GB2527744A - Media display systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A personal space, such as a toilet cubicle comprising: at least one occupancy sensor 150 arranged to detect whether or not the personal space is occupied; an electronic display 200 arranged to display media content; a controller arranged to activate and control the media content displayed on said display. By detecting the occupancy of the personal space, the system is able to begin display of media content at an appropriate time to get the full attention of the viewer and may also use a low power mode. The system can also detect the viewer leaving the space and thus determine to what extent any displayed media content was viewed. Preferably the media content is interactive content, wherein one or more interaction sensors can detect contactless interaction input(s) from the user, such as gesture, sound and voice, and wherein the controller controls the media content based on said detected interaction input(s). Interactive content is particularly well suited to the personal spaces such as toilet cubicles, changing rooms, etc. as the environment is a relatively confined space and the user's attention can be gained and held for a period of time.

Description

Media display systems and methods The invention relates to the provision of media content, in particular advertisement, infotainment and/or interactive content, in personal spaces such as changing rooms ortoilet cubicles.

Visual media exists in many forms, and is prevalent around the world. We see advertising hoardings everywhere. Printed material is commonly available, and over 25,000 television channels are currently broadcast across the world. With the prevalence of such a wealth of often fiee-to-consume information and entertainment, advertising is a very important part of consumption based economies and an important method for funding the production and distribution of consumer content. Indeed, many current web developments are driven by video distribution.

Also, customer expectations of getting content for free is encouraging more advertiser funded video distribution business models. Advertising has been with us for a long time and has existed in many forms and been communicated through many technologies. Possibly the oldest known advertising goes back as far as material promoting certain products in Pompeii in 79 AD.

More recent examples of advertising are seen for example in British weekly newspapers in the 18th Century, accompanied by handbills and other printed material to be given away. This was followed by advertising on weather resistant tin signs, typically with product adverts for soap, flour, etc. When radio was invented, it became necessary to develop ways to fund the service. Initially the concept was to sponsor' a program, for which the sponsor got a mention. It was soon found that more money could be made by subdividing the time and selling small advertising slots' to product holders. The first radio advertisement of this form was probably on the WEAF radio channel in New York, in August 1922, when an apartment complex was advertised.

When Television was invented, advertisers realised what a powerful medium it was to promote their products. The first TV advertisement was probably the Bulova watch advertisement, shown on 1 July 1941 during a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.

When Cable Television became popularised in the 1980s this caused further changes in advertising. The large number of specialist channels available meant that advertising spend could be directed to a particular demographic. For example, by advertising on the Music Channel MTV, you would address the 18-30 year old demographic.

It was soon noticed that moving imagery was in many ways more successful than still' imagery to promote products. The availability of cost effective technology made it possible to switch from the traditional still' images to video sequences. This started in outdoor night-time displays (as evidenced at Piccadilly circus from the 1960s onwards). More recent examples include small poster sites on the escalators in London Underground being replaced by video screens and showing video advertising content. Even on the platforms on some London Underground lines there are video projectors showing moving imagery on the opposite wall of the tunnel to the platform.

The Internet has also been a disruptive technology for advertising. It was soon found that banners' could be added to an internet page being viewed or watched. This has also been used effectively via smartphones and tablet computers, which have been used successfully to promote the rollout of many different products or services.

The key trend here is that nearly every technology disruption has been explored by advertising to promote products in a significantly positive manner. Also, the ability to target advertising to an individual's interests, location or demographic group has evolved to the point where advertisers are able to almost have one-to-one messaging in some circumstances.

In fact at the end of the 20th century a dot-com valuation bubble emerged where extraordinarily high valuations were given to companies with nothing more than a large cache of "eye-balls" (i.e. large audiences of viewers or watchers), purely on the premise that in the future such a large audience could be advertiser targeted.

Today users seek out content whether that be information, education or entertainment, but their appetite to pay for this content has diminished through the pervasive availability of so much free' material. This has further demanded robust funding models such as licencing (e.g. BBC public service broadcasting) or advertiser funding (e.g. commercial TV, free local newspapers and radio stations).

Further, the way that people consume media in today's world is vastly different to consumption methods typically adopted five or ten years ago. As a culture, consumers are becoming more choosey and more demanding. Access to the latest news, information and content of choice is becoming readily available across a multitude of different platforms. Video playing technology has made content and advertising prevalent in nearly every sphere of life -in the home, at work, during leisure, when out and about.

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a personal space comprising: at least one occupancy sensor arranged to detect whether or not the personal space is occupied; an electronic display arranged to display media content; and a controller arranged to activate and control the media content displayed on said display.

Personal spaces may be any private and enclosed location that is used by one individual at a time in a private capacity. Personal spaces may include one or more of: a toilet cubicle, a changing room, an en-suite bathroom (e.g. in a hotel). By enclosed, it is meant that the space is physically separated from other adjoining spaces e.g. by walls and/or doors and/or other partitioning structures. These partitions may be full height from floor to ceiling or they may be smaller than that, but high enough to afford privacy, such as is the case for some toilet cubicle partitions in multiple-cubicle wash rooms which leave small spaces above and below the partition for increased air circulation.

