Moving course data collection system
First Claim
1. A moving course data collection system for tracking the movement of customers through a store, comprising:
- a portable scanner adapted to read and transmit article code data;
a central control unit adapted to receive said article code data transmitted by said portable scanner;
said portable scanner being provided to said customers such that said customers input said article code data for articles purchased by said customers into said portable scanner; and
said central control unit includes processing means for storing the display location of said articles in said store such that said article code data of said articles purchased by said customers and transmitted by said portable scanner to said central control unit corresponds to an approximation of the position of said customers in said store, said processing means sequentially recording said article code data in the order in which said article code data is read by said portable scanner, thus collecting moving course data for said customers.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A moving course data collection system for use in a large-scale store such as a supermarket or the like in which a portable scanner is provided to customers which allows customers to input article code data for articles in the store customers wish to purchase. The display location of all articles in the store is stored. Thus, every time a customer inputs article code data, the time and an approximation of the customer'"'"'s position in the store is determined from the article code data input by the customer and the display location of that article in the store. This information is sequentially recorded, thereby collecting data on the customer'"'"'s moving course through the store.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A moving course data collection system for tracking the movement of customers through a store, comprising:
-
a portable scanner adapted to read and transmit article code data; a central control unit adapted to receive said article code data transmitted by said portable scanner; said portable scanner being provided to said customers such that said customers input said article code data for articles purchased by said customers into said portable scanner; and said central control unit includes processing means for storing the display location of said articles in said store such that said article code data of said articles purchased by said customers and transmitted by said portable scanner to said central control unit corresponds to an approximation of the position of said customers in said store, said processing means sequentially recording said article code data in the order in which said article code data is read by said portable scanner, thus collecting moving course data for said customers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method of tracking the movement of customers through a store, comprising the sequential steps of:
-
storing the display location of articles in said store; providing said customers with a portable scanner adapted to read and transmit article code data; reading said article code data of said articles customers wish to purchase with said portable scanner; transmitting said article code data from said portable scanner to a central control unit; and tracking the course of movement of said customers in said store by sequentially recording said article code data and said display location of said articles in said store. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
10. The method of tracking the movement of customers through a store in accordance with claim 71 wherein said portable scanner is provided to said customers upon entry into said store and said customers scan said articles they wish to purchase as said customers proceed through said store.
-
20. An arrangement for tracking the movement of customers through a store, comprising:
-
a portable scanner adapted to read and transmit article code data, said portable scanner being provided to said customers such that said customers input said article code data for articles purchased by said customers into said portable scanner; a central control unit which receives said article code data from said portable scanner; an article displayed memory means which stores the display location of said articles in said store; a moving data memory means which stores said article code data transmitted from said portable scanner and said display location of said articles in said store to determine an approximation of the position of said customers in said store; an analyzing means for sequentially recording said position of said customers in said store to track the movement of said customers through said store. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification