Electronic system for selective presentation of information at a place of sale

• US 5,978,777 A
• Filed: 10/21/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parfums Christian Dior (Christian Dior SE)
• Original Assignee: Parfums Christian Dior (Christian Dior SE)
• Inventors: Garnier, Dominique
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga B.
• Application Number:
  US08/955,158
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 705/27, 235/375, 235/381, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/27.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

An electronic system for presenting information relating to products on offer at a place of sale comprises: a central unit; a mass memory containing image sequences respectively associated with products belonging to a given group from amongst the products on offer at the place of sale; a display device; and a bar code or other reader to which a particular item on sale can be presented. The central unit includes a comparator for comparing a product code delivered by a reader with a series of product codes corresponding respectively to the products in the group. The central unit causes the sequence of images associated with the presented item to be run when the product code is contained in the series of product codes, and otherwise it displays a non-correspondence message. The system is particularly applicable to promoting perfumery.

Claims

1. An electronic system for presenting multimedia information about products on offer at a place of sale, the system comprising in combination:

a central unit;

a mass memory containing a series of still and/or moving image sequences respectively associated with products belonging to a given group of products selected from amongst all the products on offer at the place of sale;

a display device; and

a reader for reading machine-readable information carried by the products on offer, and in front of which a particular item can be presented;

wherein the central processing unit includes comparator means for comparing a product code delivered by said reader from machine-readable information read on an item presented by a consumer with a series of product codes corresponding respectively to the products of said group;

wherein the central unit is suitable for causing the sequence of images associated with the presented item to be caused to run when the product code thereof is contained in said series of product codes, and otherwise to display a message of lack of such containment; and

wherein the group of products includes only products under the same trademark.

2. A system according to claim 1, containing a correspondence table between said series of product codes and the addresses of sequences of images in the mass memory.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a touch-sensitive screen and wherein the image sequences are interactive sequences.

4. A system according to claim 1, also including means for playing back sound in association with each sequence.

5. A system according to claim 1, housed in a housing and wherein only the display device and the location of said reader for reading machine-readable information are visible to the consumer.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the products are cosmetics, perfumes, or toiletries.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said machine-readable information is constituted by a bar code.