EP0853305A2 - Autonomous audio information system - Google Patents

Abstract

The terminal is very small in size and is designed to run independently without mains power for weeks or more. It is intended to reproduce one to five messages many thousands of times with perfect quality. The unit is mounted on a post which stands between 50 cm and 180 cm high. The information is held within a non-volatile memory and may be replayed when a push-button is operated. A key-operated switch is provided to allow access to the memory in order to re-record the message which is replayed. The message length may be between 2 and 120 sec., but is pref. 40 sec. The message is replayed with amplification such that it can be heard at normal volume between 10 cm and 250 cm away from the device.

Description

In recent years, sound information devices, with non-volatile memories, have appeared in sales outlets, such as French patents No 88911134 and No 9408926 respectively of Mr Daniel MARTINET and Mrs Jacqueline TOMEI. However, these devices have many drawbacks: the need to connect them to the electrical power supply network, their size and the problems posed by the maintenance of recorded messages. The same is true with patent GB 2 273 35 A, which deals with a device that triggers, on approaching a person, the emission of prerecorded messages at the same time as it vaporizes an odor.
The patent WO 93/16443 of david HUMBLE relates to an apparatus capable of ensuring the promotion on a point of sale of several families of products, by means of video recordings offered at the choice of the buyer. The device describes itself as a kind of electronic market.
The patent FR 2 235 999, by Jean Michel BREARD relates to a type of street furniture, ensuring the installation of advertising medium, in the form of a two-sided display panel, with a light source at l inside, as well as on each of the faces a loudspeaker. This panel can also be suspended from a bracket. This same panel can also receive on the side, a call station, or a telephone, and / or a siren. The loudspeakers are used for sound reinforcement during celebrations or commercial fortnights.

For its part, the present invention relates to a system containing a device for reading and reproducing sound information, with interchangeable non-volatile electronic memories, intended to be installed essentially in the shelves of current purchases of stores in order to ensure, at at the request of the user, sound information on one or more products in the immediate vicinity, while not constituting a hindrance to the accessibility and visibility of other products.
This device, very compact, is installed, either: in a cylindrical housing placed on the upper part of a mast, the assembly constituting a terminal of 20 cm to 1.90 m in height and being called TERMINAL OF INFORMATION SOUNDS, either in a parallelepipedic box, called SOUND INFORMATION MODULE, made to be installed in the small space existing under each shelf in the shelves of stores, either still inside or fixed to small visual advertising devices on the place of sale, bright or not, which are fixed on the edges of the shelf or on an arm anchored on the bottom of the shelf, the whole is then called PLV of SOUND INFORMATION.

The devices of the present invention are capable of reading without any change in quality, several tens of thousands of one to ten analog or digital electronic memories easily interchangeable; each electronic memory not volatile, linked to a printed circuit and a connector standard computer, is called an AUDIO CARTRIDGE.

These AUDIO CARTRIDGES receive beforehand, by means of an AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION RECORDING MODULE to which they connect, the messages which they will carry. Thus, each time a message is triggered by people wanting information, the message presented is different from the previous one and lasts from two seconds to two minutes each, within a normal hearing range of 10 cm to 500 cm.
Although it has good visibility, the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM does not interfere with the accessibility or visibility of the products on the store shelves. The present invention is intended for store shelves, trade fair stands, but also, in an SELF-CONTAINED BORDER of SOUND INFORMATION, in any place where the user may wish to obtain information on an object, a collection of objects or on a given site.
Reading electronic memories requiring only tiny consumption of electrical energy, the present invention therefore enjoys autonomy for several months with its batteries or accumulators, rechargeable or not.

The use of non-volatile electronic memories, interchangeable, prerecorded, give this AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM SOUND INFORMATION ease of maintenance and of use, similar to those of compact discs and magnetic tapes.

The person wishing to listen to audio information must press a trigger button: the system's playback device then delivers one of the messages contained in the selected AUDIO CARTRIDGE; each time the trigger button is pressed, a message different from the previous one is delivered, lasting from two seconds to two minutes each, within a normal hearing range of 10 cm to 500 cm.
The SELF-CONTAINED SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is easy to install and move by one person, as soon as they have been informed of their installation mode.
Several copies can be placed in the same store radius without cacophony and without causing discomfort for the customer.
The present invention as a SOUND INFORMATION RECORDING MODULE has a recording and reproducing device which uses the conventional technique of voice recorder modules, namely the copying in digital or analog form of the sound signals and saving them on microprocessors dedicated to non-volatile memories; the originality being that these memories are AUDIO CARTRIDGES, therefore easily connectable and disconnectable.

