Space management system

• US 5,812,985 A
• Filed: 08/30/1993
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronic Retailing Systems International, Inc. (Systems Holding, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Retailing Systems
• Inventors: Venable, J. Robert, Fernandez, Anthony P., Failing, Bruce F., Fenwick, Edward J., Briechle, George T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US08/114,510
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/403, 364/464.01, 235/383, 235/385, 340/825.35, 340/825.07, 340/825.54, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.73, 340/825.28, 340/825.34, 705/1, 705/5, 705/400, 705/20
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/12 Measuring electrostatic fields or voltage-potential
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 5/28 Electrostatic instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/16 Measuring atmospheric potential differences, e.g. due to electrical charges in clouds measuring potentiels in general G01R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

An improved system for space management in retail stores is described. The space management system includes price display labels mounted on rails along the edges of shelves in a store. A communications link between the computer and the labels permits the computer to address each label by a logical address and to determine the physical location of each label to within a resolution of typically four feet. The system prepares price audit lists and adjacency audit lists that permit economical use of the time of store personnel during the audit. The lists are generated in such a way that the items on a particular list are physically contiguous; thus once the correct general area has been located by the auditor little additional time need be spent locating the individual items. In performing an audit of product facings, the user is able to use the display hardware, including the pushbutton on each label, as a data collection system for product facing information. In product location mode, the user starts at the first label at one end of a shelf and presses the button on the first label. The user moves to the second label, presses its button, moves to the third label, and the process is repeated for each label along the shelf, and for the rest of the shelves in the area being audited. This permits the system to collect information as to the sequence of labels along a rail.

Claims

1. A space management system for use in a premises having items on shelves, the system comprising:

a first computer;

adjacency data storage means, said adjacency data storage means disposed to store information regarding identities of first and second items for which adjacent shelf locations are desired;

a plurality of rails disposed on the shelves;

a multiplicity of labels disposed on the rails;

a communications means communicatively coupling the labels with the first computer;

each rail comprising mechanical means for mechanically securing the labels;

each label comprising a display, a memory, and interface means, each label having an address, said interface means responsive to a first message communicated from the first computer for determining whether there is a match between address information in the first message and the address of the label, said interface means responsive to such a match for generating a second message communicated by the communication means to the first computer;

the first computer comprising location storage means for storing information indicative, for each label in the premises, of the location of the rail securing the label, and of an item associated with the label; and

checking means responsive to the information in the location storage means regarding the identity of first and second items for which adjacent shelf-locations are desired, for determining whether information in the location storage means shows the existence of first and second labels associated with the first and second items, and if such first and second labels exist, for determining whether the information indicative of the locations of the rails securing the first and second labels show the first and second labels to be secured to adjacent locations.

2. The space management system of claim 1 wherein the communications means comprises an RF link.

3. The space management system of claim 1 wherein the adjacency data storage means and the checking means comprise a second computer, the second computer remote from the first computer and communicatively coupled thereto.

4. The space management system of claim 1 wherein the communications means comprises an RF link.

5. A space management system for use in a premises having items on shelves, the system comprising:

a first computer;

shelf set data storage means, said shelf set data storage means disposed to store information regarding an identity of a first item for which a particular number of facings are desired;

a plurality of rails disposed on the shelves;

a multiplicity of labels disposed on the rails;

a communications means communicatively coupling the labels with the first computer;

each rail comprising mechanical means for mechanically securing the labels;

each label comprising a display, a memory, a button, and interface means, each label having an address, said interface means responsive to a first message communicated from the first computer for determining whether there is a match between address information in the first message and the address of the label, said interface means responsive to such a match for generating a second message communicated by the communication means to the first computer;

said interface means responsive to pressing of the button for generating a third message communicated by the communications means to the first computer;

the first computer comprising facing data collection means for storing information indicative, for each label in the premises, of a number of times the button for that label has been pressed in a predetermined time interval, said number defined to be indicative of the number of facings of items associated with that label; and

checking means responsive to the information in the shelf set data storage means for determining whether information in the location storage means shows existence of a first label associated with the first item, and if such first label exists, for determining whether the number of times the button for that label has been pressed matches the particular number of facings.

6. The space management system of claim 5 wherein the communications means comprises an RF link.

7. The space management system of claim 5 wherein the shelf set data storage means and the checking means comprise a second computer, the second computer remote from the first computer and communicatively coupled thereto.

8. The space management system of claim 7 wherein the communications means comprises an RF link.