Customer activity monitor
First Claim
1. An entity monitoring arrangement comprising:
- a sensor responsive to the presence of an entity for generating a signal;
clock means for measuring the passage of time;
digital data processing means connected to said sensor and to said clock means for correlating each signal from said sensor with time as measured by said clock means;
digital storage means connected to said data processing means for storing each correlated signal as data;
a battery; and
power-saving means connected to said sensor and between said battery and said data processing and storage means for applying power to said data processing and storage means only during a time period immediately after said sensor generates a signal, and for disconnecting power from said data processing and storage means at all other times, said battery being connected to said sensor at all times for powering said sensor continuously.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A customer, automobile or other moving entity is monitored by sensing the presence of the entity to generate a signal. The signals are correlated with individual increments of time during an extended time period of days or months. Each signal may represent the count of a single individual or car, or the amount of time the individual or car is in the range of the sensor. The data is collected in a digital memory for the prolong periods of time and can be dumped to a personal computer in the form of a spreadsheet compatible file for future analysis. A unitary battery powered version of the invention includes a power saving circuit while another version of the invention, powered by a wall outlet, can be connected to multiple sensors for collecting data in a large environment such as a store.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. An entity monitoring arrangement comprising:
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a sensor responsive to the presence of an entity for generating a signal; clock means for measuring the passage of time; digital data processing means connected to said sensor and to said clock means for correlating each signal from said sensor with time as measured by said clock means; digital storage means connected to said data processing means for storing each correlated signal as data; a battery; and power-saving means connected to said sensor and between said battery and said data processing and storage means for applying power to said data processing and storage means only during a time period immediately after said sensor generates a signal, and for disconnecting power from said data processing and storage means at all other times, said battery being connected to said sensor at all times for powering said sensor continuously. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An entity monitoring arrangement, comprising:
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a plurality of sensors, each responsive to the presence of an entity for generating a signal; clock means for measuring the passage of time; digital data processing means connected to each sensor and to said clock means for correlating each signal from each sensor with time as measured by said clock means; digital storage means connected to said data processing means for storing each correlated signal as data; and said data processing means including mode selection means for conditioning signals from each sensor according to one of a plurality of different modes in which each sensor is responsive to the presence of an entity, said mode selection means conditioning each signal by one of;
representing at least one signal as one entity count, and representing two signals as one entity count, and representing each signal as a dwell time value during which a respective sensor was responsive to the presence of an entity;each sensor being separately operable at one of said modes by said data processing means. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification