JP2005018583A - Shelf tag system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shelf tag system wherein various data can be displayed by an inexpensive shelf tag display unit and the kind and content of the data displayed on the shelf tag display unit can be easily grasped. <P>SOLUTION: The shelf tag system comprises a storage management device for storing and managing at least commodity data and sales data for each commodity item; a shelf tag display unit, provided for each commodity item on a display shelf, for receiving from the storage management device and displaying the display data on commodity data, sales data, etc.; and a portable remote controller which transmits a signal for alteration of the kind of display data to the shelf tag display unit and is provided with a display unit for displaying a name corresponding to the kind of display data on the shelf tag display unit when the signal is transmitted. The shelf tag system allows to display of various data as well as to confirm the displayed content easily. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shelf label system that is used in a retail store such as a supermarket and is arranged for each type of product on a product display shelf and displays information such as the price of the product.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A conventional shelf label display can store display data for 7 screens. When an individual shelf label display is instructed by a remote controller, not only the product price but also the member selling price can be switched by switching the display screen. And the number of theoretical stocks, sales, last sales time, special sale schedule code, special sale end date, etc. can be displayed. In addition, there has been a technique that allows a sales record of a product to be easily confirmed while visually observing the arrangement state of the product by the shelf label system using the shelf label display (see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-209861 (page 2-4, FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional shelf label display device uses a 7-segment display device in order to construct the display device itself at low cost, and can only variably display numeric data. For this reason, even if various display data are displayed, only numeric data is displayed. Therefore, it is difficult to immediately determine what the data is, and there is a problem that it is easy to make a mistake.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can display various data even with an inexpensive shelf label display and easily confirm the display contents. The purpose is to provide a shelf label system that can.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 relates to a storage management device for storing and managing at least product data and sales data for each product, and for each product on the display shelf, and relates to product data, sales data, and the like from the storage management device. A shelf label display for receiving and displaying display data, and a signal for changing the type of display data to the shelf label display, and when the signal is transmitted, the shelf label display Has proposed a shelf label system comprising a portable remote controller provided with a display for displaying a name corresponding to the type of display data.
[0007]
According to the present invention, the portable remote controller transmits a signal for changing the type of display data to the shelf label display, and when the signal is transmitted, the portable remote control determines the display data type of the shelf label display. Since a display that displays the corresponding name is provided, for example, even an inexpensive shelf label display that can only variably display numeric data, various data can be displayed, and the name corresponding to the display content Is displayed on the portable remote controller, the type of display data can be clearly identified.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is the shelf label system according to claim 1, wherein the shelf label display includes a plurality of displays, and the portable remote controller displays on the plurality of displays of the shelf label display. A shelf label system is proposed in which a name corresponding to each type of display data is displayed for each type of display data to be displayed.
[0009]
According to the present invention, the shelf label display includes a plurality of displays, and the corresponding name is displayed on the display unit of the portable remote controller for each type of display data displayed on each display. Even when a plurality of display data is displayed on the shelf label display, the type of data can be clearly determined by the display unit of the portable remote controller.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the shelf label system according to the second aspect, the portable remote controller display device displays instruction data to an operator corresponding to the display data of the shelf label display device. A shelf label system is proposed.
[0011]
According to the present invention, since the instruction data to the worker corresponding to the display data is displayed on the display of the portable remote controller, for example, when displaying the last sales time on the shelf label display, If the instruction data is “Increase the number of displays when the last sales time is 2 hours before closing in the morning shelf check work”, the work can be done by checking the display on the portable remote control. The work efficiency can be improved by giving an accurate instruction to the person.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the shelf label system according to claim 1 or 2, the display of the portable remote controller displays explanatory data relating to display data of the shelf label display. A shelf label system is proposed.
[0013]
According to the present invention, for example, when the sale schedule code is displayed on the shelf label display, the explanation of the sale schedule code is displayed on the display of the portable remote controller, so that the number of information corresponding to the number data to be displayed is displayed. Can be displayed, and the contents of the display data can be easily understood.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the shelf label system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the shelf label display unit stores the number of display data corresponding to the type of display data. Proposing a shelf label system comprising storage means, wherein the portable remote controller includes storage means for remote control that stores a number of display data corresponding to the type of display data of the shelf label display. .
[0015]
According to the present invention, since the portable remote controller and the shelf label display device are provided with the storage means for storing the number of display data corresponding to the type of display data, for example, the display screen switching signal from the portable remote controller is displayed on the shelf. When the bill display device receives it, the display data corresponding to the received signal can be read from the storage means and displayed immediately.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 6 is the shelf label system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the shelf label display device changes the type of display data for each display screen of the plurality of display devices. There is proposed a shelf label system comprising display switching means, wherein the portable remote controller has transmission means for transmitting a signal for switching the display screen of the shelf label display.
[0017]
According to the present invention, the type of display data can be changed for each of the plurality of display screens of the shelf label display device by the display screen switching signal transmitted from the portable remote controller. At this time, since the name of the display data is also changed, the contents of the display data can be easily understood by a simple switching operation.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a shelf label system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the shelf label system according to the embodiment of the present invention is connected to a POS system 10 via a local area network LAN. The POS system 10 includes a store controller (SC) 11 and a plurality of electronic cash registers (ECR) 12 connected to the store controller online. In the memory of the store controller 11, there are a product file (PLU file) in which a product name, a normal price, a special sale price, a member price, etc. are stored for each product code, and an actual product file (total file) that stores sales performance data and the like. Is provided.
[0019]
The electronic cash register 12 is disposed in a checkout area of the store, and the store controller 11 is disposed in the backroom of the store. When the barcode of the customer's purchased product is read by the scanner of the electronic cash register 12, the read code data (product code) is transmitted to the store controller 11. The store controller 11 reads the product data of the code data from the PLU file, sends it to the electronic cash register 12 that sent the code data, and updates the result file. The electronic cash register 12 that has received the product data displays the product data and performs a checkout process based on the data.
[0020]
In this way, the actual sales data is stored for each product code in the performance file of the store controller 11. The sales data is aggregated into the current day, the previous day's sales, the current week, the previous week's sales, the current month, the previous month's sales, etc., and stores past sales data as necessary. It is also possible to set the period for aggregation as appropriate. The product file and the summary file connected to the store controller 11 can be appropriately referred to as needed by other devices connected to the LAN including the shelf label system 1.
[0021]
The shelf label system 1 includes a shelf label display controller (TC) 2 and a plurality of display devices (shelf label display, EPL) 5 connected to the shelf label display controller 2 wirelessly (infrared communication). Yes. As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf label display 5 is associated with each product 41, arranged on the product display shelf 40 on which each product 41 is displayed, and displays information such as the price of the product 41 in real time. The shelf label display controller 2 and the shelf label display 5 are connected by using infrared as a transmission medium. In this embodiment, only one-way communication is performed for signal transmission from the shelf label display controller 2 to the shelf label display 5. is there.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 5, the shelf label display 5 includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an infrared signal transmission / reception unit 34, an LCD display 36, and an LED lamp 37, and is arranged on the right side of the main body surface as shown in FIG. The solar cell 38 is driven. A button battery 39 such as a lithium battery is incorporated as a backup for the solar battery 38. The LED lamp 37 is used when it is desired to draw the attention of a customer or a store clerk. As shown in FIG. 3, the LCD display 36 has a display unit a26 that displays a large 5-digit numerical value at the top, a display unit b27 that displays a small 5-digit numerical value on the lower left side, and a small display unit on the lower right side. It is comprised from the display part c28 which displays a 3-digit numerical value.
[0023]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the (current) selling price is displayed on the display part a26, the (normal) selling price is displayed on the display part b27, and the discount information is displayed on the display part c28. Further, a product information label 20 is affixed to the left space of the shelf label display 5. The product information label 20 is printed with a product name 21, a barcode 23, a shelf label ID 22 (details will be described later), and the like.
