Optical indicia for indexing and check-in

Portable mobile devices may have ambient light sensors (ALS) capable of modulating the level of backlight on the display of the portable electronic device in various environmental situations. The ALS is capable of receiving an infrared signal or a visible light signal that may then be read to determine an end and a beginning, and parsed to extract the code. The information sent from the infrared or visible light source to the portable electronic device may be handled by the device in various ways including direct processing and display to present the user of the portable electronic device with a coupon, offer, or other benefit. This may occur in several ways including displaying a coupon or an offer, launching a URL or URI, or launching an application on the portable electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

The transfer of information to and from mobile devices including tablets, laptops, mobile phones, and other portable electronic devices can be accomplished by methods including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and near-field communications (NFC). As the use of portable electronic devices increases and the types of activities that these devices are used for broadens, the applications of wireless communication for mobile devices continue to develop.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of a method of one-way communication transmission, comprising: sensing, by an ambient light sensor (ALS) embedded in a portable electronic device, an infrared signal and parsing, by the portable electronic device, the infrared signal. In the same embodiment, extracting, by the portable electronic device, at least one indicia from the IR signal based on the parsing; displaying, by the portable electronic device, in response to the extracting, at least one benefit from at least one vendor of a plurality of vendors.

An alternate embodiment of a method of a portable electronic device receiving a one-way light communication signal, comprising: sensing, by an ambient light sensor (ALS) embedded in a portable electronic device, an infrared signal and parsing, by the portable electronic device, the infrared signal. In this embodiment, extracting, by the portable electronic device, at least one indicia from the infrared signal based on the parsing, and executing, by the portable electronic device, in response to extracting the at least one indicia, an application on the portable electronic device. The embodiment further comprising connecting, using a cellular communication transceiver, to a network via a base transceiver station; requesting, by the portable electronic device, content referenced by at least one of a uniform resource locator (URL) and a uniform resource indicator (URI), wherein requesting the content displays material from the URL or URI on the portable electronic device.

An embodiment of a system for receiving information comprising: an infrared signal, wherein the infrared signal is generated by at least one of a stationary kiosk or a portable signal generator; a portable electronic device comprising: an ambient light sensor, and a first application. In this embodiment, the first application executes in response to the ambient light sensor receiving the infrared signal, and the first application demodulates the infrared signal to extract at least one of an indicia of a plurality of indicia and a coded signal of a plurality of coded signals transmitted by the infrared signal. The embodiment further comprising a second application, wherein the second application is launched in response to the extraction of the at least one indicia.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The use of NFC technology allows a user to receive information from remote sources such as vendors, event planners, and party promoters such as discounts, tickets, offers, or other benefits. However, NFC technology may be logistically and financially undesirable based upon the high cost of implementation and the physical requirements for installing NFC on portable electronic devices. The use of a technology that already exists in most portable electronic devices, such as ambient light sensors (ALS), to receive a one-way transmission of information from a vendor, event organizer, public relations professional or other promoter may allow users of portable electronic devices to receive benefits, offers, and other information by putting their phone in contact with an infrared signal.

Portable computing devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops may be used to send and receive information related not only to daily activities through email and messaging, but also to send and receive information from commercial third parties. These commercial third parties may be providers of goods and/or services such as car rental, hotels, sporting events, cultural events, musical events, museums, expos, restaurants, and medical or insurance providers as well as social media websites or services. However, NFC may use specific hardware and software on the device as well as point of presence equipment. In addition, NFC may not be used with all portable electronic devices and may only be available on select devices and not mainstream devices because of the expense involved in making a phone NFC-ready. Providers of goods and services as well as entities that engage in exhibits and expositions or demonstrations to promote their products may offer enhanced services to mobile customers. In these situations, NFC technology or Quick Response Code (QR) may not be practical to use given the expense of those technologies or the imprecise implementation of, for example, a QR code system.

Therefore, implementing a system to bring offers and information to the users of portable electronic devices may be accomplished by using a feature already present on the majority of portable electronics. Ambient light sensors (ALS), for example, may be present in more phones than NFC technology. Conventionally, an ALS may be used by communication devices to determine an averaged or smoothed lighting level, for example, the visible lighting level, and adapt the display brightness of the device based on that determined visible light level. When the visible light level is relatively high, the display of the device may be set to a relatively high brightness level to provide sufficient contrast for a user to see the display. When the visible light level is relatively low, however, the display of the device may be set to a relatively low brightness level while continuing to provide sufficient contrast for the user to see the display. This functionality can promote reducing battery depletion by avoiding using unnecessary display brightness during low visible light conditions. As known to one of ordinary skill in the art, providing users with satisfactory battery life duration between re-charging is a continuing challenge for mobile communication devices.