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM, object of this invention, used for the delivery of audio messages, one to ten AUDIO CARTRIDGES, each AUDIO CARTRIDGE capable of reread his memory and restore, after amplification, on one or several speakers, the sound signal. Besides the quality recording and reproduction of sound messages which in the present invention is processed over a bandwidth capable of go up to 30,000 HZ, this technique ensures a perfect reliability of the message beyond several tens of thousands of readings.

Another advantage is the low consumption that these devices sound playback and reproduction require standby, the main part of the energy consumption taking place at the message restitution. This allows the devices of the present invention, to operate, with their own autonomy in electrical energy, for several months, while keeping a small footprint. This, by means of electric batteries, possibly rechargeable or accumulators or, if it is an isolated point, by photovoltaic cells supplying the accumulators.

Thus, the patents WO 93/16443 of David HUMBLE and FR 2 235 999 of Jean Michel BREAD, which we have mentioned above, do not come close, even by combining them, to the present patent application. Indeed, only the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION TERMINAL could come close, by its name, to the street furniture poles of the patent FR 2 235 999, but its dimensions clearly distinguish it, its size must be compatible with good accessibility and good visibility of other products in the store.
Neither of the two patents, mentioned above, are designed to be able to be installed in the same department of a store, in addition the sound systems are from an external source for the French patent. The US patent uses a set of video recordings, so it is similar to the means of information by videos, which are compatible with certain departments, like the DIY departments, but which are inappropriate on the shelves of everyday products. . In these departments, people spend very little time choosing a product, they don't take the time to watch a video.
Neither of the two patents cited is autonomous in terms of its supply of electrical energy.

The patent GB 2 273 35 A deals with an apparatus which triggers approaching a person, sending pre-recorded messages at the same time that it vaporizes an odor, this type of patent is to reconcile French patents 8911134 and 9408926. Indeed in each of these patents, triggering the audio message recorded is obtained by radar or a radar associated with an infrared detector. As with these patents, the assembly that constitutes the appliance is not designed to be installed directly within an unobstructed radius for the accessibility or visibility of others products.

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM, object of this invention is characterized on the one hand, in that its container is chosen from the SELF-CONTAINED SOUND INFORMATION TERMINAL, the MODULE AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION, THE AUTONOMOUS MODULE SOUND INFORMATION RECORDING and ADVERTISING ON THE AUTONOMOUS PLACE OF SALE OF SOUND INFORMATION, made to be installed primarily in store shelves, stands salon, and, on the other hand, that this container contains: the entire reading and recording devices of interchangeable non-volatile electronic memories, these memories, one to ten in number, being called AUDIO CARTRIDGES; the speaker (s); autonomous means of supplying electric energy ; the button or buttons to trigger the reading messages; the pulse counter (s) incrementing on the number of messages sent, for the purposes firstly to emit prerecorded sound messages including the duration is between 2 seconds and 120 seconds each, from preferably 5 to 60 seconds each and more preferably 10 to 25 seconds each and secondly characterized in that the messages sent each time a trigger button is pressed corresponds to a message different from the previous one.

The SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is still characterized in that it includes an AUDIO CARTRIDGE consisting on the one hand, by an integrated circuit with non-volatile electronic memory capable of keep, restore or delete an audible signal analog or digital and, on the other hand, to be connected, by via a printed circuit, to a connector computer-type male (female) multicontacts; this for the purposes to make the connection to the reading device and for recording the SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM fast and reliable.

From there was created the AUTONOMOUS RECORDING MODULE SOUND INFORMATION on AUDIO CARTRIDGES, which is a device characterized by the capacity to receive by means of its adapted connectors AUDIO CARTRIDGES to operate all recording, erasing, reading or duplication relating to the maintenance of audio cartridges.

In order to place ourselves in the most favorable listening conditions adapted to the ambient sound level, the INFORMATION DEVICE SONRES is characterized by the amplification of messages recorded, so that the normal listening periphery of the sound information terminal is between 10 cm and 500 cm.

The audio information terminal is characterized by the housing cylindrical which contains: the means of reading the whole of sound recording modules with non-volatile memory, interchangeable, one to ten in number; the speaker (s) ; autonomous means of electrical supply; the message playback trigger buttons; the pulse counters which increment on the number of messages issued ; as well as a rear compartment, lockable and allowing maintenance and message exchange operations. The cylindrical housing is placed at the top of a tubular mast.

