Passive data collection system for market research data

• US 5,490,060 A
• Filed: 11/13/1990
• Issued: 02/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Information Resources Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Information Resources Incorporated
• Inventors: Moser, Joseph P., Malec, John, Thomas, Scott J., Ting, Eleanor
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew I.
• Application Number:
  US07/616,816
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 358/84, 348/1, 364/401, 364/404, 364/405
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/423 with centralised control, e.g. polling

Abstract

A passive data monitor and collection apparatus, and associated method, for obtaining market research data from an automated checkout system of a retail establishment. The apparatus positively monitors all the communications on a communications network between a plurality of point-of-sale terminals in a store and the store controller controlling the terminals. The store communications are converted from a phase encoded protocol into a standard RS 232 protocol which is then assembled into SDLC frames by a processor. The SDLC frames are separated on the basis of a control field format before being parsed by terminal addresses to form separate transactions on a list. The transaction list is produced by a real time monitor routine which builds the list from the asynchronous frames received from each of the store loops. The transactions on the list are handled in the background of the processing by a parsing routine which assembles the transactions into data files relating to the purchases by panelists and data files relating to the purchases by all customers. In a preferred embodiment, a host processor polls monitoring apparatus at a multiplicity of stores and has transferred to it the market research data files stored for the retail respective establishments.

Claims

1. A non-obtrusive data collection apparatus for assembling selected data transactions representing the choices made by a panel of consumers from among a multiplicity of data transactions on a communications loop connecting a plurality of point-of-sale terminals to a store controller, said data transactions being communicated by a particular loop protocol and in a particular loop format of message units, said apparatus comprising:

coupling means for passively coupling to said communications loop at a location where all data transactions of the loop can be monitored and in such a manner as to not interfere with said data transactions;

converting means, connected to said coupling means, for converting said data transactions from said loop protocol into a standard digital protocol of data characters;

a transaction processor; and

means, connected to said converting means, for communicating said converted data transactions to said transaction processor;

said transaction processor including;

means for assembling characters of said data transactions into said message units;

means for selectively sorting said message units into consumer transactions;

means for selectively sorting said consumer transactions into panelist transactions involving choices made by said panel;

means for storing said panelist transactions; and

means, in response to an inquiry from an external device, for communicating said stored panelist transactions to said external device.

2. A data collection method for the market research of a plurality of individual stores for the purchases of predetermined consumers forming a buying panel, wherein each store has a plurality of point-of-sale terminals which communicate data transactions in an SDLC format over a network loop to a central store computer, said method comprising:

(a) passively monitoring data transactions on said network;

(b) assembling from said monitored data transactions data frames corresponding to respective data transactions;

(c) selecting from all of said data frames, data frames of at least one particular type;

(d) sorting said selected frames based upon an information field which contains information indicating the beginning and the end of a respective purchasing transaction;

(e) temporarily storing said selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction;

(f) searching said temporarily stored selected data frames for panelist identification; and

(g) storing said searched selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction when any of them include said panelist identification.

3. A data collection method as set forth in claim 2 which further includes:

repeating steps (a)-(g) of claim 2 for each store, and each network loop of each store; and

communicating said selected data frames pertaining to panelist transactions to a central processing point.

4. A data collection method as set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said steps (a)-(g) of claim 2 are performed on a real time basis.

5. A data collection method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said step of assembling frames includes:

receiving and storing each character of a data frame on an interrupt basis as it is monitored on said network loop; and

transferring a completed frame to a frame buffer upon the detection of an end of frame character.

6. A data collection method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of selecting frames includes:

determining the number of frames in said frame buffer;

sorting the frames stored in said frame buffer until all stored frames have been sorted when the number is in excess of a predetermined value.

7. A data collection method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said step of selecting frames further includes:

sorting all information frames into frame blocks having the same point of sale terminal address.

8. A data collection method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said step of sorting said selected frames includes sorting said frame blocks into respective purchasing transactions.

9. A data collection method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said steps of searching and storing include:

searching purchasing transactions for panelist identification; and

storing purchasing transactions which contain said panelist identification.

10. A data collection method as set forth in claim 9 which includes the further step of:

inserting panelist identification in said data transactions.

11. A data collection method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said step of inserting includes:

inserting said panelist identification as a universal product code which is not assigned a product.

