METHOD AND APPARATUS PERTAINING TO AN AUTOMATED CONSUMER-INTERACTION EXPERIENCE

• US 20130290068A1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sobecks, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US13/978,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20130290068A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens

Abstract

A consumer-interaction kiosk features one or more displays (which can comprise touch-screen displays if desired) and a control circuit that operably couples to that display (or displays). Such a kiosk can be located, for example, proximal to or within a retail venue (such as, but not limited to, a grocery store or grocery department of a department or discount store). The content displayed by the kiosk can vary with the needs of the application setting but can include, for example, consumer-attraction content, information-gathering facilitation content, delivered-information content, entertainment content, and so forth. Such a kiosk can also be configured, if desired, to vend for-sale or free consumables (such as free product samples).

Claims

1. A consumer-interaction kiosk comprising:

a display;

a control circuit operably coupled to the display, the control circuit being configured to provide, via the display;

consumer-attraction content;

information-gathering facilitation content;

delivered information content; and

entertainment content.

2. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 further comprising:

a vending interface operably coupled to the control circuit;

and wherein the control circuit is further configured to provide free product samples via the vending interface.

3. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 further comprising:

a network interface operably coupled to the control circuit.

4. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 3 wherein the control circuit is further configured to use the network interface to at least one of:

receive new displayable content;

interact with a social-networking service.

5. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 further comprising:

a reader operably coupled to the control circuit;

and wherein the control circuit is further configured to receive information via the reader from a consumer located at the consumer-interaction kiosk.

6. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 5 wherein the received information from the consumer comprises permission-based consumer information.

7. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 5 wherein the reader comprises, at least in part, a loyalty-card reader.

8. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 5 further comprising at least one shelf configured to stock and present at least one item that a consumer can physically select for later purchase.

9. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 5 wherein the control circuit is further configured to use the display to present an animated image of a figure that engages and otherwise interacts with a consumer.

10. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 wherein the consumer-interaction kiosk is configured as an end-cap display.

11. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 further comprising:

a camera operably coupled to the control circuit;

and wherein the control circuit is configured to use the camera to assess demographic information regarding a consumer located at the consumer-interaction kiosk.

12. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 11 wherein the control circuit is further configured to use the demographic information to select a particular image to present to the consumer via the display.

13. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is configured to select from at least between an image of an adult human and an image of a cartoon character when selecting the particular image to present to the consumer via the display.

14. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to provide meal-planning approaches to a consumer located at the consumer-interaction kiosk.

15. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 14 wherein at least one of the meal-planning approaches comprises providing at least one recipe to the consumer.

16. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 15 wherein the control circuit is configured to receive a shopping list as corresponds to the consumer and to base selecting the at least one recipe, at least in part, upon the shopping list.

17. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 16 wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the shopping list from a phone as corresponds to the consumer.

18. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 15 wherein the control circuit is configured to select the at least one recipe, at least in part, upon a purchasing history as corresponds to the consumer.

19. The consumer-interaction kiosk of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to provide at least one free product sample to at least one consumer located at the consumer-interaction kiosk based upon information regarding the at least one consumer.