Patent Publication Number: US-2023164731-A1

Title: System and method for remote communication among private groups on a cruise ship

Description:
The present invention relates to a system and method to allow passengers and users of cruise ships to communicate with each other via group chats and texts. Through the system and method of the present invention, users will be able to locate each other, communicate with each other, arrange for rendezvous&#39;, and otherwise keep in touch, while on large cruise ship environments. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Cruise ships have grown larger in size in order to increase the offerings and experiences of cruisers on the ships, and to accommodate more cruisers for any particular voyage. The larger cruise ships are thus more attractive to cruisers and cruise ship companies themselves. However, the increase in size of ships has reduced the familiarity of the ship surroundings, and the ability of cruisers to connect with family members and friends whom they boarded with. In many circumstances, family members and friends only see each other during agreed upon meal times. 
     Whereas cruisers have mobile phones and other devices, many times the mobile phones are useless when the cruise ship is in international waters. The cruise ships often don&#39;t have readily available internet connection, and if they do, it is extremely limited. Methods of mobile communication, such as text or social media, may be difficult to use or have limited usefulness, in international waters. 
     There is a need in the art for a system and method to allow passengers on cruise ships to be able to connect with a specific group whom they may be part of. For example, the group may consist of a group of friends, a group of family members, or a group of work colleagues. The system of the present invention allows communications to be sent to different members of the group, using the internet service of the cruise ship. The system of the present invention also allows members of a group to determine the position and location of another member of their group. Through the system of the present invention, users will be able to readily locate other members as well as communicate with the other members of the group. 
     QR codes, designed for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, have become ubiquitous on account of the wide range of applications that have been found for them, including advertising, commercial tracking, entertainment and transport ticketing, product-loyalty marketing (e.g., QR codes used for coupons that can be redeemed using a mobile app for QR code decoding), and in-store product labeling as well as on account of their fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to the older UPC bar codes. Many applications (apps) are now available enabling, for example, a smartphone to be used as a QR code scanner that displays the QR code and converts it to some useful form (such as standard uniform resource locator (URL) for a website, so that a user does not have to type the URL into a web browser to go to the site). 
     To illustrate a few examples of the use of such apps, users may receive text, add a vCard contact to their device, open a uniform resource identifier (URI), or compose an e-mail or text message after scanning QR codes. Users can generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting or using one of several pay or free QR code-generating sites or apps. Apps for scanning QR codes can be found on nearly all smartphone devices, QR codes storing information such as addresses and URLs appear in magazines, on signs, on buses, on business cards, and on almost any object about which users might want information. Users with a camera phone equipped with a QR scanner application can scan the image of the QR code to display text or contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone&#39;s browser. In the shopping industry, the QR code has become a focus of advertising strategy, since, for example, it may provide quick and effortless access to a brand&#39;s website or other direct access to information wished to be shared by an advertiser. Beyond mere convenience to the consumer, one importance of this capability is that advertisers and marketers can use the behavior of scanning to encourage or aid consumers to buy their products, causing the use of QR codes to have a significant impact on advertising and marketing design. One example of such impact is an increase in what is known as conversion rate, e.g., the chance that contact with an advertisement will convert to a sale. Thus, improvements in the use of QR codes can have a beneficial effect on commerce and the economy. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has as its goal giving passengers on a cruise vessel the ability to locate specific people in a group to which they belong. The present invention accomplishes this goal by utilizing a user interface downloaded to a mobile device of a passengers, whereby the user interface has the capability of connecting the user&#39;s mobile device to mobile devices of other users. Connection allows users in a particular group to communicate via mobile device with one another, even in spaces where there is no broadband connection, and it allows users to locate the position of other users within their group with the cruise ship vessel. 
     In one embodiment, the present method has the capability to triangulate the position of any particular user within a cruise ship, thereby determining the user&#39;s position along the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. The user&#39;s position can thus be determined between the bow and the stern of the ship, between the port and starboard, and the particular deck the user is on. The user will now be able to be located by other members of his group. By being able to be located by his group, group members can elect to meet at a central located place on the cruise ship. 
     In a further embodiment, the present method has the ability to allow ship cruisers to be able to give their location to other ship cruisers by scanning a QR code substrate, whereby the QR code substrate is located in specific areas of the ship. The QR code will provide information about the ship cruisers location, including the area of the ship where the code was scanned, the time the code was scanned, and the person who scanned the code. Scanning occurs through the use of a ship cruisers mobile device, whereby the device is connected to the ship&#39;s wireless signal. The QR code will be auto-transposed to a mobile based application to give the information about the ship cruisers location. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is an embodiment of the present invention, whereby a cruise ship has installed therein capabilities to allow members of the group whom happen to be passengers on the cruise ship to communicate privately with each other. 
         FIG.  2    is a further embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  3    is an embodiment of operation of the present invention. 
         FIG.  4    a further embodiment of the method and system of the present invention. 
