Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K17/00—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
  • G06K17/0022—Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus

Definitions

• This presented invention relates to an information system for stores, shops, stocks etc. preferably intended to gather, collect, report back and present information concerning goods and items of merchandise incorporating one or a plurality of information sensors and one or a plurality of information displays, the latter of which where the information is possible to change, via connections to one or a plurality of receivers, which in turn, are connected via wire or wireless transmission to one or a plurality of transmitters which, initiated from a Central Unit, are arranged to transmit current information.
• the information transmitted is primarily based upon information at the in- store computer and consists of the items of merchandise and changes of these (as to assortment or price) and are transmitted to the Central Unit via a permanent electrical or optoelectronic connection or, where relevant, the Central Unit forms an integrated part of the in-store computer.
• the information displays consistpartly of DisplayUnits and Display Boards partly of computer terminal Monitors.
• the Display Units are primarily mounted on or in close connection to sets of shelves for items of merchandise or deep-freeze benches/shelfs for ready made food for presentation of prices or temperatures, as separately located price boards for presentation of prices for certain groups of items of merchandise or to inform of temporary or permanent changes of assortment of items or of special offers.
• the Monitor terminals are primarily according to the invention to be utilized in conjunction with the information system and the related data base, with information on article number, location, packet and available space on shelfs, in order to facilitate search for current items and in doing so get information about the physical location of the items within the shop area.
• Computer monitored electronic systems for price information incorporating a number of information displays in the form of displays arranged at the edge of the shelfs in stores or stocks are already known. These displays show the desired information as price, article number/ ordering number and the denomination of the item of merchandise.
• Alteration of especially the price information presented is performed by one to the in-store computer connected transmitter which relays the current information via e.g. wireless transmission to receivers in connection to the displays.
• Such electronic retail price information systems are presented in e.g. Swedish Pat. SE-441447 and U.S. Pat. 4,521,677.
• the information transfer in such systems is normally a one-way transfer which means that the information is transferred from the in-store computer to the receiver/ the displays. It is however also known to arrange a bi- directional information transfer between the in-store computer and the displays. This is e.g. shown in Swedish Pat. SE-89.0472-9.
• the retail price information system incorporates a separate computer connected to a communication unit which wirelessly transmits the information introduced to the computer to the various displays. When a display has received its designated message a response signal is sent back to the communication unit. The receipt of the price change information is in this way confirmed.
• This invention is connected to and includes these two applications mentioned above at the same time as it widens the application area by including arrangements for localizing where items of merchandise are placed in the actual shop, how much space an item occupies at the designated localization and also gives the possibility of counting and recording to which extent the customers are passing the chosen localization.
• the invention also makes it possible, through the use of terminal monitors connected to the system, to present the localization of an item of merchandise on a simple sketch-map showing the saleroom and inform about the set of shelf section and the shelf.
• the invention also incorporates other alarm functions which like temperature monitoring / alarm can be used to alarm internal personnel as well as external, and includes sensors for freon , smoke from a fire or something similar.
• the shelf edge mounted displays applied for in patent application no 9103603-8 have been added with assemblies of displays for groups of items of merchandise, large displays for items of merchandise exhibited on special pallets and the fact that the displays even can be utilized for information about availability or other information on an item of merchandise as e.g. "SOLD OUT".
• the intention with this invention is thus to create a communication system with high transmission capacity for duplex operation in shops, stores etc., direct-connected to the in-store computer and its data bases in order to facilitate and guarantee in this way that correct information concerning items of merchandise, products and equipment is available all over the shop.
• the invention thus is characterized by the fact that, all sensors and displays have one or a plurality of functions for reception or transmission via the information system, that receivers and transmitters transmits the current information via wire, IR, radio frequency wireless transmission or via the electrical power distribution net, that the system continuously supervises and compares the information presented at the displays with the information stored in the in-store computer and, at a discrepancy between these, alarm or a list of measures to take is given.
• Figure 1 shows a complete information system incorporating a number of co-operative units
• Figure 2 a display for price information
• Figure 3 a display for temperature indication with the associated temperature sensor.
• Figure 4. a principle outline of a connected terminal with monitor is shown where the localization of an item of merchandise searched for is shown.
• the information system shown in Figure 1 is intended to be used in e.g. shops, stores or stock-rooms and in connection with or partly integrated in an already installed In-Store Computer 1. with its Price Memory and a plurality of POS-Terminals (Point Of Sale) .
• the Information Systemthen incorporates a number of co-operative units as a Central Unit (CU), one or a plurality of Transmitters TX, . - TX q , one or a plurality of Receivers RX-. - RX P , one or a plurality of Section Controllers SC X - SC ⁇ , one or a plurality of Display Units PL.. - PL, and TL,.
