point of sale
terminal 74.
An illustration of the preferred estimated time for completing the Irda
information phase
is illustrated in FIG. 17. Preferably, the 9040-bit informati~n frame is
transmitted at 115.2 kbps
with a transmission time of 79 ms 155. This is followed by a 10 ms turn around
tone 157. The
h0-bit acknowledgement response is transmitted at 115.2 kbps with a
transmissi~n time of 1 ms
159.
The disconnect phase 116 ~f the link procedure closes an established
connection. The
reset phase 114 is utilized to reset the state of the established connection.
The responsibility for
unacknowledged information frames reverts to a user service layer when either
a reset or a
disconnect takes place.
As mentioned above, the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 provides for a
coupon
transaction or a financial transaction, initiated by either the wireless
device 2 or the dynamic
infrared transfer system 70. The dynamic infrared transfer system 70 may
therefore transfer
coupon, financial, or used coupon information frames. Preferably, the dynamic
infrared transfer
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system 70 minimizes the payload content so as to maximize throughput from the
wireless device
2 to the point of sale terminal 74. The preferable format for coupon data is
as follows:
Byte Format Information
Format
0 Frame Type (2 bits) (CouponFrame Header
b' 00)
Frame Number (4 bits)
1 Coupon Size
2 Coupon #0, digit 0 Frame Data
Coupon #0, digit 1
3 Coupon #0, digit 2
Coupon #0, digit 3
66
8 Coupon #0, digit 13
Coupon #0, digit 14
G6
891 Coupon #127, digit 0
Coupon #127, digit 1
892 Coupon #127, digit 2
Coupon #127, digit 3
66
77
897 Coupon #127, digit 13
Coupon #127, digit 14
898 Last Coupon Indicator (b'
1111)
The preferable format for used coupon data is:
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Byte Format Information
Format
0 Frame Type (2 bits) (Coupon b'01) Frame Header
Coupon Frame Number (1 bit)
("0" - first frame coupons 1-500,
"1" _ second frame coupons 501-1000)
1 Used Coupon Index #1 (7-0) Frame Data
2 Used Coupon Index #2 (5-0), Used Coupons
#1 (9-8)
3 Used Coupon Index #3 (3-0), Used Coupons
#2 (9-6)
4 Used Coupon Index #4 (1-0), Used Coupons
#3 (9-4)
Used Coupon Index #5 (9-2)
"
Used Coupon Index #497 (7-0),
Used Coupon Index #498 (5-0), Used
Coupons #497 (9-8)
Used Coupon Index #499 (3-0), Used
Coupons #498 (9-6)
Used Coupon Index #500 (1-0), Used
Coupons #499 (9-4)
650 Used Coupon Index #500 (9-2)
651 Last Used Coupon Indicator (b' 1111111000)
Finally, the preferable format for credit card financial data isa
Frame Format Information
Number
0 Frame Type (2, bits)~(Credit Card, Frame Header
b' 11)
1 Card Name, Byte 0 Frame Data
2 Card Name, Byte 1
3 Card Name, Byte 2
4 Card Name, Byte 3
5 Card Number, Byte 0
"
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24 Card Number, Byte 19
25 Card Expiration Date, Byte 0
26 Card Expiration Date, Byte 1
27 Card Expiration Date, Byte 2
28 Card Expiration Date, Byte 3
The frame header for coupon data information includes a frame type, frame
number, and
coupon size. The frame type identifies the frame. As seen above, the three
types of frames in
the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 are coupon (b'00), used coupon (b'01),
and credit card
(b' 10). The frame number is utilized to calculate and monitor a coupon index.
Preferably, a list
of coupons is indexed, thus no encryption or decryption is required.. A coupon
index is passed
from the point of sale terminal 74 after determining the list of coupons used
in the transaction.
The coupon size is the number of digits in the stock keeping unit of the
coupon. If the coupon
size has a value, then all the coupons in the frame are of that length. If the
coupon size is zero,
the coupon stock keeping units are of variable length. In the event the coupon
size is zero, the
individual coupons are separated by a b' 1010 (A). The coupon data frame shown
above has a
maximum coupon size of 14 digits, however any length may be used.
The following description specifies one preferred embodiment of the timing
between the
processor 96, the DART infrared interface 104, and the Irda transceiver 100.
The processor 96
generates the Irda frames and passes the frames through the DART infrared
interface 104 to the
Irda transceiver 100. The Irda transceiver encodes/decodes the DART
information for
tranSm1S51~Il vla extelllal I~ED circuitry.
The DART infrared interface 104 transmits a single byte at a time wrapped in a
"start"
pulse signal 161 and "stop" pulse signal 163 as illustrated in FIG. 18.
Preferably, a "start" pulse
is indicated by logic 0 and a "stop" pulse is indicated by logic 1. The DART
infrared interface
104 in the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 may utilize 8 bits with no
parity. The "clock"
may be set to the desired baud rate. In transmit mode, the Irda encoder
generates a pulse equal to
3/16 the baud rate 165. When the information from the DART infrared interface
104 is a logic
'0', the Irda encoder transmits a '1'. When the information from the UART
infrared interface
104 is a logic '1', the Irda encoder transmits a '0' as illustrated in FIG.
19. In the receive mode,
the Irda encoder/decoder generates a pulse to the UART infrared interface
equal to the baud rate.
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When the information from the IR is a high pulse, the Irda decoder generates a
logic '0',
otherwise the decoder generates a logic '1'.
Preferably, the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 employs data encryption of
the
coupon and credit card data in the Irda information frames. The dynamic
infrared transfer
system 70 may utilize a symmetric encryption method to secure the data between
the wireless
device 2 and the optical interfacing unit 72. In one embodiment, the wireless
device 2 and
sidekick 72 store a list of 32 different encryption keys wherein the list is
identical for the wireless
device 2 and the sidekick 72. With reference to FIG. 21, the wireless device 2
generates a
random index into the list at the beginning of every new transaction 133. The
encryption key
index is utilized to encrypt the data 135 transmitted between the wireless
device 2 and the optical
interfacing unit 72. The wireless device 2 passes the randomly generated index
to the sidekick
72 during the initial phases of the Irda connection 137. The optical
interfacing unit 72 identifies
139 which encryption key to utilize using the random index passed by the
wireless device 2. The
sidekick 72 then uses an indexed key to decrypt the data 141.
Preferably, the CAST-128 algorithm as specified in RFC 2144, herein
incorporated by
reference, is utilized. The CAST-128 algorithm is a symmetric algorithm that
may be
implemented with different key lengths. The RFC 2144 suggests using a 40-bit
encryption key,
however any length may be used. The CAST-128 algorithm utilizes 8 I~byte of
RAI~1 to store 8
substitution tables that are used in the algorithm. A summary of the CAST-128
algorithm is
described below.
INPUTS :
A ~4-bit block of plaintext (given as ml ......... m64~)
A encryption I~ey (given a 40-bit key, given as k1 ......... I~40)
OUTPUTS:
The encrypted ciphertext (given as c1 ......... c64)
STEPS:
1. Compute 12 pairs of subkeys { I~m(i), I~r(i) } from the encryption I~ey (k1
....I~40) by performing a table lookup into a substiturion box and performing
a
number of XOR operations, as explained in RFC 2144.
2. Split the plaintext into left and right 32-bit halves 1(0) = ml . . . . . .
m32 and
R(0) = m33 ......m64.
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3. Compute L(i) and R(i) for 1 to 12. The plaintext data is taken through 12
rounds of calculations involving combining the data with the computed subkeys
and using this calculation in a function that performs a table lookup, XOR,
plus
and minus operations to get the next L(i) and R(i)
L(i) = R(i-1)
R(i) = L(i-1) ~ f ( R(i-1), Km(i), I~r(i) )
Where F() is a function defined as one of the three types described below.
4. Concatenate the final L( 12) and R(12) to form the final output c 1 . . . .
. . c64.