         FIG.  5    is a method of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    is an embodiment of the present invention, whereby a cruise ship capable of sailing a variety of waters possesses at least several decks, rooms, compartments, and sections throughout its body. Among the various decks, which can range from 3 to 20 decks, the cruise ship can include Casino, Shops—Only open when the ship is at sea to avoid merchandising licensing and local taxes, Spa, Fitness center, Library, Theatre with Broadway-style shows, Cinema, Indoor and/or outdoor swimming pool with water slides, Hot tub, Buffet restaurant, Lounges, Clubs, Pool tables, Ping pong tables, Infirmary and morgue Card room, Observation lounge, Karaoke, and Teen Lounges. In general, passengers are able to traverse the ship in almost any area, to enjoy the amenities thereof. However, as the ship is so large and diverse, it is difficult to locate any particular person whom may be member of a particular group. Through the present invention, the wifi signal of the cruise ship  101  is able to assist in the triangulation of passengers  103  in terms of their position. 
     On a cruise ship in open waters, cruise ships generally do not have access to standard satellite communications. Because cruise ships possess internally a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, and a depth axis, standard means for global positioning, which is focused on the x-axis and y-axis position on the globe will not work. This is primarily because cruise ships have depth determination due to the ship&#39;s decks. 
     Through the present invention, passengers who may be within a particular group, such as a family or group of friends, will be able to communicate with each other using their mobile devices. In addition, the location of the members of the group will be known to other members of the group. Through the present invention, passengers can decide where to rendezvous on the cruise ship. The present invention doesn&#39;t require users to specifically describe where they may be—other members of their group will receive notification of their location on the cruise ship. For example, the system will deliver to member of a group “Robert is at the water slide!”, or “Jane is in the Captain&#39;s Restaurant”. 
       FIG.  2    is an embodiment of the cruise ship whereby a passenger&#39;s location can be determined by the wireless network on a cruise ship. As shown, the cruise ship contains multiple signal ports  203  through the ship. In one embodiment, the signal ports are placed on every deck of the ship. In a preferred embodiment, every deck has  3  signal ports, positioned equidistant on the deck. The signal ports  203  throughout the ship allow the determination of the x,y,z location  205  for a passenger  201 . In a preferred embodiment, the x,y,z location  205  determination will result in a description of the area of the passenger  201 , for example “Restaurant”, “pool room”, etc. The description will then be made available to other users of a particular group. 
       FIG.  3    is an embodiment of the cruise ship that provides passengers with the ability to communicate over a secure network, as well as locate members of a particular group within the cruise ship. As shown, the cruise ship  301  possesses a communication means  305  that is capable of connecting to a orbital satellite communication means  303  while providing connection means  306  that will locate the position of a user  307  on the cruise ship  301 . 
     The communication means  305  allows the cruise ship  301  to communicate via satellite means  303 , and provide a communication channel by and between the passengers on the cruise ship  301 . The communication means  305  can include ground station satellites positioned on the cruise ship. Ground station satellite allows the cruise ship to secure positioning information, such as global positioning. The communication means  305  is remotely connected to an orbital satellite communication means  303 . The orbital satellite communication means  303  generally serves as a transponder to collect and receive digital messages from the the earth&#39;s surface. 
     Through the communication means  305 , the cruise ship  301  can provide a method of communication for passengers, notably a wireless fidelity communication method. The method of communication for passengers can be accessed by the mobile phone or portable systems of the users, for example laptops and tablets. The method of communication to users occurs via connection means  306  such as wireless routers positioned throughout the cruise ship  301 . Being positioned throughout the ship  301 , the wireless routers  306  can triangulate the position of the passenger on the ship  301 . As stated above, positioning can be in the x, y, and z, and translated into an exact named location on the ship  301 . 
       FIG.  4    is an embodiment of the invention, whereby routers  406  are shown positioned throughout the ship  401 . The routers  406  are able to triangulate the position of the passenger  407  on the ship  401  by communicating to the mobile device of the passenger  407 . The routers  406  are in connection to a modem  405  centrally located on the cruise ship  401 , whereby the modem  405  obtains its communication means through the satellite  403  of the cruise ship. By being located throughout the ship, on all decks and in all sections, the routers  406  can determine the location of the passenger based upon the passengers proximity to at least 3 routers  406 . The passengers proximity to at least 3 routers  406  results in a determination of the x, y, and z positioning of the user. The x, y, and z positioning is translated into the nearest section of the ship to the user. The nearest section is then provided to other passengers in the group of the passenger  407 . 
       FIG.  5    is an embodiment of the method of the present invention, whereby passengers are able to communicate with other passengers within their particular group, and passengers can determine the location of the other passengers within their group. Communication occurs through a digital user interface. The digital user interface has the ability to provide specific ID numbers for each passenger. The digital user interface preferably includes a digital representation of the map of the passenger cruise ship. The digital user interface is able to communicate through the wireless communication means of the mobile device. The digital user interface further preferably includes a payment mechanism as well as signup/lignin authentication for users. 
     Following boarding the cruise ship, passengers may set up a group organization on the cruise ships network  501 . The group organization may be populated with known passengers of the user who has set up the group organization. In one embodiment, after setting up the group organization, the user may invite other passengers to the group. The group is set up and members join, via their mobile devices, including mobile phone, tablet, or laptop computer. 
     As stated, the first user signs up for the system of the present invention  503 . The first user signs up for the system by providing user name, email address, and payment information. The user may also be required to provide other meta-data, such as address, cabin number, and the like. 
     A group login page is then created  505 . For the first user and other users, their position is then triangulated by the system, providing an estimated x, y, and z location, and then translating that location to a particular stated area of the ship. This stated area of the ship will be communicated to other users in the particular group  509 . In use, the users within a particular group will be able to communicate with each other through the text based system of the mobile phone  511 .