When a “light event” occurs and is sensed by an application attached to the ambient light sensor handler, the application may execute a demodulation procedure to extract the indicia or code signal transmitted from the stimulator. The demodulation procedure may also be referred to as an application. The indicia could then either resolve to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or process the code directly. The signal sent to the portable electronic device may have a beginning and an end, for example, start bits, stop bits, framing symbols, or other structural signal elements, that are sensed by the demodulation procedure and parsed to determine the content. A “light event” may be smooth or modulated, for example, dimming or brightening of the surrounding light. The light event may also be a sudden dimming or brightening of the surrounding light, for example, when something or someone passes by the sensor or when the user of the device passes through a tunnel or under a bridge. In addition, a light signal or pulse, for example, visible light or an IR signal or pulse may also be a light event and may act as a trigger.

In an embodiment, the infrared signal or pulse sent to the portable electronic device identifies a start and an end of a data word or code embedded in the light signal. The components of that word or signal may be parsed and the word or code decoded and the decoded information may result in the display of a coupon or offer, the display or a URL or URI, or launch another application on the portable electronic device. In an embodiment, the output of the ambient light sensor may be interpreted in two different ways or two different stages of processing.

When a light event is received by the ambient light sensor, the output of the ambient light sensor may be interpreted as a light signal embedding a relatively dense sequence of coded signals or, in another way of speaking, a relatively high information rate sequence of coded signals (relative to the average rate of change of ambient light). For example, when a light event is received, the output of the ambient light sensor may be parsed as a light signal comprising framing bits, start bits, stop bits, and information bits, for example information bits that may comprise a URL or URI reference. After the light signal is completed, for example after a stop bit sequence is received or after some other indication of completion, the processing of the output of the ambient light sensor may return to the normal stage or mode of processing the output of the ambient light sensor. A light event may be a sequence of relatively long term, large scale swings in ambient light, for example bright for 2 seconds, dim for 2 seconds, bright for 2 seconds, and dim for 2 seconds. Because the output of the ambient light sensor is processed differently when triggered by the light event and before it is deemed that the light signal has completed, the ambient light sensor may be said to be operated in two different modes or stages or that the output of the ambient light sensor is processed in according to two different modes or stages of processing.

In an embodiment, if a user walks into a coffee shop and places their phone near, by, or under, an IR pulse, the user may receive a coupon delivered by one-way IR transmission to the user's phone which they could then take to an employee of the store and have it scanned for a discount or other benefit. As taught herein, the ALS may be used to a different purpose, for example, to receive one-way communication encoded in an optical signal such as an infrared signal (IR). For example, a bar code provided by the coupon may be presented on a display of the portable electronic device and that presented bar code may be scanned. An alternate benefit could be a frequent shopper system wherein the portable electronic device receives a point or credit and when an application on the phone counts the credits or points and determines that a certain number of credits or points are reached, the user may receive a benefit. Another alternate benefit could be a give-away, for example, if a free meal is given out every week at a particular restaurant, a user could place their phone in communication with the IR pulse in the hopes of being awarded a benefit. In another example, a user who purchases items or services may receive an IR pulse upon checkout which provides them with a coupon to use for that purchase, a future purchase, or alerts them of upcoming sales or other discount programs.

In another example, the IR pulse received by the portable electronic device could take the user to a URL or URI. This web page may have product information, for example, if a user attends a museum and receives an IR pulse, this may take them to a website that contains audio information about an exhibit or exhibits. In an embodiment, this audio information may contain an additional benefit at the end of the exhibit information such as a coupon or advance information about a pending exhibit. In another example, at a designer's trunk show, which may be where a designer of goods previews a new or limited collection of goods, a party may receive an IR pulse on their device and be taken to a web page that displays the entire collection that may not be available to the public. In that embodiment, the user may be given the option to purchase items from that collection prior to the public or at a discount, or may be given the option to receive future alerts for sales or new collections. In another example, a party may enter a restaurant that may be stand-alone or part of a chain and may receive an IR pulse that takes them to a web page with a special menu or an invitation to the chef's table which may be a private room with a private, and possibly higher-end, menu.

