US20090080371A1

US20090080371A1 - Contextually-based local selective communications device

Info

Publication number: US20090080371A1
Application number: US11/918,358
Authority: US
Inventors: Michel Banatre; Mathieu Becus; Paul Couderc
Original assignee: Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique INRIA
Current assignee: Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique INRIA
Priority date: 2005-04-13
Filing date: 2006-04-13
Publication date: 2009-03-26
Also published as: JP4926167B2; CA2604031A1; EP1875663A2; WO2006108960A2; BRPI0607512A2; US7881662B2; WO2006108961A2; BRPI0610638A2; JP2008538872A; WO2006108960A3; JP2008538469A; WO2006108961A3; CA2604030A1; EP1869942A2; US20090047899A1

Abstract

A local communications device comprises a station (9, 25) for communicating with mobile terminals (11) and a controller (3) for transmitting a message of the mobile terminal (11). The inventive device comprises a beacon (19, 21) interacting with a portable passive object (17) for obtaining at least one code word. The controller (3) interacts with the beacon (19, 21) for storing the code word thus obtained and for subsequently actuating a decision mechanism relating to a spontaneous message transmission. A decision for transmitting a message depends, at least partially, on the code word.

Description

The invention relates to local contextual communications or telecommunications, i.e. on site and as a function of the context.
Proposals of this kind have already been made particularly in patent specification WO 01/89189 A2 by the same applicant. The context is defined using “mobile stations” which can be installed as required at different locations in a given place. The cooperation of these stations with posts such as portable telephones (or mobile telephones) makes it possible to recognise the context and hence to deliver a message as a result, from a contextual service provider. We will return to this in more detail hereinafter.
It is desirable to find a solution which is as universal as possible while avoiding having the user being inundated by unwanted messages or unsolicited services, as will be seen.
The present invention sets out to improve this situation. It proposes a local communications device of the type having a station which has a mode of communication with mobile terminals and a controller capable of sending a message intended for one or more mobile terminals. The device according to the invention further comprises a beacon capable of interacting with at least one passive portable object in order to obtain at least one code word from such a portable object. According to the invention, the controller is designed to interact with the beacon in order to memorise the code word obtained, at least temporarily, and then subsequent to this interaction, to implement a decision mechanism relating to the spontaneous sending of a message, in which the decision to send a message, its contents and/or its destination address depend at least partially on the code word stored.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the detailed description that follows and the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of the device according to the invention,

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a detail of the device in FIG. 1A according to an alternative embodiment,

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a tag for the device in FIG. 1A according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a tag for the device in FIG. 1A according to a different embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the device in FIG. 1A according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 4A to 4D are diagrams showing different arrangements of the device in FIG. 1A,

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a beacon for the device according to the invention in a particular application,

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a beacon for the device according to the invention in another particular application,

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the device according to the invention in the particular applications in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The drawings contain elements of a specific type. They may therefore serve not only to assist with the understanding of the present invention but may also contribute to the definition thereof, where appropriate.

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a “contextual service” which ensures the contextual provision of information on a mobile terminal. By contextual provision is meant the ability to provide selectively, without further requests by the user other than the choice of information, information relating to the environment observed by the user: objects or persons in the vicinity, the location/building/room where the user is located, in particular. The information to be supplied to the user may be of various types: a text message, image, sound, video, optionally by streaming, a composite document such as a web page or a hyperlink (pointer) towards a document (Web or Wap, for example), although this list is not restrictive. In the phrase “contextual provision”, the notion of “context” represents the local physical ambience as oppose to the context procured by the mobile terminal itself on account of its communication functions. In particular, the different communication possibilities provided in general terms by the mobile terminal itself are not regarded as “contextual information”.
A context may be defined by a number of general approaches.
A first approach implies previous identification of the location. It consists in supplying the contextual information after having determined the position of the user carrying the mobile terminal. A location infrastructure such as GPS will do this, but this method is fairly onerous and not universal as few mobile terminals are equipped with this location function. It is also known that the communications network supplied to the mobile terminal may provide an approximate location for the user with his terminal by trying out triangulations according to the positions of the base stations that “see” the mobile terminal. However, the position of the user can only be determined with a degree of approximation that varies widely according to the place: in effect, as the complete opposite to GPS, for example, the infrastructure is not specifically designed for positioning because the arrangement of the base stations is determined essentially with the aim of ensuring good connectivity for the network users. This other method which is again not universal is furthermore inadequate where precise and reliable positioning is required.
A different approach which may be termed “physical” is described in the patent specification WO 01/89189 A2, mentioned previously, by the same applicant. Here, a local communications device is provided comprising at least one station having means for communicating with mobile terminals. According to this approach, an attempt is made to define “zones” associated with each type of contextual information directly by a particular geometric arrangement of physical objections. In WO 01/89189 A2, these objections are termed “mobile stations”, in that they can be placed at any desired location and moved again if necessary. The “zones” can thus be made variable to the necessary degree for modifying the physical arrangement of the objects (“mobile stations”) which define them in order to modify the perimeters associated with the stations. A “contextual service” can then send a message (more generally a modulated contextual service) to one or more users. This is controlled by the exchange of information between the station or stations and the or each mobile terminal. This implicitly involves the use of a controller capable of sending the message corresponding to the contextual service.
The station or stations may be equipped with a short range communications system such as Bluetooth which may be supplemented by access to an extended communications network such as mobile telephony.
The present invention is a descendent of WO 01/89189 A2. In the context of a “physical approach” there is therefore on the one hand an infrastructure comprising the stations and a service provided on demand by telecommunications, and on the other hand pairs of mobile terminals/users.
The applicant has noted that two major subclasses can thus be differentiated.
The first subclass is referred to here as the pull approach. In this case the context is determined at the level of the mobile terminal/user pair. The mobile terminal collects a set C of information (attributes) from the surrounding stations. The mobile terminal then contacts the service provider itself, theoretically automatically, specifying the set of attributes C. This allows the service to be adapted/modulated and be delivered in return to the mobile terminal. In this “pull” approach, access to the service is initiated by the mobile terminal/user pair.
The “pull” subclass requires that a material component and/or specific software dedicated to acquiring the context and subsequently accessing the service be implanted in the mobile terminal. This component can be configured by the user in order to give access only to certain types of contextual information or possibly none. This means that this approach is not universal, owing to the need to install a specific component and also for the user to configure it, especially in order to specify the filtering of the information which is to be collected, a procedure which is not necessarily understandable to everyone.
The second subclass is termed here the “push” approach. In this case the mobile terminal/user pair is detected by the infrastructure and then contacted directly by the latter which thus initiates the service. The drawback of this latter method (push) is that it does not take account of the wishes of the user (who has the mobile terminal) as the service can directly reach all the terminals which are “within range”. The user may thus find himself repeatedly contacted by unwanted contextual messages or, at the very least, by interrogations of his mobile terminal, asking for his consent to receive contextual messages. This is the case particularly with the Bluetooth push, which involves contacting the user every time he enters the zone within range of the service. This is similar to the nuisance felt, moreover as a result of unwanted messages known as “spam”.
It is also possible to look at the possibility of using a global communications infrastructure (of the SMS platform type).

