KR20050088360A - Interactive and dynamic electronic floor advertising/messaging display - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a floor display system (100) comprising a floor covering and an electronic display device (101) associated with the floor covering (102). The electronic display device (101) is able to display electronically modifiable arbitrary content. The floor display system (100) further comprises a controller (103) and a sensing device coupled to the controller. The sensing device is associated with a specific location on the display device and generates a signal to the controller to cause a content of a display of the display device to be modified or newly generated at the specific location.

Description

Interactive and dynamic electronic floor advertising / messaging display}

This application claims benefit under section 35.119 of the US Patent Law, filed Jan. 22, 2003, US Provisional Application No. 60 / 441,408. Moreover, this application is a partial consecutive application of application number 10 / 682,435, filed October 10, 2003. Application No. 10 / 682,435 is a partial serial application of Application No. 10 / 438,923, filed May 16, 2003. Application No. 10 / 438,923, filed November 3, 2002, filed November 1, 2002, which is part consecutive application of Application No. 10 / 137,357, filed Jan. 14, 2003, US Patent No. 6,507,285. Partial serial application of No. 10 / 285,639. Application No. 10 / 137,357 is a partial consecutive application of Application No. 09 / 767,846, filed Jan. 24, 2001 and registered as US Patent No. 6,417,778, issued July 9, 2002. Application No. 09 / 767,846 is a continuation of Application No. 09 / 418,752, filed Oct. 15, 1999 and now abandoned. Application No. 09 / 418,752 is a partial consecutive application of Application No. 09 / 304,051, filed May 4, 1999 and registered on US 24,2001, US Pat. No. 6,219,876. Each of the above identified applications is incorporated by reference.

Advertisements and other kinds of messages generally exist in the form of using "vertical spaces": billboards, walls, ceiling-mounted displays, etc. In contrast, another type of space that has great potential for advertising and messages, but which is largely overlooked, is floor space, which is characterized as "horizontal space".

Efforts were made to use the floor space for advertising. Sticky (ie, "attached") floor decals are known. This design conveys images of various colors and advertising messages such as "Drink Coke." However, such advertising media is limited by the fact that messages are static and not easily exchanged. In contrast, US Pat. No. 6,417,778, incorporated by reference, describes a deformable electronic display coupled with a floor that allows images and text to be easily exchanged so that an advertising message can be quickly adapted and effectively targeted to a desired customer. .

Interaction characteristics in floor display systems can increase its usefulness and commercial appeal. US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 438,923, filed May 16, 2003 to Blum et al., Discloses a floor display system that includes many interactivity features for use in a variety of commercial or other public applications, for example. Describe. The present invention is directed to many advantageous improvements and enhancements to floor display systems.

1 illustrates a floor display system according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is an exploded view of a floor display system according to an embodiment of the invention.

3 is a view showing an arrangement example of a sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view showing another arrangement example of a sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6 illustrate a floor display system including an audio device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7A-7C illustrate an example of operation of a floor display system according to an embodiment of the invention.

8 is a diagram illustrating a floor display system having a transparent structure that does not include a support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 illustrates a floor display system including a substantially vertical or inclined display device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram illustrating a floor display system including a signal transmission device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a more detailed view of a signal transmission device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a floor display system. The floor display system can be arranged in a public place, such as a commercial facility or other public building, and is arranged to display any electronically deformable content, such as advertising or other information content. More specifically, the floor display system includes a floor covering and an electronic display device combined with the floor covering. The electronic display device is capable of displaying any content that is electronically deformable. The floor display system further includes a controller and a sensing device coupled with the controller. The sensing device is connected to a specific location of the display device and generates a signal to the controller to cause the display content of the display device to be deformable or newly generated at that particular location. This enables the eye-catching effect created in the display device as described in more detail below, thus enhancing the usefulness and commercial appeal of the floor display system.

As described above, US Pat. No. 6,417,778 discloses a system for electronically conveying information through a floor display. More particularly, the bottom display comprises a deformable electronic display surface, for example representing a liquid crystal display. The display can be connected to a computer and the computer generated image can be displayed on the display. Thus the image displayed on the display can be modified by creating another computer image and displaying the computer image on the display. The display may be associated with the base portion of the bottom covering as included in its recess or may be included in the bottom surface facing up the insertion portion of the bottom covering. Alternatively, the display may be formed entirely in the base portion or the insertion portion. The deformable display can use a number of different graphics that can be displayed on the display in various ways. For example, graphics may generally be displayed in a fixed position on the display or may scroll across the display with an example methodology of displaying multiple graphics individually or in combination.

