Providing kiosk service offerings in a personal area network
View Patent ↗A method for delivering electronic services in a personal area network (PAN) can include providing a kiosk in a publicly traversable area. The kiosk can be configured to deliver electronic services over short-range radio communications links to wireless devices in a personal area network (PAN). The kiosk also can be configured to communicate over an existing physical communications link medium. A PAN can be established in the publicly traversable area. Electronic services can be selectably retrieved through the existing physical communications link medium into the kiosk. Finally, the retrieved selected electronic services can be delivered to wireless devices in the PAN over the short-range radio communications link. Notably, the step of establishing a PAN in the publicly traversable area can include establishing a BLUETOOTH-based PAN with wireless devices in the publicly traversable area. In addition, the step of providing a kiosk first can include retrofitting an existing kiosk both with a short-range radio frequency communications system, and with a host computing device for selectively retrieving electronic services over the existing physical communications link medium, and for delivering selected electronic services to the wireless devices in the PAN. Second, the retrofitted kiosk can be activated in the publicly traversable area.
1. A kiosk system for distributing electronic services to wireless devices in a wireless personal area network (PAN) comprising:
a publicly located and fixed positioned kiosk retrofitted with a host computing device for selectively retrieving electronic services from remote servers over an existing physical communications link to an existing communications network and a short-range frequency communications system for delivering selected electronic services over a short-range frequency communications link to wireless devices in a personal area network (PAN), said kiosk maintaining a list of available electronic services including data and applications;
wherein a portion of the available electronic services are stored locally within the kiosk, and wherein a different portion of the available electronic services are retrievable by the kiosk from servers of the existing communications network via the physical communications link; and
wherein the kiosk, in response to subscriber queries received from the wireless devices, generates subscriber-specific lists of available services by selecting among a list of all available services, each of the selections being based upon at least one of a subscriber prioritization, a predetermined value assigned to the subscriber, advertising revenues associated with each available service, and communication resources of the wireless devices;
wherein the kiosk conveys the subscriber-specific lists to the wireless devices for presentment to subscribers and receives a request for at least one of the available electronic services included in the subscriber-specific list from the wireless device;
wherein the kiosk determines if the requested electronic services wholly reside in the kiosk and if components of the requested electronic services reside in the kiosk;
wherein if it is determined that the requested electronic services wholly reside in the kiosk, the kiosk delivers the requested electronic services to the wireless device in the PAN without retrieving the requested electronic services over the existing physical communications link;
wherein if it is determined that certain components of the requested electronic services reside in the kiosk, the kiosk delivers the certain components to the wireless device while retrieving remaining components of requested electronic services over the existing physical communications link; and
wherein if it is determined that none of the requested electronic services resides in the kiosk, the kiosk retrieves the requested electronic services over the existing physical communications link and delivers the retrieved electronic services to the wireless device in the PAN.
2. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said wireless communications system is configured in accordance with BLUETOOTH specifications.
3. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said kiosk is a public telephone.
4. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said physical communications link is selected from the group consisting of a telephone network communications link and a data communications link.
5. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said server is an application server.
6. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said existing communications network is an Internet.
7. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein the kiosk: functions as a wireless access point for accessing an Internet.
8. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said kiosk is a gas station island.
9. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said kiosk is a ticketing booth.
10. The kiosk system of claim 1 , wherein said kiosk is a toll booth.