Characteristic of the information terminal: the cylindrical case can be made of any material, plastic, wood, or metal, when it is metallic it constitutes an insulating Faraday cage the local environment of possible disturbances on radio frequencies that can be caused by modules electronic amplification.

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is still characterized in that the container is a TERMINAL of SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM into a cylindrical case, that the height of this case is from 5 to 40 cm preferably 10 to 25 cm, that its diameter is 6 to 20 cm from preferably 8 to 12 cm, and that it is fixed on the upper part a tubular mast whose height is 30 to 190 cm, preferably 140 to 160 cm, and whose diameter is 1 to 10 cm preferably 4 to 5 cm, and that this mat is itself fixed laterally with a weighted foot made to be installed below the shelves in the sales area shelves.

Thanks to this positioning of the cylindrical part, the visibility of the terminal is excellent, which is essential, but still, being substantially at the height of people it can easily be personalized.
Indeed, it is necessary to refer to the behavior of customers on the shelves when an animator takes place there in order to give information. The reaction observed, in the majority of cases, is that of refusal: the person being afraid of wasting time, or even, of feeling obliged to make a purchase. This reluctance is not observed with a bound. In addition, if the terminal is personalized, it causes curiosity. For these reasons, the autonomous sound information terminal is personalized: the head has a stylized nose, mouth and ears.

The SOUND INFORMATION TERMINAL is characterized by the implantation on the mast, of a small horizontal arm, turned towards the department, i.e. directed towards the products that we want inform, whose length is between 3 cm and 15 cm, of preferably 8 cm overall and carrying at its end a box to light emitting diodes; the arm is arranged perpendicular to the matt between 5 and 20 cm below the cylindrical housing, preferably 12 cm below.

• soit : à assise rectangulaire ( 4 points d'appui formant un rectangle), le grand côté ayant entre 30 et 70 cm et de préférence 50 cm, le petit côté ayant entre 25 et 60 cm et de préférence 45 cm. Dans le cas de l'assise rectangulaire, le mat arrive verticalement et latéralement au milieu du plus grand des deux cotés,
• soit : à assise triangulaire (3 points d'appui formant un triangle), les côtés de ce triangle ayant alors entre 30 et 80 cm, de préférence 60 cm, dans ce cas le mat est fixé verticalement à l'une des pointes du triangle. Dans les deux cas le support est conçu pour recevoir deux lests de béton de 10 à 50 KG chaque, de préférence 25 kg chaque.

Regarding the terminal, the stability of the whole, cylindrical mat-compartment, is ensured by means of a horizontal support,

• either: with rectangular seat (4 support points forming a rectangle), the long side having between 30 and 70 cm and preferably 50 cm, the short side having between 25 and 60 cm and preferably 45 cm. In the case of the rectangular seat, the mat arrives vertically and laterally in the middle of the larger of the two sides,
• either: with a triangular seat (3 support points forming a triangle), the sides of this triangle then having between 30 and 80 cm, preferably 60 cm, in this case the mast is fixed vertically to one of the points of the triangle . In both cases the support is designed to receive two concrete weights of 10 to 50 kg each, preferably 25 kg each.

The audio information terminal is characterized by the support, on which the mast is fixed perpendicularly and laterally, whose overall thickness, including concrete ballast, is included between 5 cm and 20 cm and preferably 15 cm.

The support can be slid under the shelves allowing the installation of the bollard all against the shelving so as not to act as a barrier to the movement of people and carts. Depending on the layout of the terminal, we may prefer either the foot with rectangular seat which can then serve as display of highlighted products, namely the seat support triangular more suitable for installation on the shelves because that it facilitates cleaning operations.

The SOUND INFORMATION TERMINAL is characterized by implantation on the mat, between 1 cm and 50 cm, under the case cylindrical, which we call "the head" of the AUTONOMOUS TERMINAL SOUND INFORMATION, from a semi-rigid plastic plate, made to receive the product that we want to highlight, as well as a set of light-emitting diodes including flickering draws customers' attention to the product concerned; the electrical energy supply of these diodes is ensured either by batteries placed in a compartment behind the plate either still brought in from the head battery compartment.

Characteristic of the audio information terminal, a lockable hatch, used for maintenance operations and message change, is installed on the rear of the cylindrical housing, on the same side as the indicator arm.
By this opening, the people responsible for maintaining the audio information terminal can change the batteries or recharge them and make changes to the AUDIO CARTRIDGES.