Three different round functions may be used in the CAST-128. °The
rounds are:
TYPE 1: I = ((Km(i) + D) «<K(i))
F= ((S1[Ia] ~ S2[Ib]) - S3[Ic]) + S4[Id]
TYPE 2: I = ((I~m(i) ~ D) «<I~(i))
F= ((S1[Ia] - S2[Ib]) + S3[Ic]) ~ S4[Id]
TYPE 3: I = ((I~m(i) - D) «<I~(i))
F= ((Sl[Ia] + S2[Ib]) ~ S3[Ic]) - S4[Id]
Where:
"I~" is the data input to the function(F),
"Ia-Id" are the most significant byte through the least significant byte of I,
respectively,
S 1 to S4 are lookup tables for data substitution,
+ and - are addition and subtraction modulo 2~°'' 32,
'6~" is bitwise ~OI~, and
"«<" is a circular left-shift operation
Preferably, rounds 1, 4, 7, 10 use function (F) typc 1. Rounds 2, 5, 8, 11,
use function (F)
typc 2. Rounds 3, ~, ~, 12 use function (F) type 3.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic infrared transfer
system 70 may
perform a coupon transaction. As mentioned above, the wireless device 2
includes a Coupon
Channel 128 having coupon data that can be accessed similar to accessing
advertising messages
in the Maildrop Message Channel via the main menu 33. The addition of the
coupon
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enhancement will add a coupon capcode to the menu selection. As a result, one
embodiment of
the modified capcodes and menu selections of the present invention is
illustrated below:
Capcode Menu Option
1 Primary
2 Main Maildrop
3 News
4 Sport
Info 1
6 Info 2
7 Info 3
8 Info 4
9 Info 5
11
12
13
14 Coupon
Graphic
16 Graphic
The Coupon Channel 128 receives the coupons in a manner siaxiilar to the
advertising
5 messages rec~:ived by the I~~aildrop Folder 48. Thus9 the Coupon Channel 128
can receive
coupon data via electromagnetic transmission such as, RF transmission or IrL~A
reception. The
received coupon data is stored in a coupon memory 130 and is accessed via the
interface through
the Coupon Channel 128 as seen in FIG. 22A. Selecting the Coupon Channel 128
opens a new
menu screen presenting a plurality of coupons messages stored in the Coupon
Channel 128 as
10 seen in FIG. 22E. Using the "NEXT" button 38 and the "PREY" button 40, the
user can navigate
the cursor 46 through the full range of indicators 44. To assist the user in
selecting coupon, the
screen additionally displays, below the indicators 44, a single line of text
22 detailing the
beginning of the relevant coupon indicated. This allows the user to glance at
the first part of the
coupon stored in the Coupon memory 130 and scroll from slot to slot to find a
selected coupon of
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interest. Depressing the "OK" button 36 allows the user to display the
selected coupon on the
display 6, as seen in FIG. 22C.
FIG. 22C shows a selected coupon 131 stored in the coupon memory 130 being
displayed
on the display 6 of the wireless device 2. Upon the selected coupon 131 being
displayed, the
functionality of the "NEXT" button 38 and "PREV" button 40 change so that
depressing the
"NEXT" button 38 moves the display screen forward so as to show subsequent
screens of the
coupon. When the end of the current coupon 81 is reached, a depression of the
"NEXT" button
38 displays the first screen of the next coupon in that direction. Similarly,
depressing the
"PREY" button 40 moves the display screen backwards in the current coupon 131
until the
beginning of the current coupon 131. When the beginning of the current coupon
131 is reached,
depressing "PREV" button 40 will display the first screen of the coupon in the
previous
direction. Depressing the "BACK" button 42 moves the user up a level in the
menu system as
seen in FIG. 22B, thus allowing navigation through the full range of coupons
and selection of
individual coupons to be viewed.
FIG. 22C illustrates a coupon 131 displayed on the display 6. At the point of
sale
terminal 869 a depression of the "OK" button 58 to activates the transmitter
module 88 of the
dynamic infrared transfer system 70. The IC chip 80 copies the selected coupon
from the coupon
memory 130 to the IC memory and configures the data for infrared transmission.
The IC chip 80
sends a signal comprising the configured selected coupon data and the pager's
identity to the IR
LED 92 for transmission to the sidekick 72.