By detecting the occupancy of the personal space, the system is able to begin display of media content at an appropriate time to get the full attention of the viewer. The system can also detect the viewer leaving the space and thus determine to what extent any displayed media content was viewed and the system can put itself into a low power sleep or standby mode to conserve power.

Currently, among the few areas that are not penetrated by video playing systems which support varied content and advertising are personal spaces including toilet cubicles and changing rooms. Whilst these may be provided with a simple printed advertisement on the back of the door which can be read when seated on the toilet or changing bench, there will likely not be anything else.

The use of a discrete space where one is alone (such as a lavatory or changing room) takes a finite period of time, typically a similar length of time or longer than the time of a one or more television adverts (each of typically 30 seconds duration). In this respect it is unlike a street hoarding or other printed advertisement, which viewers can quickly walk by or skip over. The scenario is also dissimilar to television advertisements where the viewer can instantly press change channel' or skip' on the remote control to navigate away from advertising content.

Preferably the media content is interactive content, wherein one or more interaction sensors can detect contactless interaction input(s) from the user, and wherein the controller controls the media content based on said detected interaction input(s).

Interactive content is particularly well suited to the personal spaces such as toilet cubicles, changing rooms, etc. as the environment is a relatively confined space and the user's attention can be gained and held for a period of time. What is more, a great deal can be inferred about the occupant of the personal space which facilitates making content relevant and targeted -e.g. the gender, geographical location and social class! wealth of the average (or most common) occupant can be inferred from the location of the personal space, e.g. a toilet cubicle in the male washrooms of a fitness centre in a 5 star hotel in London, UK may infer that the most common audience will include males, aged 20-50 with medium to high wealth, general interest in fitness products/services and current local interests of tourist attraction in and around London. Thus, content can be targeted specifically at people who meet one or more of these criteria with a higher than average expected return compared with a non4argeted approach. Preferably interaction is undertaken in a contactless manner for hygiene reasons. Contactless interaction may be achieved by speech or other sound recognition and/or it may be via gesture detection and recognition. Multiple different interactions may be detected such as swiping in mid-air with a hand, pointing with a hand or finger, spoken words or hand claps. Preferably one interaction command triggers the controller to change the displayed media. This may be to move from one advert to the next, or from one interactive content to the next interactive content. Therefore preferably the controller is arranged to interpret the interaction input(s) from the user and, when certain input conditions are met, to alter the media content being displayed on said display.

Preferably the one or more interaction sensors comprises movement sensors and the interaction input(s) include gesture-based interactions. The movement sensors may include one or more of: optical sensors (preferably non-camera-based), radio frequency sensors, radar sensors and ultrasound sensors.

The personal space may include a plurality of movement sensors positioned at different locations within the personal space so as to provide more increased accuracy of detection.

The one or more interaction sensors may comprise an audio sensor and the interaction input(s) may include sound and/or voice interactions. The interaction sensors preferably include one or more microphones.

The interaction sensors may all be separate sensors. However, preferably the one or more interaction sensors may comprise the at least one occupancy sensor. Where the occupancy sensor is capable of detecting spatial information within the personal space, it can provide that data for gesture determination. The system may comprise a single sensor which acts as both occupancy sensor and interaction sensor. However, preferably the system comprises a plurality of interaction sensors, at least one of which additionally acts as an occupancy sensor.

The at least one occupancy sensor may comprise a sensor selected from among: a mechanical door state sensor, an electrical door state sensor, a magnetic door state sensor, an optical door state sensor, an ultrasound door state sensor, an infra-red object detector, a radio frequency object detector, an optical object detector, a mechanical object detector or an ultrasound object detector.

As mentioned above, the personal space preferably comprises a plurality of interaction sensors. The plurality of sensors may all be located in different locations on the same surface of the personal space, e.g. all on the door or all on the ceiling or one wall enclosing the space. However, for increased information regarding the movements (and hence possible gestures) within the personal space, it is preferred that the interaction sensors are located on a plurality of surfaces within the space.

For example, the occupancy sensor may be located adjacent to the door so as to sense the door's open/closed state, while other interaction sensors may be positioned on the adjacent walls and/or ceiling of the space so as to be able to detect movement accurately in multiple directions.

Many gesture based sensors are based on camera sensors and computer vision processing techniques. However, a personal space such as a toilet cubicle is a very private area and the presence of camera sensors could be seen as intrusive andlor immoral even where image data from the cameras was never stored or transmitted beyond the personal space. Therefore preferably no camera-based occupancy sensors and no camera-based interaction sensors are provided in the system.

The media content that is to be displayed on the display can be provided on a storage device external to the personal space and streamed to the personal space on demand. This has the advantage of allowing a single source to stream to multiple locations on demand. However, if the data connection between the remote storage device and the personal space fails for any reason, there will be no content displayed within the space. Therefore in some preferred embodiments, media content is stored locally within the personal space on a local storage device. The local display and control system then always has content to display to a user of the system. The locally stored media content can be replaced or updated periodically, e.g. via a local upload or via a network connection (wired or wireless). In such embodiments, content may be transferred from a remote storage location and a copy stored locally in the personal space. The remote storage location may be remote from the personal space, but local to the building (or site of multiple buildings) in which the personal space is located. This arrangement is particularly advantageous when content is to be targeted to a local population with common characteristics. For example media content may be targeted specifically at hotel guests, e.g. to promote local hotel facilities or local activities or amenities. Such content can be stored on the hotel site and updated locally. That local site storage can then distribute content as required to the personal space on demand or copies can be made local to the personal space.

