WO2004036932A2 - Information transmission system and method using, for example, sms - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an information transmission system and method using, for example, SMS. More specifically, the invention relates to the sending of information, such as SMS messages, to display panels (107) by connecting to a Web server (103) via an Internet browser. Access to the service is payable via a virtual purse which is located on a page (207) of the provider's site. After payment, the customer receives a certain number of points on the page (203) of the provider's site and can then send his/her messages to display panels (107) which are located at strategic points (cinemas, queues, airports, transport means or sport stadiums). The customer's purse is debited a number of points with the sending of each message, said number corresponding to the number of display panels (107) and the locations selected as well as to the time and the length of the message. The messages are transmitted, e.g. using SMS technology, via the Web server (103) which sends the message to the SMS sending server (telephone company) which, in turn, transmits the message to the display panels selected by the customer. The message content is filtered by an operator at the provider station (102). If the contents of the messages are correct, they are validated by the provider's operator which can be a person or a robot server that automatically filters the content according to pre-established criteria.

Description

 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY BY SMS

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication systems, more particularly to the writing, transmission and display of short alphanumeric messages.

It is known that the field of communication, given the growing market demand, follows the imperatives of profitability and efficiency like any other consumer product.

The development of activities, in particular advertising, has led manufacturers to develop increasingly efficient communication systems.

SMS (Short Message Service) has now become the standard bearer of mobile telephony and is now open to publishers with the launch of SMS Plus, EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) which are doped messages.

It should be noted that MMS, which is an evolution of SMS and can be carried on GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and then UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks, can significantly increase traffic as well as diversify sources revenues for operators and service providers.

In order to display an SMS on a wireless display, it is known to use a method and an apparatus as illustrated in publication EP 1 091 607. This method has proved useful in the context of sending SMS messages through the INTERNET network without however using a WEB site.

The object of the present invention is to propose a system and a method allowing the creation of a message by a user, its payment, its transmission and its display, thanks to an Internet site. This object is achieved by a system for sending information, in particular by SMS, through a telecommunications network such as the Internet for displaying information on a network of displays, the system comprising:

- a server of the network hosting a system site, in particular a WEB site, accessible by fixed or mobile terminals of the network for the writing on the site of messages in particular by SMS, and for the transmission of messages of the network of bill-posters;

- a virtual wallet associated with each user of a network terminal; and

means for controlling the transmission of messages to the selected display panels of the network as a function of the state of the wallet of a user who wishes to display messages on the selected display panels.

The invention also relates to a method using said system in which:

- the system user uses means such as a PC to connect through a network, in particular the Internet, to a system site hosted on a server. He creates his virtual wallet and orders a certain number of points which he pays. He obtains a login and password to access a module of the system site as well as the credits necessary for sending messages, notably SMS. He writes his message on a page of the site and confirms it for the sending on another page of this site, this for purposes of control and dissemination.

- the customer's virtual wallet on another page of the supplier's site must have enough dots to allow the display of a message on one or, in the case of grouped shipments, on several display panels;

- the customer's wallet is debited according to the display of the messages in the selected places, the time and the duration of the message; - the customer pays by secure payment SSL (Secure Sockets Layers) or other on the WEB Server;

- the supplier receives messages from the customer on the supplier PC and analyzes the content and length of these and also, the display panels on which the messages must be transmitted;

- the operator of the supplier is a robot server which filters and controls messages automatically according to predefined criteria;

- the supplier transmits its broadcasting agreement to the telecommunications operator according to a pre-established modus operandi, after having received confirmation of payment.

A system and a method which are the subject of the present invention use the Internet network as a link between a client terminal, for example a client PC, a provider PC and a WEB Server.

The client PC notably allows the user to create messages on a supplier's site using an Internet browser available on said PC.

The WEB Server hosts the supplier site, secures the communication between the client PC and the supplier PC and makes secure SSL or other payments.

The supplier PC controls / validates / transfers messages from the client PC and uses, through the WEB Server, telecommunications relays to broadcast said messages on a network of displays.

Telecommunications relays are networks used in industry and whose communication is preferably carried out in real time and at specific times. The basic application is in particular telephony. The network of displays is presented in particular in the form of display panels using LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), DLP / DMD (Digital Light Processing / Digital Micromirror Device), cathodic (Tube) or LED (Light Emitting Diode) technologies and can be located in strategic or mobile places where customer messages are displayed after being paid to and checked by the supplier.

In one embodiment, the site which has been developed by conventional means has the functions illustrated in the following table 1:

Table 1

The client connects using the Internet browser to the provider's site, which is hosted by the WEB Server. It orders points on a virtual wallet through which it can send messages, the transmission of which takes place in particular with SMS (Short Message Service) technology, on display panels which are arranged at strategic points. The customer has the possibility of sending grouped messages displayed on several display panels simultaneously or not. It should be noted that with each message sent the virtual wallet is debited with the number of points corresponding to the volume and quantity of the messages sent, as well as their location and time of delivery.

The content of the messages is preferably filtered / controlled by an operator of the supplier which is in particular a robot server which automatically filters / controls the content of the messages according to predefined criteria. If the content of the messages is correct, it is validated by the supplier and sent to the WEB Server.

The invention also relates to the use of the system for the display of messages, in particular SMS, on a network of fixed displays at strategic or mobile locations, in particular for the selective display of messages in cinemas, queues, airports. , means of transport, stadiums for the practice of sport.

The invention will be better understood thanks to the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 shows, by way of example, a block table of a system and method for sending information by SMS.

FIG. 2 represents a synoptic table of the organization of a site for sending information by SMS.

In one embodiment, the system and method is part of a telecommunications network used for sending information by SMS comprising in particular:

• a client terminal, in particular a PC (100) which has an internet browser and which allows the user to write / transmit SMS messages.

• a system supplier site (110) organized according to FIG. 2 to allow the client PC (100) to communicate with the supplier and for sending messages.

• a WEB server (103) which hosts the supplier site (110). a telecommunications network (104) consisting of transmitters (105) which carry out communication in real time and whose basic application is in particular telephony.

a network of displays (106) constituted in particular by display panels (107) located in particular at strategic locations (airports, queues, cinemas, means of transport, ...).

• a supplier PC (102) allowing the return of information to the client as well as the control of the broadcasting, through the WEB Server (103), of the messages using the telecommunications network (104) on the billboards. display (107) of the display network (106).

It should be noted that in one embodiment, the client / supplier terminals are wireless terminals, which also includes mobile telephones. In such cases the wireless communication protocol WAP (Wireless Application Protocol, instead of the WEB protocol for fixed systems) is applied to authorize access to information and services on the Internet. Indeed, WEB sites, to be accessible, require a translation from HTML to WML (language readable by GSM mobiles - Global System for Mobile communications).

In one execution, the supplier's site (110), hosted by the WEB Server (103), is made up of modules incorporated into the WEB pages fulfilling the following functions:

α Home page (200)

a Interest page (201)

a Login / password order page and virtual wallet (203)

a Identification page (202)

α Member module (300): - Member access function (204) . -

List of Billboards (205)

Consultation (206)

Writing (207)

Debit wallet (208)

- Send messages (209)

To simplify the description, use the designation "page (204)", etc. to designate a WEB page that hosts the member access function. Of course a page can accommodate one or more functions.

The home page (200) presents the site in its entirety and allows the client to consult the content of the various functions that make up the site.

The order page (203) is located between the page of interest (201) which defines the benefits of the product and the user identification page (202). It should be noted that the page (201) is the only one to have a link with the home page (200).

The member access module (300) is accessible using a login and password provided by the supplier, which the customer must enter on page (204), which allows the latter to identify themselves and thus access said module (300).

The page (205) of the module (300) constitutes the list of display panels (airports, queues, cinemas, means of transport, ...) from which the customer can make his choice.

The page (206) of the module (300) allows the consultation of the messages being broadcast at the defined locations.

The page (207) of the module (300) allows the client to write the message to be broadcast, to confirm the choice of display panels, to define the dates and times of broadcast of the message as well as the number of passages of the message. It should be noted that pages (204), (205), (206) and (207) allow the user to interact, in addition these pages are linked together by links allowing navigation between said pages.

The page (207) of the module (300) is also linked to the page (208), which gives all the information relating to the virtual wallet of the client.

The page (209) is located at the end of the module (300) and allows the message to be sent to the selected display panels (107) of the network (106).

The client connects using the client PC (100) which includes the internet browser. He orders a certain number of points on the page (203) of the supplier's site which he pays by secure SSL payment on the WEB Server (103). This represents a virtual wallet through which the customer obtains a login and a password to access a module (300) of the supplier's site as well as the credits necessary for sending messages.

The customer can, using his login and password and once his points credit obtained, write his message from the client PC (100) on a page (207) of the supplier's site. Once the message has been written, it is transmitted to the provider PC (102) for broadcast control purposes.

The customer's virtual wallet on page (203) of the supplier's site must have enough dots to allow the display of a message on one or, in the case of grouped shipments, on several display panels ( 107). The customer's wallet (103) is debited according to the display of the messages in the selected places, the time and the duration of the message. If necessary, the page (203) sends a message to the user to supply his wallet (103).