Another alternative for modifying the graphics displayed on the floor covering includes using a light emitting polymer to generate and change the graphics. The luminescent polymer can be applied, attached or woven to the bottom covering. The luminescent polymer is used in other parts of the bottom covering, for example, in the base part or in the insert part or in other parts of other embodiments for the bottom covering. Luminescent polymers are described in US Pat. Nos. 5,945,502, 5,869,350 and 5,571,626, which are incorporated by reference.

Another optic for the display is to use electronic ink or electric paper. Electrical paper is available from Xerox and is described in US Pat. Nos. 5,723,204, 5,604,027, 4,126,854 and 4,143,103, which are incorporated by reference. Electric paper is called Gyricon, and each uses thousands of small electronically charged beads that are the width of a human hair and form pixels. Two-tone beads are fixed inside the liquid-filled plastic sheet to form the surface of the paper. Each of the semi-black and semi-white beads rotates with respect to the electric field. Determine the image according to the black- or white-plane. Because the image does not need to be updated, and since the screen is not backlit, the electric paper only uses the fraction of power used by conventional electronic displays. Electromagnetic stylus and printer-like devices can be used to implement images on paper.

Electronic ink is available from E Ink Corp., MA 02138 Cambridge Spinelly PI 45. Electronic inks utilize microencapsulated micro-engineered display systems. Thin microcapsules are captured between two plastic sheets to produce pixels. Alternatively, the capsule is sprayed on the surface. The result is a flexible display material. The small capsule contains a mixture of transparent dark ink and white paint chips. The electrical charge passes through the capsule. Depending on the static charge, the paint chips drift from the top or stop over the bottom of each capsule. If the paint chips drift from the top, the surface appears white. When they stop at the bottom, the surface appears black under the ink. Each of the two states is stable: black or white. A transparent electromagnetic grid placed on the sheet surface controls the image shape. The display is wirelessly connected to the World Wide Web, for example, depending on the computer by using a Motorola paging system. If multiple displays are used, the text on all displays can be exchanged at once by a single editor via a web page.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the additional or alternative techniques described above are used to implement a floor display system. As used herein, "floor" includes floors, ground or surfaces including concrete, asphalt, carpet, wood, linoleum, tiles, rubber, vinyl, and the like. Floor display system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The floor display system 100 includes an electronic display device 101 coupled with a floor covering 102. More specifically, the display device 101 is at least partially connected to, supported by, received in or otherwise coupled to the bottom covering 102. The bottom covering 102 and the combined electronic display device 101 take many structural forms, are constructed from various types of materials, and are not limited to the specific forms shown herein. In an embodiment the floor covering 102 and the electronic display device 101 are designed for use in places with foot traffic or other (eg, wheeled shopping cart) traffic. Thus, floor coverings and electronic display devices have a negligible adverse effect on floor coverings and display devices, while being sturdy and durable enough to carry a shopping cart that is repeatedly stepped on, walks on, wheels on, or other rolling or sliding material across them. The electronic display device is transparent or translucent, for example, to allow the electronic display device to be viewed through it, and the electronic display device may be damaged from damage associated with feet or other passages such as damage caused by scratches, cracks, chips, tears or environmental dust It has a solid protective covering to protect the display device. The floor covering 102 is attached to the floor or is portable so that it can be easily moved to another place.

Floor coverings 102 are inclined surfaces 131, 132, 133, and 134 that are sloped downward and away from the top surface to indicate that the entire field of view of the floor covering is inclined relative to the person approaching the floor covering (as described above). The surface of the protective covering of the display device 101). This structure can make it easier for a person walking on the floor covering or a wheeled shopping cart to cross the floor covering if the floor covering is located in the aisle of a commercial facility.

The electronic display device 101 in combination with the floor covering 102 is arranged to electronically display graphical images or alphanumeric data in a static (moving or unchanging) or dynamic (ie scrolling or moving or changing) format. More specifically, the electronic display device 101 is coupled to the controller 103 by wired means or wireless means to display the content selected by the user, and is deformable through the controller 103. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic display device 101 is coupled to the controller 103 via a display driver circuit, such as a video graphics adapter card 105. The controller 103 includes any kind of electronic logic circuit: for example, a general microprocessor or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that can be deployed in software. The driver 105 of the electronic display device is integrated in the controller 103 or assembled in the ASIC. The controller is also a single board computer with a processor, memory, and one display driving circuit assembled on the board, as well as wireless components for communicating with the outside world or loading data into memory.