The equipment deployed in the personal space may include relative costly components such as colour display screens or projectors and sensor arrays. In order to protect these from damage or from hacking (e.g. to prevent privacy being compromised), one or more tamper alarms may be arranged to activate in the event that one or more components of the system are tampered with.

In some preferred embodiments, the personal space system may present a user with a choice of content upon start up (e.g. upon activation through detection by the occupancy sensor). It is hoped that the user will select some content to be displayed during the period of occupation. In the absence of interaction, the system may simply remain inactive, waiting for a selection. However it is preferred that the controller is arranged to show default media content in the event that the personal space is determined to be occupied and no suitable interactions are detected to specify particular media content. The default media content may be a preselected item or it may be selected from a number of content items according to a schedule or rota or according to a history of popularly selected items (either the most popular or the least popular may be selected).

The service may include a software development kit (SDK) and/or a set of application programming interfaces (API) to allow customer content to be viewed on these devices. Examples which could make use of such functionality include hotel lobbies which routinely have a screen promoting their spas, restaurants and chauffeur drive services and may want to convey this content also on displays in one or more of their personal spaces such as toilet cubicles, en-suite bathrooms and changing rooms.

Preferably the controller is arranged to enter a low-power standby mode when the occupancy state of the personal space is determined to change from occupied to non-occupied. The personal space may only be occupied occasionally and may therefore be in a non-occupied state for significant periods of time.

Therefore the potential power savings that can be made by entering a low power mode are significant.

The controller may be arranged to enter a low-power standby mode when no interaction has been detected for a predetermined period. This mode of operation may be independent of the state of the occupancy sensor and provides a failsafe to enter low-power mode in case the occupancy sensor fails for some reason (e.g. fails to detect a user leaving the personal space, or erroneously detects an occupied state.

The controller may be arranged to generate a log of media content displayed on the display. This is a particularly useful feature for this system as the private and small nature of a personal space enviionment means that the user's attention is almost certainly engaged during the period of occupancy. Thus it can be reliably supposed that any content displayed on the display was observed. Note that this is in contrast to most other advertising methods where it is difficult to guarantee that the content has been observed or that the target audience was paying attention.

For example, billboards can be ignored by passers-by, television adverts can be muted and it cannot be determined if the observers have left the room or remained to watch. In the personal space scenario, particularly in the case of interactive content, the system can be reasonably certain that content displayed was observed.

In particular, the system can determine if content was only partially observed, e.g. it was begun, but was terminated either by an interaction from the user (e.g. a request for next content) or by the user leaving the personal space. Thus the log may contain an indication of how many times each particular item of content was fully displayed and/or an indication of how many times each particular item of content was partially displayed.

The system may be configured to offer discount coupons or promotions to a user's mobile phone or other smart device through Bluetooth, WiFi, Audio signalling or photographable bar-codes or QR codes direct to their personal devices, further amplifying the effectiveness of any advertising by fulfilling a call to action.

Preferably, for each media content entry in the log, the log includes one or more of: the time of display, whether the media content was selected by the user or played by default, and whether (and/or to what extent) the media content was fully displayed while the personal space was occupied.

The electronic display may take many forms. It may be a projector mounted in a wall or ceiling and projecting onto another wall or door area or it may be a flat panel display mounted to a wall or door of the personal space. Mounting the flat panel display directly opposite the user of the personal space (e.g. in a toilet cubicle) gives a more direct viewing angle for the user. However, in some embodiments, implementation will be easier if the panel is mounted to a wall rather than to a door. Thus, where the door is opposite the user, a side wall may be preferred as the mounting position for the display panel. The controller may be situated in the same place as the display or elsewhere. In some preferred embodiments the electronic display comprises a tablet computer securely mounted in a mounting apparatus to a wall or door of the personal space. The tablet computer may also act as the controller. Tablet computers are becoming readily available at ever lower price points and they are well adapted for the display and control of multimedia content. The use of tablet computers in the system makes deployment as well as upgrade of the system a much more straightforward task.

One disadvantage of off-the-shelf tablet computers is that they normally include a camera, especially one facing in the same direction as the display (typically used for videoconferencing). As discussed above, the presence of a camera may be considered as offensive and/or immoral by users of the system, even if the camera is not activated or recording any images. Therefore in preferred embodiments the tablet computer comprises a camera facing in the same direction as the display and the mounting apparatus comprises an obstruction that covers the camera, fully blocking the camera from the interior of the personal space. By covering the camera so that it cannot be seen and cannot record images, users of the system can remain at ease in the presence of the system.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a system comprising one or more personal spaces as described above (including any number of the optional features described), and further comprising a server with a storage device forstoring media content and capable of communicating said media content to each personal space.

