Internet Stop is the Greater Philadelphia Region's #1 Authorized Kiosk Solution Provider for iCom Network. As our company continues to grow and create strong partnerships with Philadelphia area businesses, we intend to create the largest network of Public Internet Access points (InternetStop's) in the region.

When business and leasure travelers visit the City of Philadelphia, they will enjoy the convenience of the InternetStop. We will ensure that Philadelphia's visitors have access to the Internet via our Public Internet Access kiosks placed in popular locations throughout the City and surrounding area. These Internet Stop kiosks offer  visitors and locals instant access to information about destinations, services and products available in our area. 

Although Internet Stop will focus on the Philadelphia area for now, iCom already has hundreds of Internet Kiosks in operation throughout the United States, making them the largest provider of public Internet kiosks in the country. The company also has contracts currently in place for deployment of many more additional units.

Marriott International, Inc. has approved installations of iCom Internet Kiosks in hotel lobbies, lounges and common areas where guests can access them 24 hours a day. Internet Stop is Marriott's Kiosk Solution Provider in Philadelphia area. iCom has recently been selected to furnish public Internet for British Airways’ terminals and executive clubs rooms.

Recognizing the inevitable evolution and growth of Internet-based and intranet-based self-service kiosk terminals, the company has been in continual development of advanced applications since its inception. These applications include areas of e-commerce, communications, advertising, customer relations, and more. Many of these applications are touch-screen enabled, with no keyboards, thereby rendering the Internet connectivity as completely transparent to the user.

ICOM’S NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER

At the heart of the iCom system is the Network Operations Center, commonly referred to as the "NOC." The NOC, based in San Diego, California, monitors and controls iCom’s entire network of kiosks including the Philadelphia area.

From the NOC we are able to interact with all kiosks in our system individually, regionally, or system-wide. This may be done in a hands-on or automated fashion.

Functions of the NOC include (but are not limited to):

• Performance monitoring of every terminal on the network
• Automatic diagnostics of terminals on the network
• Identification of trouble call scenarios
• Tracking of user activities at each terminal
• Real time transaction processing (credit cards, cash, coupons, smart cards, etc.)
• Transaction verification and authorization
• Screen content broadcasting, both live and automated
• Remote software updating/uploading
• Database management systems
• Interactive call center communication with terminal users

The NOC, as well as individual kiosk stations themselves are, of course, upgradable to keep up with continuing evolvements in computer and network technologies.

The current system platform is capable of delivering the following areas of (or combinations thereof) functionality:

Any kiosk in the system may display any proportion of free or pay-to-view information. The kiosk content may be web-based, wherein the viewer may access screens that are either live on the web or cached on the system hard drive. The kiosk may be touch screen interfaced, so that the user is interactively touching links to access desired information.

A significant advantage to web-based content delivery is in that the information provider may be remote from the kiosk(s) and the NOC, and is simply publishing web pages (developed with the kiosk in mind) to a server that is being accessed by the kiosk(s). The provider of content may therefore update, change or completely overhaul the kiosk presentation at will, and as often as desired.

The fact that the content is web-based is transparent to the kiosk user.

The NOC is configurable to pre-schedule content delivery to terminals in the network. Limited time special promotion material may be released to kiosks in an automated fashion. Content may be created and "scheduled" for broadcast days, weeks, or months in advance.

iCom is in development of smart card enabled kiosk applications that will avail a myriad of user identification, accounting, e-wallet, frequent-buyer, and other programs. Many advanced applications listed here overlap smart card technologies.

The foundation of the NOC, beyond delivering on-demand pay-to-view public Internet access, was developed for delivery of e-commerce solutions whereby users may shop for products and services and pay for them in real time at the kiosks.

This capability allows for shopping mall and catalog applications from the kiosks. Offerings may include products to be shipped/delivered to the customer, products to be dispensed from the kiosk, gift certificates, purchased information, reservation services, and ticket will-call.

Kiosks may be used as self-services frequent shopper stations where customers may register for and receive perks such as discount coupons or special promotional information. Surveys, mailing lists, and customer satisfaction data may be captured at the kiosks.

A kiosk can be an automated customer service information center that never takes a break, always has correct up-to-date information, and is always "on." The kiosk can also be an interactive directory for finding items in a store or identifying other locations.

A powerful aspect of any kiosk application is the focused advertising and promotional benefits that may be intertwined with the content. Again, there are a number of ways a marketing message may be distributed throughout the network, and even targeted to individual kiosk users.

Complete ticket shopping and selection programs may be implemented from iCom self-service kiosks. These may draw from ticket inventory databases, wherein each seat location may be individually identified and purchased, or from general admission blocks. Furthermore, the kiosk may be utilized as a ticket printing and will call device for tickets previously reserved and purchased through other channels.

The NOC may catalog and deliver databased digital entertainment to individual terminals. This technology could be applied to music or video retailers, offering sample clips, or for something like an airport layover "movie booth."

Kiosks may tie together any number of players or venues in real time. This could apply to multi-player video games, casino gambling, horseracing, etc.

The transactional pay-to-use functionality of the NOC may be applied to buying services or time use of business machines or other electronic equipment. This technology could be applied to complete self-service automated business centers.

Live sales or service center representatives may be staffed from any remote location to interact, through the NOC, directly and in real time with users of e-commerce or information kiosks anywhere in the world. This communication may be through text form, Internet telephony, or live videoconferencing.

New iCom technologies allow for kiosks to feature speech recognition user interaction. Video clips of a live on-screen model "respond" to comments or questions verbally presented by the user. The kiosk responds seamlessly to user questions from a digital video clip database of anticipated responses.