Upon receiving the signal, the optical interfacing unit 72 decodes and
transmits the
decoded data to the point of sale terminal 74. Further, the optical
interfacing unit 72 may send a
signal comprising a confirmation of receipt to the IR LED 92 for transmission
of the
confirmation of receipt to the wireless device 2. In the event of a bad
transmission from the
wireless device 2 to the optical interfacing unit 72, the optical interfacing
unit 72 may send a
signal requesting retransmission of the signal comprising the coupon data.
During operation, the point of sale terminal 74 receives the coupon data in
the manner
described above and buffers the coupon data in a point of sale memory. The
point of sale system
74 utilises coupon data to apply the relevant merchandise discount to the
user's purchases. The
point of sale system takes feedback in order to determine the used coupons.
Preferably, the feedback interception occurs in the datastream between a
scanning device
and the processor when the data is in the form of a stock keeping unit (SKU).
The SKU is an
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identification, usually alphanumeric, of a particular product that allows it
to be tracked for
inventory purposes. In the case of a manufacturer's coupons, the SKUs are
supplied by a
manufacturer to both the wireless device service provider and/or the wireless
device 2 and the
merchant. In the case of a merchant specific coupon, the merchant supplies the
SKU's to the
wireless device service provider and/or the wireless device 2.
Once the scanning of all purchased products is complete and the relevant
coupons are
applied, the feedback interception may begin. At this point, a dataset
comprising the coupons
applied to the transaction is created by the point of sale system 74. The
point of sale system 74
deletes the applied coupons from the buffered dataset and the point of sale
system 74 transmits
the abbreviated dataset to the optical interfacing unit. The wireless device 2
receives the
abbreviated dataset and overwrites the previous dataset stored in the coupon
memory 130.
Additionally, it is possible that the point of sale terminal 74 transmits the
applied coupon
dataset to the optical interfacing unit 72 which deletes the used coupons from
the buffered
dataset.
By utilizing SKU's, the burden of corresponding coupons to items lies with the
merchant
system. Coupon SKU maintenance is required for conventional paper coupons,
thus the burden
of corresponding coupons to items does not additionally encumber the merchant
system.
In an even further embodiment, the point of sale terminal includes a
I~F° receiver (not
shown) for receiving verification information for a plurality of wireless
devices 2. The
verification information is stored in a memory 98. Upon receiving the signal
comprising the
configured selected coupon data and the wireless device's identity transmitted
by the wireless
device 2, the processor 82 compares the information comprising the signal with
the
corresponding verification data to authenticate the transaction.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the user does not have to
select a
coupon to send. lZather, all of the coupons are transmitted. After check-out,
the user activates a
coupon transfer by selecting the coupon channel from the main menu 33, in the
method described
above. The wireless device 2 transmits coupon data comprising all the coupons
in the coupon
memory 130 to the sidekick 72 via the Irda interface 76. Preferably, the list
of valid coupons and
all radio frequency functions are disabled until completion of the coupon
transaction. The
wireless device 2 and the optical interfacing unit 72 may have an indicator
indicating the coupon
firansaction is in progress. The indicator may be audio, such as a tone, or
visual, such as a
blinking light.
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The optical interfacing unit 72 receives the coupon data from the wireless
device via the
Irda transceiver 100 and stores the received coupon data in memory 9g. The
coupon data stored
in memory is transmitted to the point of sale terminal 74 via the UART
interface 102. The point
of sale terminal 74 compares the received coupon data with the purchased items
and generates a
list of used coupons. It is also possible for the point of sale terminal to
compare the received
coupon information with recognized coupon information that is relevant to
different products that
are eligible for a discount. In this manner, accepted coupon information
comprising received
coupons matching recognized coupons is applied to the transaction. This list
of used coupons is
transmitted to the optical interfacing unit 72. The optical interfacing unit
72 transmits the list of
used coupons to the wireless device 2 via the infrared transceiver 100. The
wireless device 2
transmits a confirmation message to the point of sale terminal 74, via the
optical interfacing unit
72 to complete the transaction. In the event the wireless device 2 and optical
interfacing unit 72
have indicators, the indicators will indicate the transaction is complete.
