Patent Application
20070131764
The present invention generally relates to a product display arrangement and a system implementing the same.
Within retail stores, warehouses and grocery stores, products are displayed on shelves and/or bins. Formerly, the products were individually labeled for sale by an employee applying a price tag to each item. Currently, the price tag is disposed on the shelves adjacent to a location of the item. Shelf-labeling eliminated the time and cost of marking each product. However, when a price change is necessitated, a current price tag is removed, and a new price tag is printed and affixed to the shelf. Manually adjusting and/or replacing the price tags for each of the products in the store may require several employees working over several hours. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient manner of displaying product information.
The present invention relates to a product display arrangement and system. The product display arrangement includes a wireless device for outputting product-related data comprising a memory, an output arrangement, a wireless receiver and processor. The memory stores first product-related data. The output arrangement outputs the first product-related data. The wireless receiver receives a wireless signal including second product-related data. When the wireless receiver receives the wireless signal, the processor processes the second product-related data to replace the first product-related data so that the output arrangement outputs the second product-related data. The device is situated adjacent to a product. The first product-related data corresponds to the product and the second product-related data corresponds to one of the product and a further product.
The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The present invention describes a product display arrangement and a system implementing the same. The exemplary embodiment of the arrangement will be described as being implemented in a retail store. However, those of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may be utilized in any venue in which items are displayed along with information related to each item, such as, for example, a grocery store, a warehouse, a library, etc.
According to the present invention, a product display arrangement (e.g., an electronic price tag 50) is coupled to the shelf 45 in a location corresponding to a location of the product 40. The tag 50 displays product data (e.g., price, discount, rebate, coupon, quantity, identifier, etc.). As will be described further below, the product data may be remotely updated using the server 20 or manually updated by a store employee using a wireless computing device. Additionally, the tag 50 may be relocated and reconfigured to display new product data corresponding an update of the product data and/or a different product. A store employee or customer may transfer and/or obtain the product data from the tag 50 using the wireless computing device (e.g., a mobile unit (MU) 52) including, but not limited to, a phone, a PDA, a laser/image-based scanner, an RFID reader, a network interface card, a laptop, etc.
An exemplary embodiment of the tag 50 is shown in
The tag 50 further includes an output arrangement which may include a display (e.g., an LCD 60) which displays the product data to the customer, a speaker, an LED and/or a Braille device. In a preferred embodiment, the LCD 60 is a thin-film, multi-lined LCD. As stated above, the product data may include text and/or graphics which are indicative of the price, quantity, coupons, rebates, discounts, etc. The product data may further include an image of a product identifier (e.g., a bar code). A store employee may scan the product identifier to confirm the product data, and a customer may scan the product identifier to retrieve additional product information stored in the database 25 and/or add the product 40 to a shopping list (e.g., an electronic shopping list).
The tag 50 utilizes a wireless communication arrangement (e.g., a receiver 65, a transceiver) to receive radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted from the AP 30, the MU 52 or any other device configured to transmit signals according to a predetermined wireless protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11x protocol). Preferably, the receiver 65 is a low-power receiver, because its receiving range need only extend through a predetermined area of the retail store which includes at least one AP. An antenna element 70 may be coupled to the receiver 65 facilitating the reception of the RF signals. In one embodiment, the receiver 65 is operated in conjunction with a timer 80 which instructs the receiver 65 to power-on at one or more predefined times, as will be described further below.
A power supply (e.g., a solar cell 75, a battery, line voltage, a transient electrical storage) is embedded in and/or coupled to the tag 50. For example, the solar cell 75 may be positioned on a face of the tag 50 which allowing it to receive ambient light (e.g., store lighting, natural light). The solar cell 75 may utilize normal store lighting to power the tag 50, and, optionally, charge a capacitor (not shown) which may aid in booting the receiver 65. The tag 50 further includes a memory 85 (e.g., a non-volatile memory) storing the product data, an identifier (e.g., a serial number, an IP/MAC address, etc.). In the exemplary embodiment, the tag 50 includes a tag identifier (ID) 90 (e.g., a bar code) which uniquely identifies the tag 50. A store employee may scan the tag ID 90 when, for example, reporting a malfunction of the tag 50 (e.g., LCD damage, non-responsive to wireless transmissions, etc.). A malfunction report may then be wirelessly transmitted from the MU 52 to the server 20.
Prior to being deployed within the store, the tag 50 may be initialized and configured with the product data corresponding to the product 40. In one embodiment, the tag 50 is configured by the server 20. For example, the server 20 may store the tag ID 90 and the corresponding product data in a table 400, as shown in
When the tag 50 is deployed in the store, the LCD 60 may display the product data corresponding to the product 40. The product data is stored in the memory 85 of the tag 50. Several conditions may require the product data to be updated and/or changed. For example, the store (or chain of stores) may have a sale for the product 40, or costs associated with the product 40 may fluctuate, as is the case with, for example, orange juice, fruits and vegetables, etc. Alternatively, the tag 50 may be relocated within the store and used to display the new product data corresponding to a different product.
The tag 50 may download the new product data (e.g., updated product data or different product data) at a predefined time. Preferably, the server 20 initiates the update of the product data during off-hours (e.g., while the store is closed). The update may occur each night and/or only when the product data for the tag 50 is being updated/changed. Those of skill in the art will understand that when the tag 50 does not include a transmitter (i.e., only the receiver 65) the new product data may be transmitted a predetermined number of times over a predetermined time period to ensure that it is received by the tag 50. That is, without a transmitter, the tag 50 may not be capable of acknowledging receipt of the new product data.
In another exemplary embodiment, the product data may be updated by a store employee using the MU 52 to transmit the new product data to the tag 50. The MU 52 may download the new product data from the server 20. To transmit the new product data to the tag 50, the MU 52 may scan the tag ID 90 to identify the tag 50, and transmit the new product data to the tag 50. Transmission from the MU 52 to the tag 50 may be useful when, for example, there is a problem with the server 20.
In step 215, it is determined whether the product data requires an update (e.g., a sale on the product 40) or change (e.g., the tag 50 is associated with a different product). In either instance, the product data in the memory 85 and currently displayed by the tag 50 may be replaced by the new product data. In the exemplary embodiment, the new product data is entered manually at the server 20 and/or retrieved from the database 25. For example, the system 100 may be time-based, such that, at a predetermined interval (e.g., overnight) the server 20 determines whether the new product data is available. That is, the new product data may be downloaded from a headquarters server (not shown) to the database 25 at a time prior to when the server 20 queries the database 25. The product data may be changed when, for example, the price of the product requires adjustment, the tag 50 is associated with a different product or function, the tag 50 is moved to a different location in the store, etc. According to the present invention, the product data may be updated via the server 20, the MU 52, a central server accessing the tag 50 over the network 10 or any other computing device capable of transmitting radio frequency signals to the tag 50. When the product data does not require the update/change, the tag 50 maintains the display of the product data.
In step 220, the tag 50 downloads the new product data. The server 20 may transmit only the new product data corresponding to the product 40, or the table 400 may be broadcast by the AP 30. In one exemplary embodiment, the receiver 65 may be powered by the timer 80. For example, the timer 80 may instruct the receiver 65 to power-on at the predefined time, e.g., when the new product data will be transmitted. Preferably, this occurs after the store has closed. In another exemplary embodiment, the receiver 65 of the tag 50 is continually powered. In this embodiment, the new product data may be transmitted to the tag 50 at any time. This may be advantageous when, for example, the tag 50 is relocated and associated with a different product.
Control of the timer 80 may be overridden manually or remotely. For example, during the store's operating hours, an employee may be required to alter the product data. The employee may reset the tag 50 or activate the receiver 65 in any other manner. For a remote override, the server 20 may instruct the tag 50 to change the predefined time/duration and/or keep the receiver 65 powered continually. This instruction may be transmitted along with the new product data.
In step 220, the product data is replaced with the new product data. The memory 85 may store the product data and/or the new product data based on a storage capacity thereof. When the table 400 is broadcast, the tag 50 replaces a previous table with the table 400 and displays the new product data corresponding to its tag ID 90.
In step 225, the tag 50 displays the new product data on the LCD 60. In the exemplary embodiment, the LCD 60 only displays the new product data after receipt thereof. However, in another embodiment, a display instruction may be included with the new product data. The instruction may indicate that the new product data should not be displayed until a preselected time (e.g., the day a sale begins).
According to the present invention, the product data may be updated remotely without knowing a location of the tag 50 in the store. Also, the tag 50 may be reconfigured which lowers costs associated with disposable electronic tags.
One skilled in the art would understand that the present invention may also be successfully implemented in various other embodiments. Accordingly, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the broadest spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