Architecture

The architecture of the contextual local communication device 1 according to the invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 1A.
The communications device 1 according to the invention comprises a contextual service control platform 3 (or controller) operating according to the push approach described above. The control platform 3 is associated with a contextual service zone 5. By this is meant that the control platform 3 is arranged so as to deliver at least one contextual service virtually anywhere in the service zone 5. The service zone 5 is determined as a function of at least one physical element of interest 7 linked to at least one service to be delivered in the service zone 5. The form and nature of this physical element 7 and the nature of the service to be provided may be interdependent.
As a non-restrictive example, the physical element 7 may be a public notice board and the service zone 5 may be determined so that messages on this board are visible from anywhere in the service zone 5.
The control platform 3 is connected to at least one short range wireless communications interface 9 capable of setting up such a communication with mating communication means present in the service zone 5. In particular, the communication interface 9 makes it possible to establish a communication with at least one mobile terminal 11 provided with compatible short range wireless communication means 13 and located within the service zone 5. This communication allows the mobile terminal 11 to receive a message transmitted by the control platform 3.
The mobile terminal 11 may be in the form of a mobile telephone, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, an earpiece of the Bluetooth type, or the like.
More and more mobile telephones and personal digital assistants designed nowadays incorporate Bluetooth communication means in series: the control platform 3 therefore preferably comprises a communications interface 9 that conforms to this standard.
Other short range wireless communication technologies such as WIFI (as defined in IEEE 802.11b/g), ZigBee or the like may be used.
In an advantageous embodiment not shown here, the control platform 3 comprises a plurality of short range wireless communications interfaces 9 of different technologies. Thus, communications using different technologies may be established within the service zone 5, thus increasing the compatibility of the device according to the invention with commercial mobile terminals 11. This also reduces the respective costs of each communications interface 9.
Preferably, the control platform 3 comprises a plurality of communications interfaces 9 of the same technology in order to reduce the respective loads for each interface still further. Thus, better availability and a more reactive service are obtained as the connections are distributed over several interfaces. This is particularly noticeable in the case of a number of Bluetooth interfaces.
The control platform 3 is linked to a radio frequency tag detecting network 15 arranged so as to detect the entry, exit and/or presence of a tag 17 of this kind within the service zone 5.
The tags 17 here may be of the type known as RFID. More generally, what is referred to as “radio frequency tag” in this description is a small portable object, passive or quasi-passive, which permanently stores a collection of bits and can be interrogated by short range radio communication. Throughout the present description this collection of bits will be referred to as the memory. Other types of tag may be used, for example NFC tags (from the English term Near Field Computing).
The detection network 15 comprises at least one manager 19 and an antenna 21 connected thereto. The antenna 21 is capable of reading the data contained in the memory of a radio frequency tag 17 within its range.
In one embodiment, the detection network 15 comprises a single antenna 21 connected to the manager 19: the presence of the tag 17 within range of the antenna can thus be detected. It is then possible to detect the presence of the tag 17 at a particular point in the service zone 5. The data contained in the memory of the tag 17 can only be read at this particular point in the service zone 5.
In another embodiment, the detection network 15 comprises a plurality of antennas 21 connected to the manager 19 and distributed so as to cover an area that is greater than the range of a single antenna 21. In particular, the antennas 21 may be distributed so that a tag 17 can be read anywhere in the service zone 5 or be distributed along the periphery of the service zone 5.
The detection network 15 may in the case of a plurality of antennas comprise a plurality of managers 19, particularly when the maximum number of antennas that can be connected to the manager 19 is reached.
The manager 19 may comprise, for example, an RI-CTL-MB2A controller of series S2000 manufactured by Texas Instruments and RF-MOD-TX8A multiplexers manufactured by the same company.
In some configurations (FIG. 1B), the service zone 5 is accessible only through obligatory identified pass-through points. In this case an entry/exit detector connected to the manager is advantageously provided at each of these pass-through points. A detector of this kind comprises, for example, two rows of antennas 21A and 21B arranged at said pass-through point, parallel to one another and transversely with respect to the direction of movement. Thus the direction of movement of a tag 17 can be detected: when the row 21A detects a tag 17 in front of the row 21B the direction of movement is from antenna 21A towards antenna 21B, and vice versa.
This embodiment avoids having to distribute antennas 21 throughout the service zone 5.
