Automated traffic control and billing for billboard advertising
An automated traffic control and billing system for billboard advertising searches a relational database having contract terms for billboards having powered features (such as illumination), and establishes one or more approval conditions for a specific billboard based on its corresponding contract terms. An approval condition may be payment of an invoice by a due date. The system monitors compliance with the approval condition, and generates a control signal when non-compliance is detected. A local signage control unit co-located at the billboard disables operation of the powered feature in response to the control signal. In those cases where the billboard has multiple powered features, the local signage control unit can selectively disable only one of the powered features associated with the non-paying customer. The powered feature is disabled according to different means depending on its nature; in an illustrative embodiment electricity to the feature is simply turned off.
1. A method of managing powered billboards by a workstation, comprises:
storing, in a relational database, customer contracted condition data defining parameters for at least one condition of a plurality of conditions related to operation of a plurality of the powered billboards, the customer contracted condition data including at least customer contracted financial compliance parameters related to a customer's reservation of a powered feature of a plurality of powered features of the powered billboards located at a plurality of physical location, wherein the plurality of powered features include one or more of: lighting, motor operation or content display;
establishing at least one approval condition, related to the powered feature, including a requirement that the customer contracted financial compliance parameters match one of a plurality of predetermined contracted financial booking status conditions;
monitoring customer compliance with the at least one approval condition;
setting a flag, in the relational database, indicative of the customer compliance or a non-compliance with the at least one approval condition; and
generating a control signal in response to a non-compliance with the at least one approval condition of a targeted powered billboard at a target location of the plurality of physical locations;
transmitting, via the workstation, the control signal to a local signage control unit (LSCU) at the targeted powered billboard;
selectively disabling, through the LSCU, only the powered features associated with the non-compliance of the targeted powered billboard responsive to the transmitted control signal without disabling powered features not associated with the non-compliance; and
receiving via the workstation, responsive to the transmitted control signal, a confirmation signal from the LSCU indicating the disabling of the powered feature of the targeted powered billboard.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring is performed periodically.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one approval condition further includes a requirement of payment of an invoice by a due date.
4. The method of claim 3 further comprises:
monitoring power usage by the powered feature; and
including an amount in the invoice based on the power usage.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powered billboard has multiple powered features, and the selectively disabling disables only one of the plurality of powered features.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powered billboard is a billboard electronic display.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powered feature is disabled by disrupting electricity to the powered feature.
8. A contract management and billing system for an electronic billboard, comprises:
a workstation, located remotely from the electronic billboard having a plurality of powered features, wherein the plurality of powered features include one or more of: lighting, motor operation or content display, and wherein the workstation, based on both a booking status condition and in response to detecting that a payment due date associated with operation of a subset of the plurality of powered features has passed without payment confirmation, sets a flag in a relational database indicative of customer compliance with contacted parameters and generates, for flag indicating customer non-compliance, a control signal in response indicating that the subset of the plurality of powered features of the electronic billboard are to be disabled, the workstation transmitting the control signal, wherein powered features not part of the subset are not disabled; and
a local signage control unit, proximate to the electronic billboard, which in response to receipt of the transmitted control signal, disables operation of the subset of the plurality of powered features of the electronic billboard and transmits a confirmation signal indicating disablement of the subset of the plurality of powered features.
9. The contract management and billing system of claim 8 , wherein the workstation searches the relational database including contract terms for a plurality of signs including the electronic billboard, and establishes an approval condition based on one or more of the contract terms for the electronic billboard.
10. The contract management and billing system of claim 9 , wherein the approval condition includes a valid booking status condition, the valid booking status condition providing a valid indication related to customer reservation of a powered feature of the plurality of powered features of the electronic billboard.
11. The contract management and billing system of claim 8 , wherein the local signage control unit monitors power usage by the plurality of powered features, and an invoice generated by the contract management and billing system includes an amount based on power usage by the subset of the plurality of powered features.
12. The contract management and billing system of claim 9 , wherein the workstation automatically monitors customer compliance with the approval condition.
13. The contract management and billing system of claim 12 , wherein the workstation monitoring is performed periodically.
14. The contract management and billing system of claim 8 , wherein the local signage control unit selectively disables only one of the plurality of powered features.
15. The contract management and billing system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of powered features is disabled by switching electricity to the at least one of the subset of the plurality of powered features off.