In another example, the IR pulse received by the portable electronic device may process the code directly. For example, if a find-my-car application is already on a phone, an IR pulse may record the location of a user's car when they exit a parking lot or a particular floor. The user may then scan the phone again when returning to the parking garage and the pulse will trigger the application which will alert the user as to the location of their car. In another example, a user who needs to visit an entity such as the driver's licensing bureau, a ride at an amusement park, or other potentially high-traffic location which may have a long wait, may receive an IR pulse on their phone which opens an application that may assign them a time to return to the location to take advantage of the service, or may let the user register for a time to return to that location. This would benefit the user because they would then not have to carry an addition device with them to indicate when it is appropriate to return, as may be common when waiting for a dinner reservation, or keep track of a piece of paper with ticketing information, as may be done in some amusement parks or government offices. In another example, a party may attend a technology or gaming conference and the light signal may display a URL or URI on the portable electronic device that contains information about hidden game levels, game hints, or access to unreleased gaming or technology products for regular use or, for example, beta or other pre-launch testing and research. In another example, a user's device may receive an IR pulse which triggers an application that checks them in on at least one social media application to the location where the pulse was received, for example, a house party or night club. In the alternative or in addition, a social media program may launch once the portable electronic device receives an IR pulse. This program may not only “check-in” or otherwise indicate the location of the user's portable electronic device, but also may allow the user to add additional information such as text including other parties who may be at the location. In another example, a user may be taken to a URL or URI that contains job postings for the location where the infrared signal was received, or a subsidiary, parent company, or related vendor or industry.

This technology may be executed when a CPU interacts with an ambient light sensor (ALS) driver and receives indicia, the smart phone or other portable electronic device comprising an ambient light sensor can receive indicia from an IR generator without additional hardware.

FIG. 1is an embodiment of a method of a portable electronic device receiving offers and benefits using optical indicia. The method may be performed by a portable electronic device such as a tablet, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, or a laptop computer, or other devices comprising an ambient light sensor that is attached to or embedded in the device. At block102, an ambient light sensor (ALS) senses an infrared (IR) signal. In an embodiment, the IR signal originates from a stand-alone kiosk, from a hand held device, or from a tabletop kiosk, and may be located inside, outside, or in the proximity of a vendor of goods or services. In an embodiment, the IR signal originating device may be at a location with multiple vendors such as an indoor or outdoor shopping mall, outdoor market, exposition, or other event where multiple vendors are present. Because the IR signal is not visible to the user or to other parties, it may not disturb, distract, or otherwise interrupt the activity around where the portable electronic device is placed in proximity to the IR signal. In an embodiment, the IR signal may be provided by the vendor at the location of a kiosk, by a vendor of a related third party service, or by unrelated vendors, for example, who may have paid to have the kiosk installed permanently or rented a kiosk or space on a kiosk for a predefined period of time. In an embodiment, the device that originates the IR signal may be used by multiple related or unrelated vendors or other parties in order to provide benefits to users of portable devices.

At block104, an application stored in a memory comprising instructions may be executed by a processor coupled to an ALS in response to sending the IR signal and an application executes a demodulation procedure, which may also be referred to as a demodulation routine or demodulation algorithm, at block106. The demodulation procedure extracts at least one indicia at block108and, in response to the extraction of the at least one indicia at block108, at least one of a benefit or offer is displayed on the portable electronic device at block110. In an embodiment, the IR signal has a beginning and an end and is parsed to extract and read the code. For example, the IR signal may have framing bits, start bits, stop bits, and the like symbols to designate or delimit a structure of the IR signal. The benefit or offer displayed may be a coupon for current or future use. The coupon may be displayed to the user of the portable electronic device and scanned by an employee at checkout. In an embodiment, the benefit or offer displayed may be a discount available to the portable electronic device for a future purchase, a related purchase, or a purchase at a related vendor or a vendor owned by the same entity as where the portable electronic device was scanned. In an embodiment, the benefit or offer displayed may be, for example, an alert to a future sale or limited discount on an item for present or future purchase. In an embodiment, the benefit or offer displayed may be for a future discount that may be contingent on a purchase made within a predetermined time of receiving the signal.

FIG. 2is an embodiment of a method of a portable electronic device receiving offers and benefits. The method inFIG. 2proceeds in a similar manner as the method inFIG. 1from steps102-108. In an embodiment, the demodulation procedure extracts at least one indicia at block108and, in response to the extraction of the at least one indicia, a URI is launched at block202. At block206, the URI launched at block202displays a benefit or an offer. In another embodiment, the demodulation procedure extracts at least one indicia at block108and, in response to the extraction of the at least one indicia, a URL is launched at block204. At block208, the URI launched at block204displays a benefit or an offer. In an embodiment, the benefit or offer displayed at blocks206and208may be, for example, the ability to view a new clothing or accessory collection, the ability to purchase advanced tickets for a sporting, arts, cultural event, or fundraiser. In an embodiment, the URI or URL launched, respectively, at blocks202and204may be launched at a museum or other entity that would normally have tours led by a person or through pre-recorded handsets given out at the location. Instead, in this embodiment, the portable electronic device displays a URL or URI that contains the tour information and the user can then listen on their own device.