[0024]
The RAM 33 stores display data for a plurality of screens exceeding six screens as data to be displayed on the display unit a26, the display unit b27, and the display unit c28, and the price data described above is data of the first screen. The other screen data has a configuration as shown in FIGS. 4B to 4F, for example.
[0025]
The display screen is switched by a command from the shelf label display controller 2 or by the screen switching remote controller 7 shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the remote controller 7 includes a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, a display 64, an infrared communication unit 65, an operation unit 66 including a forward button 66a, a return button 66b, and a transmission button 66c. Has been. The CPU 61 controls the entire remote controller 7 based on a control program stored in the ROM 62, controls display data associated with the operation of the forward button 66a and the return button 66b, and transmits data associated with the operation of the transmission button 66c. Alternatively, control such as reading and writing of data with respect to the RAM 63 is performed.
[0026]
The ROM 62 stores display data and the like in addition to the remote control program. The RAM 63 is a rewritable storage device that stores various updated data. The display unit 64 displays corresponding display data according to the operation of the operation unit 66. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the display unit 64 is divided into a name display unit 71 and an additional information display unit 72, and the name display unit 71 includes a plurality of shelf label indicators 5. Corresponding to the display unit 36, the display unit 36 includes three display units including a display unit a, a display unit b, and a display unit c. Further, the additional information display unit 72 displays instruction data for the operator, explanatory text explaining the contents of the display data, and the like corresponding to the data displayed on the name display unit 71.
[0027]
The infrared communication unit 65 is a communication unit that transmits a signal to the transmission / reception unit 34 of the shelf label display 5 using infrared rays. The display switching buttons 66a and 66b on the remote control 7 are used to change the display of each display unit of the remote control 7 to face the infrared light receiving unit (sensor) 6 of the shelf label display 5 in a state where desired information is retrieved and displayed. When the transmission button 66 c on the remote controller 7 is pressed, information corresponding to the data displayed on the display unit of the remote controller 7 is displayed on the display units 26, 27, and 28 of the shelf label display 5. The operation unit 66 has a plurality of buttons, and by operating each button, display data can be changed or data can be transmitted to the shelf label display. For example, by operating the forward button 66a, the display data of the display unit 64 can be sent first and displayed, and by operating the return button 66b, the display data of the display unit 64 is reversed. You can also. In addition, by operating the transmission button 66c, desired data can be transmitted to the shelf label display.
[0028]
The display data of the name display part 71 and the additional information display part 72 are as shown in FIG. These data files are stored in the RAM 63, and various data stored therein are input from the store controller 11 or the shelf label display controller 2 using keys, and stored in the RAM 63 in the remote controller 7 by infrared communication. Is done.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 8, when screen number 1 is selected by operating the operation unit 66, the display unit a of the name display unit 71 displays “today's selling price” and the display unit b displays “normal selling price”. In part c, “discount rate” is displayed. When screen number 4 is selected, “sales quantity” is displayed on display part a, “last sales date” is displayed on display part b, and “last sales time” is displayed on display part c. In the information display section 72, a message “Increase the number of displays if the last sales time is two hours before closing” is displayed. When the screen number 6 is selected, the “sale schedule code” is displayed on the display section a, the “sale end date” is displayed on the display section b, and the special schedule code is displayed on the additional information display section 72. For example, “Code 1 has no time and day restrictions”, “Code 2 is only after 18:00”, and “Code 3 is only on weekdays” are displayed.
[0030]
The shelf label display controller 2 includes a table that stores the correspondence between the product code and the shelf label ID in order to control the shelf label display 5.
When starting the shelf label system, the following processing is performed.
(1) The shelf label ID 22 is stored separately in each shelf label display 5. (The shelf label ID 22 is address information when data is transmitted from the shelf label display controller 2.)
(2) Each shelf label display 5 is associated with a product. (The shelf label ID 22 and the product code associated therewith are stored in the table.)