As discussed above, the media may be streamed on demand, but preferably the or each personal space also comprises a local storage device which is updated periodically from the server. In the case of a system with a plurality of personal spaces, the server can distribute the same media content to each personal space or it may deliver different content to different personal spaces. This may be particularly relevant for targeting different groups. One example may be to deliver different content to male toilet cubicles and female toilet cubicles with the content specifically directed towards the appropriate gender group. Another example may be to direct different content to toilet cubicles in a restaurant area and in a gym area, e.g. with the former being provided with media content associated with food and recreation and the latter being provided with media content to do with fitness and activities.

Other examples can readily be envisaged.

Also as discussed above, the server may be located external to the or each personal space. In some embodiments the server is preferably located within a building, site or complex. In other embodiments the server may be located elsewhere and be accessible over the internet.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a method of displaying media content in a personal space, comprising: detecting a person entering the personal space; upon detecting a person entering the personal space, activating and controlling media content on an electronic display within the personal space.

The preferred features described above in relation to the apparatus apply equally to the methods of operation and use.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, byway of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a toilet cubicle system; Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of a toilet cubicle system; Fig. 3 illustrates a system architecture; and Fig. 4 shows a mounting system for a tablet computer within the system; Certain preferred embodiments of the invention provide methods of displaying compelling video material supported by advertising, chosen and controlled by the user of a lavatory.

While the following examples describe the system as applied to one or more toilet cubicles, it will be appreciated that the system is not limited to toilet cubicles and can equally well be applied to other personal spaces such as changing rooms and/or en-suite bathrooms and/or other enclosed or substantially enclosed spaces where the user can be expected to occupy the space for a period of time in private.

The embodiments of the system described here have a method of knowing that someone has entered the toilet cubicle and started interacting with the device.

Detecting a person entering the toilet cubicle may trigger a "programme start" function. One way of achieving this detection is to have a door sensor so that closing the door generates a signal to the controlling computer or microprocessor that initiates the programme start function. This sensor may for example be a contact sensor to indicate when the door is in a closed state. Sensors to achieve this are readily available and are used in various security systems to detect the open/closed state of doors and/or windows (or other openings). Other methods of sensing the door state may use a microswitch fitted to the door lock. This has the advantage that if the door is closed from the outside, the programme would not start. Rather, the programme will only begin once the door has been locked (which can normally only be done from the inside). Further methods of detection of the door state may use sensors fitted within the hinge, e.g. monitoring the rotational element of the hinge. In such examples, when the rotation exceeds a certain angle, to be set up on installation, the sensor can trigger the "programme start" function.

Other methods exist to detect that someone has entered the cubicle and which do not rely on detection of the door open/closed state. These include other types of sensor usually sold for security systems, such as those that include FIR (Passive Infra Red) detectors. Yet another method of detecting occupancy of the toilet cubicle is to align an infrared light source on one side of the cubicle that is detected by a suitable infrared sensor on the other side of the cubicle. The supervisory system controller or microprocessor can be programmed such that whilst the infrared sensor detects a signal (and thus the beam is unbroken), the occupancy state is determined is unoccupied. Conversely, when the detected infrared value at the sensor drops dramatically (i.e. when the beam has been obscured), the system infers that someone has entered the cubicle and the occupancy state is determined as occupied.

Naturally, these methods can be used in combination, or as alternatives. For example, some embodiments of the system could be configured such that the occupancy state is only determined as "occupied" if the toilet door lock is detected and a beam within the cubicle is broken. The "programme start" function is only triggered once both of these occupancy conditions are met. In addition to having the ability to detect a person's proximity, the system can be activated through a non-contact gesture such as waving, swiping, circling in the air, hovering a finger over an icon or clapping ones hands. Each of these gestures may correspond to a given action. For example, a waving' gesture could be interpreted as a pause' function, a swiping' gesture could be interpreted as a next clip' command, and so on.

Upon receipt of a "programme start" signal or command, the controller or supervising microprocessor starts to play programme material (this may be audio and/or video and/or interactive media content). This material can be stored locally, e.g. on a computer disc or memory contained in the device hardware within the toilet cubicle, or it may be stored and distributed (e.g. streamed) from a central control area in the lavatories. Such a central control area may serve multiple cubicles within the lavatories (which may comprise one or more rooms, typically at least one male lavatory area and one female lavatory area). This central control arrangement is more secure from tampering and also caters for easier version control. The central repository of media content (e.g. videos) may be stored in a safe area in the lavatory (e.g. within a locked cupboard or behind a secure panel) and can provide media content to many cubicles simultaneously. In other embodiments, the media can be streamed over the internet, using either wired connections such as Ethernet, or industry standard wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 standards), Bluetooth or similar. The content may be delivered over the internet directly to the cubicle or it may be delivered to a central lavatory server that then redistributes content to each cubicle as required.

Once the programme start signal has been received, the system displays a video menu with simple instructions on how to interact with the system and how to select content. This menu can be displayed via a monitor, preferably affixed to the back of the cubicle door (or to a cubicle wall facing the toilet), or possibly the side wall of the cubicle. The monitor may be an LCD display or other flat panel display screen. In an alternate implementation the video images may be projected onto a screen on the back of the cubicle door (or cubicle wall) via a projector. Advantages of using a projection system include that the projector can be ceiling mounted and that the projector is harder to tamper with or steal. If using a video screen (i.e. a backlit screen such as an LCD display), it is good practice to mount this with non-standard mountings so that the display is not easily removable with readily available tools. If a video screen is mounted on the toilet door or wall, another security measure that can be adopted is a tamper' alarm, where if the device is manhandled, a very loud sonic alarm is sounded. The tamper alarm may also alert personnel in the area (for example the lavatory managers, or their representatives).

