Device and method for communication location-specific messages

A method for communicating location-specific messages includes storing a library of such messages within a portable device having a capability of randoly accessing the messages. Each location-specific message has a content that is related to a particular geographical location within a facility. At each of the geographical locations, there is a device-readable identification of an identifier for each location-specific message relating to that geographical location. In the preferred embodiment, the identifier is transmitted to the portable device wirelessly. Also in the preferred embodiment, the message library is contained on a recording medium that facilitates automated random access, such as a compact disk, and the portable device is a personal digital assistant (PDA). In an application of the method, map information may be prerecorded and supplemented or complemented with time-dependent information downloaded from a source. The fixed map information and the time-dependent information may then be accessed to locate a particular site specified by the time-dependent information. For example, the map information may include gate locations within an airport and the time-dependent information may include flight arrival and departure times.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
 The invention relates generally to methods and devices for communicating 
 messages, and more particularly to methods and devices for presenting 
 messages that are specific to locations within a particular facility. 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
 There are numerous occasions for which access to geographically based 
 messages relating to a particular facility is important to a visitor of 
 the facility. Within an airport, there are both fixed information, such as
 the directions to gates, and time-dependent information, such as the 
 arrival and departure times of flights. The fixed information is presented
 as location-specific messages on overhead signs, while the time-dependent 
 information is often presented on a monitor. Access to geographically 
 based information is also important to visitors of museums, conference 
 halls, and other facilities having an arrangement of different exhibits 
 and displays. 
 One known method of presenting location-specific messages is to attach a 
 plaque at each display. For example, each site within a museum may include
 a plaque that provides background information relevant to the display at 
 the site. A concern with this method is that space considerations place 
 limits on the depth of the commentary at each display. 
 Another known method is to broadcast an announcement of the 
 location-specific message at each display. The announcement may be 
 provided by an employee of the facility or may be a prerecorded 
 announcement that is periodically repeated. A simultaneous announcement to
 a group of visitors operates well if the visitors arrive simultaneously, 
 but a late-arriving visitor must wait for the message to restart in order 
 to hear the beginning of the message. 
 As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,003 to Poch, each visitor may be equipped 
 with a portable tape recording apparatus, such as a cassette player, that 
 includes prerecorded narratives. The visitor is instructed to follow a set
 path that permits the location-specific messages to be played 
 sequentially. An advantage of this method is that the user can start and 
 stop the apparatus as desired. Another advantage is that facilities having
 visitors from various countries may dispense cassette tapes in accordance 
 with the native language of the visitor. A disadvantage is that the 
 recordings require that the visitor follow a predetermined order of 
 displays. That is, the method is not responsive to the desires of the 
 visitor, unless the visitor is willing to hunt for the location-specific 
 messages when the prescribed order of displays is not followed. 
 The solution proposed in Poch is to provide each visitor with a receiver 
 having a number of receiving channels. Each channel is associated with a 
 different frequency. When a visitor of a museum or other tourist 
 attraction is equipped with the receiver, messages relating to exhibits 
 may be received in the sequence determined by the visitor. The messages 
 are transmitted on different frequencies of the FM commercial broadcast 
 band (88.1-107.9 MHz). When a receiver is tuned to a particular frequency 
 (e.g., by pressing a particular key on a keyboard that is part of the 
 receiver), the receiver announces a message. Low-power message 
 transmitters are utilized, so that frequencies may be reused in different 
 locations of the museum or tourist attraction. While this method provides 
 message presentation without regard for the sequence of the demand of the 
 user, i.e. the user may visit displays in any order, the method is subject
 to the disadvantages of message looping. The messages are regionally 
 transmitted, so that latearriving users must wait until the message loop 
 returns to the beginning in order to fully appreciate the message. That 
 is, the user cannot change the timing of the message presentation. 
 Moreover, there are limitations as to how many different channels can be 
 used within the broadcast band. This limitation is more problematic if the
 message specific to a display is broadcast in a number of different 
 languages, with each language being assigned a different channel. 
 A similar approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,155 to Griffin et 
 al. Each display or exhibit in an art gallery, museum, zoo, or fair is 
 associated with a fixed unit that is designed to provide a commentary in 
 response to a request transmitted by a portable unit. Each visitor of the 
 facility has a portable unit that includes an emitter that transmits the 
 request for the start of a particular commentary. In response to the 
 request, the fixed unit at a particular display transmits the selected 
 commentary via a set FM channel. A single display may be associated with a
 number of messages, so that a user may select a particular language or may
 select among depths of commentary. An advantage of the Griffin et al. 
 method is that it permits time-shifted transmissions of the same 
 commentary, since the commentary is transmitted to different visitors on 
 separate channels. The start time of a transmission is determined by the 
 request received from the portable unit of the visitor. However, there are
 a limited number of available channels. The patent notes that if a visitor
 requests a commentary when all of the channels of a particular display are
 in use, the portable unit of the visitor may be programmed to provide an 
 audible "busy" signal. 