• the Central Unit can be connected to or be integrated in the In-Store Computer 1. and the Display Units can arranged in the Shelf Edge Strips or be integrated parts of Large Displays or Display Boards.
• the Central Unit shall, ordered from the In-Store Computer refresh , check or request information on one or a plurality of the Display Units PL, . - PI ⁇ or TL.. - TL.. in the saleroom.
• the Central Unit then transfers information to the Transmitters TX,. - TX q which transfer the information to the Receivers RX-. - RX P . These, in turn, transfer the information to their Display Units via wiring. Section Controllers and Shelf Edge Strips.
• the Display Unit or Units programmed with the product or display identity incorporated in the transmitted information refresh their information and then retransmit the now stored information via the wiring, the Section
• the Central Unit performs a comparison with the newly transferred information or stores the received information dependant on what sort of display the answer is coming from. After the refreshing cycle is carried through the Central Unit informs the In- Store Computer about the result and possible measures to take are stored in order to be printed in a list of "measures to take”. To the retransmitted information is automatically added the information where in the sale- or stock-rooms the Display Unit or the Sensor is located as to shelf and set of shelves.
• the Central Unit is the unit that transfers information to and from the In-Store Computer.
• the data transfer goes via a standard series interface, a customer specified interface or, internally, via the data bus of the In-Store Computer when the Central Unit (CU) is incorporated in the In-Store Computer.
• the Central Unit also transfers information to the Label Registrators for programming of the Display Units and attends to the data transfer to the Transmitters.
• the Central Unit transfers information to one or a plurality of transmitters for further transfer of the information to the Receivers and further on to the Display Units.
• a Display Unit When a Display Unit has refreshed its information it sends back the stored information via wiring, Section Controller, Receiver and Transmitter for comparison. If a discrepancy exists between transmitted information and retransmitted this is stored for further notation on a list of "measures to take”. The information retransmitted from a Display Unit is then added with the information of the physical localization of the Display Unit in the saleroom.
• the Transmitters TX, . - TX q receive the information from the Central Unit and transfer this to the Receivers.
• the connection between the Central Unit and the Transmitters is made by wire and the connection between the Transmitters and the Receivers is wireless or made by wire e.g. IR (infrared) , RF (radio frequency) or via the power distribution net.
• the Transmitters canhandle different sorts of messages fromboth the Receivers and the Display Units.
• the Transmitters are from a signal point of view translucent in both directions.
• the Transmitters as well as the Central Unit are power supplied from the power distribution net via an UPS (Uninterrupted Eower Supply) in order to secure power at power breakdowns.
• UPS Uninterrupted Eower Supply
• the Receivers RX-. - RX P receive information from the Transmitters and transfer this to the Display Units via the Section Controllers and the Shelf Edge Strips.
• the Receivers also can switch off the communication from the Transmitters in order to transfer the information received to the Section Controllers and the Display Units.
• the information exchange between the Receivers and the Transmitters respectively Display Units or Sensors is in the form of messages so performed that they contain redundant information to facilitate for the Receiver to decide with high probability that a message has been correctly received.
• the Section Controllers are activated to monitor which Shelf Edge responds to the request.
• the Section Controller in question sends the information on set of shelf and shelf identity to the Receiver which transfers this to the Central Unit.
• the answer from the Display Unit to a request for localization also incorporates information concerning the position of Unit in the Shelf Edge Strip in question. This can preferable be determined by a resistive determination of the position of a wiper and is used by the Central Unit for calculation of available space (volume) for item of merchandise in question which hereby can be matched to the size (volume) of the package for the item of merchandise.
• the Receivers transmitrespectively receive information from the Display Units via the Shelf Edge Strips SESi - SES n .
• the Display Units are supplied by power from the receivers via the Section Controllers, the wiring and the
• the power supply could be either power from the power line or from batteries backed up by solar cells.
• the mechanical design of the Receiver is -in modular design to facilitate changes between alternative power supplies.
• the Receivers are preferably so designed that they can order their Display Units to switch off their displays during e.g. the night.
• the Shelf Edge Strips SES X - SES n serves as holders for the Display Units but also as wire bar and connector between these and the wiring of the set of shelves and incorporates also a resistance path for the determination of the position of a display.
• the Shelf Edge Strips are, with the use of various attachments, adaptabletodifferenttypes of shelf systems.lt is also possible to change the attachment angle to suit different heights of the shelves. Furthermore the Shelf Edge Strip is designed in modular sizes to suit different shelf systems and sizes.
• the Shelf Edge Strip incorporates a multiple conductor system which assures a reliable connection to Display Units as well as Sensors at the same time as it admits an independent positioning of these along the strip.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Operations Research (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
• Display Racks (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20389451

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

Citations (3)

• 1993
  • 1993-04-02 SE SE9301102A patent/SE9301102L/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1994
  • 1994-03-25 EP EP94912117A patent/EP0692122A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1994-03-25 WO PCT/SE1994/000269 patent/WO1994029802A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1995
  • 1995-09-27 NO NO19953824A patent/NO311859B1/no unknown
  • 1995-10-02 FI FI954679A patent/FI954679A/fi unknown

Patent Citations (3)

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