The autonomous sound information terminal is characterized by the choice tubular, by the absence of projections on the side opposite the support to avoid possible bruises to people and by the choice of corrosion resistant materials.

The SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is characterized in that that the container is an AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION MODULE which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM into a parallelepipedic case and in this case allows it to be installed below the space left empty under the shelves of shelves store, it is then held in place by a suitable clamp; the dimensions of the case are from 1 to 10 cm thick, from 3 to 20 cm wide and 4 to 40 cm long.

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION MODULE is characterized in that that it is held under the shelf by a clamp made in a sufficiently strong sheet of material, shaped into three sides, the two extreme sides forming a closed angle with the third side so that the introduction of the AUTONOMOUS MODULE SOUND INFORMATION is performed by playing on the elasticity of the clamp to guarantee a firm hold of the module under the shelf; the edges of the lower plate of the pliers are folded down right angle down; its front part receives diodes luminescent to attract the attention of customers, push buttons that trigger the emission of messages contained by the module, as well as the written indications of the product concerned by the information.

The SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is characterized in that that the container is an ADVERTISING ON THE SELF-CONTAINED SALE SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM SOUND INFORMATION, either in the envelope of the advertisement at the Point of Sale, fixed at the edge of shelves, or at the bottom of the radius, or again a parallelepipedic box fixed in this case on the rear part of the said Advertising at the Point of Sale; in the latter case, the housing has height, width, length, the following dimensions: 1 to 3 cm x 5 to 10 cm x 8 to 20 cm.

Therefore, the customer informed that short messages are there at his disposal, can, if he wishes, obtain them by pressing on the button (s) placed on the terminal or on the module. This choice goes completely against French patents No 8911134 and No. 9408926. Indeed, in each of these patents, the activation of the pre-recorded audio message is obtained by means of radar or radar associated with an infrared detector, the message is therefore imposed on the client. This mode may be interesting, see desirable in the case of messages concerning security or danger but as part of an action in particular, the positive aspect of listening made by willful choice is lost.

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM is characterized in that the container is an AUTONOMOUS RECORDING MODULE SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM SOUND INFORMATION in a parallelepipedic box, at to receive by means of its adapted connectors AUDIO CARTRIDGES to operate all recording operations, erasing, reading or duplicating relating to AUDIO CARTRIDGES maintenance.

Characteristic of the present invention, the use of interchangeable voice recording modules, previously recorded, one to ten in number, carrying messages whose duration is between 2 seconds and 120 seconds, and is preferably 15 seconds. This interchangeable mode is of primary importance for the maintenance of terminals or modules, because the audio cartridges can thus be prepared in the studio in good conditions while their installation or their exchange does not require any special training of the personnel in charge. follow-up. Another advantage of interchangeable recording modules is that AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION MODULES and to a lesser extent AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION TERMINALS are of no interest in being stolen, because if they are, they do not will only be able to repeat the messages they have with them, without the possibility of changing them. unless you have the electronic unit responsible for this operation.
These messages are normally intended to complement one another, each providing an element describing one of the characteristics of the product put forward, so that, when a customer wishes to hear the message again, its purely repetitive appearance is blurred and that the same explanation being given in a different and complementary way his understanding is improved and better memorized.
Characteristic of the present invention, the sending of a message different from the previous one each time the trigger button is pressed, when the TERMINAL or the MODULE or even the SOUND INFORMATION POS is not transmitting a message.
In order to remain in good listening condition without, however, imposing it on all customers in the vicinity, the amplified signal of the message passes through a potentiometer, responsible for adjusting the output power to the sound environment, ambient so the normal listening periphery of the terminal or the sound information module is between 10 cm and 500 cm. This arrangement allows the installation of several terminals or / and sound information modules in the same radius without there being cacophony or discomfort for customers.

Characteristic of the present invention, a pulse counter which increments with each triggering of messages prerecorded. This allows to count the number of messages requested by customers and allows correlations to be made between this number, the nature of the message, and the product itself.