This may be
accomplished by the audio and/or visual indicator being turned off. The
wireless device 2 may
re-enable the unused coupons from the valid coupon list and re-enable the
wireless device's radio
frequency functions.
Preferably, the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 may transmit up t~ 1000
coup~ns
from the wireless device 2 to the optical interfacing unit 72. This process
may take less than 3.5
seconds to complete. ~nce the user initiates the transaction with the wireless
device 2, the user
may release the button used to initiate the transaction. ~I~wever, a line-of-
sight will be needed
to be maintained between the wireless device 2 and the optical interfacing
unit 72 during the 3.5
seconds or until the c~upon transaction is complete.
In the event that a plurality of identical stock keeping units are present,
the point of sale
system 74 may determine the number of identical stock keeping units used based
on the purchase
and transmit to the wireless device 2 a set of used stock keeping units. The
used stock keeping
units are removed from memory ~4 and the remainder of the identical stock
keeping units are
available for a future transaction.
Preferably, the coupon stock keeping unit data is a 20 byte field as
illustrated in FIG. 20.
The first 17 bytes 167 are the coupon code. The dynamic infrared transfer
system 70 may ignore
the leading zeros in the coupon code because the leading zeros may be utilized
as padstrings to
accommodate different length codes. The last 3 bytes 169 represent the count
down period or the
lifetime in a 24 hour period that a coupon stock keeping unit remains valid.
Each 24 period, the
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wireless device 2 may decrement the count down by a period of 1. Once the
count reaches 0, the
wireless device 2 may delete the stock keeping unit and remove it from memory.
If communication fails over the Irda link during the process, the indicator
may indicate
the failure. This may be accomplished, for example, through the use of a red
blinking light.
Preferably, the Irda link is connected for a short time period after an error
indication such that the
error can be corrected. It is preferred that the short time period is three
seconds. In the event the
error is due to the wireless device 2 not being optically pointed to the
optical interfacing unit 72,
the short time period will enable the user~to adjust the wireless device 2. If
the Irda link cannot
recover within the short time period after the error, the link may be
disconnected and the user
will be required to re-initiate the transaction.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic infrared transfer
system 70
may be utilized to conduct a financial transaction. FIGS. 23A - 23E illustrate
the wireless device
2 and the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 therein to present a payment,
such as a credit card
or a debit card, to a point of sale terminal 74.
The pager includes a Payment Channel 64 having payment information that can be
accessed similar to the coupons in the Coupon Channel 128 via the main menu
33. FIG. 2313
illustrates a user utilizing a selected merchant's credit card, such as
Lowell's General Stores
Paynent System. FIGS. 23C - 23E illustrates a user utilizing the wireless
device 2 in the
multiple payment system configuration. Selecting the Payment Channel 64 opens
a new menu
screen displaying a payment option, such as a VISA credit card payment, stored
in the memory
84, as seen in FIG. 23C. Using the "NEXT" button 38 and the "PI~EV" button 40,
the user can
navigate through the full range of payment options stored in the memory 84.
The full range of
payment options may include a l~asterCard credit card and/or Discover
m°edit card as seen in
FIGS. 23D and 23E.
Preferably, the credit card data is stored in an ASCII data string comprising
the payment
card data commonly encrypted in the magnetic stripe of a standard credit card.
In one
embodiment, the credit card data is entered and stored in the wireless device
by the user. The
user enters the card number and establishes a dynamic infrared transfer system
personal
identification number (PIN). The dynamic infrared transfer system personal
identification
number may be independent of any credit card personal identification number.
The dynamic
infrared transfer system personal identification number is used for security
of the credit card
information on the wireless device 2.
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The wireless device 2 may have a card setup menu item to configure credit card
information. The card setup menu item may be selected from the payment channel
164 via the
main menu 33. When the card setup menu item is selected for a first time, the
user is presented
with a PIN setup screen. Preferably, this is a four character numerical field
presented in the
following manner:
Enter PIN
Confirm PIN
The user may input alphanumeric characters as the personal identification
number,
however it is preferable that only numbers be utilized. ~nce the user enters
the personal
identification number, the wireless device 2 ensures that the "Enter PIN" and
the "Confirm PIN"
entries are identical. If so, the wireless device 2 st~res the personal
identification number in
memory 84 for future identification of the authorized user. In the event that
the "Enter PIN" and
"Confirm PIN" are not identical, the wireless device 2 may request the user to
reenter the
personal identification number ~r may terminate the card setup.