Advantageously, so called “flexible” antennas are used which can follow the contour of a support, e.g. flexible antennas on plastic film of the CIPAM CIP_ANT-LF type.
The control platform further comprises a computer 23 capable of controlling the provision of services by the “push” approach.
Optionally, the control platform 3 comprises local storage means for contents to be delivered (not shown). These means may take the form of NAS servers (from the English term Network Area Storage).
The control platform 3 further comprises an access interface 25 to a global communications network 26 of the wired or wireless type, such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, IP or the like.
This communications interface 25 allows the control platform 3, on the one hand, to access remote data processing means which are suitable for carrying out data processing for at least some of the services to be provided in the service zone 5 or for material resources which are away from the service zone 5.
On the other hand, the interface 25 makes it possible to establish communication with mobile terminals 11 which have related global communications means 27, i.e. of the cellular network type, for example, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or the like. This makes it possible in particular to establish communication with a mobile terminal 11 of the standard portable telephone type.
According to the invention the tag 17 is arranged on an object carried by the user of a mobile terminal. This portable user object may advantageously take the form of a card, for example resembling a credit card. The portable object may also take the form of a key ring. Finally, the tag may be self adhesive so that it can be placed on any substrate at the user's discretion. In particular, the tag may also be integrated in common objects carried by the user, for example clothes (shoes, pullover, etc.).
The tag 17 is advantageously of the type known as a passive tag, i.e. the tag 17 has no autonomous energy or processing capacity. It is nevertheless capable of responding to an interrogation request by sending a message containing the data stored in its memory. The energy needed for this activity is drawn from the induction current of the signal from the interrogation apparatus, in this case the antennas 21. This design means that the system is free from energy constraints and the weight that this implies.
It will be understood, however, that active tags, i.e. those which have their own energy source, could be used provided that they operate in passive mode, i.e. they are restricted to responding to an interrogation signal.
By way of example, it is possible to use tags known as TITIS RI-TRP-W4FF manufactured by Texas Instruments.
FIG. 2A illustrates the contents of the memory of a tag 17A adapted to interact with the device according to the invention, in a first embodiment of the invention.
The memory of the tag 17A stores communication address data ComAdrDat relating to the mobile terminal. The data ComAdrDat comprise a contact address for the mobile terminal 11 by the contextual service, for example, a material address of the communications interface 13, for example the material address of a Bluetooth interface, or a cell phone number.
The communication address data ComAdrDat may constitute a user identifier, for example at the level of the control platform 3. In some cases, the communication address data ComAdrDat may be supplemented or replaced by a user identifier of this kind in the tag 17A itself.
Optionally, the memory of the tag 17A stores general service data ServGenDat relating to at least one service likely to interest the user. The data ServGenDat comprise in particular an identifier of the service that interests the user.
Moreover, the memory of the tag 17A may optionally store specific service data ServSpecDat that characterise a particular service or the user in relation to this particular service (profile, preferences). These specific data may constitute attributes relating to a particular service.
Preferably, the data ComAdrDat, ServGenDat and ServSpecDat are stored in the same tag, reserving bit areas for the different data. This allows in particular simplified reading of the different data, as a single tag must be detected. The data ComAdrDat, ServGenDat and ServSpecDat thus form one and the same code word.
The data ComAdrDat, ServGenDat and ServSpecDat may nevertheless be stored in different tags, particularly when the capacity of the memory of a single tag 17 is not sufficient. The data ServGenDat and ServSpecDat thus form several code words (or a set of codes).
When a number of tags are provided, these may be applied to the same portable object: for example, an object specific to a particular contextual service, the memories of the tags storing data relating to this particular service. However, the tags may also be linked to separate portable objects: for example the data ComAdrDat may be stored on a tag on a first portable object, while the data ServGenDat and ServSpecDat relating to different services may be distributed over second portable objects, each portable object being assigned to a particular service.
It will be understood that multiplying the tags offers the possibility for the user to manage the properties of the different services:

- in the case of portable objects assigned to a particular service, the user can choose to take one object with him rather than another, so as to benefit from a particular service and do without another,
- in the case of different portable objects wherein the tag or tags store different data ServSpecDat but relating to the same service defined by data ServGenDat, the combination of the portable objects carried by the user defines the attributes of the contextual service to be provided.

