Shop information advertisement panel system and shop information advertisement method

• US 7,343,318 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suwabe, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson; Jeffrey D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bekerman; Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/848,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20010040533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 725/60
• US Class Current: 705/14.65
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels

Abstract

A shop information advertisement panel system in which, the respective shop terminals comprise an advertisement information registration requesting unit for requesting the advertisement panel control terminal to register advertisement information including image information expressing an advertisement image to be displayed on the advertisement panel device corresponding to its own shop terminal, through a communication network, the advertisement panel control terminal comprises an advertisement information controlling unit for registering and controlling the advertisement information for every shop terminal, based on a registration request of the advertisement information from the shop terminal, and sending the image information of the advertisement information to the advertisement panel device corresponding to the shop terminal, and the respective advertisement panel devices comprise an advertisement display unit for displaying an advertisement according to the image information sent from the advertisement panel control terminal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of shop terminals;

an advertisement panel control terminal connected with the plurality of shop terminals through a communication network; and

a plurality of advertisement panel devices;

wherein each shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals is configured to send, to the advertisement panel control terminal through the communication network, respective advertisement information;

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to determine, for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, a corresponding advertisement panel device of said plurality of advertisement panel devices on which at least a portion of said respective advertisement information is to be displayed based on corresponding control information that is in correspondence with said respective advertisement information;

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to control, for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, the corresponding advertisement panel device to display at least the portion of the respective advertisement information;

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to send, when a particular advertisement panel device of the plurality of advertisement panel devices makes a request for particular detailed information, the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device;

wherein the particular advertisement panel device is configured to send, upon receipt of a reference request for the particular detailed information from an information portable unit, the request for the particular detailed information to the advertisement panel control terminal, and is configured to send the particular detailed information received from the advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit;

wherein said particular detailed information includes reservation information indicating a reservation state;

wherein said particular advertisement panel device is configured to receive reservation requesting information from the information portable unit;

wherein said particular advertisement panel device is configured to send the reservation requesting information to the advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the reservation requesting information from the information portable unit;

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to send the reservation requesting information received from said particular advertisement panel device to a particular shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals corresponding to the reservation requesting information; and

wherein said particular shop terminal comprises a reservation controlling unit for controlling the reservation information indicating the reservation state and for updating the reservation information based on the reservation requesting information.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein each shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals comprises an advertisement information update requesting unit for requesting, through the communication network, the advertisement panel control terminal to update the respective advertisement information;

and

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal comprises an advertisement information updating unit for updating the respective advertisement information corresponding to a specific shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals having made an update request, according to the update request of the respective advertisement information from the specific shop terminal.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to add the corresponding control information to the respective advertisement information sent from each shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals, and is configured to store both the respective advertisement information and the corresponding control information into an advertisement information storing unit.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein said particular detailed information further includes of a plurality of items;

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to send an item list with the plurality of items of the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device when the request for the particular detailed information is made by the particular advertisement panel device, and is configured to send a content of an item of said plurality of items to the particular advertisement panel device when an item name of the item in the item list is notified to the advertisement panel control terminal by the particular advertisement panel device, and

wherein said particular advertisement panel device is configured to send said item list to said information portable unit upon receipt of the item list from the advertisement panel control terminal, and is configured to notify the item name to said advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the item name from said information portable unit, and is configured to send the content of the item received from said advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the system further includes said information portable unit;

and

wherein said information portable unit is configured to display the item list upon receipt of the item list, and is configured to send the item name of the item specified by a user to the particular advertisement panel device, and is configured to display the content of the item received from the particular advertisement panel device.

6. The system of claim 4,

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal comprises an access history storing unit for storing an access history indicating a respective access state of each item of the plurality of items of the particular detailed information;

and

wherein said advertisement panel control terminal is configured to update the access history stored in said access history storing unit based on the item name notified from the particular advertisement panel device.

7. A method in a system, said system having a plurality of shop terminals, an advertisement panel control terminal connected with the plurality of shop terminals through a communication network, and a plurality of advertisement panel devices, said method comprising:

sending, from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals to the advertisement panel control terminal through the communication network, respective advertisement information;

receiving, by the advertisement panel control terminal from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, the respective advertisement information;

determining, by the advertisement panel control terminal for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals based on corresponding control information that is in correspondence with said respective advertisement information, a corresponding advertisement panel device of said plurality of advertisement panel devices on which at least a portion of the respective advertisement information is to be displayed;

sending, by the advertisement panel control terminal for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, the respective advertisement information to the corresponding advertisement panel device; and

sending, by the advertisement panel control terminal when a particular advertisement panel device of the plurality of advertisement panel devices makes a request for particular detailed information, the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device having made the request;

displaying, by said particular advertisement panel device, at least a portion of particular advertisement information received from the advertisement panel control terminal;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device upon receipt of a reference request for the particular detailed information from an information portable unit, the request for the particular detailed information to the advertisement panel control terminal;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device, the particular detailed information received from the advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit, said particular detailed information including reservation information indicating a reservation state;

receiving, by said particular advertisement panel device, reservation requesting information from said information portable unit;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device, the reservation requesting information to the advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the reservation requesting information from said information portable unit;

sending, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the reservation requesting information received from the particular advertisement panel device to a particular shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals corresponding to the reservation requesting information; and

updating, by said particular shop terminal, the reservation information based on the reservation requesting information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

requesting, by each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals through the communication network, the advertisement panel control terminal to update the respective advertisement information; and

updating, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the respective advertisement information corresponding to a specific shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals having made an update request, according to the update request of the respective advertisement information from the specific shop terminal.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adding, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the corresponding control information to the respective advertisement information sent from each shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals, and storing both the respective advertisement information and the corresponding control information therein.

10. The method of claim 7,

wherein said particular detailed information further includes a plurality of items;

and

wherein said method further comprises;

sending, from said advertisement panel control terminal, an item list with the plurality of items of the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device when the request for the particular detailed information is made by the particular advertisement panel device;

sending, from said advertisement panel control terminal, a content of an item of said plurality of items to the particular advertisement panel device when an item name of the item in the item list is notified to the advertisement panel control terminal by the particular advertisement panel device;

sending, from said particular advertisement panel device, said item list to said information portable unit upon receipt of the item list from the advertisement panel control terminal;

notifying, by said particular advertisement panel device, the item name to the advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the item name from said information portable unit; and

sending, from said particular advertisement panel device, the content of the item received from the advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the system further includes said information portable unit;

and

wherein the method further includes;

displaying, by said information portable unit, the item list upon receipt of the item list;

sending, by said information portable unit, the item name of the item specified by a user to the particular advertisement panel device; and

receiving and displaying, by said information portable unit, the content of the item sent from the particular advertisement panel device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing, by said advertisement panel control terminal, an access history indicating a respective access state of each item of said plurality of items; and

updating, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the access history based on the item name notified from the particular advertisement panel device.

13. A computer readable memory storing a program for controlling a system to perform a process, said system having a plurality of shop terminals, an advertisement panel control terminal connected with the plurality of shop terminals through a communication network, and a plurality of advertisement panel devices, said process comprising:

sending, from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals to the advertisement panel control terminal through the communication network, respective advertisement information;

receiving, by the advertisement panel control terminal from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, the respective advertisement information;

determining, by the advertisement panel control terminal for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals based on corresponding control information that is in correspondence with said respective advertisement information, a corresponding advertisement panel device of said plurality of advertisement panel devices on which at least a portion of the respective advertisement information is to be displayed;

sending, by the advertisement panel control terminal for the respective advertisement information received from each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals, the respective advertisement information to the corresponding advertisement panel device;

sending, by the advertisement panel control terminal when a particular advertisement panel device of the plurality of advertisement panel devices makes a request for particular detailed information, the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device having made the request;

displaying, by said particular advertisement panel device, at least a portion of particular advertisement information received from the advertisement panel control terminal;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device upon receipt of a reference request for the particular detailed information from an information portable unit, the request for the particular detailed information to the advertisement panel control terminal;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device, the particular detailed information received from the advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit, said particular detailed information including reservation information indicating a reservation state;

receiving, by said particular advertisement panel device, reservation requesting information from said information portable unit;

sending, by said particular advertisement panel device, the reservation requesting information to the advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the reservation requesting information from said information portable unit;

sending, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the reservation requesting information received from the particular advertisement panel device to a particular shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals corresponding to the reservation requesting information;

controlling, by said particular shop terminal, the reservation information indicating the reservation state; and

updating, by said particular shop terminal, the reservation information based on the reservation requesting information.

14. The computer readable memory of claim 13, wherein said process further comprises:

requesting, by each shop terminal of the plurality of shop terminals through the communication network, the advertisement panel control terminal to update the respective advertisement information; and

updating, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the respective advertisement information corresponding to a specific shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals having made an update request, according to the update request of the respective advertisement information from the specific shop terminal.

15. The computer readable memory of claim 13, wherein said process further comprises:

adding, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the corresponding control information to the respective advertisement information sent from each shop terminal of said plurality of shop terminals, and storing both the respective advertisement information and the corresponding control information therein.

16. The computer readable memory of claim 13,

wherein said particular detailed information further includes of a plurality of items;

and

wherein said process further comprises;

sending, from said advertisement panel control terminal, an item list with the plurality of items of the particular detailed information to the particular advertisement panel device when the request for the particular detailed information is made by the particular advertisement panel device;

sending, from said advertisement panel control terminal, a content of an item of said plurality of items to the particular advertisement panel device when an item name of the item in the item list is notified to the advertisement panel control terminal by the particular advertisement panel device;

sending, from said particular advertisement panel device, said item list to said information portable unit upon receipt of the item list from the advertisement panel control terminal;

notifying, by said particular advertisement panel device, said item name to the advertisement panel control terminal upon receipt of the item name from said information portable unit; and

sending, from said particular advertisement panel device, the content of the item received from the advertisement panel control terminal to said information portable unit.

17. The computer readable memory of claim 16,

wherein the system further includes said information portable unit;

and

wherein the process further comprises;

displaying, by said information portable unit, the item list upon receipt of the item list from the particular advertisement panel device;

sending, by said information portable unit, the item name of the item specified by a user to the particular advertisement panel devices; and

receiving and displaying, by said information portable unit, the content of the item sent from the particular advertisement panel device.

18. The computer readable memory of claim 16, said process further comprising:

storing, by said advertisement panel control terminal, an access history indicating a respective access state of each item of said plurality of items; and

updating, by said advertisement panel control terminal, the access history based on the item name notified from the particular advertisement panel device.