The controller is coupled to storage medium 104, which includes random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash or other non-volatile solid-state electronic storage, electronic erase and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) or magnetic and And / or a suitable medium for storing digital data, including optical disk storage. The storage medium 104 may adjust the software for execution by the controller 103 and the video content of choice for display, for example, under the control of the control software on the electronic display 101. A user interface (not shown), such as a personal computer with a display monitor and a keyboard, is coupled to the controller such that the shape of the controller with specific user input, such as a specific control program, can produce specific display and / or audio output. Audio device 111, such as a loudspeaker, is further coupled to controller 103 via sound card 110. The audio device 111 outputs audio content of the selection stored in the storage medium 104 under the control of the controller 103. Components of the floor display system 100 are powered by a power supply 114. The floor display system also includes a sensing device 113 to provide various interactive applications of the floor display system as described in more detail below. The sensing device 113 can be coupled to and provide a signal to the controller 113. The connection of the sensing device to the controller can be wired or wireless.

Data is stored in storage medium 104 using, for example, data port 106 coupled to a general system bus. The bus can be a USB (Universal Serial Bus). The floor display system further includes a wireless port 107 which is implemented using, for example, a wireless WAN / LAN card. The floor display system 100 is coupled to and communicated with the network 125 via the wireless port 107. The network may be any type of network, including a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet or a local information network (LAN), for example including other floor display systems. The floor display system 100 via the network 125 is coupled to the server computer 108 of the network, for example via a wireless communication device 112. Server computer 108 is coupled to database 109. The database 109 stores information related to the operation of the floor display system 100. For example, the database controls software that includes video and audio content or is downloadable to storage medium 104 of the floor display system. That is, the floor display system 100 is remotely controllable. However, the floor display system 100 does not always need to be networked, and can be controlled locally, for example by downloading content, and can control software locally via data port 106. In addition, a wireless communication method and system is shown in FIG. 1, and a wired system can also be used or combined with a wireless system.

In addition to the foregoing, display technologies used in embodiments of the present invention include: liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescent (EL) displays, plasma display panels (PDPs), printable field emitters Field light emitting displays (FEDs), ferroelectric displays, polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), light emitting polymers (LEP), electronic paper and light emitting ceramics or other light emitting inorganic materials. Other display technologies used in the embodiments include optical fiber technology in which the remote image is electronically formed and transmitted using a light guide source to the fiber array or bundle. The remote image light source can be inside or outside the floor covering. Another contemplated display technology includes holographic displays. In this technique a white-light or laser hologram is produced internally or externally to the floor covering 102 and is focused by a lens, possibly a Fresnel lens, so that the viewer can see the display 101 at an acute angle. .

As discussed above, the electronic display device 101 is capable of displaying at least alphanumeric data and graphical images. The content includes only alphanumeric data that is static, moving, or static and moving, depending on the selected video content, only graphical images (ie pictures), or a combination of both. Moving alphanumeric data and images can be black and white or full color. Furthermore, display device 101 comprises one or more distinct displays: that is, the display area of the display device can be partitioned with respect to the content. For example, the display area includes two or more different "windows" each displaying different content. The segmentation of such displays is well known, for example, within "split-screen" TVs and through the widespread use of various graphics software applications, including Microsoft's generic "Windows" software.

Various digital video file formats can be used to generate images on an electronic display device 101 including moving picture experts group (MPEG), digital versatile disc (DVD) or digital video discs and flashes. Also, for example, conventional video content used in a network television may be converted into digital video content for display on the electronic display device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This conversion process involves taking conventional NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) video from tape and capturing it on a computer via a video capture card. An example of this type of card is a Targa 2000 RTX board. Once captured, the video is compressed into a file in a format that can be played back by the digital device. The file may for example be stored in MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 3 or MPEG 4 format.

As described above, according to an embodiment, the components of the floor display system 100 may be housed completely inside the floor covering 102 or completely housed outside the floor covering 102, or some components may be present inside the floor covering 102. Others may be external.