[0031]
(3) A product information label 20 is issued.
(4) The product information label 20 is affixed to the shelf label display 5 associated with the product.
(5) Attach the shelf label display 5 to the shelf on which the product of the product information label 20 is displayed.
(6) Data is transmitted from the shelf label display controller 2 to the shelf label display 5.
[0032]
When data is transmitted from the shelf label display controller 2 to the shelf label display 5, “shelf label ID + screen No. + display No. (discrimination between display units a, b, c) + display data” is set to the transmission unit 3 and This is done by transmitting through the infrared signal radiating means 4. The selection of whether to turn on or off the LED lamp of the shelf label display 5 includes transmission of “shelf label ID + lighting command”, transmission of “shelf label ID + lighting command”, and “shelf label ID + flashing command”. By sending. The shelf label display 5 stores the received data in the RAM 33 when the data received via the infrared light receiving sensor 6 and the receiving unit 34 is its own (stored) shelf label ID, and the LCD display 36. Or the LED lamp 37 is turned on, turned off, or blinked.
[0033]
The display data of each screen is stored in the RAM 33 in the form of a display data file as shown in FIG. Therefore, the data in the display data file can be updated, deleted or added as necessary. When the screen number 1 is selected by a transmission signal from the remote controller 7, the normal price display is made. The display unit a displays “today's selling price”, the display unit b displays “normal selling price”, and the display unit c displays “ A number corresponding to “Discount rate” is displayed. When the screen number 4 is selected, the past sales record is displayed. The display unit a displays “sales quantity”, the display unit b displays “last sales date”, and the display unit c displays “last sales time”. The corresponding number is displayed. Further, when the screen number 6 is selected, registered data related to special sale is displayed, and a display unit a displays a “special sale schedule code” and a display unit b displays a number corresponding to “special sale date”.
[0034]
Next, the contents of processing relating to switching of the display screen of the shelf label system will be described with reference to FIG.
Note that this processing flowchart starts when the operator finds an abnormality in the product arrangement state of the shelf, for example, in the shelf confirmation work performed every morning, such as finding a shelf on which the product is not displayed.
The operator first operates the forward button 66a or the return button 66b on the remote controller 7 in order to confirm desired data such as sales data of the goods displayed on the shelf in order to find the cause of the abnormal state. (Step 101).
[0035]
The CPU 61 of the remote controller 7 that has input an operation instruction by the forward button 66a or the return button 66b searches the display data file stored in the RAM 63 for a screen number corresponding to the operation instruction, reads out this data, Is output to the display 64. The display device 64 to which the display data is input displays the input data on the display unit A, display unit B, display unit C and additional information display unit 72 in the corresponding name display unit 71 (step 102).
[0036]
When the operator confirms the display data to be displayed on the shelf label display 5 by the display content of the display 64 of the remote controller 7, the infrared communication unit 65 of the remote control 7 is directed toward the corresponding shelf label display 5. The transmission button 66c is operated. The CPU 61, which has detected the operation of the transmission button 66c, receives the screen number data corresponding to the data displayed on the display unit 64 in the shelf label display unit 5 regardless of the shelf label ID, and stores it in the infrared communication unit 65. (Step 103).
[0037]
When the shelf number display 5 receives the screen number data transmitted from the remote controller 7 at the transmission / reception unit 34, the shelf label display 5 searches the display data file stored in the RAM 33 for the screen data corresponding to the screen number data, and responds accordingly. The data is displayed on the corresponding display in the LED display section 36 as shown in FIG. 4 (step 104). Thereby, the worker can set the sales data, the normal selling price, the special sale schedule code, etc. of the corresponding product displayed on the display units a to c, the name of each data displayed on the display 64 of the remote controller 7 and the action data. Alternatively, the abnormal state of the display shelf can be easily analyzed by referring to and comparing with the explanation data of the code data.
[0038]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and includes design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. It is. For example, in the present embodiment, the method of transmitting information such as the screen number corresponding to the data displayed on the remote controller display to the shelf label display by operating the transmission button on the remote control has been described. For example, communication with the shelf label display may be started only by operating the screen switching button of the remote controller.
