BACKGROUND ART A digital board generally means a display device placed at a specific place or location, which includes a light emission diode (LED), liquid crystal display (LCD), cathode ray tube (CRT) and plasma display panel (PDP). A message communicating technique using this digital board may be divided into two generations. The first-generation technique is to control the digital board using a control computer connected thereto. With this technique, a huge cost is required for construction of a new wired network and output contents of the digital board can be modified only at a specific location where the control computer is set up. Further, this modification cannot be performed by those who have no basic knowledge of computer programming.

The second-generation message communicating technique using the digital board which has been proposed to solve the problems of the first-generation technique is a control technique using a remote control. This allows a personal user to input and modify the digital board's contents to be output using the remote control. With this technique, even a user who has no basic knowledge of computer programming can modify the contents of the digital board. However, this technique is also limited by distance and signal input is carried out within a predetermined signal input range. Further, there are limitations in production or variation of the output contents of the digital board in such a manner that images cannot be used or character colors cannot be properly expressed. Moreover, both of the above two techniques cannot share information and advertisements with other digital board proprietors and cannot select information or advertisement at the request of a personal user to display it on the digital board.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method for communicating digital board advertising messages using radio communication that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for communicating digital board advertisement messages using radio communication, in which a digital board proprietor manages output contents of the digital board through data transmission using radio communication to allow personal users who cannot afford to use the digital board to be able to use the digital board and information or advertisements displayed thereon without cost or at a low cost at desired places and to be able to easily modify the information while a user who wants to display an advertisement on the digital board selects an advertisement in accord with the type, scale and location of his/her business in consideration of its product to maximize advertising impact.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided a system for communicating digital board advertisement messages using radio communication, the system including: a conversion storage for converting information input by a personal user through wired network to store it ; a web server for storing information input by the personal user through wireless network, information on subscribers of existing wired and wireless service networks, information input through wired/wireless communication by a user who wants to display an advertisement, advertising contents and information required for maintaining and operating web pages for wireless service; a database server, connected to the conversion storage and web server, for storing personal information, information required for personal service, information on business advertisements, information required for business service and advertising contents ; a control part including a control signal access encoding module which is connected to the database server, to form data corresponding to specific information according to a user's ID and add a control signal to contents to be substantially communicated; a telephone connection part, being connected to the control part, for transmitting data received from the control part according to the protocol of a corresponding communication company; and a digital board including a ROM containing a data decoding module therein, a processor and RAM for smooth data output and a display for displaying contents thereon, the digital board having reception cards of communication companies, the reception cards being detachable from the digital board, the reception cards being able to radio-communicate with the telephone connection part.

It is preferable that the web server includes a module for discriminating binary image data provided by the user who wants to display an advertisement and converting it into ascii-type data.

To accomplish the object of the present invention, there is also provided a method for communicating digital board advertisement messages using radio communication, the method including: an advertisement request step for receiving a request for displaying an advertisement from a user who wants to expose an advertisement or a personal user through wired or wireless communication; a conversion step for converting information on the personal user into a text form ; a web page operation step for maintaining data about information on the user who wants to expose an advertisement, the personal user and the existing subscribers, and for operating web pages using data input through wired or wireless communication ; a control step for forming data corresponding to specific information according to the IDs of the users from a database server and adding a control signal to contents to be substantially communicated ; and an advertisement communicating step in which a signal received from a control part is radio-transmitted according to the protocol of a corresponding communication company, and this signal is radio-received by a reception card of the corresponding communication company to be divided into a control signal and contents, the contents being displayed on the digital board set up at a specific place.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention: In the drawings: FIG. 1 roughly shows the configuration of an advertising message communicating system according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital board according to the present invention ; and FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining an advertising message communicating method according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 roughly shows the configuration of an advertising message communicating system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital board according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining an advertising message communicating method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the advertisement message communicating system of the present invention includes a conversion storage 20 for converting information input through a wired network into a text form to store it, a web server 40, a database server 60, being connected to the conversion storage 20 and web server 40, for storing a variety of information items and advertisement contents, a control part 80,'a telephone connection'part 100, being connected to the control part 80, for transmitting data received from the control part 8Q according to the protocol of a corresponding communication company, and a digital board 120 for displaying contents received through radio communication.

