System, method, and device for graphically locating merchandise

• US 7,263,500 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indyme Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Indyme Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Deal, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason B.
• Application Number:
  US10/646,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/26.9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A system and method for graphically locating merchandise. An interactive display can present a high level environment displaying various categories of merchandise in a mapped image. A user can highlight a portion of the mapped image and navigate to a lower level environment displaying a subset of categories associated with the highlighted portion in another mapped image. The user can continue to navigate through increasingly detailed environments until a desired product is located. In one embodiment, a computer system associated with the interactive display identifies a store location where the desired product or goods similar to the desired product may be found. In another embodiment, the computer system allows the user to locate a plurality of desired items and provides the user with a store map locating all of the desired items and illustrating a path from the interactive display to the desired items.

Claims

1. A merchandise locating system, the system comprising:

a display configured to present a graphical mapped image of a residential lot, the residential lot comprising at least a house and a landscape area adjacent at least a portion of the house, wherein the graphical mapped image comprises a representation of the house and the landscape area as viewed from outside the house;

an input module configured to accept user inputs; and

a user accessible computer coupled to the display and the input module, and configured to determine a portion of the graphical mapped image corresponding to the user input and to control the display to present a lower level graphical image of the determined portion of the graphical mapped image, the lower level graphical image comprising representations of one or more of a plurality of rooms of the house;

the user accessible computer further configured to receive one or more inputs from the input module indicating a user selected portion of the lower level graphical image corresponding to a particular desired merchandise item and to determine a location in a store of the desired merchandise item, and to generate a map identifying the location in the store of the item, wherein the display presents an image of the map to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an output module coupled to the user accessible computer, and configured to provide an output identifying the location in the store of the desired item.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user accessible computer is further configured to generate a map identifying the location in the store of the item, and wherein the output module outputs a hardcopy of the map.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network coupled to the user accessible computer;

a database; and

a back-end computer coupled to the network and the database, and configured to receive an identity of the portion of the graphical mapped image from the user accessible computer and retrieve from the database the lower level graphical image, the back-end computer communicating the lower level graphical image to the user accessible computer using the network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a monitor, a CRT, an LCD, a touch panel, and a projection screen.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the input module comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a joystick, a track ball, a pointer, and a pen.

7. A system of locating merchandise in a store comprising a plurality of merchandise items, the system comprising:

means for displaying a graphical mapped image of a residential lot comprising at least a house and a landscaping area proximate the house;

means for inputting a user input and a desired merchandise selection;

a user accessible computer coupled to the display and the input module, and configured to determine a portion of the graphical mapped image corresponding to the user input and to control the display to present a lower level graphical image corresponding to the portion of the graphical mapped image, the lower level graphical image comprising representations of one or more of a plurality of rooms of the house,

the user accessible computer further configured to receive a second user input corresponding to a portion of the second graphical mapped image and to create a map identifying a location in the store of an item corresponding to the desired merchandise selection; and

means for displaying the map.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for outputting the map comprises the means for displaying the graphical mapped image.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for outputting the map comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a printer, a plotter, and an electronic output device.

10. A method of selecting merchandise available in a store, the method comprising:

displaying a first graphical mapped image on a display, the first graphical mapped image chosen from a hierarchy of graphical mapped images and depicting at least one of an exterior view of a house and a view of a plurality of rooms of the house;

receiving a first user input corresponding to a portion of the first graphical mapped image;

determining a second graphical mapped image from the hierarchy of graphical images based in part on the first user input, the second graphical mapped image comprising representations of one or more of a plurality of rooms of the house;

receiving a second user input corresponding to a portion of the second graphical mapped image; and

displaying a map on the display, the map indicating a location in a store of merchandise associated with the second user input.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying an image of the map.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising outputting a hard copy image of the map.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the map locating merchandise in the store comprises:

determining the portion of the second graphical mapped image corresponding to the second user input;

determining merchandise corresponding to the portion of the second graphical mapped image;

determining an identifier corresponding to the merchandise; and

determining a location of the merchandise based in part on the identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifier comprises a SKU.

15. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on the processor readable storage devices, the processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method of graphically locating merchandise, the method comprising:

displaying a first graphical mapped image on a display, the first graphical mapped image chosen from a hierarchy of graphical mapped images, the first graphical mapped image depicting at least one of an exterior view of a house and a view of a plurality of rooms of the house;

receiving a first user input corresponding to a portion of the first graphical mapped image;

determining a second graphical mapped image from the hierarchy of graphical images based in part on the first user input, the second graphical mapped image comprising representations of one or more of a plurality of rooms of the house;

receiving a second user input corresponding to a portion of the second graphical mapped image;

creating a map illustrating locations of merchandise in the store based on the second user input, and

displaying an image of the map on the display.

16. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on the processor readable storage devices, the processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method of graphically locating merchandise, the method of claim 15 wherein the second graphical mapped image comprises representations of one or more of a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a laundry room, a dining room, a living room, a storage area, and a garage of the house.