[0039]
In the present embodiment, the forward button and the return button are exemplified as means for sending the display screen on the remote controller. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an operation button corresponding to each screen number may be provided. Further, in the present embodiment, it is exemplified that various data corresponding to the screen number is displayed on the display of the remote controller, but the screen number may be displayed together with these data.
[0040]
Further, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the data related to the screen number is transmitted to the shelf label display by operating the transmission button of the remote control. However, after the transmission button is operated, the screen switching of the remote control is next performed. Until the button is operated, the previously transmitted screen number information may be held, and when the send button is operated, the same information as the previously transmitted screen number information may be transmitted. . With such a configuration, when the same information is to be displayed on a plurality of shelf label displays, this can be realized with a simple operation.
[0041]
Furthermore, some examples were given for the data displayed on the display unit of the remote control and the data displayed on the display unit of the shelf label display. However, the data displayed on the display unit of the remote control and the display unit of the shelf label display It is not limited to.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even if the shelf label display is an inexpensive one that can variably display only numbers, various data can be displayed by using the display of the remote controller, There is an effect that the type and contents of the data displayed on the bill display device can be easily grasped.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a shelf label system connected to a POS system via a LAN according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage state of a shelf label display according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a shelf label display according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a shelf label display according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the shelf label display according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the screen switching remote control according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an external configuration diagram of a screen switching remote control according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a display data file of the screen switching remote control according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a display data file of the shelf label display according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing flow in the shelf label system according to the present embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shelf label system, 2 ... Shelf label display controller (management device, TC), 3 ... Transmitter, 4 ... Infrared signal radiation plate, 5 ... Shelf label display (display) Device, EPL), 6 ... infrared signal light receiving sensor, 7 ... remote control for screen switching, 10 ... POS system, 11 ... store controller (SC), 12 ... ECR (electronic cash register) , 20 ... Product information label, 22 ... Shelf label ID, 23 ... Bar code, 26 ... Display part a, 27 ... Display part b, 28 ... Display part c, 31 ..CPU, 32 ... ROM, 33 ... RAM, 34 ... Transmitting / receiving unit, 36 ... LCD display, 37 ... LED lamp, 38 ... solar cell, 39 ... button Battery, 40 ... merchandise display shelf, 41 ... merchandise, 61 ... CPU 62 ... ROM, 63 ... RAM, 64 ... display, 65 ... infrared communication unit, 66 ... operation unit, 66a ... forward button (screen switching button), 66b ... Back button (screen switching button), 66c ... Send button, 71 ... Name display section, 72 ... Additional information display section,

Claims (6)

A storage management device for storing and managing at least product data and sales data for each product;
A shelf label display which is provided for each product on the display shelf and receives and displays display data relating to product data, sales data, etc. from the storage management device;
A display for transmitting a signal for changing the type of display data to the shelf label display and displaying a name corresponding to the type of display data of the shelf label display when the signal is transmitted A shelf label system characterized by comprising a portable remote control provided with a remote control. The shelf label display comprises a plurality of displays,
The said portable remote control displays the name corresponding to the kind of each display data for every kind of display data displayed on the some display of this shelf label display device. Shelf label system. The shelf label system according to claim 2, wherein the display of the portable remote controller displays instruction data to an operator corresponding to the display data of the shelf label display. 3. The shelf label system according to claim 1, wherein the display of the portable remote controller displays explanatory data relating to display data of the shelf label display. The shelf label display comprises storage means for shelf labels for storing the number of display data corresponding to the type of display data;
5. The remote control storing means for storing the number of display data corresponding to the type of display data of the shelf label display device in the portable remote control. Shelf label system. The shelf label display has display switching means for changing the type of display data for each display screen of the plurality of displays;
The shelf label system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the portable remote controller includes a transmission unit that transmits a signal for switching a display screen of the shelf label display.

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