Alternatively or additionally, at least some of the tags may be selectively activated and deactivated, for example by physical intervention on the tag, or by reversibly placing a radiation-proof mask over the tag.
In particular, we have described how the combination of different portable objects might define the contextual service or services provided, but it will be appreciated that the different tags used in these cases may be provided on the same portable object and made capable of activation/deactivation by the processes described above.
The tag 17A contains, as a minimum, the communication address data ComAdrDat. This does not mean that other additional information-carrying tags may not be provided which do not contain a communication address.
In another embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2B, the memory of a tag 17B stores only database address data DBAdrDat. These data DBAdrDat comprise an address for registration of a database, stored for example on the platform 3. This registration comprises communication address data ComAdrDat and optionally general service data ServGenDat and specific service data ServSpecDat, analogously to the data in FIG. 2A.
The contents of the memory of a tag 17 may be encrypted, for example using the algorithm RSA or the algorithm 3DES to ensure data confidentially. In this case, the control platform 3 advantageously maintains an encryption key, of public or private nature, enabling data encryption.
According to the invention, the portable object provided with a tag 17 is intended to be carried by the user of the mobile terminal 11. The tag 17 and the mobile terminal 11 are associated by the data ComAdrDat (tag of type 17A) or by data relating to the terminal 11 stored in a registration of a database designated by the data DBAdrDat (tag of type 17B). The tag 17 and the mobile terminal 11 thus form a pair.

Operation

The operation of the device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 3.
A user carries a pair consisting of a radiofrequency tag 17 and a mobile terminal 11. The user enters the service zone 5.
In step 300, an antenna 21 detects the presence of the tag 17 within its range.
In step 302, all the data in the memory of the tag 17 are read by the antenna 21 and then sent to the control platform 3. In particular, the control platform 3 receives the communication address data ComAdrDat, the general service data ServGenDat and, if applicable, the specific service data ServSpecDat.
In step 304, the control platform 3 compares the general service data ServGenDat identifying at least one service desired by the user with the services available on this control platform 3. If the service identified is not available on the control platform 3, the process is abandoned (step 306).
Otherwise, in step 308, the control platform 3 drafts a content specific to the contextual service identified. If appropriate, this draft takes into account the specific service data ServSpecDat. In a non-restrictive manner, the content drafted may take the form of a text message, a sound message, an internet address, optionally streamed, or an application that can be run on the mobile terminal 11.
In step 310 the control platform 3 sends a message that incorporates the content drafted in step 308 to the address defined by the communication address data ComAdrDat.
In step 312, the mobile terminal 11 determines the appropriate action for the message received as a function of the type of message (actual message or application). For example:

- the message may be a sound message played back by the conventional sound reproduction means of the mobile terminal 11,
- the message may be an SMS text message relayed by the conventional means of the mobile terminal 11,
- the message may contain a link to a contents address (e.g. an internet address or URL) and in the particular case of the message being a pointer to a service or a Web or Wap page, the mobile terminal 11 may launch a Web or Wap navigator,
- the message may take the form of an application such as a Java application, for example, suitable for running directly on the mobile terminal 11 when the latter supports this technology (if not, a link to a Web or Wap service may be provided if necessary).

Other forms of message may be envisaged. The message received may comprise a link to an application to be downloaded to the mobile terminal 11. This application may in turn implement a service. Moreover, this service may thus be contextual and interact by the pull approach. In other words, the push approach proposed here may serve to trigger a contextual service operating by the pull approach. One useful embodiment may consist in delivering an initial application (“bootstrap”) by the push approach. This application then launches the reading of a radiofrequency tag, this time in the mobile terminal 11, provided with a suitable reader. The contents can then be obtained by the pull approach by a Bluetooth, Wifi, GPRS or similar wireless communications means, from local and/or remote servers. This approach reduces the energy consumption linked with a permanent RFID reader on the mobile terminal: this reading is in fact initiated in contextual manner by the application obtained by the push approach in appropriate circumstances.
In the particular embodiment of a tag 17 of the type in FIG. 2B, the tag 17 stores only the data DBAdrDat, in step 302, in the form of a link to a database linked to the control platform 3, said database holding information that allows the mobile terminal 11 to be contacted. Specific service data ServSpecDat relating to the service to be delivered and peculiar to the carrier of the tag 17, or general service data ServGenDat, are held in this database. These data are also used to draft the contents of step 308. The implementation of steps 310 and 312 is thus identical to the embodiment in FIG. 2A.
In an alternative method, the communication address data ComAdrDat comprise a call number for the mobile terminal 11 via the global communications network 26. Typically, this may be a telephone number.
To deliver the message, the control platform 3 can then contact a remote control platform specific to the global network 26.

Advantages

The communication device according to the invention has numerous advantages.
Thus, the risk of the user receiving unsolicited messages is reduced considerably as only the users carrying a tag can give permission to identify the desired service in order to be contacted. Moreover, the communication address of the mobile terminal 11 has to be known in order to contact the user, and this reading may take place locally.
The identification of the desired service may take place in particular on the basis of the following basic information:

- directly by a service identifier drawn from the tag,
- as a function of “user preferences” that can be deduced directly or indirectly from information carried by the tag,
- as a function of profile data which can be taken from a history of previous “contacts” with this user, and/or other tags carried or information supplied by the user.

