Provision of content through publicly accessible computer devices

#The present invention relates to a method and system for providing digital content to a user through a user interface from a processor having access to digital content, in particular, providing electronic content to a user in which the content is from third-party vendors or service providers, based on digital information provided by the user interface to the processor and a user profile containing user preferences.

#The age of digital communication, including information provided through the Internet, has advanced to offer boundless opportunities for a person to seek and be provided with information. However, despite all these advancements, digital communication, including information on the Internet, is not available to all people and does not provide comprehensive and convenient access to useful information regarding local resources, points of interest or events.

#In order to have access to digital content on the Internet, as an example, one must have access to a user interface, which is connected to the Internet. The user interface may include a client computer, such as a laptop, a tablet or smartphone, a desktop computer, a video gaming console, and the like, and some connectivity to the Internet, which includes, but is not limited to, a Wi-Fi connection, a broadband connection, a cellular communication connection, etc. In almost all cases, a user must personally own one or both the computer hardware and/or access to network infrastructure connected to the Internet in order to receive digital communication. Therefore, even if the content of the digital communication is free, e.g., a public website which does not require a fee in order to gain access to its content, a user must pay for either the hardware and/or the Internet connection in order to gain access to that content.

#The invention will be explained in more detail below, with reference to particular preferred embodiments, as well as the drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 shows a system for providing content to a user, in accordance with the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a flowchart of one method, in accordance with the present invention.

#Other embodiments and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention. DETAILED

#The present invention will now be described with reference to the figures and, in particular, FIG. 1. System 10 depicts a number of different user interfaces 20 which a user can use to be provided with digital electronic content. The user interfaces, as used throughout the present disclosure, refer to either or both the hardware, such as personal computers, with various input devices, including touchscreen, wireless keyboards, and other pointing devices 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d; tablets, laptops, smartphones or PDAs 22a, 22b, 22c; and/or standalone public terminals, such as kiosks 23a, 23b. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the standalone public terminals may be single purpose terminals for use with the present invention or may be terminals otherwise intended to provide Internet connectivity for other purposes, such as facilitating electronic credit or debit device transactions, dispensing products, such as fuel, or providing other digital information, such as airline, hotel or rental car information. In order to obtain the broadest public access by users to the system and method of the present invention, the public terminals should be ubiquitous, enabling the user quick and convenient access through the day and during the course of multiple daily activities, regardless of personal location or proximity to any personal computers or smartphones.

#The user interface 20 also refers to the network connectivity 30 between the client devices, e.g., personal computers 21, and the servers 40 containing the digital or electronic content, depicted as a “cloud.” The network connectivity 30 includes representative routers, switch and hub 31, 34, 35, connectivity can also be through any other means to remote servers, such as satellite remote servers 32-33 and wireless access point(s) 36.