Patent Publication Number: US-2002005821-A1

Title: Electric sign board operating system and operating method thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     [0001] This application claims priority to and incorporates by reference co-pending application Ser. No. 60/218,330, filed Jul. 14, 2000, commonly owned with the present application. 
    
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] The present invention relates to an electric sign board operating system and method, and more particularly to an electric sign board operating system and method which include an electric sign board operating program for receiving an advertisement file and an advertisement reception data through the Internet and generating an advertisement plan list, thereby effectively managing, receiving, and displaying of a plurality of advertisements with respect to a plurality of electric sign boards.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003] A conventional electric sign board system roughly includes two behaviors: one where a manager separately manages advertisement data by receiving the advertisement data directly from an advertisement client and displaying it on each electric sign board, and the other where the manager transmits the advertisement data to be displayed on each electric sign board through a wired or a wireless advertisement system.  
       [0004]FIG. 1A is a schematic view showing a construction of a remote area and local area controlling radio advertisement system  1 , which includes a remote area message input unit  10  using a radio communication terminal  11  such as a cellular phone or a PCS phone and a personal computer (PC)  12 ; a PC communication network  20  for connecting communication of the PC  12 ; a general radio communication network  30  for transmitting radio message information received from the remote area message input unit  10  and the PC communication network  20  to electric sign board systems scattered in the remote areas. An electric sign board system  100  is installed at each remote area for receiving the message transmitted through the radio communication network  30  and displaying it. The electric sign board system  100  permits input and correction of a message directly. A message transmission managing server  40  is connected with the PC communication network  20  and with the radio communication network  30  for receiving and transmitting the message from and to the remote area message input unit  10 , and displaying method of the message on each electric sign board system  100 , correcting or deleting the message.  
       [0005] The message transmission managing server  40  manages and controls in a manner that it receives text messages from the remote area message input unit  10 , classify them by groups requiring the electric sign boards which are dispersedly located in the remote areas, calls collectively the input messages of the remote area message input unit  10  by groups according to a corresponding message request through the radio communication network, and transmits the corresponding message.  
       [0006] Meanwhile, in case of constructing additionally an independent server connected through the PC communication network (the Internet), a signal of the radio communication terminal  11  such as the cellular phone is inputted through the radio communication network  30  to the managing server  40 , the input data of the PC  12  is inputted through the PC communication network  20  to the managing server  40 , and the managing server  40  processes the message and transmits it through the radio communication network  30  to the electric sign board system  100 .  
       [0007]FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram of the electric sign board system  100 , which includes a radio receiving unit  110  which is set to receive a radio signal, for receiving a message; a display control unit  120  having a demodulator  121  for receiving a receiving signal of the radio receiving unit  110  and a remote controller receiving unit  152  and demodulating it to a text message, a storing unit  122  for storing the text message signal demodulated by the demodulator  121 , and an editing and displaying controller  123  for recognizing an identification signal for statement control command among the demodulating signals of the demodulator  121 , editing the text message stored in the storing unit  122  to a statement to be displayed, and controlling the display order and display method of the messages to be displayed; an electric sign board drive unit  130  for displaying the text message under the control of the display control unit  120 ; an LED electric sign board  140 ; and a remote controller input unit  150  having a remote controller  151  for correcting and receiving a text, and a remote controller receiving unit  152  for receiving a signal of a remote controller  151  and transmitting it to the display control unit  120  to correct or insert a content of the electric sign board.  
       [0008] In a conventional radio advertisement system, a text message may be transmitted through a cellular phone or the PC communication network to an electric sign board system with the text message including an identification signal linking the starting point and the ending point thereof and an identification signal for informing the ending point of the message. Typically, a code system for repetition, order and time of a statement is pre-determined. When the text message is transmitted through a PC communication network, its code information for a display method is also transmitted, so that the electric sign board system  100  can analyze the corresponding code, determine accordingly a display method of the received statement, thereby controlling the electric sign board. Numerous advertisement messages are repeated in a proper order and a desired message is displayed.  