The same basic information may be used not only to take the decision to send a message, but also to draft or modify its contents.
When the short-range wireless communications technology used is Bluetooth, the Bluetooth communication address stored in the memory of the tag is immediately known, thus dispensing with the conventional Bluetooth address discovery phase. This advantage may also be obtained with other communication technologies wherein the discovery time of the communication interfaces is considerable.
More generally, the device according to the invention makes it possible to dispense with the discovery mode relative to the short-range wireless communication interface. In fact, this mode is particularly vulnerable to “spam” as it regularly distributes communication address data ComAdrDat or the like.
In the variant in which the communication address data, for example ComAdrDat, comprise a telephone number (or other number of a global telephone service), the device according to the invention offers universal communication possibilities, in that all mobile telephone equipment is capable of receiving a message from the device according to the invention while remaining highly secure against unsolicited messages for the reasons stated hereinbefore.
The devices of the prior art which have a tag reader on the mobile terminal 11 have a drawback: software for reading the contents of the radiofrequency tag has to be activated by the user. In fact, this is impractical and ineffective, as the user has a tendency to forget to activate the software. Alternatively, this software may be constantly active, but this then implies a permanent energy expenditure which is unacceptable for mobile terminals, which are known to have a limited autonomous electricity supply. The device according to the invention overcomes these drawbacks: on the one hand, there is no need for the user to activate detection software, and on the other hand the elements that consume the most energy are fixed and can therefore be connected to a major energy source, for example the mains electricity supply network.

Arrangements

The communication device 1 according to the invention may be arranged in various ways.
In the configuration in FIG. 4A the physical element of interest 7 is arranged inside a closed area 29 accessible by an obligatory pass-through point at which antennas 21A and 21B are provided. The Bluetooth interface 9 is arranged outside the area 29 and covers virtually all of it. The zone covered by the Bluetooth interface 9 defines the contextual service zone 5. The antennas 21 read the radiofrequency tag 17 carried by a user entering the area 29. The user can obtain the delivery of a contextual service anywhere within the area 29 but also outside it. It will be understood that the Bluetooth interface 29 could be provided inside the area 29 and its range adapted to cover substantially only the zone delimited by the enclosed area 29.
In a particular case (not shown), the antennas 21A and 21B are arranged to form an entry/exit detector, such as the detector described hereinbefore. The control platform 3 can then be programmed so as to abandon the process of delivering the contextual service when the antennas 21 detect that the user is leaving the area 29.
For example, the configuration of FIG. 4A may be used in a store: the communication address data ComAdrDat are read at the entrance to the store by the antennas 21A and 21B and the Bluetooth interface 9 sends commercial information inside the store.
In FIG. 4B, two physical elements of interest 7A and 7B are shown. Close to each of these elements 7A and 7B is provided an antenna 21 connected to the manager 19.
The elements 7A, 7B and the antennas 21 are arranged within the coverage zone of the short-range wireless communication interface 9. This coverage zone delimits the service zone 5. The tag 17 can be read when the user approaches one of the physical elements of interest 7A or 7B. The user can receive the contextual service anywhere in the zone 5.
The arrangement according to FIG. 4B can be used in an airport, for example. The elements 7A and 7B take the form of registration desks, possibly for different airlines. The communication address data ComAdrDat of the tag 17 are read at these desks using antennas 21. Information relating to a particular flight may be contained within the specific service data ServSpecDat of the same tag 17 or a different tag. Advantageously, the tag or tags 17 are then placed on the user's ticket. Even after he has left the desk, the user can be informed that his flight is about to embark, by receiving a message through the Bluetooth interface 9.
In FIG. 4C, two physical elements of interest 7A and 7B are arranged inside an enclosure 29 accessible by a single obligatory pass-through point at which two antennas 21 are provided. Close to each of the elements of interest 7A, 7B there is provided a short-range wireless communication interface 9A or 9B, respectively. Thus, a geographical zone surrounding the elements of interest 7A or 7B is covered by the short-range wireless communication interface 9A or 9B, respectively. Two service zones 5A and 5B are thus defined. The reading of the radiofrequency tag 17 carried by a user is carried out by the antennas 21 as he enters the area 29.
The arrangement in FIG. 4C can also be used in an airport. The communication address data ComAdrDat and the data relating to the user's flight can be read at the entrance to the airport. When the user approaches the embarkation point allocated to his airline (for example the element 7A) he receives time alerts, possibly at regular intervals, as to the final registration times.
In FIG. 4D, the physical element of interest 7, the antenna 21 and the short-range wireless communication interface 9 are arranged close to one another. The short-range wireless communication interface 9 defines a contextual service zone 5 centred on the physical element of interest 7.
The arrangement in FIG. 4D may be used externally in a street furniture element such as a town plan, for example. The communication address data ComAdrDat are read at said street furniture element (element of interest 7) by the antenna 21 and the location data for example are received through the Bluetooth interface 9 on the mobile terminal. All this takes place in a localised geographical zone.

Examples of Use

A non-restrictive example of the use of the device according to the invention will now be described.
A user contacts or is contacted by a contextual service provider who offers to provide for him, on his mobile telephone, targeted information relating to his particular interests.
The service provider enters in the memory of the tag 17 a first information item relating to the technology to be used to deliver the service, such as Bluetooth or GSM/GPRS. Depending on the particular case, the user's telephone number or the material address of the Bluetooth interface 13 of his portable telephone 11 is recorded in the memory of the tag 17. If appropriate, this Bluetooth address may be detected, for example if a Bluetooth discovery mode of the telephone, or the like, is activated.
The service provider also stores, as general service data ServGenDat, information identifying the advertising service targeted, and, as specific service data ServSpecDat, information identifying one or more spheres of interest of the user.
The provider gives a card bearing the tag 17 thus programmed to the user.
If the user goes to a store in which the device according to the invention is installed, the radiofrequency tag 17 that he carries is read, for example by antennas 21 arranged at the entrance to the store. After processing of the information collected by the platform 3, the user receives a message on his phone 11 listing the promotions on items connected with the sphere(s) of interest stored.
In a similar example, the user may wear a pullover on which the manufacturer has provided a tag 17 containing specific data relating to the brand of the pullover. When the user is also carrying a tag 17 containing communication address data ComAdrDat, he can receive on his mobile terminal 11 a list of promotions relating to the brand of pullover that he is wearing.