Upon accepting the personal identification number, the pin setup may be
permanently
deleted from the memory 84 of the wireless device 2 so as t~ prevent
fraudulent transacti~ns by
an unauthorized user. Without the dynamic infrared transfer system personal
identification
number, the wireless device 2 will be unable to communicate with the optical
interfacing unit 72.
To setup the remaining credit card information, the wireless device 2 may
r°equire the user
to enter and c~nfinn the dynamic infrared transfer system personal
identification number. The
user will be presented with a screen similar to the following in order to
complete the credit card
setup:
Setup #1
Card Name:
Card#: ____ ____ ____ ____
Card Expiration Date:
When the user shops at a merchant utilizing the dynamic infrared transfer
system, the user
presents the dynamic infrared transfer system 70 enabled wireless device 2 to
the optical
interfacing unit 72. The payment information is stored in the memory 84 and is
accessed via the
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interface as the Payment Channel 64. Selecting the Payment Channel 64 opens a
new menu
screen presenting payment information as seen in FIG. 23B. Selecting the "OK"
button 36
activates the transmitter module 88 of the dynamic infrared transfer system
70. The IC chip 80
copies the payment information from the memory 84 to the IC memory and
configures the
payment information for infrared transmission. The IC chip 80 sends a signal
comprising the
configured payment information and the pager's identity to the IR LED 92 for
transmission to the
optical interfacing unit 72. Further, the payment information stored in the
memory 84 may
comprise a selected amount. Upon transmission of the configured payment
information, the IC
chip 80 may deduct the payment amount from the selected amount in memory. In
this manner,
the wireless device 2 is similar to using a debit card.
Upon receiving the signal, the optical interfacing unit 72 decodes the signal
and transmits
the decoded data to the point of sale terminal 74. Further, the optical
interfacing unit 72 may
send a signal comprising a confirmation of receipt to the Ih LED 92 for
transmission of the
confirmation of receipt to the wireless device 2. In the event of a bad
transmission from the
wireless device 2 to the optical interfacing unit 72, the optical interfacing
unit 72 may send a
signal requesting retransmission of the signal comprising the financial data.
Upon receiving the financial data, the point of sale terminal 74 processes the
credit card
data. The point of sale terminal 74~ accesses credit card systems through a
modem, or any
method as known by one of ordinary skill in the art. In a further embodiment,
the point of sale
terminal 74~ may require the user to enter the personal identification number
in order to verify the
tr ansaction.
In a further embodunent, the payment amount applied to the transaction is
transmitted
from the point of sale terminal 74~ to the optical interfacing unit 72. Upon
receiving the payment
amount data, the optical interfacing unit configures the data for optical
transmission to the
wireless device 2 via the IR LED 92. The wireless device 2 receives the
payment amount data
from the optical interfacing unit 72 and stores the data in a transaction
register memory. The
register memory may be a separate memory unit or may be a data block in the
memory 84 of the
wireless device 2.
The transaction register memory may be similar to a transaction register
utilized in a
standard paper checkbook register. The transaction register may store data
similar to information
stored in the standard paper checkbook register such as the payment amount,
the transaction date,
a description of the transaction, and a balance of an account. Further, the
transaction register
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may be password protected. Preferably, the password is the same as the PIN
number, however, a
different password may be utilized.
ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
It should be noted that the wireless device 2 having the dynamic infrared
transfer system
70 can be utilized in a plurality of additional scenarios. In one embodiment
of the present
invention, the wireless device 2 having the dynamic infrared transfer system
70 can be used in an
access control system 171 as an electronic key, as seen in FIG. 24. Standard
access enableldenial
systems, as known by one of ordinary skill in the art, can be enhanced by the
addition of the
access control system 110 so as to permit communication with the wireless
device 2 having an
infrared transceiver 76. The access control system 171 may be added to any
device that requires
authorization to access.