       [0009] In managing and operating the plurality of electric sign boards, in situations where the manager manages the electric sign boards separately, a considerable time and expense are consumed to receive an advertisement requested by an advertisement client and display it, as well as having a difficulty in managing effectively each electric sign board.  
       [0010] Meanwhile, while an operating system using the radio advertisement system has a favorable function with respect to transmission of the text message of the advertisement displayed on the electric sign board, it does not have a function to receive and process a commercial video and an audio advertisement. Such a need is often identified so that the commercial video and the audio advertisement are not possibly transmitted to the electric sign board drive unit. In other words, the operating system is incapable of managing of receiving, storing and displaying the commercial video and audio advertisement, collectively.  
       [0011] In addition, though it is known to control editing and displaying of an advertisement to be displayed on the electric sign board, disturbance occurs frequently with the electric sign board drive unit or the electric sign board itself. In this respect, no solution has been proposed to date that satisfied a need for having an advertisement transmitted from a storing unit and not being displayed.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for receiving a video or an audio advertisement through the Internet and displaying it on an electric sign board of a site and at a time desired by an advertisement client.  
       [0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric sign board operating program which is capable of making a list for advertisements displayed on every electric sign board and accordingly managing it.  
       [0014] Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electric sign board operating method which is capable of making a list for advertisement actually displayed on a plurality of electric sign boards and managing it, thereby offering the client a rational management with respect to the advertisement fee.  
       [0015] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided an electric sign board operating system having an electric signal board operating computer, the electric signal board operating computer including: an input means for receiving an advertisement file to be displayed on an electric sign board through a network; a first storing means for storing the advertisement file; a second storing means, including an electric sign board operating program, for processing the advertisement file stored in the first storing means, generating an advertisement plan list and storing it in the first storing means; an output means for transmitting the advertisement file and a control signal for the electric sign board; and a CPU for executing the electric sign board operating program to generate the advertisement plan list and the control signal.  
       [0016] In order to achieve the above objects, there is also provided an electric sign board operating method of an electric sign board operating system having an electric sign board control means for controlling an electric sign board and an electric sign board operating computer for transmitting an advertisement file and a control signal to the electric sign board control means, including the steps of: receiving and storing an advertisement file by the electric sign board operating computer; receiving and storing an advertisement reception data by the electric sign board operating computer; making an advertisement plan list including the inputted advertisement file and the advertisement reception data and storing it; and displaying the advertisement file according to the advertisement plan list.  
       [0017] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention, wherein:  
     [0019]FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a construction of a remote area and local area controlling radio advertisement system in accordance with a conventional art;  
     [0020]FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram of an electric sign board system in accordance with the conventional art;  
     [0021]FIG. 2 illustrates a construction of an electric sign board operating system in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0022]FIG. 3A illustrates a construction of an electric sign board operating room computer  22  or an electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  through  23 -N of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0023]FIG. 3B illustrates a construction of the first electric sign board  23 - 11  through the ‘L’th electric sign board ( 23 -NL) of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0024]FIG. 4 illustrates data structure of an advertisement plan list in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0025]FIG. 5A is a flow chart of an electric sign board operating method of the electric sign board operating room computer  21  in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0026]FIG. 5B is a flow chart of an electric sign board operating method of the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  through  23 -N in accordance with the present invention; and  
     [0027]FIG. 5C is a flow chart of displaying an advertisement in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0028] Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
     [0029]FIG. 2 illustrates a construction of an electric sign board operating system  200  in accordance with the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the electric sign board operating system  200  includes the Internet  20 ; an electric sign board operating room computer  22  for transmitting various data through the Internet  20  and controlling an operating computer  23  connected with the Internet; a client computer  21  for displaying an advertisement; a first to an Nth electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N for receiving the data from the client computer  21  or from the electric sign board operating room computer  22 ; and a first to an Mth electric sign boards controlled by the first electric sign board operating computer  23 - 1  and a first to an Lth electric sign boards  23 -N 1  to  23 -NL controlled by the Nth electric sign board operating computer.  
     [0030] The client computer  21  transmits through the Internet an advertisement file and an advertisement reception data to the electric sign board operating room computer  22  or to the first electric sign board operating computer  23 - 1  through the Nth electric sign board operating computer  23 -N.  