FIG. 3is an illustration of an embodiment of a system of a portable electronic device receiving offers and benefits using optical indicia. At block302, an IR signal is generated and pulsed, and received by a portable electronic device at block304. The portable electronic device comprises an ambient light sensor (ALS) at block306, a first application at block308, and a second application at block312. The portable electronic device may be, for example, the mobile device depicted inFIG. 4. The ALS at block306detects the start of communication from the IR signal at block302and the first application308is launched. The first application308comprises a demodulation procedure which distinguishes the signal by segmentation and/or parsing the signal and determining what is in the transmitted content. The signal may have a beginning and an end to the transmitted content. In an embodiment, the transmitted content may be a code that is recognized from a code dictionary present on the portable electronic device.

In an embodiment, the transmitted content may be a URL or URI. In an alternate embodiment, the transmitted content may be code that that results in the display of a benefit or offer on the portable electronic device. In another embodiment, pictured at block312, a second application is launched. The second application312may allow a user to check in to a social media network or launch another application wherein the user may, for example, check themselves into a location, add parties they are with, add text, or upload photos or links to other URLs, URIs, or applications.

FIG. 4depicts the mobile device400, which is operable for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure should not be limited to these implementations. Though illustrated as a mobile phone, the mobile device400may take various forms including a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a gaming device, or a media player. The mobile device400includes a display402and a touch-sensitive surface and/or keys404for input by a user. The mobile device400may present options for the user to select, controls for the user to actuate, and/or cursors or other indicators for the user to direct. The mobile device400may further accept data entry from the user, including numbers to dial or various parameter values for configuring the operation of the handset. The mobile device400may further execute one or more software or firmware applications in response to user commands. These applications may configure the mobile device400to perform various customized functions in response to user interaction. Additionally, the mobile device400may be programmed and/or configured over-the-air, for example from a wireless base station, a wireless access point, or a peer mobile device400. The mobile device400may execute a web browser application which enables the display402to show a web page. The web page may be obtained via wireless communications with a base transceiver station, a wireless network access node, a peer mobile device400or any other wireless communication network or system.

FIG. 5shows a block diagram of the mobile device400. While a variety of known components of handsets are depicted, in an embodiment a subset of the listed components and/or additional components not listed may be included in the mobile device400. The mobile device400includes a digital signal processor (DSP)502and a memory504. As shown, the mobile device400may further include an antenna and front end unit506, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver508, a baseband processing unit510, a microphone512, an earpiece speaker514, a headset port516, an input/output interface518, a removable memory card520, a universal serial bus (USB) port522, an infrared port524, a vibrator526, a keypad528, an ambient light sensor (ALS)540, a touch screen liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch sensitive surface530, a touch screen/LCD controller532, a camera534, a camera controller536, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver538. In an embodiment, the mobile device400may include another kind of display that does not provide a touch sensitive screen. In an embodiment, the DSP502may communicate directly with the memory504without passing through the input/output interface518. Additionally, in an embodiment, the mobile device400may comprise other peripheral devices that provide other functionality.

The keypad528couples to the DSP502via the interface518to provide one mechanism for the user to make selections, enter information, and otherwise provide input to the mobile device400. Another input mechanism may be the touch screen LCD530, which may also display text and/or graphics to the user. The touch screen LCD controller532couples the DSP502to the touch screen LCD530. The GPS receiver538is coupled to the DSP502to decode global positioning system signals, thereby enabling the mobile device400to determine its position. The ambient light sensor (ALS)540may be coupled to a processor328and may be used to adjust the brightness of the touch screen LCD530when the ALS540detects a change in the light level of the environment. This adjustment may enable the user to more easily see the screen and/or to save power. The ALS540may filter the sensed information regarding levels of light using a low pass filter before using the information. In an embodiment, the raw sensor data produced by the ambient light sensor540may be intercepted and/or extracted for use by the applications308,312prior to filtering. In this embodiment, the pulsed information may be read at a higher frequency. The ambient light sensor540may be designed to be suitable for use in the mobile device400. For example, the ambient light sensor540may be designed and/or manufactured to have a form suitable for incorporating into the mobile device400. The ambient light sensor540may be designed and/or manufactured to have a price point suitable for use in the mobile device400. The ambient light sensor540may be designed and/or manufactured to sense light across a suitable frequency band, for example a frequency band that includes the visible light spectrum, for example from light having wavelengths of about 390 nm to about 750 nm. It is understood, however, that in an embodiment, the ambient light sensor540is capable of sensing infrared light in addition to visible light, for example near infrared light.