WO2007006993A2

WO2007006993A2 - Method for transmitting information via a user terminal server

Info

Publication number: WO2007006993A2
Application number: PCT/FR2006/050668
Authority: WO
Inventors: Véronique Daurensan
Original assignee: Alcatel
Priority date: 2005-07-13
Filing date: 2006-07-04
Publication date: 2007-01-18
Also published as: WO2007006993A3; FR2888707A1

Abstract

The invention concerns methods for transmitting information via a user terminal server. It consists of a method for transmitting at least one information via a server (3) to the terminal (1) of a given user, the information being selected among a set of data based both on a preference profile (32) of the user, on the user's location (33), and on a future event expected by said user and available to the server in an agenda (31) of said user prior to the date of realization of said expected future event, the server sending to the user's terminal the information both before the date of realization of said predicted future event but after determining the user's location when the expected future event occurs.

Description

METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING INFORMATION BY A SERVER TO TERMINAL D ⁷ A USER

The invention relates to the field of information transmission methods by a server to the terminal of a user. The information transmitted often depends on several factors related to the user, such as a profile of user preferences or the location of the user.

According to a prior art, described for example in international patent application WO 97/41654, in particular in lines 7-12 of page 3, it is presented such a method of transmitting information. But the information is not transmitted by the server to the user continuously or randomly, it is transmitted only at certain times given very particular. The transmission of information is triggered by an event external to the user. After this event has occurred, the server, by transmitting information to him, thus warns the user who can react to the event.

However, the invention poses the problem not only of allowing the user to react to the event, but better, that is to say to anticipate the event and to prepare to face it before this event does not happen. For this, the invention preferably considers predictable events, and in particular events provided by the user himself and therefore that can easily be known in advance. Thus, the server transmits to the user information related to an event but it transmits it to him before the event happens precisely for the user to cope with the event.

According to the invention, there is provided a method of transmitting at least one information by a server to the terminal of a given user, the information being selected from a set of information as a function of both a profile of preferences of the user, the location of the user, and an event, characterized in that the event is a future event provided by said user and available to the server in a calendar of said user before the implementation date said intended future event, and in that the server sends to terminal of the user the information both before the date of completion of said expected future event but after the determination of the location of the user at the planned future event.

In a preferred application, the event is the arrival of a next slot of the user's free time, essentially characterized by its date and duration. In this preferred application, the transmission of information is a proposal of activity. Thus, the method of transmitting information from the server to the user becomes a method of proposing activity by a server to a user during the time slots of the user. A specific server capable of implementing this activity proposal method is then also provided.

According to the invention, in this preferred application, there is provided a method of proposing activity by a server to a user during the free time slots of the user comprising: a step of consulting the time slots of the free time user in a user's calendar to determine the date and duration of a next time slot of the user; a step of locating the user to determine the position of the user before said next free time slot of the user; a step of consulting the user's preferences profile to extract one or more activities preferred by the user; a step of consulting at least one activity database to extract the place and the opening time of one or more activities preferred by the user; a step of selecting one or more possible activities among the activities preferred by the user as a function of both the date and the duration of said next free time slot of the user, of the user's position before said next time slot of the user, the place and the opening time of the activities preferred by the user; a step of proposing, to the user by the server, one or more activities among the possible activities.

According to the invention, there is then still provided a server for proposing activity to a user during the user's free time slots. comprising: means for viewing the user's free time slots in a user's calendar to determine the date and duration of a user's next free time slot; user locating means for determining the position of the user prior to said user's next free time slot; the consultation means being able to consult a profile of preferences of the user to extract one or more activities preferred by the user; the consultation means being able to consult at least one activity database to extract the place and the opening time of one or more activities preferred by the user; means for selecting one or more possible activities among the activities preferred by the user as a function of both the date and the duration of said next free time slot of the user, the position of the user before said next time slot of the user, the place and the opening time of the activities preferred by the user; means for proposing, to the user by the server, one or more activities among the possible activities.

The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, given by way of example, where:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents an example of a system in which a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is implemented.

FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents an exemplary system in which a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is implemented. This system comprises a terminal 1, a network 2 and a server 3. The terminal 1 and the network 2 are connected by a link 4 which is for example of the type GPRS (for the acronym General Packet Radio Service) or UMTS (for the acronym Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). Network 2 and the server 3 are connected by a link 5 which is for example of the ADSL type (for the acronym Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). The terminal 1 is preferably a mobile phone. The network 2 is preferably the internet network. The server 3 preferably comprises several blocks: a calendar 31, a profile 32, a location device 33, an activity module 34, a database 35. The server 3 must be functionally linked by links 6 to all these blocks so that they can communicate with them. It is also possible for example that the server 3 is reduced to the activity module 34. In this case, the location device 33 and the database 35 are located in the network 2, while the calendar 31 and the profile 32 can be located either in the network 2 or even in the terminal 1.

The activity proposing method according to the invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of FIG. 1. The activity proposal method comprises several steps at the end of which a server 3 proposes to a user, by way of intermediate of its terminal 1, one or more activities during the free time slots of the user. Each step may be performed by a separate element or all or some of the steps may be performed by a single element, for example the activity module 34.

The activity module 34 will consult several blocks in order to obtain the information it needs. The activity module 34 consults the calendar 31 so as to know the slots of free time of the user in order to be able to determine the date and the duration of a next slot of free time of the user. This calendar 31 will of course have been previously filled directly or indirectly, for example by downloading from the terminal 1, by the user who will have indicated both his slots of time busy and his time slots free.

The activity module 34 consults the profile 32 which constitutes the profile of the preferences of the user which will help the server to better choose an activity likely to please the user. The user can have specified for example as well a type of activity as sport or visit of monument, as an activity accurate as swimming pool or museum visit impressionist painting. Similarly profile 32 can be enriched automatically by integrating the activities chosen by the user in the past, drawing on a history of the activities chosen by the user, as well as the type of activity as well as their duration or at the time of day, to determine the preferences of the user. The profiles 32 of the different users connected to the server 3 are preferably gathered in a database of profiles, but can also be located each in the terminal 1 of the corresponding user.

The activity module 34 consults the localization device 33 so as to determine, before the time slot of free time, and preferably just before, the position of the user, so as to propose to the user only activities that are feasible in the time slot of free time taking into account the transport time, possibly back and forth, between the position of the user and the place of the activity. If in the calendar 31, in addition to free time slots, the user has indicated sufficiently accurately and reliably its location during said time slot free, the location device 33 becomes superfluous, and the location step can simultaneously perform the step of consulting slots of free time, during a single consultation operation of the agenda 31 of the user. The activity module 34 consults a database 35 which includes various information concerning the activities that may be proposed to the user, including the place and the opening hours of said activities, as well as any other information such as the how to get to the place of the activity, cultural comments, images, the type of attendance of this place, the price of this activity, the equipment required to exercise it, etc ...

The opening hours of the activity as well as the date of arrival of a next slot of free time of the user do not necessarily need to be defined with a great precision, it can be enough that is simply checked their compatibility, that is to say that given the opening hours, the activity can be exercised during the time slot of free time considered. After having consulted all these blocks, the activity module 34 can then carry out a step of selecting one or more possible activities among the activities preferred by the user as a function of the duration of said next time slot. of the user, the position of the user before said next time slot of the user, the place and the opening time of the activities preferred by the user.

Then, among these possible activities that can all be performed by the user during the free time slot considered, the activity module 34 chooses one or more according to predefined or even modifiable choice criteria, such as for example proposing all activities, or in priority sports activities, or only those for which the transport time is below a certain threshold, or else any other selection criteria possibly defined by the user himself. For a significant free time slot, the activity module can even offer a series of activities that follow one another.

Preferably, the activity proposal will be done in two stages. At first, one or more activities will be presented to the user with a first reduced set of information so as to allow the user a quick and efficient choice of one of them. Then, a second, larger and more accurate set of information can give the user all the additional information needed or simply useful for the user to make the most of the activity he has chosen to pursue during the niche. free time considered. The first set of information will advantageously contain the type of activity, the price of the activity and the time available for the activity in the time slot of free time considered. To obtain the time available for the activity in the time slot of free time considered, the selection step calculates, from the duration of the free time slot and the duration of the transport time, the remaining time which will be the time available for the activity. The second set of information contains additional information of all kinds, not necessary to make a choice, but a priori useful for exercise the chosen activity. According to the indication criteria chosen by the user, the time available as the price can be indicated in a visual manner thus allowing a quick choice of the user, for example the colors red, orange and green, for example for a time available low, medium or large, or for a high, moderate or no price as in the case of a free activity.

