Patent ID: 7386238

Claim:
A system for making a service available over a network in response to an advertisement conveyed to users operating handheld devices, said system comprising: means for advertising said service over said network by conveying said advertisement to a transmitter having a photo emissive device associated therewith, said photo emissive device for conveying said advertisement as a transmitted signal to said handheld devices located within a coverage area associated with said transmitter; means for providing said service over said network; and a diffuse infrared protocol capable of providing communications between said transmitter and said handheld devices, said protocol defining a first link layer in said transmitter that matches a second link layer in said handheld devices; wherein said second link layer is an infrared-data-association (IrDA) compliant link layer; wherein said handheld devices generate replies in response to said advertisement; and wherein said replies are conveyed to said system using a point-of presence (POP) associatively coupled to said network and said system.