One embodiment of the system includes ways to make the viewed material interactive, i.e. to allow the user to control the content being displayed to a certain extent. This is beneficial to content providers in that, for example, there is no point in showing a car commercial to a person who cannot drive, and/or is not interested in cars. Another example would be that there is little point in showing children's toy advertisements to those without children in their family. Rather it is preferred to allow the user to provide some input or feedback with regard to content that is most suitable to them. The showing opportunity in the toilet cubicle is greater than in other advertising scenarios as using a lavatory cubicle takes a finite time. For that time the user is immobile and inclined to enjoy a platform that is entertaining and under their control. It is in the occupant's interest to choose something relevant and/or entertaining during this time. Thus it is desirable to offer the user a choice of material. This choice could be presented in the form of a list from which the user can select (this may be a list of specific content such as a list of available videos or it may be a list of genres from which the user can select, with the actual content being either selectable or randomised within that genre).

For hygiene reasons it is highly undesirable to have contact methods of choosing the material (i.e. physical contact between the user and the system components). For example, touchscreens are considered to be a hygiene risk. A number of methods of non-contact control have been developed. In one form, the control interface is an advance video' signal. In other forms, more complex selections from menus may be used. The control signals that control operation of the system can be generated in a number of ways.

One form of interaction is through audio signals such as via sound or speech detection. The user can for example clap to advance the video, or say next video'.

To detect these sounds, all that is needed is a microphone connected to the controller or microprocessor. When the clap (or for that matter any loud noise or speech) is detected, a control signal is generated to control the playback of the media content. For example, the control signal may cause a video to pause, rewind or fast forward. Similarly, the control signal may cause the system to stop the currently playing media and begin playback of a new media item (this may be referred to as a next media' action). In more complex systems featuring voice control, it is possible to generate signals more complex than simple commands such as next media'. It is possible to interpret, using standard consumer software packages, the meaning of speech with reasonable accuracy. In one example the monitor or projection screen may display that there is a choice of media content.

For example there may be a choice between food and car video content. The user may make a selection by saying food which generates a control signal to play food videos and/or advertisements. Correspondingly, saying car' would play the car videos and/or commercials.

Alternative methods of non-contact control include gestural recognition. This may use simple gestures for control, such as a wave' gesture which generates a next media' signal. Another gestural control may include holding up a number of fingers, e.g. one finger to indicate selection of a first choice on a menu, two fingers to indicate selection of a second choice on the menu. Other gestures include swiping (horizontally in either direction and/or vertically in either direction), circling a fingertip while pointing at areas of a screen, etc. The gesture detection is accomplished without the use of a camera as privacy within a toilet cubicle is of great importance to the user. This is the case even where gesture processing can be accomplished with no images being taken or stored by the camera and/or system. The mere presence of a camera can be considered a privacy invasion to a user. Instead, gesture recognition is accomplished through the use of other movement/position sensors such as RF sensors, infrared sensors, radar, ultrasound, etc. Placement of the sensors for gestural recognition can vary. Sensors can either be located in the video playing device (e.g. the display screen or monitor) or they can be positioned at other locations around the cubicle. In some embodiments a plurality of locations are used so as to provide greater positional information and increase the reliability of gesture detection.

A first embodiment of the system is shown in Fig. 1. The cubicle 100 contains a toilet 110, a cubicle door 120 located opposite the toilet and opening inwards and side walls 130, 140.

First sensor 150 and second sensor 155 are mounted on the back of the cubicle door. Second sensor 160 and third sensor 170 are located in the side walls 130, 140 respectively. Additionally, an occupancy sensor 180 is located in the door lock mechanism 190. A display device 200 is mounted on the back of the door 120 facing the user when the user sits on toilet 110.

The sensors 160, 170 mounted on the side walls of the cubicle can detect motion in the major axis of the cubicle that would be difficult to detect with only the sensor 150 (or multiple such sensors 150) on the cubicle door.

If the user does not respond to an opportunity to provide input such as to advance or choose a video (or other media), the system plays a default video. At the end of the user's session, the occupancy sensor 180 will detect the user leaving the cubicle by sensing the door lock mechanism 190 being unlocked and the sensor will send a signal to the controller to indicate that the user has finished the session. For both financial and ecological reasons, the system then puts the cubicle display device 200 into a low power standby mode until it is activated again.

Fig. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a toilet cubicle 105 containing a toilet 110, a cubicle door 120 which opens inwards to one side of the toilet 110 a side wall 130 and an end wall 145. A projector 205 is mounted in the ceiling (shown in dashed line in Fig. 2) and projects onto a blank screen 207 on the end wall 145.