 What is needed is a method and apparatus for communicating 
 location-specific messages within a facility in a manner that enables each
 visitor to freely determine the timing of message presentation. 
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
 A method and portable device for communicating location-specific messages 
 include storing a library of such messages within the portable device 
 having the capability of providing automated random access to the messages
 within the library. Each location-specific message has a content that is 
 related to a particular geographical location within a facility. Moreover,
 each location-specific message has a correspondence with an identifier. At
 each of the geographical locations within the facility, there is a 
 device-readable identification of the identifier that corresponds to the 
 location-specific message having a content related to the geographical 
 location. In one embodiment, the device-readable identification is 
 implemented by transmitting a signal that is indicative of the identifier.
 The wireless transmission is received at the portable device and the 
 indicated identifier is displayed at the device in response to the 
 wireless reception. In another embodiment, the device-readable 
 identification is implemented by attaching a barcode at each of the 
 geographical locations, with each barcode uniquely identifying only 
 location-specific messages having content related to the geographical 
 location at which the barcode is attached. 
 In one embodiment, the invention is utilized to provide audible 
 commentaries relating to exhibits, displays, or artwork within a facility 
 such as a museum. There is a one-to-one relationship between identifiers 
 and the messages of the message library, but there may be more than one 
 message having content relating to a specific exhibit, display, or 
 artwork. Thus, a visitor may select among messages distinguished by depth 
 of audible commentary or by language. If there is more than one message 
 specific to a location, all of the identifiers for the messages are 
 presented. 
 In the preferred embodiment, the message library is contained on a 
 recording medium that facilitates automated random access, such as a 
 compact disk. The portable device may be a personal digital assistant 
 (PDA) owned by the user. However, the portable device may be distributed 
 by the operators of the facility. 
 In another embodiment, the portable device is used to store map information
 relating to various sites within a facility. The map information is fixed 
 data that is supplemented or complemented with time-dependent information 
 downloaded from a source to the portable device. The fixed map information
 and the time-dependent information may then be accessed to locate a 
 particular site specified by the time-dependent information. For example, 
 the invention may be used within an airport, with the map information 
 including gate locations and with the time-dependent information including
 flight arrival and departure times. The step of downloading the 
 time-dependent information may be executed using wireless transmission 
 from the source to the portable device, but other implementations may be 
 utilized. In the application of the method and device within an airport, a
 flight arrival time and gate number may be accessed from the 
 time-dependent information, while the gate location may be determined by 
 accessing the map information. Optionally, the map information may be 
 further supplemented by navigation information that is received wirelessly
 and that is dynamically accessed in the same manner as accessing a Global 
 Positioning System (GPS). 
 The portable device for communicating the location-specific messages 
 includes the memory for storing the message library. As previously noted, 
 this memory may be in a CD format. Each location-specific message may be 
 associated with a unique identifier, and each has content relating to a 
 particular geographical location. The device includes an input for reading
 a signal indicative of the identifier. In response to receiving the 
 identifier, the memory is randomly accessed in order to announce the 
 location-specific message unique to the identifier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
 FIG. 1 illustrates a portable device 10 for use in facilities in which 
 selective communication of location-specific messages is advantageous. 
 Such facilities include museums, art galleries, and other operations that 
 have a number of displays and exhibits. In another embodiment, the 
 portable device 10 is used to cooperatively associate fixed map 
 information with time-dependent information. 
 The portable device 10 may be a personal digital assistant (PDA) having the
 capability of receiving wireless transmissions. PDAs having wireless 
 capability for receiving e-mail and the like are known. In FIG. 1, the 
 portable device 10 includes a transceiver 12 connected to an antenna 14. 
 As will be explained more fully below, the transceiver 12 is utilized to 
 detect signals indicative of codes for uniquely identifying 
 location-specific messages within a message memory 16. In some 
 embodiments, the transceiver is also used to send signals that are related
 to geographically based information. 
 The components of the portable device 10 are controlled by a 
 decoder/controller 18. The decoder/controller includes a microprocessor. 
