LV13430B - A system for multimedia transmission on the customer display - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a system for multimedia transmission on the customer display, which comprises a cash register or a POS with a power supply and a customer display, and also multimedia delivery unit. The new in the system is that the multimedia delivery unit is connected to both the power supply of the cash register or the POS and the customer display, and the cash register or the POS is provided with a sensor for tracking the current state and an installation for controlling the customer display depending on the state of the cash register or the POS.

Description

1 LV 13430 A System for Multimedia Transmission on the Customer Display

The present invention relates to audio-visual systems, particulariy to the systems for providing audio-visual Information in public places, more particularly in customer interaction point at the cashier station.

Traditionally, Point of Sale (POS) systems or cash registers have a small device, which shows items scanned by a cashier, resulting total money to pay or change amount to the customer currently served at the checkout stand. The device is operated by the POS system or the cash register itself. The customer display shows an item name, a price per unit. The Information is traditionally strictly textual.

Advertising is often used in retail outlets to promote sale of advertised items. Often advertising is placed in customer crovvded locations, usually nearby checkout stands. The advent of multimedia has caused a greater use of video advertising in retail outlets, because multimedia messages draw more attention than other forms of advertising. Multimedia messages can also serve entertaining and stress relieving purpose, making the retail outlets employing such systems more attractive than competitor’s ones.

Unfortunately, the traditional customer displays are hard to read to elder people and available space is too small to show unclipped item names and for any additional Information interesting to the customer.

It is known in the art the system for providing audio-visual Information in a public place, for instance in an interaction point, to persons in an approach path using a video display (WO 2005/002199), or the integrated system for gathering commerce Information and distributing advertising using a global Computer netvvork (US 2002/174009).

Said traditional informing and advertising delivery systems have a dravvback - they reguire a separate system and assets to deliver a message to 2 the customer, vvhich makes such systems expensive. Also these systems compete with other Information sources at the shop and particularly with sources located at the cash register, the scales and the customer display.

An object of this invention is to develop a multimedia delivery system coupled with a customer display and graphic video output devices. The resulting device connected to the existing POS system or the cash register enables to show the Information of the purchase to the customer in more convenient way comparing to the traditional customer displays. Also this device can deliver informing or advertising multimedia messages to the customer at the same time. The device provides the retailer with lower Total Cost of Ovvnership (TCO), because it is connected to the existing cash register or the POS and does not require a separate system for informing purposes.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a system for multimedia transmission on the customer display comprising a cash register or a POS with a povver supply and a customer display, a multimedia delivery unit, characterised in that the multimedia delivery unit is connected to both the povver supply of the cash register or the POS and the customer display, and the cash register or the POS is provided with a sensor for tracking the current State and an installation for controlling the customer display depending on the State of the cash register or the POS.

Preferably, a multimedia message is stātie and/or audio and/or video.

The customer display is managed from inside the POS or the cash register. The POS or the cash register has programmed instruetions to track the current State of the POS or the cash register. If the customer graphical display is not used as a customer display on a particular time moment, the multimedia message is shovvn in maximally available screen area. When a customer is being served, the multimedia message is limited to a smaller screen area or removed from the customer display completely. After customer has been served, the multimedia message is restored in previous maximum state.

Since the system employs a graphical display, it allovvs to show traditional customer display Information (an item name, a price, the total or change amount) large to read for everybody. If there is some remaining screen area, it can be provided for multimedia message delivery.

The system can be operated with speakers; this allovvs providing not only visual, but also audio Information. Multimedia messages can be stātie (images, 3 LV 13430 text), audio (sounds, music, pre-recorded advertising or audio broadcasts), or video (animations, video clips, video broadcasts). Multimedia message display process requires computational povver, vvhich is provided by a Central Processing unit (CPU) of the POS system or the cash register, thus eliminating the need of a separate system for informational purposes.

Since the display is oriented into currently served customer, it provides with superb possibility to control the cashier’s current activity. If the multimedia message is shovvn on the same screen during the transaction, the customer is not distracted by other informational sources, since ali Information is present on a single screen. This increases the effect of the multimedia message.

Claims 1. A system for multimedia transmission on the customer display comprising a cash register or a POS with a povver supply and a customer display, a multimedia delivery unit, characterised in that the multimedia delivery unit is connected to both the povver supply of the cash register or the POS and the customer display, and the cash register or the POS is provided vvith a sensor for tracking the current State and an installation for controlling the customer display depending on the State of the cash register or the POS. 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a multimedia message is stātie and/or audio and/or video.

Abstract

Provides a system for multimedia transmission on the customer display comprises a cash register or a POS vvith a povver supply and a customer display, and also multimedia delivery unit. The nevv in the system is that the multimedia delivery unit is connected to both the povver supply of the cash register or the POS and the customer display, and the cash register or the POS is provided vvith a sensor for tracking the current State and an installation for controlling the customer display depending on the State of the cash register or the POS.

Claims (2)

1. A system for transmitting multimedia to a client display comprising a cash register or a POS with a power supply and a customer display, a multimedia transmission unit, is characterized in that the multimedia transmission unit is connected to a cash register or POS power supply and also to a client display, wherein the cash register or POS is equipped with a sensor for tracking the current state of the cash register or POS, and with the device for controlling the client display depending on the cash register or POS position. 2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the multimedia information is static and / or audio and / or video information.