The provider receives messages from the client on the provider PC (102) and analyzes the content and length thereof and also the display panels over which the messages are to be transmitted. After receiving the confirmation of payment, it transmits its broadcasting agreement to the telecommunications operator according to a pre-established modus operandi. In a variant, the operator of the supplier is a robot server which filters and controls messages automatically according to predefined criteria.

The messages are then transmitted to the display panels (107) by the telecommunications network (104). Messages are transmitted in particular by SMS (Short Message Service) technology, through the WEB server (103) which sends the message to the SMS sending server (telephone operator). The telephone operator then sends the messages to the display panels (107) chosen by the customer.

Claims

1. System for sending information, in particular by SMS, through a telecommunications network (101, 104) such as the Internet for displaying information on a network (106) of display panels ( 107), the system comprising: a server (103) of the network hosting a system site (110), in particular a WEB site, accessible by fixed or mobile terminals (100) which use the WEB / WAP protocols of the network for writing on the site (110) of messages, in particular by SMS, and for the transmission of messages from the network (106) of display panels (107); - a virtual wallet (203) associated with each user of a terminal (100) of the network; and - means (102, 208) for controlling the transmission of messages to the display panels (107) selected from the network (106) according to the state of the wallet (203) of a user who wishes to display messages on the selected display panels (107). 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the system site (110) consists of a first home page (200) which presents the site in its entirety and allows the user to consult the content of the various modules which compose it, a second control page (203) which is located between a third page of interest (201) which defines the advantages of the product and a fourth user identification page (202), and a member access module (300) which is accessible using a login and password provided by the system site provider (110). 3. System according to claim 2, characterized in that the module (300) of the system site (110) is associated with a page (203) which comprises a virtual wallet which stores the credits necessary for sending the messages. . . 4. System according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises means (208) for debiting the virtual wallet of the customer on the page (203) according to the number of display panels (107) and places chosen, as well as according to the time and duration of the message. 5. System according to claim 2, characterized in that the module (300) of the supplier's site includes means (204) to allow the customer to enter his login and password in order to identify himself and access thus in said module (300), a page (205) which constitutes the list of display panels in which the user can make his choice, means (206) which allow consultation of the messages being broadcast at the chosen locations, debit means (208) in connection with the page (207) and a page (209) which is located at the end of the module (300) and allows the sending of the message. 6. System according to claim 3, characterized in that the module (300) comprises at least one interactive page. 7. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a supplier terminal (102) arranged to receive messages from the client and to analyze the length and content of these messages. 8. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the supplier transmits its broadcasting agreement to the telecommunications operator according to a pre-established modus operandi after having received confirmation of payment. 9. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the messages are transmitted to the display panels by the telecommunications network with SMS (Short Message Service) technologies, SMS Plus, EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) and / or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), through the WEB server (103) which sends the message to the MMS sending server (telephone operator) which sends the messages to the billboards display chosen by the client. 10. System according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises fixed or mobile terminals for the user and the supplier using the WEB or WAP protocols. 11. Method using the system according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the system user uses means (100) such as a PC to connect through a network, in particular the Internet, to a system site (110), hosted on a server (103), with which he creates his virtual wallet (203) and where he orders a certain number of points which he pays and thus obtains a login and a password to access a module (300) of the site system (110) as well as the credits necessary for the sending of the messages in particular SMS which it writes on the page (207) and confirms them for the sending on the page (208) for purposes of control and diffusion. 12. The method of claim 10 characterized in that the virtual wallet of the customer on the page (203) of the supplier's site must have enough dots to allow the display of a message on one or, in the case of 'grouped consignments, on several display panels (107). 13. Method according to claim 11 characterized in that the wallet (103) of the client is debited as a function of the display of the messages in the selected places, of the time and of the duration of the message. 14. Method according to claims 10 to 12 characterized in that the client pays by secure SSL payment on the WEB Server (103). 15. Method according to claims 10 to 13 characterized in that the supplier receives messages from the customer on a supplier PC (102) and analyzes the content and length of these and also, the display panels on which must be transmitted the messages. 16. The method of claim 14 characterized in that the operator of the supplier is a robot server which filters and controls messages automatically according to predefined criteria. 17. Method according to claims 14 and 15 characterized in that the supplier transmits its broadcasting agreement to the telecommunications operator according to a pre-established modus operandi, after having received confirmation of payment. 18. Method according to claims 10 to 16 characterized in that the messages are transmitted using SMS (Short Message Service), SMS Plus, EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) technologies. 19. Method according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the communications transmitted by the users and the suppliers use the WEB or WAP protocols. 20. Use of the system according to claims 1 to 9 for the display of messages in particular SMS on a network (106) of display panels (107) fixed at strategic or mobile locations. 21. Use of the system according to claim 18 for the selective display of messages on a network (106) of display panels (107) in cinemas, queues, airports, means of transport or stadiums for the practice of sport.