Patent ID: 8914039

Claim:
A system for providing a facility-based local network which provides local information and access to a local interpersonal communication service, comprising: a cloud computing system; a facility computer host connected to the Internet and said cloud computing system; one or more participating mobile devices comprising a visual display and adapted to transmit and receive data over a facility hosted data transmission signal; the facility hosted data transmission signal enabling the transmission of electronic data wirelessly between the facility computer host and the participating mobile devices; the facility hosted transmission signal also enabling the transmission of the electronic data wirelessly between two or more of the participating mobile devices; whereby the facility computer host transmits facility-specific auxiliary data to the one or more participating mobile devices over the facility hosted data transmission signal; an information and communications software program loaded on the one or more participating mobile devices, whereby the program receives the facility-specific auxiliary data over the transmission signal and provides the one or more participating mobile devices with local and facility information and access to the interpersonal communication service; whereby the software program enables the transmission signal to uniquely identify the one or more participating mobile devices; whereby the software program enables the one or more participating mobile devices to transmit data over the transmission signal; and wherein the local interpersonal communication service enables the participating mobile devices identified by the software program to be visible to other of the participating mobile devices identified by the software program and whereby messages can be sent and received among the participating mobile devices identified by the software program over the facility hosted data transmission signal.