SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY CONFIGURING A SHOPPING DISPLAY IN RESPONSE TO A RECOGNIZED CUSTOMER PROFILE
First Claim
1. An electronic personal shopping system for use in a retail facility of the type having a plurality of display locations at which merchandise items are offered for purchase, the system comprising:
- a plurality of individually addressable electronic display units mounted at corresponding ones of the display locations, each display unit configured to present an information message relating to the merchandise items offered for purchase at that display location;
a plurality of interrogator units, each associated with and in proximity to a respective one of the individually addressable electronic display units, each interrogator having a unique address assigned thereto, and each interrogator defining an interrogation area characterized by a radiation field;
a store platform computer coupled to the interrogators and display units by a bidirectional communication bus for receiving data communications from the interrogator units and for transmitting merchandise related information messages to the display units;
a portable customer data card including;
means for communicating with an interrogator unit upon the data card'"'"'s entry into an interrogation area;
at least a memory storage area, the memory storage area holding at least a customer indicia, the customer indicia being communicated to the interrogator unit and thence to the store platform computer as data; and
means for adaptively reconfiguring an interrogator'"'"'s corresponding display unit to display merchandise information messages in a particular form and format in response to a customer demographic profile defined by the customer indicia.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic personal shopping system, communicating between a store platform computer and a number of reconfigurable display terminals located throughout a retail facility, each display terminal associated with an RF interrogator unit which interfaces with a portable customer data card. As a customer enters the interrogator unit'"'"'s RF field, the customer is identified and the merchandise information message being displayed on the display panel associated with that interrogator unit is adaptively reconfigured to conform to that customer'"'"'s display preferences in accordance with demographic profile information maintained on record for that customer. The display panel is adaptively reconfigured to display merchandise item information messages in a number of different national languages, weights and measures systems, currency systems, and to display specific messages based on a customer'"'"'s date of birth, gender or disability status.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An electronic personal shopping system for use in a retail facility of the type having a plurality of display locations at which merchandise items are offered for purchase, the system comprising:
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a plurality of individually addressable electronic display units mounted at corresponding ones of the display locations, each display unit configured to present an information message relating to the merchandise items offered for purchase at that display location;
a plurality of interrogator units, each associated with and in proximity to a respective one of the individually addressable electronic display units, each interrogator having a unique address assigned thereto, and each interrogator defining an interrogation area characterized by a radiation field;
a store platform computer coupled to the interrogators and display units by a bidirectional communication bus for receiving data communications from the interrogator units and for transmitting merchandise related information messages to the display units;
a portable customer data card including;
means for communicating with an interrogator unit upon the data card'"'"'s entry into an interrogation area;
at least a memory storage area, the memory storage area holding at least a customer indicia, the customer indicia being communicated to the interrogator unit and thence to the store platform computer as data; and
means for adaptively reconfiguring an interrogator'"'"'s corresponding display unit to display merchandise information messages in a particular form and format in response to a customer demographic profile defined by the customer indicia. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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18. In an electronic personal shopping system for use in a retail facility of the type having a plurality of display locations at which merchandise items are offered for purchase, the system including individually addressable electronic display panels associated with each display location and presenting a merchandise related information message, a method for adaptively reconfiguring the form and format of the merchandise information message to conform to a particular customer'"'"'s demographic requirements, the method comprising:
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providing an interrogator unit in association with each display panel, each interrogator unit having a unique address assigned thereto, and each interrogator unit defining an interrogation area characterized by a radiation field;
providing a store platform computer, the computer coordinating merchandise related information messages presented over each display panel;
providing a bidirectional interconnection for coupling the computer to receive data communications from the interrogator units and for transmitting merchandise related information messages to the display units for presentation;
providing a portable customer data card, the card including at least a memory containing a customer indicia and means for communicating with an interrogator unit upon entry into an interrogation area;
providing customer profile data, the profile data defining a plurality of demographic indicia specific to a particular customer;
reading the customer indicia upon the customer'"'"'s entry into an interrogation area;
transmitting the customer indicia to the store computer along with the interrogator address;
identifying the merchandise message presented by the interrogator'"'"'s associated display unit;
modifying the form and format of the merchandise message in response to the decoded profile data to conform the message to the customer'"'"'s demographic requirements; and
transmitting the modified merchandise related information message to the corresponding display unit for presentation to the customer.
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Specification