SELF SHOPPING SUPPORT BY GETTING CONTENTS FROM ELECTRONIC SHELF LABELS

• US 20100287057A1
• Filed: 05/06/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kamijo, Noboru, Kamijoh, Kohichi, Aihara, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 8,403,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

To support a shopper to perform self-service shopping by using an electronic shelf label (ESL) while looking at actual items displayed in a store and to expand the functions of the electronic shelf label (ESL) to enable the linkage with other data processing systems expansively. A shopper uses a mobile processing device (typically, a cell phone owned by the shopper) in a store. The functions necessary to obtain contents from the electronic shelf label (ESL) are obtained by introducing an application program into the shopper'"'"'s own cell phone, by which it is expected that the shopper is able to easily enjoy shopping. When photographing the electronic shelf label (ESL), the contents associated with items are encoded (the price display automatically changes to a barcode) and then decoded.

Claims

1. A method in which a shopper obtains contents associated with an item provided with an electronic shelf label (ESL) by using a mobile processing device in a store, the method comprising the steps of:

encoding the contents, which are associated with the item provided with the electronic shelf label (ESL) and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the electronic shelf label (ESL) by means of the electronic shelf label (ESL) responding to the mobile processing device getting close to the electronic shelf label (ESL);

obtaining the displayed encoded image by using a photographing function of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

decoding the obtained encoded image by means of the mobile processing device; and

storing the decoded contents into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of, before performing the steps of the method according to claim 1, downloading an application program having a function capable of sensing that the mobile processing device is getting close to the electronic shelf label (ESL) into the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein time content is also included in the contents which are associated with the item provided with the electronic shelf label (ESL) and include the price of the item.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time content is also included in the decoded contents.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of transmitting the contents stored in the internal memory by means of the mobile processing device from the mobile processing device to another data processing system in response to a shopper operation from the mobile processing device, wherein buying behavior and habits analysis or in-store traffic analysis is performed by performing the transmission step.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the mobile processing device is a cell phone owned by the shopper.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting the contents stored in the internal memory by means of the mobile processing device from the mobile processing device to another data processing system in response to a shopper operation from the mobile processing device, wherein checkout of the item is performed on the basis of the decoded contents by performing the transmission step.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein whether the mobile processing device is getting close is sensed by whether brightness, sound, or an amount of change in brightness or sound is equal to or greater than a setting.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a lighting function of the mobile processing device is used as a trigger.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic shelf label (ESL) is implemented in a certain cell phone.

21. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the contents stored in the internal memory of the mobile processing device from the mobile processing device to a self-checkout register in the store;

obtaining a shopping list included in the contents by means of the self-checkout register; and

comparing weights of the item measured by the self-checkout register with the weights of the items stored in the contents of the obtained shopping list.

11. An electronic shelf label (ESL) comprising:

a function of displaying price of an item;

a function of sensing that a mobile processing device is getting close; and

a function of encoding and displaying contents, which are associated with the item and include the price of the item,

wherein the state of displaying the price of the item is switched to the state of displaying the contents encoded into the image in response to sensing that the mobile processing device is getting close.

12. The electronic shelf label (ESL) according to claim 11, wherein the contents associated with the item and including the price of the item are obtained from a POS system.

13. The electronic shelf label (ESL) according to claim 11, which is implemented in a cell phone by downloading the plurality of functions into the cell phone.

14. The electronic shelf label (ESL) according to claim 11, wherein a display is implemented by connection with an external display.

15. The electronic shelf label (ESL) according to claim 11, wherein whether the mobile processing device is getting close is sensed by whether brightness, sound, or an amount of change in brightness or sound is equal to or greater than a setting.

16. The electronic shelf label (ESL) according to claim 11, wherein a lighting function of the mobile processing device is used as a trigger.

17. A method of displaying an item by a shopkeeper using an electronic shelf label (ESL), comprising the steps of:

providing the electronic shelf label (ESL) by association with an item; and

displaying only a sample item in a store.

