- Number
- 10390374
- Published
- 2019-08-20
- Filed
- 2016-09-30
- Assignee
- DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
- Inventors
- Boling; Shawn et al.
- CPC
- H04W76/11; H04W48/10; H04W4/02; H04W84/18; H04W12/50; H04W4/029; H04W12/08; H04W76/10
- Verdict
- Set aside configurable communication infrastructure for event spaces, wireless network infra
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
Abstract
One embodiment provides a system for event space communication infrastructure, including: a plurality of mobile infrastructure devices; each of the plurality of mobile infrastructure devices being associated with one or more predetermined users; each of the plurality of mobile infrastructure devices comprising a wireless communication device that: broadcasts a unique identifier associated with a predetermined user; detects a response from at least one client mobile device; switches into a communication mode after detecting the response; and establishes data exchange with the at least one client mobile device. Other aspects are described and claimed.
Background
BACKGROUND(1) Convention floor spaces, trade show venues and similar event spaces pose challenges with respect to providing a communication infrastructure therewith. This is at least in part due to the fact that event spaces change dynamically, e.g., vendor or booth locations change over the course of a convention or between events.(2) Typically, broad-coverage Wi-Fi® access or cellular networks are used for providing indoor or outdoor wireless communication capabilities in such scenarios, but these networks tend to cover the entire event space (or large portions thereof) indiscriminately. Wi-Fi® access points or routers are installed in fixed locations in an un-configured event space, which results in uneven coverage patterns. Moreover, the coverage pattern will often change unpredictably once the event space is configured for a particular event as temporary structures, signage, and even people cause signal attenuation and reflection. Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance in the United States and other countries.(3) Conventionally, attendees at events have relied on wide area coverage wireless networks, e.g., Wi-Fi® or cellular networks, and turned to more traditional solutions for targeted exchange of information. For example, conference attendees have Wi-Fi® access but still rely on leaving a business card with a booth or vendor of interest. In some cases, scanning a magnetic strip card is used to pass simple identifying information. In order to obtain other i
Claims
1. A system for event space communication infrastructure, comprising: a plurality of mobile infrastructure devices; each of the plurality of mobile infrastructure devices being associated with one or more predetermined users within a venue; each of the plurality of mobile infrastructure devices comprising a wireless communication device that: broadcasts a unique identifier associated with a specific one of the one or more predetermined users within the venue; detects a response from at least one client mobile device, wherein the at least one client mobile device runs an application associated with the venue and wherein a user of the corresponding at least one mobile device has identified interest in receiving information from the specific one of the one or more predetermined users via use of the application prior to an event at the venue, and wherein the response is generated by the at least one client mobile device responsive to determining presence of the unique identifier in a received signal; switches from a broadcast mode into a two-way communication mode after detecting the response; and establishes data exchange with the at least one client mobile device including communicating, or providing access to, the information.
12. A method for event space communication, comprising: broadcasting, with a mobile infrastructure device, a unique identifier associated with a predetermined user among a plurality of potential users within a venue; detecting, at the mobile infrastructure device, a response from at least one client mobile device, wherein the at least one client mobile device comprises an application associated with the venue and providing a listing of the plurality of potential users and wherein a user of the corresponding at least one mobile device has identified interest in the predetermined user via use of the application prior to an event at the venue, and wherein the response is generated from the at least one client mobile device responsive to receipt and processing of a signal including the unique identifier; switching the mobile infrastructure device from a broadcast mode into a communication mode after detecting the response; and establishing, between the mobile infrastructure device and the at least one client mobile device, data exchange including transfer of, or providing access to, information identified by the user via the application to the at least one client mobile device and further including providing unique identifying information for the user of the at least one mobile device to the predetermined user of the mobile infrastructure device.
15. A method for event space communication, comprising: providing, to a client mobile device, an application comprising predetermined user information associated with vendors within a venue; receiving, from the client mobile device via the application, an indication of interest in a predetermined user from a plurality of predetermined users included in the predetermined user information prior to an event at the venue; identifying, using a processor, the predetermined user based on the indication of interest, wherein the identifying is responsive to determining the client mobile device is within proximity of the predetermined user within the venue based upon receiving a unique identifier of the predetermined user and matching the unique identifier to the predetermined user identified from the client mobile device; providing, to the client mobile device, a signal with the unique identifier of the predetermined user; thereafter communicating, to a mobile infrastructure device assigned to the predetermined user, a unique identifier of a user of the client mobile device; and establishing a two-way data exchange between the user of the client mobile device and the predetermined user of the mobile infrastructure device.
18. A mobile infrastructure device for event space communication, comprising: a communication device that broadcasts a unique identifier associated with a predetermined user within a venue; and a processor that detects a response from at least one client mobile device and switches from a broadcast mode into a communication mode after detecting the response wherein the at least one client mobile device comprises an application associated with the venue and wherein a user of the corresponding at least one mobile device has identified interest in at least one of the one or more predetermined users via use of the application prior to an event at the venue, and wherein the response is generated from the at least one client mobile device responsive to the unique identifier matching the at least one of the one or more predetermined users, wherein the communication device, after detecting the response from the at least one client device, establishes data exchange with the at least one client mobile device, wherein the processor: detects one or more other mobile infrastructure devices in communication range with the communication device and, in response, forms or joins a mesh network comprising the mobile infrastructure device and the detected one or more other mobile infrastructure devices, and wherein the mesh network is used by mobile infrastructure device to communicate with a server providing a manager database through a communication path including a subset of the detected one or more other mobile infrastructure devices.