2 is an exploded view of the floor display system 100 according to a possible embodiment. Base portion 210 may be arranged to receive or support a wiring assembly 220 consisting of electronic inverters 221, 222, 223 and a fourth inverter not shown in FIG. 2 and may be coupled with power supply cable 226. The fourth electronic inverter can be used to provide power for adjusting the backlight to each of the four LCD displays of the four-panel electronic display device 240, for example. The structure 230 can be arranged over the wiring assembly 220; Structure 230 may be formed from plastic or other material and provide support for the inclined surfaces 131, 132, 133, 134 and display device 240. Portions of the surface material 250, such as carpet or rubber, may be positioned above structure 230 to form inclined surfaces 131, 132, 133, 134. A transparent member, such as a plate of conditioned glass 260 that includes support further by support 270 and structure 230, can be used as a protective covering for display device 240. The components of the floor display system can be bonded to each other, for example by adhesive, epoxy or mechanical snap. A controller (not shown), such as controller 103 (see FIG. 1), can be configured small or thin within the edge of floor covering 102 and within the components shown in FIG. 2.

Embodiments of the present invention do not limit the components or form of the system described in FIG. For example, the transparent member 260 does not need a support and the display device 240 does not need to include four panels; More or fewer panels are possible.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sensing devices 280 may be included in the floor display system 100. For example, multiple sensing devices can be disposed below the transparent member 260. Additionally or alternatively, multiple sensation devices may be disposed above, in, or above the transparent member 260. 3 shows a plan view of the sensing device 280. The sensing device may, for example, be arranged in an arrangement consisting of N rows and M columns.

Each sensing device may be coupled to a specific location on the display device 240. For example, each sensing device can be identified by a pair of coordinates such as (3, 2) identifying the sensing device in the second row, second column. Each coordinate pair will be more consistent with the position in the display area of the display device 240. The corresponding display area of the display device based on the signal generated by the sensing device may be due to displaying the required content. For example, the previous content may be transformed into new content generated based on the signal from the sensing device. In more detail, the sensing device 280 may be connected to the controller 103. A controller based on the signal received from the sensing device may execute logic to cause the desired content to be displayed at the location or locations on the display area of the display device matching the sensing device from which the signal is received.

The sensing device is particularly capable of detecting the presence of an object above, near or above the display device. For this purpose, the sensing device 280 includes, for example, a light sensitive device. This includes any or all of the photo detectors, photo diodes and photo transistors. Such a device is sensitive to changes in the amount of ambient light and can be made to produce a corresponding output signal in response to a decrease or increase in the amount of ambient light. Such a signal may be output to the controller as described above. Thus, the floor display system 100 is arranged to generate content at a particular location in response to a person's stepping on or walking across the floor display system by causing a sensing device corresponding to that particular location to generate a signal in response to stepping on or walking. Can be. More specifically, since the stepping or walking will interfere with the light input to the sensing device, the sensing device will record the reduction in light and may cause a signal corresponding to the controller. The controller based on the signal may generate the required content at a location corresponding to the sensing device generating the signal. The content may be, for example, an eye-catching image such as a wave following the movement of a person's foot. The object tracked by the sensing device is however not limited to the foot. For example, an object such as a ball can roll across a floor display system and a series of images generated in response represent the path the ball has passed.

The pressure-sensing device or temperature-sensing device could be used to detect and track objects on the floor display system using operations similar to those involving a light-sensitive device as described above. The pressure-sensing device, the temperature-sensing device, and the light-sensitive device may each be used alone or in combination with one or more other forms of the sensing device. They do not need this while sensing devices can be placed under transparent members. They may be on the transparent member or the top surface of the one embedded into the transparent member. For example, the transparent member could be mechanized or manufactured to receive the sensing device array therein in such a way that the sensing device arrangement is protected but a change in light and / or pressure and / or temperature can be felt.

In an embodiment, the light-sensitive device could be a passive device that receives light energy from ambient light and records changes in the amount of light energy received. The reference level of light energy can be determined based on the average light energy received by the plurality of sensing devices and all of the plurality of sensing devices are adjusted based on this reference level. Individual sensing devices, on the other hand, could be adjusted based on different reference light energy levels. The sensing device could thus be adjusted when there was a change in the reference level of light energy. For example, the sensing device will output a signal received by the controller because of an object that interferes with incident light energy. In response, the controller could have the desired content displayed. In order to disturb the counterfeit signal from the sensing device, the sensing device could be placed deep to ensure most of the incident light energy received from the desired direction. In alternative embodiments the sensing device may be an active sensing device that emits electromagnetic energy such as light or other radiation and generates a signal based on whether the emitted light energy is reflected or offset. Embodiments could include both passive and active sensing devices.