     [0031] The advertisement file designates a data form including a text, an image, a mobile image or a sound to be displayed on the electric sign board. The advertisement reception data designates a data form including an advertisement client, an advertisement display term, an advertisement display time and an advertisement display spot, of which the advertisement client may be the name of a person who requests displaying of an advertisement, the advertisement display term may be from Dec. 10, 2000 to Dec. 29, 2000, by way of example, the advertisement display time may be from 30 minutes to 33 minutes of every hour, and the advertisement display spot may be every electric sign board of a specific area or a specific electric sign board.  
     [0032]FIG. 3A illustrates a construction of an electric sign board operating room computer  22  or any of an electric sign board operating computer  23 - 1  through  23 -N in accordance with the present invention, which includes an input unit  30  for receiving the advertisement file or the advertisement reception data transmitted through the Internet  20  from the advertisement client computer  21 ; an encoder  31  for compressing the advertisement file; a CPU  32  for receiving and processing the compressed advertisement file and the advertisement reception data; a first storing unit  33  for storing the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data; a second storing unit  34  for processing the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data stored in the first storing unit, generating an advertisement plan list and storing a program; a decoder  35  for decompressing the advertisement file; and a transmitting unit  36  for transmitting a control signal for the advertisement file and the electric sign board.  
     [0033] The advertisement file is inputted in a compressed file, that is, for example, in an MPEG-2 file form, and in case that the advertisement file is not in the MPEG-2 file form, it is converted to the MPEG-2 file form through the encoder  31 , which can be retrieved to the original advertisement form through the decoder  35 .  
     [0034]FIG. 3B illustrates a construction of the first electric sign board  23 - 11  through the ‘L’th electric sign board ( 23 -NL) in accordance with the present invention, which includes an input unit  301  for receiving the advertisement file and the control signal from the first to the Nth electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N; an electric sign board control unit  302  for displaying the advertisement file on the electric sign board and receiving the control signal; an electric sign board  303  for displaying the advertisement file and being operated according to the control signal; and an output unit  304  for transmitting whether the advertisement file is displayed on the electric sign board control unit  302  and the state of the electric sign board.  
     [0035] The CPU  32  of the electric sign board operating room computer  22  or of the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N executes the electric sign board operating room program or the electric sign board operating program stored in the second storing unit to make the advertisement plan list including the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data and stores the advertisement plan list in the second storing unit.  
     [0036] The advertisement plan list is a data, consisting of the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data, that the advertisement file is classified depending on the advertisement display spot (or the electric sign board) and sorted in an order of the advertisement display term and the advertisement display time.  
     [0037] When there is no advertisement plan list stored in the second storing unit, the CPU  32  generates an advertisement plan list. When there is an advertisement plan list in the second storing unit, the CPU  32  updates it by deleting the advertisement file of which an advertisement display term and an advertisement display time has passed. Further, advertisement reception data, a new advertisement file, and advertisement reception data are added, thereby making a new advertisement plan list.  
     [0038] The electric sign board operating room computer  22  receives an advertisement file and an advertisement reception data from the advertisement client computer  21 , makes an advertisement plan list, and transmits the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data to one of the first to the Nth electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N according to the advertisement plan list.  
     [0039] Upon receipt of the advertisement plan list, the electric sign board operating computer generates a new advertisement plan list by additionally including the advertisement file and the advertisement reception data included in the transmitted advertisement plan list, in the advertisement plan list stored in the second storing unit, by using the electric sign board operating program.  
     [0040]FIG. 4 illustrates data structure of an advertisement plan list in accordance with the present invention, which includes an electric sign board list (or an advertisement display spot)  41 , a year list  42 , a month list  43 , a date list  44  and an advertisement file  45 .  
     [0041] After the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N and the operating sign board operating room computer  22  receive the advertisement file, the advertisement display term, the advertisement display time and the advertisement display spot from the advertisement client computer  21 , they execute the electric sign board operating program and the electric sign board operating room program, respectively, classify the advertisement file according to the advertisement display spot (or the electric sign board), and classify minutely the advertisement file according to the advertisement display term and the advertisement display time, thereby making an advertisement plan list.  