In other embodiments, the projector 205 may project directly onto the wall 145 with no screen 207. The first and second sensors 150, 155 are mounted on the end wall 145, third sensor 160 is mounted on side wall 130 and fourth sensor 170 is mounted on the door 120. Instead of door lock sensor 180, a PIR detector 185 is provided, directed into the toilet cubicle to detect occupancy of the cubicle. Operation of the system is similar to that of Fig. 1.

It will be appreciated that other embodiments of the invention may be similar to those of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, but where the walls and doors define a changing room or an en-suite bathroom. A changing room may have no toilet, but may instead have a chair or bench and it may have clothes hooks. An en-suite bathroom may be a slightly larger space and may include one or more of: a wash basin, a bath and a shower. The same principles as described above apply with regard to sensor placement and system operation.

Currently advertising models are driven by proven showings or views.

Advertisers for television want to know how many people are likely to, and how many people actually did watch a given show containing their advert. Similarly for advertisements in newspapers and magazines, the advertiser will want to know how many copies of the newspaper! magazine have been circulated or sold. The embodiments of the invention described here can provide better information than this because the system has more detailed information on the presence of the user in close proximity to the screen 200 as well as more detailed information on any interaction the user has with the system and the time at which the user ends interaction with the system.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture and components of the system 300. A number of display nodes 310 are provided. Each display node 310 is designed for installation in an individual toilet cubicle and includes a display 311 (this may be a projector, an LCD display or the built in display of a tablet computer as discussed elsewhere), a microprocessor 312, local memory 313 and local storage 314 (which may also be built in to a tablet computer, if used). The display nodes 310 are in data communication with a venue communicator 320 either by wired or wireless connection. The venue communicator 320 is designed to plug directly into the venue's existing network router 330 and is designed to communicate through the router 330 with backend server 340. The backend server may be located on site (e.g. on the same network), but in most circumstances it will be located elsewhere and accessible via the internet. Venue communicator 320 fetches (or is pushed) content from backend server 340 and distributes that content appropriately amongst the display nodes 310.

The system records the showing of every video or media item in a playout log table. At the end of a time period, typically a day, a copy of this playout log table will be sent to a central server. This playout log will contain textural information of which videos were viewed, when, and whether the whole content item was watched before the cubicle was vacated. Note that it is relatively easy to ascertain when the viewer leaves the cubicle using the occupancy sensor 180, 185. In the embodiment of Fig. I this involves detecting the unlocking the door. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 the HR sensor no longer detects a presence within the cubicle 105. Thus the door lock sensor 180, PIR sensor 185, or other in-built device proximity detector can send a signal to the controller to say that the currently playing media content item was not completely watched. This information will then be recorded in the playout log. The playout log will also record which media items were chosen by the user, and which were watched as a default' (e.g. in the absence of user interaction). The perceived value of default adverts is likely to be far less than expressly chosen adverts. Therefore this information is useful to the service provider and/or advertiser. By its very nature, the location of the system can in many instances determine the gender of the viewer. Since most of the world uses sex segregated toilets, it is a fair assumption that viewers in the Ladies' toilets are almost certainly female.

The venue will, to a certain extent, determine the content (e.g. advertising content) that will be shown. For example in five star hotel toilets it may be desirable to show expensive designer watch adverts, whereas in a less expensive hotel chain it may be desirable to show more affordable consumer products, or local fast food venues. Via suitable commodity hardware (e.g. server and network architecture), it is possible to determine remotely the content that may be made available at any one location, or even any one cubicle if desired. For example, a cubicle identifier (ID) can be associated with each cubicle in a system. As the location and target audience of each cubicle is already known, appropriate content can be selected and delivered for a specific cubicle ID or a plurality of cubicle IDs (e.g. a set of cubicles).

Different content can be associated with different cubicles as desired.

The system will also support a developer interface that allows the sequence of content playout and logic flow (e.g. user selection menus) to be customised for a particular site or even for a particular cubicle or set of cubicles. This will be particularly useful for venues such as hotels that already have media content players such as reception desk video screens promoting their in-house facilities such as restaurants, spas, airport drop-off and other concierge services.

It has also been found that it is desirable to store the default content and advertisements to be shown locally, so that if the communications protocol goes down content can still be shown. Such content should ideally be stored either in the lavatory central server, or in each playout device. The most resilient arrangement is to have the content stored on the locally to the toilet cubicle. The next most resilient arrangement is to have content stored locally to the site (e.g. locally to the hotel building or complex). This latter arrangement then relies only on the local network being active. Other embodiments can have content stored off-site and accessible via the internet. This is less resilient in that the content becomes inaccessible if internet access becomes unavailable. However, it has advantages in that no local storage is required and content can be updated more frequently and dynamically.

Display device 200 in Fig. 1 and projector 205 in Fig. 2 preferably include a processor 312, local memory 313 and local storage 314 as shown in the display nodes 310 of Fig. 3 (although these components will not necessarily be required in a pure internet streaming system).

Suitable commodity devices can be used to host the system in the cubicle, acting as the display node 310 of a multi-node system or as a standalone single-node system. Such commodity devices (including a processor 312, local memory 313 and storage 314 as well as built in display 311) include a wide range of computer tablets. These tablets may be used as the viewing device 200 of Fig. 1 for example. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the tablet computer 400 may be housed in a secure enclosure 410 on the inside of the cubicle door 120 (or wall 130, 140, 145).

