US Patent 10200333 Virtual bulletin board system

A virtual bulletin board system (10) has a display (14) to present a visual announcement and/or a speaker (16) to present an audible announcement, and a sensor (18) to read badge identification information from a badge (22) presented to the sensor by a user (24). The system relates the badge identification number to an email address or a text message address, such as the email address of the user of the badge or the telephone number of the user, and sends information regarding the announcement, or a calendar entry for the announcement, to that address. Multiple announcements may be presented and each announcement may correlated with the timing that a badge is presented so that the desired announcement information is sent to the user.