INTERACTIVE WINDOW DISPLAY

• US 20080192027A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James C. Morrison
• Original Assignee: James C. Morrison
• Inventors: Morrison, James C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system for providing an enhanced window shopping and retail information exchange with shoppers, includes acoustic sensing in connection with one or more storefront windows of a retail store, and a corresponding transparent display located within the store and visible through the storefront window, the interior of the store being visible through the transparent display. Display of information on the transparent display, and in optional combination with audio information external to the store, prompts shoppers to tap the storefront window at locations which correspond to the locations of information displayed on the transparent display. The system and method is programmed to respond to taps on the window according to the locations of the taps with incentives to enter the store and/or to redeem awards or coupons in the store.

Claims

1. A method for information exchange and consumer marketing to store shoppers in connection with a retail store having a storefront window through which an interior of the store is visible, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an interactive shopper interface by use of the storefront window and a transparent display located within the store and spaced from and not connected to the storefront window and visible through the storefront window, the display being in the form of a transparent refractive panel upon which images are projected from a side of the display opposite to the storefront window at an oblique angle from a projector which is not aligned with the display and the storefront window, such that the display and the projector do not obstruct visibility of the interior of the store through the storefront window;

determining a location of a tap by a shopper on the storefront window, and

displaying information on the display which corresponds to a determined location of a tap on the storefront window, the displayed information being visible on the display through the storefront window.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing audio feedback to the shopper proximate to the storefront window and outside of the store which corresponds to the determined location of a tap on the window.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of selections on the transparent display;

prompting a user to tap the storefront window at a location corresponding to the position of one of the plurality of selections on the transparent display, and

correlating the location of the tap with a position on the display.

4. The method of claim 1 farther comprising the step of prompting a shopper to tap the storefront window by audio information relayed proximate to the storefront window and outside of the store, and by visual information displayed on the transparent display.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transparent display is at least partially transparent while displaying information or a plurality of selections so that the interior of the store remains visible through the transparent display while display information or a plurality of selections.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information displayed on the transparent display relates to a store promotion.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information displayed on the transparent display includes an instruction for redeeming a coupon inside the store.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the information displayed on the transparent display pertains to a product available for purchase in the store in which the display is located.

9. An interactive display system for use with shoppers in connection with a retail store having at least one window through which an interior of the retail store is visible, the system comprising:

an acoustic transducer operatively connected to a store window and operative to determine locations of taps made upon the window;

a transparent display located in the retail store and visible through the store window, and the interior of the store behind the transparent display being visible by a shopper standing in front of the store window, the display being in the form of a transparent refractive panel upon which images are projected from a side of the display opposite to the storefront window at an oblique angle from a projector which is not aligned with the display and the storefront window, such that the display and the projector do not obstruct visibility of the interior of the store through the storefront window;

information projected on to the transparent display for display to a shopper through the store window and which prompts the shopper to tap the window at one or more locations, the transparent display being further provided with information for display to the shopper in response to a tap on the window by the shopper, and with information displayed on the transparent display to the shopper pertaining to products for sale in the retail store.

10. An interactive retail storefront display system comprising an acoustic tap tracking system in combination with a storefront window of a retail store, the acoustic tap tracking system configured to locate the position of a tap, knock or contact with the storefront window, a plurality of contact sensors or pickups attached to the storefront window attached to the storefront window whereby when tap contact is made with the glass of the storefront window acoustic energy propagates through the glass and is sensed by the sensors of the acoustic tap tracking system which is configured to determine a location of the tap contact on the storefront window by calculation of time for acoustic energy propagation through the glass to the closest relative contact sensor and by the differential time-of-arrival of acoustic energy at multiple contact sensor locations on the storefront window, the acoustic tap tracking system further comprising a microcontroller programmed to continuously sample acoustic signals from each contact sensor into a rotating buffer which is scanned for peak values in an absolute-value waveform produced by the transducers, to produce parameters which are sent to a digital signal processor programmed to estimate the tap contact location on the storefront window glass in Cartiesian coordinates;

a display located in the retail store on an interior side of the storefront window and spaced from and generally parallel with the storefront window, the display comprising a holograph in the form of a transparent refractive panel upon which images can be projected by a projector from a side of the display opposite to the storefront window and at an oblique angle and whereby images are displayed clearly toward and visible through the storefront window, the images being projected from the projector which is located at an oblique angle from and outside of boundaries of the display and the storefront window so that the display does not obstruct a view of the interior of the retail store through the storefront window and every coordinate on the display corresponds to a coordinate on the storefront window.

11. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 further comprising audio means for providing audio information to a window shopper located in front of the storefront window both before and after tap contact with the storefront window, the audio information also corresponding to images projected on to the display.

12. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein the displayed images are comprised of a plurality of individual holographic optical elements irradiated alongside one another onto a holographic film which is part of the display, and wherein each holographic optical element has a unique angle of projection and a unique angle sensitivity, the unique angles of projection and unique angles of sensitivity allowing ambient light to pass through the display without significant reflection or refraction through the display and without materially affecting the optical quality of the projection.

13. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein when the projector is turned off, the screen appears transparent and the interior of the retail store on a side of the display opposite to a viewer is visible.

14. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein the display is at least partially transparent through areas in which information is displayed on the display.

15. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein when the projector is turned on, the screen appears transparent and the interior of the retail store on a side of the display opposite to a viewer is visible.

16. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 configured such that each coordinate on the display corresponds to a coordinate on the storefront window irrespective of relative spacing or alignment of the display with the storefront window.

17. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein each location on the display corresponds to a unique location on the storefront window by the acoustic tap tracking system.

18. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein the peak values detected by the sensors include peak height, width, and mean arrival time.

19. The interactive retail storefront display system of claim 10 wherein the digital signal processor is programmed to process tuning values for each peak value of a detected tap or contact by a second-order polynomial obtained from a linear least-squares fit to a set of calibration points to produce an estimate of the tap or contact location on the storefront window.

20. An interactive window shopping system configured for use with a retail store having a generally planar storefront window of the store, the storefront window having an exterior side and an interior side, an interior of the store being visible through the storefront window, the interactive window shopping system comprising:

a display located in an interior of the store and spaced from and generally parallel with the storefront window, the display comprising a holograph in the form of a transparent refractive panel upon which images can be projected from a side of the display opposite to the storefront window and at an oblique angle and whereby images are displayed clearly toward and visible through the storefront window, the images being projected from a projector which is located in the interior of the store and at an oblique angle from and outside of boundaries of the display and the storefront window so that the projector and the display do not obstruct a view of the interior of the retail store through the storefront window;

an acoustic tap tracking system operatively connected to the storefront window and configured to locate the position of a tap, knock or contact with the storefront window and further comprising a plurality of contact sensors or pickups attached to the storefront window;

whereby when tap contact is made with the storefront window acoustic energy propagates through the storefront window and is sensed by the sensors of the acoustic tap tracking system which is configured to determine a location of the tap contact on the storefront window by calculation of time for acoustic energy propagation through the storefront window to a closest relative sensor and by differential time-of-arrival of acoustic energy at multiple sensor locations on the storefront window, the acoustic tap tracking system further comprising a microcontroller programmed to continuously sample acoustic signals from each sensor into a rotating buffer which is scanned for peak values in an absolute-value waveform produced by the transducers, the peak values including peak height, width, and mean arrival time to produce parameters which are sent to a digital signal processor programmed to process timing values for each peak by a second-order polynomial obtain from a linear least-squares fit to a set of calibration points to produce an estimate of the tap contact location on the storefront window glass in Cartiesian coordinates, and every coordinate on the display corresponds to a coordinate on the storefront window;

audio means configured to send audio prompt signals proximate to the exterior of the store and proximate to the storefront window, the audio prompt signals prompting a shopper to tap or contact the storefront window;

first images displayed on the display which are visible through the storefront window, the first images including images which prompt a shopper to tap or contact the storefront window, the first images further including multiple images at multiple locations on the display which correspond with multiple locations on the storefront window; and

second images displayed on the display which are visible through the storefront window, the second images displayed on the display in response to a sensed location of a shopper'"'"'s tap on the storefront window during display of the first images.

21. The interactive window shopping system of claim 20 wherein the audio means is further configured to send audio response signals in response to a shopper'"'"'s tap or contact with the storefront window, and wherein the audio response signal pertains to a sensed location of the shopper'"'"'s tap or contact with the storefront window.