It may be desirable to include a tamper alarm 420 (shown in dashed line in Fig. 4) which can detect any attempt to remove the device 400 or otherwise tamper with the device 400 and which can either alert facility staff that tampering is taking place or emit a very loud warning alarm, or both. It must be noted that many consumer tablets contain a front facing camera for video calling (for example iPadTM models from AppleTM). In this case, it has been found necessary to design the mounting system 410 to obviously cover over the front camera. For example in Fig. 4, obstruction 430 clearly covers the camera, giving the user the peace of mind that their privacy is being maintained. With such arrangements it has been found that consumers have confidence in using the system, and realise that their privacy is not being invaded. As mentioned above, for this reason, an important design consideration is that user interaction, whilst being gesture driven, is not interpreted by a camera, but must utilise other non-camera based mechanisms. Where the hardware includes a camera and where gesture detection and interpretation is not accomplished by the camera (and where the camera is not in use for any other purpose), it is better to cover the camera so as to provide reassurance to the user that their privacy is not being compromised.

Whilst there is some scope to operate offline for limited periods, reliable 2-way connectivity is an important aspect for advanced modes of operation of the system. Such connectivity is needed not just for updating content to the local device 310, 400, but also for reporting back on adverts displayed and tamper/vandalism attempts. Each data stream will have different bandwidth needs and priority. For example tamper attempts should preferably be reported immediately to the venue owner, whilst updating adverts on the nodes can be done periodically and during times of low use such as overnight.

The communication requirement can be broken down into two separate sections: 1) between the venue and the backend server; 2) communication within the venue.

Target venues may be required to have an internet connection and more particularly one that is able to carry the required levels of traffic. In this case, the simplest network architecture (see Figure 3) would be to install a communicator unit 320 that plugs into an existing router 330 at the venue. This communicator 320 can then be connected (either by wire orwirelessly) to display nodes 310 in each of the washrooms.

The nodes 310 can thus be connected to the backend server 340 either wirelessly (including using data or telephony networks) or by wire or a combination of the two. The network architecture needs to take into account that some venues may have a large footprint and be spread out over many levels. There may be multiple washrooms in each venue and each washroom is likely to have a number of display nodes 310. The appropriate data communication means will be chosen according to the specific venue requirements. For example radio propagation is expected to vary significantly not only between venues but also within venues, so any wireless network is likely to require repeaters to ensure coverage. The alternative to wireless is to install data cables to the washrooms, but that can be costly and problematic to install.

The 300 system can be designed such that it is stand alone with all occupancy detection, gesture or sound control input, video streaming and data storage in one module which is simple to install in as wide a range of venues as possible. It should be noted that in the majority of cases, this will be a retrofit.

The operational sequence for using the system may be as follows: 1) a user goes into a toilet cubicle, closes the door and locks it; 2) the occupancy sensor (e.g. FIR sensor 185 or door lock sensor 180) sends a control signal to the controller 312 to indicate that the viewing sequence should be commenced; 3) the display 311 is activated and a menu with a selection of media content is displayed to the user with instructions on how to make selection (e.g. via contactless gestures, sound or speech input); 4a) the user follows the instructions on the screen to start make selections of a media content item; 4b) as an alternative to step 4a, if the user makes no selection, a default item is played; 5) the system plays the selected media content item; 6) if the user loses interest in the media content item, the user may issue further gesture or audio commands to terminate the media content item and select an alternative item; 7) if a media content item completes, a new item may be started either by default or by further user selection; 8) the user leaves the cubicle, unlocking and opening the door; 9) the occupancy sensor detects that the cubicle is now unoccupied and sends a signal to controller 312 to indicate that the viewing has ceased; 10) the controller 312 puts the display 311 (and other system components) into a low power standby mode; Steps 5, 6 and 7, entries are made in the system log to note the time at which a media content item was played, the location (e.g. the specific cubicle) in which the content was displayed, an indication of whether it was selected by the user or played by default and an indication of whether it completed, was terminated incomplete by the user or was viewed incomplete due to the user leaving.

In the menu display step 3, the user will see, and optionally hear a menu of content, either on a video screen preferably at eye height (e.g. as shown in Fig. 1), or projected onto a screen on the back of the door (as shown in Fig. 2), again with the centre of view at eye height when the user is seated on toilet 110.

Part of the content being displayed in menu display step 3 and in the media items subsequently played may be in the form of advertising. Other media content items may include informational videos or promotional videos.

In an alternative embodiment, if the user does not interact with the system in step 4b, the system may go back into power saving mode ratherthan displaying a default media content item.

In addition to the above, if the tamper alarm 420 detects any attempt to tamper with the system, an event may be logged in the system log as well as alerting staff.

All data transmissions may be sent via industry standard communications protocols to a central recording office for analysis.