Nature of the Message Sent

The content pushed to the terminal may be a message of static content (such as a media text, a piece of music, an image or a video), in the sense that it is not a program. It may also be a active content in the sense of a program to be activated immediately (in the moment following the action needed to access the content).
Typically, it would be a Java program, “packaged” in a JAR-type archive containing not only the program (executable code) but also the appropriate data (such as information which is geo-dependent or dependent on the context).
The JAR (or equivalent) is hence an autonomous package (in the sense of self-sufficient) intended to be executed in the immediate vicinity of the physical object that delivers it. A package of this kind is referred to here as a “Griplet” (from the English word grip), as it is a small software application to be “gripped” by a movement of the hand and used immediately. The package could be deleted by the user when he has no further need for it, or replaced by another Griplet loaded from another physical object. Thus it is to some extent a “disposable” software application.
A number of griplets may be associated with the same service, each version corresponding to a different set of parameters. A griplet may also be generated dynamically in relation to the user's choice.
Numerous modes of distributing griplets and more generally applications to be pushed may be envisaged.
In a first mode, all the resources needed for the operation of the application are assembled in an archive, for example an archive of JAR format where the JAVA programming language is concerned. This archive may also be signed, so that the mobile terminal receiving it can verify the origin of the contents by means of a certificate.
In a second mode, the mobile terminal has an initial executable program which may, if applicable, be received by push. Complementary elements may be received subsequently, capable of interacting with the initial executable program. These elements may be received by push. These complementary elements may take the form of:

- a content that may be termed “static”, i.e. data of the text, image, sound or similar type, or composite documents,
- executable program modules that complete the functions of the initial program. A module is linked dynamically to the initial program: for example, in Java, such a function may be provided by the “classloader” mechanism, and/or
- code which the initial program has to interpret (i.e. scripts).

These complementary elements may influence the operation of the initial program.
As these elements are sent by push in the service zone, the activity of the application and its composition may develop as a function of the movements (or travel) of the user within the service zone and/or the handling of the tags carried out by the user.

Particular Applications

Different particular applications will now be considered.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a particular structure of a guide board with multiple antennas. Here, RFID antennas are used, for example. The board P50 has an active display zone AS on which symbols S00 to S33 appear, arranged in a matrix, for example. The user indicates the destination he wishes to reach by moving his RFID tag towards one of the symbols S00 to S33.
In a first embodiment (FIG. 5) the board P50 has laterally, in this case on the left-hand side of the active zone SA, at least two long oblique antennas LHR and LLR, of medium range (of the order of one metre) whose radiation axes converge towards the active zone SA. These antennas are for example the models CIPAM CIP_ANT-LF made by Texas Instruments.
The antennas LHR and LLR are permanently reading (in operation) and are provided in order to recognise tags bearing a data word containing a (variable) identification for connection with the carrier and, optionally, a fixed part which amounts to authorisation of access (directly or indirectly).
With this placement of antennas (at least two) relative to the board, when a response is detected from a tag, the power of the signal received is read at each antenna. From this the intersection of at least two arcs of a circle is deduced within the plane of the board, for example LHR1 and LLR1. The intersection located in the active zone SA denotes one of the symbols, in this case S11.
Other antenna arrangements may be envisaged, which indicate the intersection of two circles in every case, or several intersections if there are more than two antennas, thus possibly removing the ambiguity that exists when there are two different intersections within the zone SA. The ambiguity may also be removed by following the movement of the tag in front of the board P50, as the following of the movement may make one of the intersections improbable.
Alternatively or additionally (FIG. 6), a grid of very short range antennas may be arranged in front of or behind the plane of the board, level with each of the symbols S00 to S33. The antenna closest to the tag then determines which of the symbols S00 to S33 is meant. These antennas may be for example the models CIPAM CIP_ANT-LF made by Texas Instruments.
In both cases, the recognition is initiated by a tag held by the mobile terminal/user pair.
The following operations then take place (FIG. 7):

- at 700, the user is detected (and a communication address, for example his Bluetooth address), as well as the destination, defined here by the particular zone S00 to S33 which is designated by the proximity of the tag (alternatively or additionally, the destination may be defined by a code incorporated in the word that the tag contains).
- at 702, these data are sent to the local or remote server.
- at 704, dynamic creation by the server of a parameterised application, or griplet, to ensure navigation from the board to the destination. This application may contain, in particular, data specifying the destination, and the cartographic data needed to visualise the journey.
- at 706, the server “pushes” this application (griplet) to the user in question, using his communication address.
- at 708, the application (griplet) is received on the terminal (telephone) of the user.
- at 710, the user launches the application (griplet). Alternatively, the telephone is configured to activate the application (griplet) implicitly on receiving it. This alternative embodiment applies for example where the applications are certified and the telephone is able to verify the origin of the applications.
- at 712, the use of the application, in this case a navigation, may begin.

If the destination zone is precise enough, this destination forms the direct objective of the navigation. If not, a restricted list of intermediate locations (e.g. street names) to be reached may be listed for the user.
The navigator displays the map and starts the navigation (pinpointing the current position and the destination).

