Shopper tracker and portable customer service terminal charger
First Claim
1. A shopping system, comprising:
- a shopping cart including a plurality of wheels;
a portable electronic device, coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data;
a distance measuring system, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for providing a distance signal based on the movement of the wheel and indicating a distance of movement of the shopping cart; and
an energy generator, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for adding energy to a power source of the portable electronic device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method is disclosed for a shopping system, the system including a shopping cart including a plurality of wheels; a portable electronic device (e.g., a CST or POS terminal), coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data; and a position mapping system, coupled to the electronic device, for developing a shopper location relative to a start location, the mapping system including a distance measuring system, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels; for providing a distance signal indicating a distance of movement of the shopping cart; and a direction measuring system for providing a direction signal concurrent with the distance signal. Another embodiment is a shopper tracking system including a shopping cart having a plurality of wheels; a portable electronic device, coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data; and an energy generator, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for adding energy to a power source of the portable electronic device. The shopper tracking method includes the steps of measuring a net distance traveled by a shopping cart and measuring direction information concurrently with the distance information to produce a relative location that is offset from a known location and converting the relative location to an absolute coordinate by providing absolute coordinates for the known location.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A shopping system, comprising:
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a shopping cart including a plurality of wheels;
a portable electronic device, coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data;
a distance measuring system, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for providing a distance signal based on the movement of the wheel and indicating a distance of movement of the shopping cart; and
an energy generator, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for adding energy to a power source of the portable electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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2. A shopper tracking system, comprising:
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a shopping cart including a plurality of wheels;
a portable electronic device, coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data; and
a position mapping system, coupled to the portable electronic device, for developing a shopper location relative to a start location, the mapping system including a distance measuring system, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels, for providing a distance signal based on the movement of the wheel and indicating a distance of movement of the shopping cart; and
a direction measuring system for providing a direction signal concurrent with the distance signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20)
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18. A shopper tracking system, comprising:
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a shopping cart including a plurality of wheels;
a portable electronic device, coupled to the shopping cart, for displaying shopping data; and
a position mapping system, coupled to the portable electronic device, the mapping system including a relative positioning system, coupled to one of the plurality of wheels of the shopping cart, for determining the distance and direction the shopping cart has moved relative to a start location based on movement of the wheel, to determine the relative location of the shopping cart within a predetermined area, and an absolute positioning system in communication with the portable electronic device for establishing an absolute position of the shopping cart within the predetermined area, wherein the absolute position is used to adjust the relative location of the shopping cart.
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Specification