18. A program product causing an electronic shelf label (ESL) or a mobile processing device to implement the steps of:

displaying price of an item;

sensing that the mobile processing device is getting close;

encoding and displaying contents associated with an item and including the price of the item into an image; and

switching the state of displaying the price of the item to the state of displaying the contents encoded into the image in response to sensing that the mobile processing device is getting close.

19. A method in which a shopper obtains contents associated with an item provided with an electronic shelf label (ESL) by using a mobile processing device in a store, the method comprising the steps of:

encoding the contents, which are associated with the item provided with the electronic shelf label (ESL) and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the electronic shelf label (ESL) at frame intervals of a specific period by means of the electronic shelf label (ESL);

obtaining and decoding the displayed encoded image in synchronization with the frame intervals of the specific period by means of the mobile processing device; and

storing the decoded contents into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of, before performing the steps of the method according to claim 19, downloading an application program, which has a function of decoding the encoded image displayed on the electronic shelf label (ESL) in synchronization with the frame intervals of the specific period, into the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of changing a item reading frequency requested to the shopper at the self-checkout resister according to a degree of the comparison result obtained by performing the comparison step.

23. A system in which a shopper obtains contents associated with an item provided with an electronic shelf label (ESL) by using a mobile processing device in a store, the system comprising:

means for encoding the contents, which are associated with the item provided with the electronic shelf label (ESL) and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the electronic shelf label (ESL) by means of the electronic shelf label (ESL) responding to the mobile processing device getting close to the electronic shelf label (ESL);

means for obtaining the displayed encoded image by using a photographing function of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

means for decoding the obtained encoded image by means of the mobile processing device; and

means for storing the decoded contents into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

25. The system according to claim 23, further comprising a checkout and analysis system for performing a buying behavior and habits analysis or a in-store traffic analysis with respect to the contents stored in the internal memory of the mobile processing device transmitted from the mobile processing device as a further data processing system.

24. A system in which a shopper obtains contents associated with an item provided with an electronic shelf label (ESL) by using a mobile processing device in a store, the system comprising:

means for encoding the contents, which are associated with the item provided with the electronic shelf label (ESL) and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the electronic shelf label (ESL) at frame intervals of a specific period by means of the electronic shelf label (ESL);

means for obtaining and decoding the displayed encoded image in synchronization with the frame intervals of the specific period by means of the mobile processing device; and

means for storing the decoded contents into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device.

26. The system according to claim 24, further comprising a checkout and analysis system for performing a buying behavior and habits analysis or a in-store traffic analysis with respect to the contents stored in the internal memory of the mobile processing device transmitted from the mobile processing device as a further data processing system.

27. A method in which a shopper obtains contents in a POS system associated with an item provided with a shelf label and makes checkout without cheating by using a mobile processing device in a store, the method comprising the steps of:

encoding the contents in the POS system, which are associated with the item provided with the shelf label and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the shelf label by means of the POS system;

obtaining the displayed encoded image by using a photographing function of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

decoding the obtained encoded image by means of the mobile processing device;

storing the decoded contents with time stamp information of shopper'"'"'s buying behavior into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

transmitting the contents to a checkout server;

transmitting the contents to the POS system, confirming that there is no falsification, and performing by means of the checkout server; and

providing the shopper with the item in response to the checkout information by means of the POS system.

28. A system in which a shopper obtains contents in a POS system associated with an item provided with a shelf label and makes checkout without cheating by using a mobile processing device in a store, the system comprising:

means for encoding the contents in the POS system, which are associated with the item provided with the shelf label and include price of the item, into an image and displaying the image on the shelf label by means of the POS system;

means for obtaining the displayed encoded image by using a photographing function of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

means for decoding the obtained encoded image by means of the mobile processing device;

means for storing the decoded contents with time stamp information of shopper'"'"'s buying behavior into an internal memory of the mobile processing device by means of the mobile processing device;

means for transmitting the contents to a checkout server;

means for transmitting the contents to the POS system, confirming that there is no falsification, and performing checkout by means of the checkout server; and

means for providing the shopper with the item in response to the checkout information by means of the POS system.