In the present embodiment, the wireless device 2 would include an
Identification Channel
having the user's identification data stored in memory 84. The Identification
Channel is accessed
in a manner similar to the Coupon Channel 128, via the main menu 33. The
wireless device 2
transmits the identification data via the tr ansmitter module of the
transceiver 76. The IC chip 94
copies the identification data from the memory 84 to the on-chip memory 88 and
configures the
identification data for infrared transmission. The IC chip 84- sends a signal
comprising the
configured identification data to the III LEIJ 92 for transmission to the
access control system
171.
The access control system 171 of FIG. 24 includes an IRLEI) 173 capable of
receiving
and transmitting infrared signals and an IC chip 175 connecting the IRLEI~ 173
to an access
controlled device 177. The II~LEI~ 173 receives the signal comprising the
configured
identification data transmitted by the wireless device 2 and transmits the
signal to the IC chip
175. The IC chip 175 may send a signal comprising a confirmation of receipt to
the IRLEL~ 173
for transmission of the confirmation of receipt to the wireless device 2. Upon
receiving the
signal comprising the configured identification data, the IC chip 175
transmits the received data
to an access database 179 and decodes the infrared signal to the access
control system can utilize
the identification data to enable or disable access to access controlled
device 177. The access
control device 177 may be any device that requires authorization to access,
such as computer
equipment requiring a login, vehicles, and hazardous or private areas where it
is desirable to deny
access to unauthorized users, such as a home.
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In an even further embodiment of the present invention, the identification
data stored in
the memory 84 is utilized to track a user's usage of a resource, such as a
library, or attendance,
such as in a classroom setting. The system would be enabled in a manner
similar to the access
control access system 171.
VOICEMAIL SYSTEM
With reference to FIG. 25, a further embodiment, the present invention
includes a method
for providing advertising to a sender 32 of a page to the wireless device 2.
The plurality of
wireless devices 2 is provided to an advertiser 34 who may want to advertise
to a sender 32 of a
page to one of a plurality of wireless devices 2. A request is received from
the advertiser 34 for
placement of an audible advertising message on a voice mail system 30.
Confirmation of receipt
of the request is transmitted back to the advertiser. The request may direct
that the audible
advertising message be provided to sender 32 of a page and/or to a sub-set of
users of the
wireless devices 2. The audible advertising message is provided to the sender
32 of the page in
response to the sender 32 of the page requesting to leave a voice mail message
directed
specifically to the identity of the wireless device 2. The advertising message
may be provided to
the sender 32 of the page prior to leaving the voice mail message. Paging
service is provided to
the wireless device 2 having the specified identity for notifying the user of
the voice mail
message wherein the user calls the voice mail system to hear the voice mail
message directed
specifically to the identity of the wireless device 2 of said user. The
audible advertising message
is provided to the user prior to hearing the voice mail message.
When the request for placement indicates that an audible advertising message
is to be
provided to sub-set of wireless devices 2, the request comprises demographic
criteria. The
identities of the sub-set are detetxW ned wherein the identities have user
dem~graphic information
corresponding to the demographic criteria received from the advertiser 34. The
demographic
criteria may be age, gender, and/or profession. The paging service is provided
to the wireless
devices 2 such that the wireless devices 2 of the sub-set receive a page
signal directed
specifically to the identity of the wireless device 2 for notifying a user of
a voice mail message
wherein the user calls the voice mail system 30 to hear the voice mail message
directed
specifically to the identity of the wireless device 2. The audible advertising
message is provided
to the user prior to hearing the voice mail message.
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WEBSITE BANNER
In a further embodiment, the present invention is a method of providing
advertising to a
sender of a page to a user of a wireless device 2. A website is provided to a
sender for sending a
page to a user of a wireless device 2. The website comprises a field for
identifying the identity of
the wireless device and a field for identifying the message. A request is
received from the
advertiser 34 for placement of advertising indicia through the website.
Confirmation of receipt
of the request is transmitted back to the advertiser. The advertising indicia
are displayed in
response to the sender sending the page message.
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous
modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of
the invention and
the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying
Claims.
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