 In one embodiment, the codes that are received via the antenna 14 and 
 transceiver 12 are presented to a user by means of a display. The display 
 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), but this is not critical. A 
 displayed code is an identifier of a particular location-specific message 
 stored in the memory 16. Optionally, each site in a facility may generate 
 more than one coded identifier. The use of multiple identifiers is 
 beneficial to circumstances in which there are multiple stored 
 location-specific messages having content relating to a single site. For 
 example, there may be a selection of three levels of depth of commentary 
 regarding a particular museum exhibit. The three identifiers may be 
 presented to a user by means of the display 20, allowing the user to 
 select the depth of commentary. As another example, the alternative 
 location-specific messages relating to a particular site may have the same
 content, but in different languages. Again, the portable device 10 enables
 the user to select the appropriate message. In an application in which 
 there is a one-to-one correspondence between the stored location-specific 
 messages and the sites of a particular facility, the importance of the 
 display 20 is significantly reduced. 
 After the coded identifier or identifiers have been presented to the user, 
 the activation of the appropriate location-specific message may be 
 triggered by means of a user input device 22. In the preferred embodiment,
 the user input device is a keyboard. If there are multiple identifiers for
 a particular site, a person selects among the identifiers by depressing 
 keys in a particular sequence shown at the display. For example, the 
 identifier "200" may be displayed as the appropriate input to trigger 
 playing an English version of a detailed commentary of a particular museum
 exhibit, while the identifier "205" may be displayed as a trigger for 
 initiating a Spanish version of the same message. A speaker 24 is used to 
 announce the selected message. Within enclosed facilities, the speaker is 
 preferably within headphones or an earpiece. 
 If there is a one-to-one correspondence between location-specific messages 
 and sites within a facility, the user input device 22 may be a start 
 switch and the display may be omitted. In this embodiment, the reception 
 of the identifier upon entering a site automatically queues the 
 appropriate location-specific message stored at memory 16. Announcement of
 the queued message is then triggered using the start switch. 
 Referring now to FIG. 2, a facility 26 is shown as being divided into a 
 number of sites. The facility may be a museum in which each site is a 
 different room having an exhibit. Within each site, a radio beacon is 
 transmitted to provide a unique identification. FIG. 3 illustrates the 
 components of Site 40 as including an antenna 28, a transceiver 30, and 
 code memory 32. A similar arrangement is found in each of the sites of the
 facility 26. When the portable device 10 is brought within the range of 
 the location's beacon, the relevant code or codes are presented on the 
 display 20 of the portable device. The user then is able to select and 
 initiate the appropriate location-specific message stored in the memory 16
 of the portable device. As previously noted, the portable device is 
 capable of randomly accessing the messages. Random access of segments of 
 information is well known in the art of storing data in a CD format. While
 not shown in FIG. 1, the location-specific messages may include visual 
 data that is displayed on the display 20 of the device. In applications in
 which there is a one-to-one correspondence between sites of the facility 
 26 and location-specific messages stored in the memory 16 of the device 
 10, the function of the code memory 32 may be achieved by assigning each 
 of the sites of the facility with a different frequency for the radio 
 beacon. The decoder/controller 18 of FIG. 1 could then determine the 
 appropriate message identifier by detecting the frequency that is received
 via the antenna 14. 
 As an alternative to assigning a different frequency to each of the sites 
 40-60 of the facility 26, the sites may be associated with different 
 numeric codes. This allows the portable device to remain tuned to a single
 frequency while the user travels among the sites. If there is a one-to-one
 correspondence between sites and numeric codes to be broadcast, the 
 decoder/controller 18 of FIG. 1 may be set to automatically queue or to 
 automatically play the appropriate location-specific message when the 
 device is within the limited range of one of the broadcasts. On the other 
 hand, if each site is associated with more than one numeric code (e.g., 
 numeric codes for messages in different languages or different depths of 
 detail), the decoder/controller may be used to determine and display the 
 appropriate message identifiers on the display 20 of the device, so that 
 the user can select among the messages. 
 In another embodiment, each site within the facility 26 is assigned a 
 different barcode that is attached somewhere within the site. In this 
 embodiment, the components of FIG. 3 are not required, and the antenna 14 
 and the transceiver 12 of FIG. 1 are replaced with a barcode reader. A 
 user is then able to determine the appropriate location-specific message 
 or messages based upon a reading of the barcode attached at the site in 
 which the user is located. 
 For applications in which each site is associated with more than one 
 location-specific message, the operation of the portable device 10 
 optionally includes a selection of a subset of the messages. As an 
 example, at the start of a tour, a user may select Spanish-speaking 
 messages, so that only the numeric codes or frequencies corresponding to 
 the appropriate Spanish-speaking messages are detected by the portable 
 device of the user. If the message identifiers are communicated 
 wirelessly, the portable device may include filters that determine which 
 numeric codes or frequencies are detected. The means for selectively 
 detecting the messages is not critical to the invention. 
