Advertising compliance monitoring system

• US 20050006466A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABL IP Holding LLC (Acuity Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GOLIATH Solutions LLC (Osa Acquisition, LLC)
• Inventors: Hardman, Gordon E., Pyne, John W., Overhultz, Gary L., Mead, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,951,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

An advertising compliance monitoring system is provided that includes a backscatter tag affixed to a sign or marketing material or shopper ID card, the tag communicating with a backscatter reader on a periodic basis. The tag includes a memory for storing tag data, a transmitter and a receiver. The tag uses sleep modes to conserve power. The tag transmits tag data to a reader automatically on a periodic basis or upon an event. The tag data includes an identification number used to identify the tag associated with a particular sign, price, marketing material or shopper, status data (e.g., delivered, displayed), and time and date information. This data is processed by a central server to determine compliance with and/or exposure to a particular advertising program.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring compliance with an advertising program comprising:

a backscatter tag associated with a sign placed in a store in accordance with a specific advertising program;

a backscatter reader for communicating with the tag and obtaining tag data; and

a computer for communicating with the backscatter reader and analyzing the tag data to determine whether said store is in compliance with said specific advertising program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said sign is an advertisement;

sign identification indicia is associated with said tag data; and

said computer uses said sign identification indicia to determine whether said advertisement is in compliance with said specific advertising program.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said tag is in abutting relationship with said sign.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said tag is affixed to said sign.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said sign is an advertisement placed in said store;

a displayed price associated with said advertisement and forming part of said tag data; and

said computer determines whether said displayed priced is in compliance with said specific advertising program.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer determines the number of consumers that pass within range of said backscatter reader.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said sign is selected from the group consisting of marketing materials, displays, pricing information, coupon dispensers, signage, display racks, floor mats, counter mats, containers, promotional hardware, shopper identification cards, seasonal promotions, and products.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the backscatter tag includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a memory for storing backscatter tag data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the backscatter tag is a passive tag that receives energy from a close proximity external source and transmits data only when said energy is received.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein:

a particular one of said advertising signs is located in said store in a specific location according to said advertising program; and

said passive backscatter tag being attached to said sign and containing sign identification signal data that is transmitted to, and detected by, a backscatter reader if said sign is actually present in said specific location in said store according to said advertising program.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein:

a contact tag is the backscatter tag that transmits data only when energized from an external source; and

a contact reader is said backscatter reader, said contact reader having a set of contacts for energizing said contact tag and receiving tag data therefrom.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

a particular one of said advertising signs is located in said store in a specific location according to said advertising program; and

said backscatter contact tag detects said sign identification if said sign is present in said specific location and, if detected, generates a signal that is received by an associated backscatter reader only if said particular one of said advertising signs is actually in said specific location in said store according to said advertising program.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the backscatter reader communicates with said backscatter tag via physical contact with said tag.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the backscatter tag communicates with said advertising sign via an optical link.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the backscatter tag communicates with said advertising sign via magnetic ink.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said backscatter tag is an active tag that transmits data signals only when interrogated by an associated backscatter reader to indicate if said sign is present in said specific location in said store according to said advertising program.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein each backscatter reader includes a data management module capable of reading backscatter tag data from different types of backscatter tags that are within signal reception range of said backscatter reader.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data management module converts backscatter tag data into a standard data stream and transmits the standard data stream to the computer.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the backscatter reader includes data management modules that are interchangeable.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein each interchangeable data management module is adapted for receiving tag data from a specific tag.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein said active tag uses sleep modes to conserve power.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein said backscatter reader communicates with the backscatter tag only when the backscatter tag is within range of the backscatter reader.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein said tag transmits tag data to the reader automatically on a periodic basis.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the tag data include a tag identification code, status data, and time and date information.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein each interchangeable data management module is adapted for receiving backscatter tag data from a specific type of backscatter tag.

26. A system for monitoring consumer exposure to specific advertising, comprising:

an advertising sign located in an establishment;

a consumer carried card having a backscatter tag embedded therein;

a backscatter reader disposed adjacent said advertising sign for communicating, over a predetermined range, with said backscatter tag in said consumer carried card; and

a computer for communicating with the backscatter reader to determine the number of consumers that pass within said predetermined range of said backscatter reader and, therefore, within said predetermined range of said advertising sign.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the consumer card backscatter tag data includes personal information about said consumer.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer analyzes the backscatter tag personal information about said consumers to determine the appeal of said advertising sign and its associated product to consumers that pass within the predetermined range of said backscatter reader.