12. In a system for market research wherein data are gathered at a central station from a plurality of individual stores in respect to transactions made by respective selected shoppers, said selected shoppers having respective identification indicia, and each of said stores having a data processing controller connected by a communications network to a plurality of transaction terminals at which input transaction data in respect to transactions with respective shoppers are entered, including transaction data corresponding to universal product codes for respective items bought and the respective identification indicia, such input transaction data being communicated to the respective controller over said communications network, and controller data from said respective controller being communicated to the respective terminals over said communications system, said controller data including controller transaction data related to the same transactions as respective input transaction data:

a data acquisition and transfer system comprising means for passively coupling to a respective said communications network in a respective store to receive respective input and controller transaction data without introducing any signals into said communications network, storage means, means responsive to received transaction data corresponding to said identification indicia for storing in said storage means said received input and controller transaction data and instructions relating to each transaction made by a selected shopper to the exclusion of transaction data and instructions relating to transactions made by shoppers other than selected shoppers, means for reading out said stored transaction data from said storage means, and means for transferring said read out stored transaction data to said central station.

13. A method for electronically collecting market research information from a plurality of sales locations wherein the information is collected from each of the sales locations and transmitted to a host processor for subsequent evaluation, and wherein each of said sales locations has at least one automatic checkout system including a plurality of point-of-sale terminals communicating with a store controller over a communications network, said method comprising:

passively monitoring communications between the store controller and each of said point-of-sale terminals;

separating relevant market research data from said communications;

forming market research file structures compatible with the host processor;

storing said market research file structures in nonvolatile memory; and

periodically transferring said market research file structures to the host processor.

14. A method for electronically collecting market research information from a plurality of sales locations wherein the information is collected from each of the sales locations and transmitted to a host processor for subsequent evaluation, wherein each of said sales locations has at least one automatic checkout system including a plurality of point-of-sale terminals communicating with a store controller over a communications network, and wherein the communications protocol of the automatic checkout system is phase encoded, said method comprising:

passively monitoring communications between the store controller and each of said point-of-sale terminals, said step of passively monitoring including converting the phase encoded protocol into a standard binary protocol;

separating relevant market research data from said communications;

forming market research file structures compatible with the host processor;

storing said market research file structures in nonvolatile memory; and

periodically transferring said market research file structures to the host processor.

15. A method for electronically collecting market research information from a plurality of sales locations wherein the information is collected from each of the sales locations and transmitted to a host processor for subsequent evaluation, wherein each of said sales locations has at least one automatic checkout system including a plurality of point-of-sale terminals communicating with a store controller over a communications network, and wherein communications on the network are configured for two wire half duplex operation in a loop, said method comprising:

passively monitoring communications between the store controller and each of said point-of-sale terminals, said step of passively monitoring including connecting a receive data tap in parallel between the receive port of the store controller and the last point-of-sale terminal on the loop;

separating relevant market research data from said communications;

forming market research file structures compatible with the host processor;

storing said market research file structures in nonvolatile memory; and

periodically transferring said market research file structures to the host processor.

16. A method for electronically collecting market research information from a plurality of sales locations wherein the information is collected from each of the sales locations and transmitted to a host processor for subsequent evaluation, wherein each of said sales locations has at least one automatic checkout system including a plurality of point-of-sale terminals communicating with a store controller over a communications network, and wherein communications on the network are carried on in SDLC format, said method comprising:

passively monitoring communications between the store controller and each of said point-of-sale terminals;

separating relevant market research data from said communications, said step of separating relevant market research data including the steps of separating the communications on the network into SDLC frames and other communication frames thereby separating information in the SDLC frames from the totality of communications;

separating said SDLC frames into information format frames and other SDLC frames, thereby separating information contained in the information format frames from the totality of SDLC frames; and

separating said information format frames into market research frames and other information format frames thereby separating the market research information from the totality of information contained in the information format frames;

forming market research file structures compatible with the host processor;

storing said market research file structures in nonvolatile memory; and

periodically transferring said market research file structures to the host processor.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of forming market research file structures includes the step of:

parsing information contained in said market research frames into said market research file structures.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein said step of parsing further includes the step of:

parsing each transaction file by separate market research file structures.

19. Passive data collection apparatus for assembling selected data transactions corresponding to purchases made by respective customers from among a multiplicity of data transactions on a communications network connecting a plurality of point-of-sale terminals in a store to a store controller in a store, said data transactions being communicated by a predetermined network protocol and in a predetermined network format of message units, said apparatus comprising:

coupling means for passively coupling to said communications network to receive all data transactions on the network between said store controller and said terminals in such a manner as not to add message units to said network or delete or otherwise modify message units on said network or control or modify the operation of the network, store controller or terminals;

converting means connected to said coupling means for converting said received data transactions from said network protocol into a digital protocol of data characters;

a transaction processor;

communications means connected to said converting means for communicating said converted data transactions to said transaction processor;

said transaction processor including;

means for assembling characters of said converted data transactions into message units;

sorting means for selectively sorting said assembled message units according to predetermined market research criteria;

storing means for storing data corresponding to said sorted message units; and

means for communicating said stored data to an external device remote from the store.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said data transactions on said communications network include identification of respective selected customers, said sorting means includes means for sorting said assembled message units into customer transactions, and means for selectively sorting said customer transactions according to selected customers identified by respective said identification, said storing means stores said selectively sorted customer transactions, and said means for communicating to said external device provides identification of the selected customers involved in respective customer transactions.

21. Apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said sorting means includes means for sorting said assembled message units according to products purchased at respective prices, and said transaction processor further includes means responsive to said sorted message units for counting the number of respective products bought at respective prices.

22. Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein:

said sorting means includes means for sorting said assembled message units according to products purchased at respective prices, and said transaction processor further includes means responsive to said sorted message units for counting the number of respective products bought at respective prices.

23. A data collection method for market research in respect to each of a plurality of individual stores for the purchases of selected customers forming a buying panel, each of said selected customers having a respective panelist identification, wherein each store has a plurality of point-of-sale terminals which communicate data transactions including respective panelist identification over a communications network to a central store controller said method comprising:

(a) passively monitoring data transactions on a respective said network;

(b) assembling from said monitored data transactions data frames corresponding to respective data transactions;

(c) selecting from all of said data frames, data frames of at least one particular type;

(d) sorting said selected frames based upon an information field which contains information indicating the beginning and the end of a respective purchasing transaction;

(e) temporarily storing said selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction;

(f) searching said temporarily stored selected data frames for a said panelist identification; and

(g) storing said searched selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction when any of them include said panelist identification;

searching all purchase transactions of said frame blocks for a panelist identification; and

storing those purchasing transactions of said frame blocks if they contain said panelist identifications.

24. A data collection method as set forth in claim 23 which further includes:

communicating said selected data frames pertaining to panelist transactions from each of said stores to a central processing point.

25. A data collection method as set forth in claim 23 wherein:

said steps (a)-(g) are performed on a real time basis.

26. A data collection method as set forth in claim 25 wherein said step of assembling frames includes:

receiving and storing each character of a data frame on an interrupt basis as it is monitored on said network; and

transferring a completed frame to a frame buffer upon the detection of an end of frame character.

27. A data collection method as set forth in claim 26 wherein said step of selecting frames includes:

determining the number of frames in said frame buffer;

sorting the frames stored in said frame buffer until all stored frames have been sorted when the number is in excess of a predetermined value.

28. A data collection method as set forth in claim 27 wherein said step of selecting frames further includes:

sorting all information frames into frame blocks having the same point-of-sale terminal address.

29. A data collection method as set forth in claim 28 wherein said steps of sorting temporarily storing selected frames include:

sorting said frame blocks into purchase transactions.

30. A data collection method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said steps of searching and storing include:

searching all purchase transactions of said frame blocks for a panelist identification; and

storing those purchasing transactions of said frame blocks if they contain said panelist identifications.

31. Data collection apparatus for market research in respect to each of a plurality of individual stores for the purchases of selected customers forming a buying panel, each of said selected customers having a respective panelist identification, wherein each store has a plurality of point-of-sale terminals which communicate data transactions including respective panelist identification over a communications network to a central store controller said apparatus comprising:

(a) means for passively monitoring data transactions on a respective said network;

(b) means for assembling from said monitored data transactions data frames corresponding to respective data transactions;

(c) means for selecting from all of said data frames, data frames of at least one particular type;

(d) means for sorting said selected frames based upon an information field which contains information indicating the beginning and the end of a respective purchasing transaction;

(e) means for temporarily storing said selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction;

(f) means for searching said temporarily stored selected data frames for a said panelist identification; and

(g) means for storing said selected data frames corresponding to a respective purchasing transaction when any of them include said panelist identification.

32. In a system for market research wherein data are gathered at a central station from a plurality of individual stores in respect to transactions made by respective selected shoppers, said selected shoppers having respective identification indicia:

a market research data monitor including

a buffer;

nonvolatile storage means for storing purchase transaction records;

programmed means for executing a communications program at a particular time of day to transfer stored purchase transaction records from said nonvolatile storage means to a central station;

programmed means for executing a real time monitor program on an interrupt basis to store in said buffer purchase transaction records of all purchases made by selected shoppers as they occur; and

programmed means for executing a data storage program when said communications program is not executing to transfer the nonvolatile storage of said purchase transaction records on a periodic basis from said buffer to said nonvolatile storage means.