Set-top box, system and method for providing awareness in a hospitality environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9357254-B2
Application number	US-201414461479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2014
Priority date	Feb 5, 2014
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for providing awareness in a hospitality environment are presented. In one embodiment, a vertical and horizontal array of set-top boxes is provided and each set-top box includes an identification corresponding to the room in which the set-top box is placed. Each set-top box includes a wireless transceiver that periodically transmits an identification beacon that is received by a proximate wireless-enabled interactive device. The proximate wireless-enabled interactive device, in turn, broadcasts data packets including an indication of the strength of set-top box identification signals received. The broadcasts are received by a server via an array of wireless routers. The location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device is determined based on the signal strength information in the data packets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing awareness in an environment, the system comprising:
an environment selected from the group of multi-unit hospitality environments, educational campuses, hospital campuses, and office buildings;
a spatial array of set-top boxes, each set-top box being associated with a room in the environment, each set-top box having an identification including a room identifier;
each set-top box of the spatial array including:
a housing;
a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, the wireless transceiver configured to send a beacon to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;
a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output configured to respectively receive content from a source in the hospitality environment and forward content to a television;
a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the television input and the television output;
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
periodically transmit an identification beacon signal including set-top box identification;

a data packet associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device, the data packet including at least one set-top box identification, a corresponding signal strength identification indicating the strength of the set-top box identification beacon signal, and a proximate wireless-enabled interactive device identification;
a spatial array of wireless routers disposed in the environment, each wireless router configured to receive the data packet from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device and forward the data packet;
a server located within the environment and in communication with the vertical and horizontal array of wireless routers, the server including:
a processor; and
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive the data packet from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device;
process the data packet to determine the set-top box identification of strongest signal strength and the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device identification; and
determine the location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device as being proximate to the set-to box of strongest signal strength; and

the location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device being determined following communication from the vertical and horizontal array of set-top boxes to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device to the vertical and horizontal array of wireless routers to the server.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wireless routers are configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the proximate wireless-enabled programmable device further comprises a user-supplied wireless-enabled smart and interactive handheld device.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the proximate wireless-enabled programmable device further comprises a single button personal locator device.

6. The system as recited claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises an operational mode selected from the group consisting of alerts-enabled, service request-enabled, tracking-enabled, and non-tracking-enabled.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spatial array of set-top boxes further comprises a plurality of common space beacon devices, each common space beacon device having an identification including a common space.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the common space beacon devices further comprises:
a processor coupled to a wireless transceiver; and
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
periodically transmit an identification beacon signal including beacon device identification.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spatial array of set-top boxes comprises a vertical and horizontal array of set-top boxes.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the spatial array of set-top boxes comprises a horizontal array of set-top boxes.

11. A system for providing awareness in an environment, the system comprising:
an environment selected from the group of multi-unit dwellings, sports facilities, and shopping malls;
a spatial array of set-top boxes, each set-top box being associated with a room in the environment, each set-top box having an identification including a room identifier;
each set-top box of the spatial array including:
a housing;
a wireless transceiver associated with the housing, the wireless transceiver configured to send a beacon to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device;
a television input and a television output secured in the housing, the television input and the television output configured to respectively receive content from a source in the environment and forward content to a television;
a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the television input and the television output;
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
periodically transmit an identification beacon signal including set-top box identification;

a data packet associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device, the data packet including at least one set-top box identification, a corresponding signal strength identification indicating the strength of the set-top box identification beacon signal, and a proximate wireless-enabled interactive device identification;
a spatial array of wireless routers disposed in the environment, each wireless router configured to receive the data packet from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device and forward the data packet;
a server located within the environment and in communication with the vertical and horizontal array of wireless routers, the server including:
a processor; and
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive the data packet from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device;
process the data packet to determine the set-top box identification of strongest signal strength and the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device identification; and
determine the location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device as being proximate to the set-to box of strongest signal strength; and

the location of the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device being determined following communication from the vertical and horizontal array of set-top boxes to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive device to the vertical and horizontal array of wireless routers to the server.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to communicate with a standard selected from the group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, WiFi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), Bluetoot

Assignees

• Enseo Inc

Inventors

• Ogle Vanessa
• Miller Thomas R
• Fang William C

Classifications

• H04N21/42221

  Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title

• H04N21/43637

  involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114) · CPC title

• H04N21/2143 Primary

  located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum (arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106) · CPC title

• H04N21/23605

  Creation or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES] · CPC title

• H04N21/4108

  characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address (protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00) · CPC title