Electronic product identifier system

• US 7,392,948 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iris Optronics Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Smith, Philip J., Ellinger, Carolyn R., Schindler, II, Roland R.
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US11/192,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20070023511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 235/451, 705/22, 340/5.91, 340/5.92, 340/691.6
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An electronic product identifier system is provided for use with a product storage area adapted to store more than one type of product. The electronic product identifier system has a display adapted to present product information for more than one product along a length of the storage area. Each product has an electronic product identifier. An electromagnetic sensing circuit is provided having at least one transmitter for transmitting polling electromagnetic fields so that the electronic product identifier associated with each product can generate a response. The electromagnetic sensing circuit further has at least one receiver for receiving each responsive electromagnetic signal at two separated sensing locations. A location circuit determines a location of each responsive electronic product identifier using the electromagnetic signals received; a data interface determines product information for each product type; and a display controller causes product information to be presented proximate to products of that type.

Claims

1. An electronic product identifier system for use with a product storage area adapted to store more than one type of product;

the electronic product identifier system comprising;

a display adapted to present product information for more than one product along a length of the storage area;

a plurality of electronic product identifiers, with one such electronic product identifier associated with each one of a supply of products of each product type stored in the storage area and each electronic product identifier being adapted to receive a polling signal and to generate a responsive electromagnetic signal containing information that identifies at least the product type of the product;

an electromagnetic sensing circuit having at least one transmitter for transmitting polling electromagnetic fields into the storage area proximate to the products in the storage area so that the electronic product identifier associated with each product can generate a response, with the electromagnetic sensing circuit further comprising at least one receiver for receiving each responsive electromagnetic signal at two separated sensing locations;

a location circuit for determining a location in the storage area of each responsive electronic product identifier using the electromagnetic signals received;

a data interface adapted to determine product information for each product type detected based upon signals received from the product identifiers; and

a display controller adapted to automatically cause product information for each product to be presented in an area of the display that is proximate to locations of the storage area at which products of that type are located by the location circuit.

2. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein said display controller is adapted to segregate the display into portions with one portion being associated with each product type.

3. The electronic product identifier system of claim 2, wherein said portions have different sizes and are arranged in proportion to the portion of the storage area actually occupied by each product type for which information is presented.

4. The electronic product identifier system of claim 2, wherein said display controller is adapted to segregate the display into facing areas each facing area being capable of storing at least one supply of one of a plurality of products in a manner that allows product and the display to be viewed simultaneously from outside the storage area, said display controller further being adapted to proportionately attribute facing areas to each product in proportion to the portion of the storage area actually occupied by each product type.

5. The electronic product identifier system of claim 4, wherein said display controller is associated with a predetermined set of product types and wherein said display controller segregates the display into facing areas for each of the predetermined product types, and presents display information for any of the set product types for which no electronic product identifier is located in the facing area for that product type.

6. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein said display controller is associated with a predetermined set of product types.

7. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein said product information includes at least one of product advertising information, product bar code information, product SKU information, product lot number information, product expiration date information;

product price information, product unit price information, nutritional information, product interaction information, combination product information;

allergen information and product safety information.

8. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein the data interface is adapted to determine product information using said product type identification information to access product information stored in a memory on the electronic product identifier including alpha-numeric or characters or images.

9. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein the data interface is adapted to determine product information by transmitting the product type identification information to remote data source and by receiving the product information from the remote data source.

10. The electronic product identifier system of claim 9, wherein the data interface further transmits information to the remote data source identifying at least one of the number of and location of each product of each type of product in the storage area.

11. The electronic product identifier system of claim 10, wherein the remote data source comprises a processor that determines a portion of the display for presenting product information for each type of product in the display area and wherein said display controller is adapted to proportionately attribute facing areas to each product in proportion to the portion of the storage area actually occupied by each product type based upon the portion determined by the processor.

12. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein the display controller is adapted to cause the display to present a minimum set of product information for each product in a portion of the display used for presenting product information for that product including at least two of product price information, product description, product unit price information and a product bar code for each product.

13. The electronic product identifier system of claim 12, wherein the product information for at least one product type is organized into more than one facing area for at least one of the products and with the display controller causing the minimum set of product information to be presented in one facing area proximate to the location of the products stored on the display and with supplemental product information being presented in another one of the facing areas.

14. The electronic product identifier system of claim 1, wherein the display provides a length of image forming pixel areas that corresponds to the length of the storage area.

15. An electronic product identifier system for use with a product storage area adapted to store more than one type of product arranged along a length of the storage area;

the electronic product identifier system comprising;

a display adapted to present product information for more than one product along the length of the storage area;

a plurality of electronic product identifiers, each associated with one of a supply of each product type to be stored in the storage area with each electronic product identifier being adapted to receive a polling signal and to generate a responsive electromagnetic signal containing information that identifies at least the product type of the product;

an electromagnetic sensing circuit having at least one transceiver for transmitting polling electromagnetic fields into the storage area proximate to the products arranged along the length so that at least one electronic product identifier in each product can generate a response, with the electromagnetic sensing circuit further comprising at least one receiver for receiving each responsive electromagnetic signal at two separated sensing locations;

a location circuit for determining a location in the storage area of each responsive electronic product identifier using the electromagnetic signals received;

a memory having data identifying a set of product types stored therein representing each product type that is to be stored using the storage area and identifying a portion of the display to be used for presenting product information for that type;

a comparator for determining whether each portion of the storage area is actually used for storing a supply of each product type proximate to the portion of the display to be used for presenting product information for that type of product; and

a display controller adapted to automatically cause product information for each product to be presented in the portion of the display proximate to area where products are located by the location circuit and to adapt the presentation of such information so that an observer of the display is capable of determining whether a product of that type is stored therein.

16. The electronic product identifier system of claim 15, wherein said memory is remote from the storage area and further comprising a data interface for exchanging data with the memory using a communication medium.

17. The electronic product identifier system of claim 16, wherein said comparator is remote from the storage area and wherein said data interface is further adapted to exchange data with the comparator.

18. The electronic product identifier system of claim 17, wherein said comparator is adapted to generate an alert signal when it is determined that what is stored in a portion of the storage area does not correspond to product information presented proximate to that portion of the storage area.

19. The electronic product identifier system of claim 15, wherein said comparator is adapted so that when there is no supply of a product type located in a portion of the storage area proximate to the portion of the display to be used to present product information and wherein the comparator provides signals that cause the display controller to have display present information indicating that there is no supply of this product in the storage area.

20. The electronic product identifier system of claim 15, wherein the display is located on a floor adjacent to the storage area.

21. The electronic product identifier system of claim 15, wherein said comparator is further adapted to determine when a product type is stored in a portion of the storage area associated with another product type and to provide a signal indicating this.