Method and system for providing personalized online services and advertisements in public spaces

Abstract

A method and system for providing personalized and integrated online services for communications and commercial transactions both in private and public venues. The invention provides personalized information that is conveniently accessible through a network of public access stations (or terminals) which are enabled by a personal system access card (e.g., smart card). The invention also provides advertisers the opportunity to directly engage actual and potential user-consumers with selected advertising or marketing content based on each user's profile and usage history.

Description

[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional applications 60 / 132,168 and 60 / 160,760, filed on May 3, 1999 and Oct. 21, 1999, respectively. The entirety of both of these applications is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to methods and systems for providing online services, and more particularly, to methods and systems for providing personalized and integrated online communications, information, advertising, and commercial transactions in public spaces or venues. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The use of the Internet as a medium of both personal communication and commercial activity has increased substantially in recent years. Although the Internet has the potential to provide individual users with information content on an almost limitless number of topics, the typical manner of using the Internet suffers from a number of drawbacks. The user must specifically seek out the inf...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0030] One advantage of the invention is that the user receives desired information over the internet without time-consuming searching. Another advantage of the invention is that internet access is provided in public places, and which allows businesses to specifically target users who desire information on the products offered. The invention also creates a community of users.

Problems solved by technology

Although the Internet has the potential to provide individual users with information content on an almost limitless number of topics, the typical manner of using the Internet suffers from a number of drawbacks.

The user must specifically seek out the information he desires to obtain, and may in fact be unable to do so.

For this reason, many people find using the Internet to be too labor-intensive to be effectively used.

However, much of the information in particular channels may be of little interest to the user, who has no way of limiting the information other than selecting particular channels which might be of interest.

Thus, although the “push” model does relieve the user of the burden of searching, it may provide much information that the user does not desire.

Such hybrid systems, however, place a high burden upon the user of sorting desired and undesired information.

Information from the Internet, as well as email communication, is typically unavailable to users in public spaces, when users are likely to engage in commercial activity and when users may need to send or receive messages from others.

While the Internet is commonly used as an advertising medium, Internet advertising portals do not provide businesses with a means of directly engaging Internet users because of the user-driven nature of the medium, which requires that the potential consumer initiate contact with the advertiser rather than the other way around.

Personal communications over the Internet also suffer from a number of drawbacks.

Although bulletin board or chat sites provide Internet users with the opportunity to communicate with other Internet users on particular topics, the Internet does not itself create a “virtual community” (since an individual must first find and then access the bulletin board or chat site) nor does it provide an individual with the opportunity to engage a community of users on a variety of topics.

Local city or municipality based Internet sites likewise fail to provide a community of users for communication across any number of topics.

Although existing communications systems using the Internet do not resolve the foregoing limitations, these systems do provide email or Internet kiosks or public computer networks in public spaces such as airports, hotels, and shopping mails.

However, access to these networks is expensive and involves a relatively high per minute or per session charge.

The high cost of such systems is exacerbated by the fact that the user must search for desired information, rather than simply receiving desired information that can be quickly reviewed Inefficiencies inherent in Internet search engines may prevent the user from obtaining the desired information even after extensive searching, resulting not only in lost time and needless expense, but frustration to the user.

Consequently, it suffers from all of the limitations of Internet service provider (ISP)-based Internet access.

Such “pay per use” systems do nothing to alter the user-driven nature of the medium by relieving the user of the burden of seeking out desired information through search engines and other search techniques which can be both time-consuming and unsuccessful.

Nor do fee-based Internet systems provide businesses with a way to engage Internet users in a dynamic, personalized way and thereby assist the user in obtaining information that the user desires.

The equipment used for existing fee-based access is bulky, has the look and feel of a traditional computer, and utilizes a standard browser or desktop interface.

None of the networks offering Internet access for a per-session fee are intended to build a virtual community for which advertisers are willing to bear the cost of network construction and operation in exchange for access to these consumers.

While such devices provide access to the Internet in public spaces, a number of drawbacks exist.

Additionally, the user must have an Internet service provider account that allows for such service at an additional per-month cost.

Finally, the keyboard size and functionality of hand-held computing devices is limited by the size and form factor.

However, while cellular telephones offer great utility for voice communications, they do not lend themselves to interacting with data communication, interactive information, and transaction processing.

Given the functionality that most computer users have become familiar with on their desktop computer, the size and information display capabilities of cellular telephones limits their use as an effective means of providing consumers with access to the foregoing types of communication, and prohibits it altogether in many cases.

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