In a preferred embodiment, the user's preferred activities include both repetitively proposed activities and one-off activities that will not be resubmitted once they have been performed once. Either in the agenda 31 or in the profile 32, in addition to the often leisure activities that the user likes to practice often, the user still has the opportunity to add specific activities to do, without the moment being determined or mandatory, such as shopping to do for example or a visit to the doctor or something to go to a given place, that the activity module will try to offer him in slots of free time so that the user in get rid of it. Once done, these one-off activities are no longer reproposed by the activity module unless of course they have since been reprogrammed by the user.

In one option, it is possible to envisage groups of people all attached to the same server so that the server can offer them synchronized activities, for example going to the pool between noon and two o'clock with Paul and Isabelle who are to be able to go into an identical or neighboring free time slot.

In a preferred embodiment, the method according to the invention comprises a step of recall of the tasks to be performed during the occupied time slots of the user. Not only does the server provide the user with activities during free time slots, but it also reminds the user of scheduled tasks to be performed during occupied time slots.

So that on the one hand the server knows where the user is just before his free time slot and on the other hand that the user has everything from even a little time of reflection to decide and choose an activity, the proposed activities before said time slot free, are preferably proposed between 5 and 15 minutes before said time slot free.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting at least one information by a server (3) to the terminal (1) of a given user _/ information being selected from a set of information according to both a profile (32 ) of the user's preferences, the location (33) of the user, and an event, characterized in that the event is a future event provided by said user and available to the server in an agenda (31). ) of said user before the date of completion of said planned future event, and in that the server sends to the user's terminal the information both before the completion date of said intended future event but after the determination of the location of the predicted future event. user during the planned future event.

2. Transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that the event is the arrival of a next slot of free time of the user.

3. Transmission method according to claim 2, characterized in that the transmission of information is a proposed activity.

4. Method of proposing activity by a server (3) to a user during the free time slots of the user comprising:

a step of consulting the user's free time slots in a user's calendar (31) to determine the date and the duration of a next time slot of the user; a step of locating the user to determine the position of the user before said next free time slot of the user;

a step of consulting the user's preferences profile (32) to extract one or more activities preferred by the user; - A step of consulting at least one activity database (35) to extract the place and the opening time of one or more activities preferred by the user;

a step of selecting one or more possible activities among the activities preferred by the user as a function of both the date and the duration of said next free time slot of the user, of the position of the user; user before said next time slot of the user, the place and the opening time of the activities preferred by the user;

a step of proposing, to the user by the server, one or more activities among the possible activities.

5. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the selection step calculates, from the duration of the free time slot and the duration of the transport time, the duration of exercise of the activity, and in that the proposal step indicates to the user at least the time available for the activity.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user's preferred activities comprise both repetitively proposed activities and point activities which will not be resumed when they have been carried out once a year. 'user.

7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises a step of recalling the tasks to be performed during the occupied time slots of the user.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the proposed activities before said time slot free, are proposed between 5 and 15 minutes before said time slot free.

9. Activity proposal server to a user during user's free time slots comprising:

means (34) for consulting the user's free time slots in a user's calendar (31) to determine the date and duration of a user's next free time slot;

means for locating the user (33) to determine the position of the user before said next free time slot of the user;

- The consultation means being able to consult a profile (32) of the user's preferences to extract one or more activities preferred by the user;

the means (34) for consultation being able to consult at least one database (35) of activities in order to extract the place and the opening time of one or more activities preferred by the user;

means (34) for selecting one or more possible activities from the activities preferred by the user as a function of both the date and the duration of said next free time slot of the user, of the position of the user before said next time slot of the user, the place and the opening time of the activities preferred by the user;

means (34) for proposing, to the user by the server, one or more activities among the possible activities.