Retail environment

• US 7,686,217 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Heckel, Thomas B., Schwartz, Robyn R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US11/834,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A retail store has responsive environment apparatus installed which is controlled by processing apparatus. Trigger event sensors coupled to the processing apparatus, are positioned throughout the store. When customers enter and move about the store, the processing apparatus senses various trigger events and in response thereto creates a micro-environment in the vicinity of each customer, catering to the characteristics of that customer. The micro-environment physically moves as the customer moves about the store. The micro-environment is dynamic in that it is engaged in a continual response loop based on the response trigger events of the customer throughout this interactive cycle with the micro-environment.

Claims

1. A method of operating a retail store, comprising the steps of:

providing responsive environment apparatus in a store building;

providing a plurality of trigger event sensors positioned throughout said store building, each of said trigger event sensors comprising a motion, light, sound, video, manually triggered, or radio frequency detector;

sensing trigger events associated with a plurality of individual customers, and therefrom actuating said apparatus to provide a separate micro-environment customized to each of said plurality of individual customers and wherein said micro-environment for each of said individual customers moves physically about said store building as the associated individual customer moves about said store building;

wherein said responsive environment apparatus is adapted to enforce a change event in the vicinity of said individual customers; and

wherein said change event is selected from the group consisting of temperature changes, audio changes, store associate interaction changes, display of how said individual customer purchased in the past, and display of how said individual customer wants information needed to make a decision, delivered.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said micro-environment moves about in a manner to remain positioned nearby said associated individual customer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of actuating said apparatus using a computer processor programmed to sense said trigger event sensors, access a database of customer experiences driven by business rules, and make actuating decisions therefrom using micro-environment algorithms.