The sensing device could be arranged in any desired way and it is not necessary to form a constant pattern. For example, the sensing device could be kept at regular intervals to achieve the required sensitivity limits. In order to detect relatively small objects on or near the floor display system, the sensing devices could be somewhat closer to each other and a larger number to obtain a relatively sophisticated analysis. On the other hand, in order to detect relatively large objects, the sensing devices could be somewhat separated from each other and fewer in order to obtain relatively coarse analysis. In a given floor display system, a sensitivity device could be arranged with a mixture of relatively sophisticated and relatively poor analysis. 4 shows an example of a sensing device arrangement with better analysis than the arrangement of FIG. 3. In an embodiment the sensing device could be placed with relatively good analysis on or near the edge of the floor display system. This arrangement could be effective to produce eye-catching effects, such as the display of water waves that begin as a person's shoe approaches the edge of the floor display system.

Referring to FIG. 1, the floor display system 100 may include an audio device 111. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention with an audio device suspended by a support 530 above or near the floor display system. The audio device 111 may include a loudspeaker 520 and a receiver 525. The audio device may be connected to the controller 103 of the floor display system 100 by a wired connection 510. The audio device may include an amplifier (not shown) to amplify the signal received from the controller via a wired connection. The audio device may be arranged to produce an audio output under the control of the controller in response to the signal generated by the sensing device in the floor display system as described above. According to an embodiment, the speaker 520 may be a directional speaker such as a dual-parabolic speaker manufactured by Soundtube. The use of such directional speakers could make it possible to be limited to the area where sound is required. The controller 103 could adjust the volume and frequency range of the output of the speaker to minimize the effect of the reflected sound. As shown in FIG. 6, in an embodiment, the controller 103 could be wirelessly connected to the audio device 111 via transmission from the transmitter 605 of the floor display system. The transmitter 605 could for example be placed underneath the surface of the bottom covering 102. The amplifier of the audio device may amplify the signal received from the transmitter.

The audio device could be arranged to produce an audio output corresponding to the display of the floor display system. Examples are shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C. In FIG. 7A, puppy image 710 is displayed above the floor display system. As shown in FIG. 7B, the audio device may, for example, make a dog bark in response to the foot 730 of the person trampling or passing over the dog image. In combination with dog barking, the dog image may appear to run to another location on the display of the floor display system as shown in FIG. 7C. Audio output 750 related to such as an advertising message could be further sounded by the audio device as shown in FIG. 7C. For example, the dog barking and the location of the dog's food in the shop could be broadcasted as "ALPO-aisle 11".

8 illustrates an embodiment of a floor display system that includes the placement of a sensing device 280 with a transparent member that does not include a support.

In an embodiment of the invention the floor display system 100 may comprise a substantially vertical or inclined display. An example is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, a substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 is included with the floor display system 100. For example, the substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 could be a wired connection 911 or an electronic device wirelessly connected (not shown) to the floor display system. The substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 could be combined with any of the display techniques or other suitable display techniques shown herein. The substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 may be, for example, a projection device that projects an image on a surface from a distance.

Under control of the controller, the substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 could generate content related to the content displayed on the electronic display device 240 combined with the floor covering 102 of the floor display system 100. Fig of the floor covering of the floor display system 102. In the 9 patients who to 730. The step on or beyond is In response, the controller is equivalent to a display device 240 coupled to the bottom covering 102 located advertisement message 920 ( "Coke ^TM" And the substantially vertical or inclined display device 910 generates a display of the associated advertising message 921 ("The Real Thing ^TM ") and the store location and the price of the advertised product ("Aisle 12-$ 3.99"). Let it be The audio device 111 generates an associated audio message 930 (“The Real Thing ^™ ”).

Product Identification / Location Features

In the application of a floor display system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the product being promoted above the floor display system may be placed between many similar products in a store that make it difficult to find the product being promoted. An example is shown in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, the floor display system 100 is disposed in front of the row of the shelf 1002. There are many different brands of hair care products on the shelves. The floor display system 100 displays an advertising message 1001 that promotes a particular brand of hair care product on the shelf. The shelves are arranged with similar hair care products, which can make it difficult to find a particular brand being promoted.

Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the floor display system 100 may include product identification / location characteristics. This feature could be very helpful in helping consumers quickly locate the product being promoted on the floor display system. According to FIG. 10, the product identification / location characteristics may include a signaling device 1003 (not shown for scale) disposed near the product being promoted above the floor display system. The controller 103 (see FIG. 1) of the floor display system can communicate with the signaling device 1003. Signaling devices could be the source for signals when certain products are being promoted to the floor display system under control of the controller. The signals could be seen, heard, smelled, or any combination of these. For example, a signaling device could be responsible for flashing, flashing, sounding, smelling, or any combination of these when a particular product is being promoted.

Signaling device 1003 for product identification / location in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is better described in FIG. The signal transmitting device 1003 may include a light source 1101, a sound source 1102, and a scent source 1103. However, the signaling device 1003 does not need to include all of these and may include only a light source, only a sound source, or only a scent source. Alternatively, the signaling device could include any desired combination of light source, sound source, and scent source. Any of a light source, sound source or scent source or a combination thereof can be combined with the housing 1100. Housing 1100 could be designed to free-stand signaling device 1003. Additionally or alternatively the housing could have a locking device 1104 associated with it. The locking device 1104 could be part of the housing or an independent part attached to the housing. The locking device 1104 could include, for example, a hook, snap, adhesive, magnet, hook-and-loop arrangement or any other suitable locking arrangement such as Velcro ^™ . Signaling device 1003 may further include an independent power source 1105, such as a battery, but may also be powered from a floor display system or other source.

The signaling device 1003 may be connected to the floor display system 100 by wired connection 1107 or wireless connection 1108 and may receive control signals from the controller 103 by wired connection 1107 or wireless connection 1108. The signaling device may include a transceiver 1106 to receive a wireless signal. The signaling device could further include its own logic device 1109, such as a microprocessor, and could be programmed to perform the adjustment process of the controller 103 independently. For example, controller 103 may simply send an initiation signal to signaling device 1003 to initiate a series of sequences of light glint or sound or scent or any combination thereof under the control of logic device 1109.

Again, signaling device 1003 may be used for product identification / location. For example, the signaling device may be arranged on a shelf close to the product promoted by being freestanding or attached to the shelf or other support by the fixing device 1104. The floor display system may send a signal corresponding to signaling device 1003 when generating a particular display to promote a particular product. In response, the signaling device produces a continuous display or a visual display such as a series of light flickers or sparkles, a sound such as voice or noise, or a product jingle, scents, or a combination of any of the foregoing. Could be.

The floor display system could be responsible for generating a particular display that promotes a particular product based on the signal generated by the placement of the sensor 280 disposed in, above, or below the transparent member 240 as described above. Additionally or alternatively, floor display systems could be responsible for generating specific displays that promote specific products based on simply detecting nearby people as opposed to people actually stepping on or walking on the floor display system. This detection could be performed by sensing device 113 (see FIG. 1). The sensing device 113 can take many different forms, each of which is capable of detecting a shape or activity that indicates the presence of an adjacent person in the floor display system and allows the floor display system to perform any corresponding response in response. The corresponding response may be to generate display promotion of a particular product and as a result may activate signaling device 1003 as described above. In one such embodiment, the sensing device 113 is a sound-sensing device. Examples of sound-sensing devices include omni-directional and directional microphones. The sound-sensing device 113 may be located within the floor covering 102 (see FIG. 1) or may be located some distance from the floor covering. The sound-sensing device detects individual men or women approaching the floor display system and allows a corresponding response to be generated by the floor display system.

In another embodiment, the sensing device 113 is a motion-detecting device. Examples of motion-detection devices include devices that detect light, temperature or pressure, as discussed above, and devices that detect motion by energy injected into the environment (i.e., light, microwave or sound) and then energy Detect with a change of. The motion-detecting device 113 may be located within the floor covering 102 or may be located some distance from the floor covering. For example, it may be located in or on the ceiling or near the wall of the floor covering. The motion-detecting device could be arranged to detect an individual male or female accessing the floor display system and generate a corresponding response.

Floor display systems according to embodiments of the present invention may detect the presence or movement of a person based on work in the natural environment. For example, floor display systems could be connected by wire or wireless connection with a door at a commercial or other building entrance or other door. Through the connection, the floor display system could detect the door opening and activate the display in response.