Claims (11)

The AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM, object of the present invention is characterized on the one hand, in that its container, is chosen from the AUTONOMOUS INFORMATION TERMINAL SOUNDS, the SELF-CONTAINED SOUND INFORMATION MODULE, the MODULE AUTONOMOUS RECORDING OF SOUND INFORMATION and ADVERTISING IN THE SELF-CONTAINED SALE OF SOUND INFORMATION, made for be installed as a priority in store shelves, stands salon, and, on the other hand, that this container contains: the entire reading and recording devices of interchangeable non-volatile electronic memories, these memories, one to ten in number, being called AUDIO CARTRIDGES; the speaker (s); autonomous means of supplying electric energy ; the button or buttons to trigger the reading messages; the pulse counter (s) incrementing on the number of messages sent, for the purposes firstly to emit prerecorded sound messages including the duration is between 2 seconds and 120 seconds each, from preferably 5 to 60 seconds each and more preferably 10 to 25 seconds each and secondly characterized in that the messages sent each time a trigger button is pressed corresponds to a message different from the previous one. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes an AUDIO CARTRIDGE consisting on the one hand, by a circuit integrated with non-volatile electronic memory capable of storing, restore or erase an analog sound signal or digitized and, on the other hand, to be connected, through from a printed circuit, to a male (female) multicontact connector computer type; this in order to make the connection to AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM reading and recording device SOUND INFORMATION fast and reliable. Device according to claim 1, characterized by amplification of the recorded messages, so that the normal listening periphery of the audio information terminal between 10 cm and 500 cm. System according to claim 1 and 3, characterized in that the container is a TERMINAL of SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the contents of the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM in a box cylindrical, that the height of this case is 5 to 40 cm from preferably 10 to 25 cm, that its diameter is 6 to 20 cm from preferably 8 to 12 cm, and that it is fixed on the upper part a tubular mast whose height is 30 to 190 cm, preferably 140 to 160 cm, and whose diameter is 1 to 10 cm preferably 4 to 5 cm, and that this mat is itself fixed laterally with a weighted foot made to be installed below the shelves in the sales area shelves. System according to claim 1 and 3, characterized in that the container is an AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION MODULE which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SOUND INFORMATION SYSTEM into a parallelepipedic case and in this case allows it to be installed below the space left empty under the shelves of shelves store, it is then held in place by a suitable clamp; the dimensions of the case are from 1 to 10 cm thick, from 3 to 20 cm wide and 4 to 40 cm long. System according to claim 1 and 3, characterized in that the container is an ADVERTISING ON THE SELF-CONTAINED SALE SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM SOUND INFORMATION, either in the envelope of the advertisement at the Point of Sale, fixed at the edge of shelves, or at the bottom of the radius, or again a parallelepipedic box fixed in this case on the rear part of the said Advertising at the Point of Sale; in the latter case, the housing has height, width, length, the following dimensions: 1 to 3 cm x 5 to 10 cm x 8 to 20 cm. System according to claim 5, characterized in that it is held under the shelf by a clip made from a sheet of sufficiently resistant material, shaped in three sides, two extreme sides forming a closed angle with the third side so that the introduction of the AUTONOMOUS INFORMATION MODULE SOUNDS is performed by playing on the elasticity of the clamp to guarantee a firm hold of the module under the shelf; the edges of the lower plate of the pliers are folded at right angles towards the bottom ; its front part receives charged light-emitting diodes to attract the attention of customers, the push buttons that allow the sending of messages contained by the module, as well as the written indications of the product concerned by information. System according to claim 4, characterized by implantation on the mat, between 1 cm and 50 cm, under the case cylindrical, which we call "the head" of the AUTONOMOUS TERMINAL SOUND INFORMATION, of a rigid crimped plastic plate, made to receive the product that we want to highlight, as well as a set of light-emitting diodes including flickering draws customers' attention to the product concerned; the electrical energy supply of these diodes is ensured either by batteries placed in a compartment behind the plate either still brought in from the head battery compartment. System according to claim 4, characterized by the implantation on the mast, of a small horizontal arm, turned towards the department, i.e. directed towards the products that we want inform, whose length is between 3 cm and 15 cm, of preferably 8 cm overall and carrying at its end a box to light emitting diodes; the arm is arranged perpendicular to the matt between 5 and 20 cm below the cylindrical housing, preferably 12 cm below. system according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the container is a SELF-CONTAINED RECORDING MODULE SOUND INFORMATION which integrates the content of the AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM SOUND INFORMATION in a parallelepipedic box, at to receive by means of its adapted connectors AUDIO CARTRIDGES to operate all recording operations, erasing, reading or duplicating relating to AUDIO CARTRIDGES maintenance. Device according to claim 4, characterized by the choice tubular in shape, by the absence of projections on the side opposite the support to avoid possible bruises to people and by the choice of corrosion resistant materials.