Claims (37)

1. Claims 1. A personal space comprising: at least one occupancy sensor arranged to detect whether or not the personal space is occupied; an electronic display arranged to display media content; a controller arranged to activate and control the media content displayed on said display.
2. 2. A personal space as claimed in claim 1, wherein the media content is interactive content, wherein one or more interaction sensors can detect contactless interaction input(s) from the user, and wherein the controller controls the media content based on said detected interaction input(s).
3. 3. A personal space as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller is arranged to interpret the interaction input(s) from the user and when certain input conditions are met to alter the media content being displayed on said display.
4. 4. A personal space as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprise movement sensors and wherein the interaction input(s) include gesture-based interactions.
5. 5. A personal space as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprise an audio sensor and wherein the interaction input(s) include sound and/or voice interactions.
6. 6. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprises the at least one occupancy sensor.
7. 7. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one occupancy sensor comprises a sensor selected from among: a mechanical door state sensor, an electrical door state sensor, a magnetic door state sensor, an optical door state sensor, an ultrasound door state sensor, an infra-red object detector, a radio frequency object detector, an optical object detector, a mechanical object detector or an ultrasound object detector.
8. 8. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of interaction sensors and wherein the interaction sensors are located on a plurality of surfaces within the personal space.
9. 9. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, including no camera-based occupancy sensors and no camera-based interaction sensors.
10. 10. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a local storage device arranged to store media content.
11. 11. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising one or more tamper alarms arranged to activate in the event that one or more components of the system are tampered with.
12. 12. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to show default media content in the event that the personal space is determined to be occupied and no suitable interactions are detected to specify particular media content.
13. 13. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to enter a low-power standby mode when the occupancy state of the personal space is determined to change from occupied to non-occupied.
14. 14. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the controller is arranged to generate a log of media content displayed on the display.
15. 15. A personal space as claimed in claim 14, wherein for each media content entry in the log, the log includes one or more of: the time of display, whether the media content was selected by the user or played by default, whether (or to what extent) the media content was fully displayed while the personal space was occupied
16. 16. A personal space as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the electronic display comprises a tablet computer securely mounted in a mounting apparatus to a wall or door of the personal space.
17. 17. A personal space as claimed in claim 16, wherein the tablet computer comprises a camera facing in the same direction as the display and wherein the mounting apparatus comprises an obstruction that covers the camera, fully blocking the camera from the interior of the personal space.
18. 18. A personal space as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17, wherein the personal space is a toilet cubicle, a changing room or an en-suite bathroom.
19. 19. A system comprising a one or more personal spaces as claimed in claim 1 to 18, and further comprising a server with a storage device for storing media content and capable of communicating said media content to each personal space.
20. 20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the server is located external to the or each personal space.
21. 21. A method of displaying media content in a personal space, comprising: detecting a person entering the personal space; upon detecting a person entering the personal space, activating and controlling media content on an electronic display within the personal space.
22. 22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the media content is interactive content, wherein one or more interaction sensors detect contactless interaction input(s) from the user, and wherein the controller controls the media content based on said detected interaction input(s).
23. 23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the controller interprets the interaction input(s) from the user and when certain input conditions are met alters the media content being displayed on said display.
24. 24. A method as claimed in claim 22 or 23, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprise movement sensors and wherein the interaction input(s) include gesture-based interactions.
25. 25. A method as claimed in claim 22, 23 or 24, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprise an audio sensor and wherein the interaction input(s) include sound and/or voice interactions.
26. 26. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 25, wherein the one or more interaction sensors comprises the at least one occupancy sensor.
27. 27. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 26, wherein the at least one occupancy sensor comprises a sensor selected from among: a mechanical door state sensor, an electrical door state sensor, a magnetic door state sensor, an optical door state sensor, an ultrasound door state sensor, an infra-red object detector, a radio frequency object detector, an optical object detector, a mechanical object detector or an ultrasound object detector.
28. 28. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 27, wherein the personal space comprises a plurality of interaction sensors and wherein the interaction sensors are located on a plurality of surfaces within the personal space.
29. 29. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 28, wherein the personal space includes no camera-based occupancy sensors and no camera-based interaction sensors.
30. 30. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 29, wherein the personal space further comprises a local storage device arranged to store media content.
31. 31. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 30, wherein the personal space further comprises one or more tamper alarms that activate in the event that one or more components of the system are tampered with.
32. 32. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 31, wherein the controller shows default media content in the event that the personal space is determined to be occupied and no suitable interactions are detected to specify particular media content.
33. 33. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 32, wherein the controller enters a low-power standby mode when the occupancy state of the personal space is determined to change from occupied to non-occupied.
34. 34. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 33, wherein the controller generates a log of media content displayed on the display.
35. 35. A method as claimed in claim 34, wherein for each media content entry in the log, the log includes one or more of: the time of display, whether the media content was selected by the user or played by default, whether (or to what extent) the media content was fully displayed while the personal space was occupied.
36. 36. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 35, wherein the electronic display comprises a tablet computer securely mounted in a mounting apparatus to a wall or door of the personal space.
37. 37. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein the tablet computer comprises a camera facing in the same direction as the display and wherein the mounting apparatus comprises an obstruction that covers the camera, fully blocking the camera from the interior of the personal space.36. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 37, wherein the personal space is a toilet cubicle, a changing room or an en-suite bathroom.39. A method as claimed in any of claims 21 to 37, further comprising communicating media content from a server to said personal space.40. A method as claimed in claim 39, wherein the server is located external to the personal space.