WO2002001526A2

WO2002001526A2 - A time information transmission system

Info

Publication number: WO2002001526A2
Application number: PCT/EP2001/007353
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Kieslinger
Original assignee: Interaction Design Institute Ivrea Associazione
Priority date: 2000-06-27
Filing date: 2001-06-27
Publication date: 2002-01-03
Also published as: WO2002001526A3; AU2001287564A1; GB0015704D0

Abstract

A time information transmission system for providing real-time information on services availability time, e.g. waiting times or timetables is described. The system comprises: a plurality of time information provider units (1) each associated with a service provider, for supplying up-to-date time information on the availability of the respective services; a plurality of subscriber units (3) for requesting and receiving time information on the availability of selected services; and a system management unit (2) coupled to the provider units (1) and the subscriber units (3), and including: a first database (15) for collecting and storing up-to-date time information transmitted from the provider units (1); a second database (16) for collecting and storing information requests transmitted from the subscriber units (3); and a matching circuit (18) arranged for comparing the time information stored in the first database (15) with the information requests stored in the second database (16), and for selectively transmitting to each subscriber unit (3) the time information it has required.

Description

A time information transmission system

This invention relates to a time information transmission system of the type referred to in the preamble to Claim 1, and particularly to a system in which real-time information is transmitted from different sources through a wireless network to a mobile display.

Time information includes, for example, the arrival times of public transport' facilities, waiting times of queues, and the scheduled times of arrival of service companies. This information can be frequently updated.

For example, it is a common fact that at peak times the demand exceeds available public services. Services cannot be piled up and they must be made available as customers ask for them. The demands of the customers vary over time, and once they grow above a level where the service can be promptly provided, then queues are going to occur. Long queues happen in even very well planned organizations. Customers dislike queues because they see them as unproductive, stressful and uncomfortable situations .

To avoid queues it would be necessary to arrange the services so that they can exceed even the peak demands. Since this is an extremely costly solution, it is done only in very rare cases .

Conversely, displays for arrivals times of public transportation are existing already, but suffer from the disadvantage that they are installed . at the stations and cannot be viewed before entering the building. For other time involved services, like the waiting time for a service repairman information, displays are not available at all.

Although mobile SMS based information systems are known, they have a problematic interface upon which it is difficult to view several time information on the same display, and thus are awkward to use. _t — _ _ _

The aim of the present invention is to provide a system for supplying people with real-time personalized information on services (trains, buses, schedules, queue waiting times, etc.) that might be relevant for them to organize their personal flow of time.

According to the present invention, this aim is achieved by means of a time information transmission system having the characteristics recited in Claim 1. Embodiments thereof are defined in the dependent claims.

There are many companies and institutions who produce realtime information that could made accessible to their customers. For example, public transportation companies could give their customers up-to-date information on their vehicles. Airport could inform the travellers about the latest arrival, departure and boarding times. Express couriers and customer service companies could inform the people waiting when they are due to arrive at their place . , __

The present invention advantageously provides a system which allows relevant time information supplied by a provider to be frequently monitored by a user or subscriber. Preferably the user can select from a pool of available times that are provided by the time information suppliers, and view relevant information through a multiple time display.

Any company or institution that interacts with clients on a timely base, where clients may have to wait for services, may be associated with a time information provider unit.

Examples of time information suppliers are: public transportation organizations that provide arrival times for their vehicles, home service and delivery companies that provide ar- rival times for the repair or delivery men or companies and organizations such as banks or doctors surgeries where queues are common. A user (subscriber) is everybody who wants to have more control of time information regarding services he is utilizing.

Each information supplier has a unique address within the system. According to the invention, time information is preferably sent within a modern wireless network, such as the Universal Mobile' Telecommunications system (UMTS) which allows constant connection to the .network compared to the already existing networks that need establish special links for each transaction.

Accordingly, the system seeks to provide a plurality of users with a wireless data receiver powered by a battery, having an electronic display. Preferably, the device is an independent unit, configurations which involve a mobile phone are feasible, where the phone acts as a high-powered receiver or is even built into one. Besides mobile or wearable devices, a stationary device may be utilized as a subscriber unit, mainly for displaying information to multiple users.

Two main specific uses of the present invention shall now be described by way of example. First, it is often frustrating when one misses the bus at a bus stop. With this invention the user can monitor the arrival time of the. next bus before going to the bus and so can determine when to leave the building in order to catch the bus. Second, an appointment with a home service repair company can never be absolutely accurate and is usually set in a time frame of several hours . Often the schedule of the repairman changes considerably due to unforeseen circumstances and, as a result, customers have to wait in, because the repairman can't say exactly when he will arrive. The present invention allows the user to be informed when the repairman is due to arrive and therefore does not waste time waiting. ^{~ ~-} The system according to the invention may also act for communicating delays occurring to trains and airplanes, for maintaining tracking of an express courier, for monitoring appointment and visit times in medical centres and hospitals, for monitoring shared appliances operation times (e.g. washing machines) , for monitoring queues lengths in banks, shops, canteens, skiing areas, amusements parks and tourist attractions .

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be explained in greater detail in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a system overview according to the invention,

Figures 2a, 2b, 2c show examples of a subscriber unit,

Figure 3 shows a possible display layout, and

Figure 4 shows a block diagram schematic representation of the subscriber unit.

As shown in Figure 1, a number of time information provider units is indicated 1. They are arranged for sending real-time information to a system management unit 2.