29. A method of monitoring compliance with an advertising program comprising the steps of:

locating at least one sign in a store in accordance with a particular advertising program;

attaching a backscatter RFID tag to said at least one sign that generate signals that at least identify said sign; and

receiving only said generated signals that are within a predetermined distance of a backscatter reader to determine whether said sign is actually located in said store in compliance with said advertising program.

30. The method of claim 29 further including the step of further transferring said generated signals to a remote device for storage and analysis.

31. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

locating said sign in said store in a predetermined location; and

locating said backscatter reader within said store so as to receive said generated signals from said backscatter tag attached to said sign only if said sign is in said predetermined location within said store in compliance with said advertising program.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising the steps of:

using at least one active backscatter tag to generate signals of various power levels; and

noting the power level at which the signals from each backscatter tag was received by said backscatter reader to determine variable distances of said backscatter tags from said backscatter reader.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of placing said backscatter reader within a predetermined distance from said sign in said predetermined location such that if said sign is moved from said predetermined location, no signal is received by said backscatter reader thereby indicating that said sign is not located in said store in compliance with said advertising program.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of fixedly placing said backscatter reader within said predetermined distance from said sign in said predetermined location such that said backscatter reader cannot be readily removed from its location.

35. The method of claim 29 further including the step of selecting the backscatter tag from the group consisting of a contact tag with no internal power source and receiving its power from a physical electrical contact, a passive tag with no internal power source and receiving its power from an external source by one of a capacitive and an inductive coupling, and an active tag having an internal power source.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

grouping a plurality of display signs in a predetermined area of said store;

associating an active RFID backscatter tag with each display sign; and

placing said backscatter reader within said predetermined distance from each of said backscatter tags such that a single backscatter reader can communicate with each of said RFID backscatter tags.

37. The method of claim 36 further including the step of placing said single backscatter reader above said group of display signs within said predetermined distance from each of said RFID backscatter tags.

38. The method of claim 29 further including the step of generating a signal when said backscatter reader is moved from its fixed location without authorization.

39. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

causing said backscatter reader to sleep to conserve power; and

awaking said backscatter reader periodically to look for transmissions from said backscatter tags.

40. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

attaching an active backscatter tag to said sign;

causing said active backscatter tag to sleep to conserve power; and

awaking said active backscatter tag periodically to transmit data.

41. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of including with said tag data the backscatter tag identification code, status data, and time and date information.

42. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of processing said tag data by a central server to determine compliance with a particular advertising program.

43. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

mounting the backscatter reader transponder in a fixed location with respect to an advertising sign including a backscatter tag;

communicating between said backscatter tag and said backscatter reader in a fixed range only; and

associating a software program with said reader to generate a signal if communications between said reader and said tag are lost to indicate that said advertising sign with the associated tag has been moved from its original position.

44. An object positioned for viewing by the public and capable of being monitored for identification and location, said object comprising:

identification indicia associated with said object;

electronic means for converting said identification indicia to an electronic signal; and

transmitting means associated with said object for transmitting said converted identification indicia electronic signals at a given RF power level such that said electronic signals cannot be detected beyond a predetermined distance.

45. The object of claim 44 wherein said identification indicia is encoded in EEPROM chips.

46. The object of claim 44 wherein said identification indicia is encoded in a bar code.

47. The object of claim 44 wherein said identification indicia is encoded with notch technology.

48. The object of claim 44 wherein said electronic identification conversion means is a contact tag that uses mechanical contacts to detect the indicia encoded in said EEPROM chips.

49. The object of claim 46 wherein an optical scanning device is used to detect said indicia in said bar code.

50. The object of claim 47 wherein an optical scanning device is use to detect said indicia encoded with said notch technology.

51. The object of claim 44 wherein said transmitting means comprises a backscatter contact tag using contact technology to read said identification indicia and transmit said converted indicia with said predetermined power level only when energized by contacts of an external source.

52. The object of claim 44 wherein said transmitting means comprises a passive backscatter tag that transmits said identification indicia with said predetermined power level only when capacitively/inductively energized by a remote source.

53. The object of claim 44 wherein said transmitting means comprises an active backscatter tag that transmits said identification indicia with said predetermined power level at predetermined time intervals only when interrogated.