In embodiments the floor display system could be arranged, for example, in a "raceway" in a commercial facility. The raceway is a common place at the end of the majority of corridors (ie, a general arrangement of grocery stores, the raceway is between the checkout counter and the end of the corridor). The signaling device or devices could be placed down the corridor and visible from the raceway indicating the location of the product being promoted above the floor display system.

Signaling devices or devices could be arranged to be visible down the corridor and from the raceway to indicate the location of the product being promoted above the floor display system.

Various embodiments of the invention are specifically described and / or described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that modifications and variations of the present invention are encompassed by the above instructions within the scope of the claimed claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (41)

Floor covering; An electronic display device coupled with a floor covering arranged to electronically display any deformable content; Controller; And A sensing device coupled to the controller, The sensing device is coupled to a specific location on the display device and generates a signal to the controller to cause the display content of the display device to be deformed or newly generated at that location. The floor display system of claim 1, wherein the sensing device responds to light. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device generates a signal based on detecting a change in the amount of light. The floor display system of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is responsive to pressure. The floor display system of claim 4, wherein the sensing device generates a signal based on detecting a change in pressure. The floor display system of claim 1, wherein the sensing device responds to temperature. 7. The floor display system of claim 6, wherein said sensing device generates a signal based on detecting a change in temperature. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device comprises a photodiode. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device comprises a light detector. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device comprises a photo transistor. The floor display system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensing devices. The floor display system of claim 11, wherein the sensing devices are arranged in an array consisting of rows and columns. 12. The floor display system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of sensing devices are arranged to form a mixture of relatively sophisticated analysis and relatively poor analysis. 12. The floor display system of claim 11 wherein the sensing device is disposed below the transparent member of the floor display system. 12. The floor display system of claim 11, wherein the sensing device is arranged with relatively sophisticated analysis above or near an edge of the floor display system. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device is disposed in a concave portion. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device is a passive device. The floor display system of claim 2, wherein the sensing device is an active device. The floor display system of claim 1, further comprising an audio device for generating audio output related to the content displayed on the display device. 20. The floor display system of claim 19 wherein said audio device comprises a directional speaker. The floor display system of claim 1, further comprising a substantially vertical or inclined display device. 22. The display device of claim 21, wherein the substantially vertical or inclined display device generates a display having letter and number combination data and graphic images associated with a graphic image and letter and number combination data of a display of an electronic display device combined with a floor covering. Floor display system characterized by The floor display system of claim 1, wherein the substantially vertical or inclined display device comprises a projection device. The floor display system of claim 1, wherein the electronic display device comprises a nanocarbon display. Floor covering, An electronic display device coupled with a floor covering arranged to electronically display any deformable content; Controller; And Floor display system comprising a plurality of sensing devices coupled with a controller to generate an image on an electronic display device that tracks the movement of an object 27. The device of claim 25, wherein each sensing device is coupled to a specific location on the display device and configured to cause the letter and number combination data or graphical image of the display of the display device to be deformable or newly generated at each particular location. Floor display system characterized by generating a respective signal at Floor covering, An electronic display device coupled with a floor covering arranged to electronically display any deformable content; Controller; And A floor display system comprising a signaling device coupled to a controller for emitting a signal corresponding to the display content of the electronic display device 28. The floor display system of claim 27 wherein said signal comprises light. 28. The floor display system of claim 27, wherein said signal comprises sound. 28. The floor display system of claim 27, wherein said signal comprises an olfactory stimulus. 28. The floor display system of claim 27, wherein said signaling device is fee-standing. 28. The floor display system of claim 27 wherein said signaling device comprises a securing device for securing said signaling device to a support. The floor display system of claim 27, wherein the signal transmission device is connected to a controller via a wired connection. 28. The floor display system of claim 27 wherein said signaling device is coupled to a controller via a wireless connection. 28. The floor display system of claim 27, wherein said floor display system generates a display and said signaling system generates a corresponding signal in response to detection of a nearby person. (a) placing a floor display system in a commercial facility; (b) displaying content related to the promotion or advertisement of the product on a floor display system in a commercial facility; (c) placing a signaling device coupled with a floor display system near the product; And (d) causing the signaling device to emit a signal in response to step (b). 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said signal comprises light. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said signal comprises sound. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said signal comprises an olfactory stimulus. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the floor display system displays content and the signaling device emits a corresponding signal in response to detection of a nearby person. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the floor display system is disposed in a common area of a commercial facility.