Analogously, one of a number of subscriber units for requesting and receiving time information is indicated 3. The system management unit 2 is coupled to the subscriber unit 3 through a wireless network 4, and the subscriber unit comprises a mobile device 5.

The time information supplied by a provider unit 1 comprises the service availability, time data 7 of a particular time point 8, together with a provider identification 9. There are configurations which involve only a single time point such as a counter in a canteen, where the queue time length is sent along with the time point identification. And there are configurations which involve multiple time points such as a bus route, where each bus stop is defined by an individual time point .

The time information request sent by a subscriber unit 3 comprises a subscriber identification 10, a time point 11 and a request activation flag 12. ^"~

Whenever the time information is updated for a specific time point 8 the resulting information is sent either through wired or wireless connection to a provider database 15. There the information is mapped to the requests stored in a subscriber database 16 that contains a list of selected time points 11, by means of a matching circuit 18. If the circuit 18 matches an activated request (i.e. a request whose activation flag 12 has been switched on) it combines the address 10 of the subscriber having activated said request with the respective time information stored in the provider database 15 and then it send said information to the subscriber unit 3 via wireless network 4. ' __

The list of selected time points 11 in the subscriber database 16 can be edited either through the described mobile device 5 itself or through any other networked input system such as a web browser. The activation of each time point 11 in the list of selected time points is done through the device 5 itself.

I The wireless network through which the information is sent can be either based on the GSM, CDMA, DECT or any other wider available standard. The criteria for the used system is that the system management unit 2 can send the requested information through wireless gateways 20 to the mobile device 5. Figures 2a-2c show that the device 5 can be embodied in form of a wrist arm device 22, or can be built into any other mobile device, for example a PDA 24 or a mobile phone 26. It comprises an LCD display 30 and interface/menu buttons 32 that allow the user to select and activate different time points 11. i

Referring now to figure 3, the data shown on the display of the device 5 are the name 34 of a time point, in this case a specific canteen, and the amount of time 36 associated with this time point and indicating the service availability time. The display also includes a visual menu 38 that can be controlled through the menu buttons 32. This menu allows the user to access the list of selected time points in order to activate them. _ _ _ I _ 1

Figure 4 shows the schematic of the device 5. It includes a microprocessor 40 for protocol processing. The microprocessor controls the button interface 32, a RF Band receiver/transmitter 42, the LCD display 30 and a Flash and a /SRAM memory 44, 46 respectively.

Advantageously, systems already in place for the management of time information may be suitable for combination with the time information transmission system described, provided they are connected to a wired or wireless network. As an example, in certain cities a tracking system for vehicles used for public transports already exists. The vehicles are equipped with GPS systems that report their actual location to a traffic central, which is therefore able to predict time for the rest of the route. Real-time data about the location and speed of the trains are already available to train companies, so as updated information about arrivals and departures to airports . This information may be also routed to the system management unit 2 according to the invention to make it available to the subscribers. Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments may be varied widely with respect to those described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

1. A time information transmission system for providing real-time information on services availability time, e.g. waiting times or timetables, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of time information provider units (1) each associated with a service provider, for supplying up-to-date 'time information on the availability of the respective services; a plurality of subscriber units (3) for requesting and receiving time information on the availability of selected services; and ^_ a system management unit (2) coupled to said provider units (1) and said subscriber units (3) , and including:

- a first database (15) for collecting and storing up- to-date time information transmitted from said provider units (1);

- a second database (16) for collecting and storing information requests transmitted from said subscriber units (3) ; and ,

- matching means (18) arranged for comparing said time information stored in the first database (15) with said information requests stored in the second database (16) , and for selectively transmitting to each subscriber unit (3) the time information it has required.

2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein the time information comprise a provider identification data field (9) , a time point data field (8) and a service availability time data field (7) .

3. A system according to Claim 1, wherein the information request comprises a subscriber identification data field

(10) , a time point data field (11) and a request activation flag (12) . . , A system according to Claim 3 , wherein said matching means (18) are arranged for sending a time information to a subscriber unit (3) having made a request therefor, on the basis of the status of the respective request activation flag

(12) .

5. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said system management unit (2) is coupled to a time information provider unit (1) through a wired network.

6. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said system management unit (2) is coupled to a time information provider unit (1) through a wireless network.

7. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said system management unit (2) is coupled to a subscriber unit (3) through a wired network. L

8. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said system management unit (2) is coupled to a subscriber unit (3) through a wireless network (4) .

9. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a subscriber unit (3) is incorporated in a mobile device (5). - - —

10. A system according to Claim 9, wherein a subscriber unit (3) is incorporated in a mobile phone (26) . '

11. A system according to Claim 9, wherein a subscriber unit (3) is incorporated in a wrist watch (22) .

12. A system according to any one of claims from 1 to 8, wherein a subscriber unit (3) is incorporated in a personal computer or other stationary unit.

13. A system according to Claim 3 , wherein a subscriber unit (3) comprises means (32, 42) for communicating operating pa- ; rameters to said management unit (2) .

14. A system according to Claim 13, wherein said means (32, 42) for communicating operating parameters is arranged for transmitting subscriber identification data (10) and editing time points data (11) .

15. A system according to Claim 13, wherein said means (32, 42) for communicating operating parameters is arranged for selecting a request activation flag (12) -and for switching it on. ^~

16. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a subscriber unit (3) comprises means (30) for displaying information received from said management unit (2) .