TYPICAL EXAMPLE

Contextual Service in an Urban Environment

This relates to notice boards capable of “pushing” griplets containing:

- a small satellite navigation software,
- a map and/or a plan of the area and/or a satellite photo and/or a small geographical information system regarding the zone around the board.

Let us assume that the user's terminal has its own GPS receiver (or equivalent) or a displaced GPS head (communicating with the terminal by Bluetooth for example).
All the user has to do is place his RFID close to the appropriate logo on the board (typically placed on the side containing the district map) to start up the navigation griplet almost immediately, without going through a selection menu of applications on the telephone (which is a major advantage in terms of ergonomics on a mobile terminal).
Similarly, when the user has no further use for this navigation griplet and has arrived for example at the entrance to the underground station that he was looking for, it could similarly place his RFID tag close to a board providing him with a griplet dedicated to the underground system (lines, timetables . . . ) or a similar one for the bus service.
If the mobile terminal/user pair does not have a GPS function (or equivalent), it is also possible to navigate from board to board.
Obviously, the guiding application is not restrictive. More generally, the griplet system enables the user to initiate services of assistance, aid or comfort, purely by placing his RFID close to the objects capable of delivering a contextual application of the griplet type, advantageously identified visually by a logo.

User Interface

The user interface may comprise the following elements:
a. Displaying a logo or other symbol at the physical object (board, in the embodiment described) capable of providing the information distributed. The logo tells the user that he has only to move close to the logo with his RFID card (or his telephone if the RFID tag is provided on it) in order for the object to “capture” the information he requires. This logo corresponds, in fact, to a “virtual grip”. The card may also be covered by said logo.
b. At the user level, it is necessary to provide the option of accessing the contents intuitively, by a movement: in the simplest case (a single “digital object” to be accessed) the movement may simply consist of placing the tag (or the mobile telephone+tag pair) close to the logo.
c. When a number of contents are provided, the selection may also be carried out in a “physical” manner:

- A number of logos are displayed on the menu of contents,
- To access the selected content, the user moves the tag towards the corresponding logo,
  - For example, an advertising hoarding may have two sides (one map and one advertisement) and provide two associated digital contents; a logo would then be placed on each side, with the appropriate antenna arrangement for detecting both sides. It is also possible to have several contents on each side.
  - A board may also contain several different contents (or the same content/service to be modified) as a function of a particular geometric arrangement on the hoarding: for example an orientation assistance hoarding may display a map and offer the user a navigation service to a destination selected on the hoarding by pointing to it with a tag. An array of antennas (e.g. in a grid pattern) is provided for detecting the different zones to be “pointed out” on the map, as described above.
  - In more complex cases it is also possible to associate commands with movements of tags, for example, moving the tag from right to left facing the logo, or from left to right, would produce two different commands. Here, again, an appropriate array of antennas is provided to detect the transition.

The skilled man will understand that a user interface of this kind enables the user to makes use of dynamic services very easily while still keeping the risk of SPAM (pushing of unsolicited messages) within legal limits. The interface will be capable of being used with future information distribution systems.
Optionally, the board or hoarding may be fitted with a lighting device the light emission characteristics of which, typically its colour, may depend on: the antenna that is currently reading the tag, the communication technology used, the proximity of the tag, the reading of data on the tag, movement, or the like. In particular, the board may be backlit so as to illuminate the antenna currently reading the contents of the tag.

Programming and Distribution of Tags

The use of the device according to the invention involves on the one hand the programming of a communication address of the mobile terminal 11 capable of being exploited by the platform 3 in the memory of a tag 17. Moreover, the tags (or portable objects) have to be given out to the users.
A first solution is to distribute the tags “on site”, i.e. close to the place where the device according to the invention is installed. For example, a desk or collection window may be provided on site for the distribution of tags 17. A tag 17 may also be delivered at the same time as another service: in an airport, for example, a tag may be handed to the user together with his boarding card, at the check-in desk.
When the communication address is known by the user, typically when it is a mobile telephone number, the address may be recorded in the tag 17 instead of handing out the tag in response to simple information provided by the user. If appropriate, the telephone number may be tested (by a call or by sending a message such as an SMS message, for example) to prevent errors in the number recorded.
However, the communication address may not be known to the user, e.g. if it is a so-called “low level” address such as a material address of a Bluetooth interface.
In this case, the user may be asked to put his telephone into “discoverable” mode, when the wireless communication interface requires it (this is true of Bluetooth, for example). A terminal detecting device that conforms to the wireless technology used can then draw up a list of mobile terminals identified as being present within its range. When the user terminal is identified, a tag is programmed with the address detected and identified. Optionally, a griplet may be sent to the terminal by the push method, and this griplet may in turn interact with the device according to the invention.
In the embodiment in FIG. 2B, a user identifier in a database may be programmed into the memory of the tag 17.
A second solution is to supply the tag 17 after an ordering step, e.g. using an Internet-service. In this case, a low level address may optionally be detected by the Internet access terminal. For example, a personal computer having a Bluetooth interface can determine the material address of a Bluetooth interface of a mobile terminal.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