This system is explained below in detail by sections.

When a general user, that is, a personal user P1 inputs his/her registration information as voice information using a wired or wireless communication system, the conversion storage 20 converts the voice information into a text form and stores it.

The wired or wireless communication system generally means the unified messaging system (UMS) or audio response system (ARS) using a general telephone network. By using this system, the personal user P1 can confirm and change his/her registration information through the telephone. Moreover, the personal user Pl can subscribe to the web server 40 and input his/her registration information to it using a web page. In this case, the user can input his/her registration information through wireless application product (WAP) and personal digital assistant (PDA) using a radio communication method and the web page.

The web server 40 gathers all contents transmitted from ISPs which are supposed to be provided to the digital board proprietor and inputs them to the database server 60 by kinds. The web server 40 preferably includes a module for discriminating binary image data provided by a user C who wants to display an advertisement and converting it into ascii character type data.

Specifically, the module grasps binary-image-type image files among various information items transmitted from the ISPs, converts them into ascii-type files supported by Flex protocol, and then stores them in the database server 40.

In addition, the web server 40 stores a variety of files for maintaining and operating the entire web pages for digital board wireless communication services. Furthermore, the web server 40 inputs and outputs service contents for existing radio communication service subscribers, for example, pager subscribers, cellular phone subscribers and personal communication service subscribers and information about them.

The user who wants to display an advertisement also inputs advertisement contents and an advertising method using the WAP, PDA and web page. In this case, the user consults an advertisement consultant about the advertising contents and method through the telephone and then requests displaying of the advertisement. Furthermore, an advertising screen and advertising form can be confirmed in the web page immediately.

The database server 60 classifies data transmitted through the web page or conversion storage 20 into personal information, information required for personal services, information on business advertisements, information required for business services, advertisement contents and service areas, and stores them. In addition, when data is externally requested, the database server 60 searches the corresponding data to send it.

The control part 80 is connected to the database server 60 to form data corresponding to specific information according to a user's ID. The control part 80 includes a control signal access encoding module for adding a control signal to contents to be actually transmitted to construct the entire data. The telephone connection part 100 transmits the data that has passed through all of the above procedures according to the transmission protocol of each mobile communication service company.

The digital board 120 receives the data transmitted from the telephone connection part 100 to display the advertisement contents thereon. Referring to FIG. 2, the digital board 120 includes a reception card 122, a CDMA reception card 124 and a PCS port connector 126 which are detachable therefrom and are connected to existing radio pager communication networks. The data transmitted through the communication service company is divided into a control signal and substantial contents. The control signal is used for outputting and operation control and the contents are displayed on the digital board according to a display device 134 such as LED, LCD, CRT and PDP. For this, a ROM 120 containing a data decoding module is included in the digital board 120 to perform the aforementioned operation. In addition, the digital board 120 includes a processor 130 and a RAM 132 thereinside for smooth data output.

The advertisement message communicating system of the present invention described as above shows advertisements to people at a specific place according to an advertisement message communicating method which will be explained below. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the advertising message communicating method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in an advertisement request step 200, the user C who wants to insert an advertisement or personal user P1 requests exposure of an advertisement through wired or wireless communication. Here, personal information or request data is input by voices through a general telephone network in case of the wired communication while it is input to the web server using the WAP, PDA and web page in case of the wireless communication.

In a conversion step 220, subscriber information on the personal user P1 in the form of voice is converted into a text form to be stored. In a web page operation step 240, the data about the user C who wants to display an advertisement, the personal user PI and the subscriber information is maintained and web pages are operated using data input through the wired or wireless communication. In addition, the user C who wants to advertise consults an advertisement consultant about advertising contents and advertising method through the telephone before he/she requests displaying of the advertisement on a web page.

Further, the advertisement screen and advertising form can be confirmed in the web page immediately.

A control step 260 forms data corresponding to specific information according to the IDs of users from the database server 60 and adds a control signal to contents to be substantially transmitted. The signal transmitted to the digital board 120 through this control step 260 is received by the wireless communication reception cards at an advertisement communicating step 280, to be divided into the control signal and contents. Then, the contents are displayed on the digital board, being advertised.