 Preferably, the portable device also has the capability of prematurely 
 terminating a message presentation. If a user is not interested in hearing
 the remainder of the message, the user may start a different message prior
 to the time-out of the first. This may be implemented manually (e.g., a 
 "kill button" on the device) or automatically (e.g., by detection that the
 portable device is no longer in the vicinity of the site associated with 
 the message). 
 Referring now to FIG. 4, in the operation of the invention described above,
 a preliminary step is to assign an identifier to each location-specific 
 message, as indicated in step 62. In the preferred wireless embodiment, 
 the identifiers may be frequency-based or signal content-based. 
 Preferably, there is a one-to-one correspondence between identifiers and 
 location-specific messages, so that each identifier is unique to a 
 message. 
 In step 64, the library of location-specific messages is stored. Important 
 to the invention is that the storage is in a format and device that 
 accommodate random access of the memories. For example, the messages may 
 be recorded on a CD ROM that is distributed to a person having a PDA with 
 the proper drive. 
 If the library of location-specific messages is stored in a CD format, the 
 distribution of a particular CD ROM or a particular portable device to a 
 user may be based upon the native language of the user or the depth of 
 commentary desired by the user. In an alternative embodiment to step 64, 
 the library of messages is stored at a hard drive of the portable device 
 or in random access memory (RAM) within the device. 
 At each of the sites of FIG. 2, a device-readable identification is 
 provided, as noted in step 66. Preferably, the device-readable 
 identification is a wireless transmission. However, the device-readable 
 identification may be a barcode or other fixed readable attachment at a 
 site of the facility 26. 
 When a user enters one of the sites 40-60 of the facility 26 of FIG. 2, the
 portable device detects the identification. This is shown at step 68 in 
 FIG. 4. In response, the identifier or identifiers of messages having 
 content relating to the site are displayed, as shown at step 70. If there 
 is a single identifier, the display is not significant. However, 
 applications in which there are multiple identifiers for a particular site
 include the display step in order to allow the user to easily select among
 the relevant commentaries. The differences in commentaries may be related 
 to the language, the depth of detail, or both. 
 In the final step 72, the user triggers the initiation of the commentary. 
 In FIG. 1, the user input device 22, e.g. a keyboard or start switch, is 
 used to trigger the presentation of the appropriate location-specific 
 message stored in the memory 16. A solely audio message is directed to the
 speaker 24, while a message that also includes a readout or other visual 
 information is directed to the display 20 as well. Returning to FIG. 4, 
 after the commentary has been completed, the process returns to step 68 to
 enable the portable device to read a second identification at a second 
 site of a facility. 
 While the invention has been described primarily with respect to 
 commentaries, this is not critical. The location-specific messages may be 
 map information. For example, the portable device 10 may be an 
 emergency-response unit. 
 In addition to commentaries and fixed map information, the invention may be
 used to provide a cooperative association between fixed location-specific 
 information and time-dependent location-specific information. For example,
 the fixed information may be map information of a particular airport, 
 while the time-dependent information may be flight arrival and departure 
 times. Referring now to FIG. 5, in this embodiment the map information is 
 stored at step 74. Because the map information is fixed, the information 
 may be prerecorded in a read-only format. The map information is then 
 supplemented by the time-dependent information that is downloaded to the 
 portable device at step 76. In the preferred embodiment, the downloading 
 is executed wirelessly, but physical connections to the source of the 
 time-dependent information are also contemplated. 
 At step 78, the map and time-dependent information are interactively 
 accessed. For example, if the downloaded time-dependent information is 
 flight information regarding expected arrival and departure times and gate
 numbers, a user may select a particular flight, with the portable device 
 responding to the selection by displaying the location of the gate. Thus, 
 the prerecorded map information may be used to aid a user in navigating to
 the correct gate, based on the input of a flight number. 
 Optionally, the portable device is also able to access navigation 
 information, as shown at step 80. For the airport application, there may 
 be navigation beacons that enable the portable device to provide a 
 continuous display of the location of the device within the airport. That 
 is, if the portable device includes a graphical display, the map 
 information and the navigation information may be used to visually 
 indicate both the location of the device and any modifications in the 
 orientation of the device. In some applications, the location may be 
 determined by means of the GPS. While not shown in FIG. 5, the portable 
 device may also be enabled to transmit signals in order to initiate 
 actions, such as hailing a shuttle bus when the user has entered a baggage
 claim area of an airport.