In the description of the architecture of the device provided hereinbefore in connection with FIG. 1, in particular, a control platform 3 arranged locally was considered. However, this control platform 3 may be at least partly displaced. For example, a part of the control platform 3 running the manager 19 and the interface 9 may be arranged locally and connected to a part of the control platform managing the interface 25. The connection between these parts may take the form of an Internet connection.
The above description relates to the delivery of a contextual service to a user as a function of data specific to this user and utilised by the contextual service. In some cases the contextual service delivered to a particular user may depend on the data specific to a plurality of users put together by the device specific to a number of users. Conversely, a contextual service determined on the basis of data specific to a particular user may be delivered in identical fashion to a plurality of users.
FIGS. 3 and 7 may be seen as illustrating these processes.
More precisely, the invention may also be seen as a local communication process.
Very generally, such a process comprises the following steps:
a. at a selected location, having the use of a plurality of passive portable objects each containing at least one code word,
b. providing a plurality of beacons, each capable of interacting with a portable object in order to acquire the code word that it contains,
c. in the presence of an interaction between a beacon and a portable object:

- c1. at least temporarily storing the code word acquired, then
- c2. implementing a decision mechanism relating to the spontaneous
- sending of a message, in which the decision to send a message, its contents and/or its destination address depend at least partly on the code word stored.

Of course, this process may be refined according to the different variants listed in the present description. Thus, for example, in the case of the board (FIGS. 5 and 6):

- step a. is carried out with the board provided in a selected location, while the user has a plurality of passive portable objects each containing at least one code word,
- as for step b., in the same location as the board in the example, one or more beacons are also provided, each capable of interacting with a portable object 17, in order to capture the code word that it contains.
- Finally, in step c., the message may take one of the forms described above, particularly a link to an Internet site, or an executable application.

In the device described, a GSM interface is used. It will be understood that any type of widespread global communication in which the interface is determined by a number known to the user and capable of supporting the sending of messages as described herein may be used.
Similarly, the invention is not limited to a Bluetooth type interface but includes all interfaces that conform to a local wireless communication technology, the interfaces of which can be integrated in mobile terminals, as described hereinbefore.
Finally, this specification has discussed radiofrequency tags of the RFID type, but the invention could equally be used with any device of a reasonable size that is portable, capable of storing data and can be read at a short distance by suitable equipment.
The present invention may be used in an installation such as that described in French Patent Application no. 0503678 filed on 13 Apr. 2005 by the present Applicant, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to all intents and purposes.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but encompasses all the variants that may be envisaged by the skilled man within the scope of the claims that follow.

Claims

1. Local communication device of the type comprising:

a station (9; 25) having a mode of communication with mobile terminals (11),

a controller (3) capable of sending a message intended for one or more mobile terminals (11), characterised in that

the device further comprises a beacon (19; 21; 21A; 21B) capable of interacting with at least one passive portable object (17), in order to acquire at least one code word from such a portable object (17),

the controller (3) is arranged to as to:

interact with the beacon (19; 21; 21A; 21B) in order to store the code word acquired, at least temporarily,

then, following such an interaction, to implement a decision mechanism relating to the spontaneous sending of a message, wherein the decision to send a message, its contents and/or the destination address depend at least partly on the code word stored.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the code word comprises a representation of a call address for a mobile terminal (11).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that the controller is arranged so that the decision to send a message, and/or its contents, depend at least partly on attributes than can be determined from the call address.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the beacon (19; 21A; 21B) is implanted as a monitor of access to a space zone covered by at least one station (9; 25) according to a short-range communication mode, so that after interaction between a portable object (17) and the beacon (19; 21A; 21B) on passing the access monitor, communications between the station or stations (9; 25) and the mobile terminal (11) are permitted substantially over the entire space zone in question.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of beacons (19; 21) implanted physically in proximity to zones of interest (7), so that after interaction between a portable object (17) and a beacon (19; 21) of this kind, communications between the station or one of the stations (9; 25) and the mobile terminal (11) are permitted as a function of a comparison between personal attributes designated by a portable object (17) and attributes of the zone of interest associated with the beacon (19; 21).

6. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that

the station (9; 25) is capable of sending the messages by short-range communication and by sending messages through a telecommunications link, and 15

the controller (3) is arranged to send the message by short-range communication or through the telecommunications link each time, as a function of at least one of the codes of said code word.

7. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the station (9; 25) comprises a global-type communications mode.

8. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the station (9; 25) comprises a short-range wireless communications mode.

9. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the portable object (17) comprises at least one radiofrequency tag (17).

10. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the beacon comprises a board (PZO) provided with at least two antennas arranged so as to 30 determine the position of a portable object on the board by measuring the intensity of signals received by the respective antennas.

11. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the beacon comprises a board equipped with a plurality of antennas, arranged in a grid pattern, for example, so that the position of a portable object (17) facing the board can be detected by means for identifying the antenna that is closest to the object.

12. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the decision to send a message and/or its contents further depend at least partly on the position of the portable object on the board.

13. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the decision to send a message and/or its contents further depend at least partly on a movement caused to the portable object in front of the board.

14. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the code word comprises an identifier of a communication address for the mobile terminal (11) and an identifier of at least one contextual service to be supplied.

15. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the code word comprises an identifier of a contextual service to be supplied and at least 20 one parameter specific to said service.

16. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the message comprises a program that can be run directly by the mobile terminal (11).

17. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the code word contains an address for a database entry.

18. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the decision to send a message and/or its contents depend at least partly on code words stored from a plurality of portable objects (17).

19. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the decision to send a message and/or its contents depend at least partly on a plurality of code words.