The digital board 120 may be set up at various places such as hospitals, institutes, schools, bars, restaurants and theaters so that concentrated advertising can be performed to specific objects who use these places. The digital board proprietor manages the output contents of the digital board 120 through data transmission using radio communication to simultaneously satisfy the personal user P1 and the user C who wants to advertise. The digital board proprietor charges the user C who wants to advertise a commission for displaying corresponding advertisement on the digital board 120. The users can easily modify information through the wired and wireless communication methods (UMS, ARS, WAP, PDA and WEB).

There will be explained below objects of advertising using the digital board in more detail. Direct objects of advertising mean people who go to hospitals, institutes, bars, beauty parlors, restaurants and theaters for specific purposes. Direct advertising shows commercial profit-making advertisements to these people. For example, with the digital board being set up at a hospital, information about hospital services, medicine information and health information are given to patients and advertisements such as medicine advertisement and surrounding shop advertisement can be inserted between the above information items. In this procedure, the advertisements can be inserted or used through the wired or wireless communication according to the present invention.

In case of institute, the digital board can provide information about institute guide, education schedule and study information and also give service such as games and entertainments that students are interested in to the students.

Advertisements about study aid books and surrounding bookstores can be inserted between the above main information items. In addition, advertisements can be displayed through the same method as the above one at various places.

Meanwhile, for indirect advertising, the digital board is set up at schools, subways, airports and public institutions for nonprofit purposes, to provide services such as operation time of cars and route guide in real time.

Digital board users may include personal users, business users, public institutions and users who want to display local advertisements. The personal user, who is the core of advertisement exposing subject, corresponds to a digital board owner who substantially displays national or local advertisements. The personal user can select and display information service suitable for his business among various real- time information items, and he/she can produce and display an advertisement about his/her business on the digital board. In this case, the personal user is not required to pay a subsidiary cost for using the digital board but he/she has the obligation to display advertisements of other businesses on the digital board.

The business user (large companies) means a company group which wants to manage the various items of. official announcement using the digital board for the purpose of improving working efficiency of each of sections thereof. The business user pays for using the digital board and displays only its advertisement.

It can selectively provide a variety of real-time information items to its workers. The business user can display an advertisement or request displaying of the advertisement through the wired communication method such as web page, ARS and UMS or radio communication method using CDMA.

The public institutions correspond to town-block offices and district offices which provide administrative information and real-time general information through the digital board to the public for convenience. The public institutions are provided with the digital board free when they display nonprofit indirect advertisements but pay predetermined charges for using it when they do not. The public institution can provide real-time information items and other information items through the'digital board.

The user who wants local advertising requests a business which can be linked with the user's business and is located in the area where the user's is placed to display his/her advertisement. By paying a predetermined advertising rate, the user can expose a desired advertisement or request a digital board proprietor to display the advertisement in a desired area at desired periods of time. Even if the user as a subscriber of the digital board service has been displaying an advertisement about other business, he/she should pay a part of the advertising rate for the advertisement of other business.

The profits according to the advertisement using the digital board may be divided into profits from direct advertising business, profits from lending the digital board to a nonprofit object and operating it, and profits from lending the digital board to a user who wants to display an advertisement thereon.

The profits from the direct advertising business are made when the digital board proprietor directly receives an advertising order and advertises it using a radio communication system. These profits include profits from banner advertisements through web pages and advertising rates from advertisers. Here, the advertiser means a large company which wants to display an advertisement that the public often meet and a general smaller business which wants to display a local business advertisement.

The profits from lending the digital board to a nonprofit object are obtained by lending the digital board to an event such as wedding ceremony or to a company or public office, to charge a corresponding user for using the digital board. Finally, the profits from lending the digital board to the user who wants to advertise are made by lending the digital board for vehicles to a transportation business such as bus and taxi. In addition, these profits may be also obtained by advertising products, event guide and regulation announcement of a business with chain stores such as franchise business through the digital board to charge the business for using it.

As described above, according to the present invention, the digital board proprietor manages the output contents of the digital board through data transmission using radio communication to allow a personal user who cannot afford to use the digital board to utilize the digital board and various information items and advertisements displayed thereon without cost or at a low cost in a desired place. Furthermore, the user who wants to advertise can select an advertisement in accord with the type, scale and location of his/her business in consideration of its products, to maximize advertising impact.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the system and method for communicating digital board advertisement messages using radio communication of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.