     [0042] On the basis of the advertisement plan list, the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N transmit the advertisement file to the first to the Lth electric sign boards  23 - 11  to  23 -NL.  
     [0043]FIG. 5A is a flow chart of an electric sign board operating method of the electric sign board operating room computer  21  in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0044] As shown in the drawing, the electric sign board operating method includes: a step S 501  of receiving an advertisement file and an advertisement data S 501 , a step S 502  of making an advertisement plan list, and a step S 503  of transmitting the advertisement plan list. These steps have been explained in detail in the above descriptions.  
     [0045]FIG. 5B is a flow chart of an electric sign board operating method of the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  through  23 -N in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0046] As shown in the drawing, the electric sign board operating method of the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  through  23 -N includes: a step S 511  of receiving an advertisement file and an advertisement reception data or an advertisement plan list; a step S 512  of making an advertisement plan list; and a step S 513  of displaying an advertisement. The steps S 511  and S 512  have been explained in the above descriptions, while the step S 513  will be described hereinafter.  
     [0047]FIG. 5C is a flow chart of displaying an advertisement in accordance with the present invention.  
     [0048] As shown in the drawing, the displaying an advertisement includes the step S 521  of measuring the current time; a step of S 522  of judging whether the current time is in the range of the electric sign board operating time; a step S 523  of searching a date list corresponding to the current date from the advertisement plan list; a step S 524  of searching an advertisement file of the current time; a step S 525  of transmitting the advertisement file; and a step S 526  of generating a new advertisement display list or updating the existing advertisement display list.  
     [0049] In detail, in the step S 521 , the current time is measured on the basis of the system time of the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N.  
     [0050] In the step S 522 , since there may be a case that an operating time of the electric sign board is specified, it is judged whether the current time is in the range of the electric sign board operating time.  
     [0051] Upon judgment, in case that the current time is not included in the range of the electric sign board operating time, it returns to the step S 521 . Meanwhile, in case that the current time is in the range of the electric sign board operating time, a date list corresponding to the current date is searched from the advertisement plan list in the step S 523 , and an advertisement file corresponding to the current time is searched from the corresponding advertisement plan list in the step S 524 .  
     [0052] The electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N transmits the advertisement file to the input unit  301  of the first to the Lth electric sign boards  23 - 11  to  23 -NL, and the electric sign board control unit  302  transmits the advertisement file to the electric sign board  303 , so as to be displayed (S 525 ).  
     [0053] After the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N transmits the advertisement file in the step S 526 , the advertisement display list including the advertisement client, the advertisement file and the number of times of advertisement display updated or a new one is generated.  
     [0054] That is, in case that the advertisement file transmitted from the advertisement client is first displayed, the electric sign board control unit  302  transmits a signal signifying that the advertisement has been displayed to the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N. Then, the electric sign board operating computers  23 - 1  to  23 -N generate an advertisement display list including the number of times of the display of the advertisement for the advertisement file on the basis of the signal and store it in the first storing unit. In this respect, in case that there exists an advertisement display list in the first storing unit, the existing advertisement display list is updated and stored.  
     [0055] By virtue of the advertisement display list, the number of times that the advertisement file requested by the advertisement client has been displayed on the first sign board  23 - 11  to the Lth electric sign board  23 -NL can be accurately computed.  
     [0056] As so far described, the electric sign board operating system and method of the present invention has the following effect.  
     [0057] That is, first, as a request for an advertisement is received in the file form of a video or an audio, the advertisement is displayed on an electric sign board (one or more) and at a time desired by the client.  
     [0058] Secondly, since the electric sign board operating room computer and the electric sign board operating computer execute the electric sign board operating room program and the electric sign board operating program, respectively, they generate and store the advertisement plan list to be displayed on every electric sign board and the advertisement display list that has been already displayed on the electric sign board, so that the advertisement can be effectively displayed and a reliability for the display of the advertisement can be improved.  
     [0059] Lastly, the advertisement display list contributes to a rational and proper billing for the advertisement fee for the sake of the client and its management.  
     [0060] As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.