Electronic product information display system

• US 8,910,864 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Information Planning and Management Service Incorporated (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Information Planning and Management Service Incorporated (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Falls, S. Douglas, Dale, Ernest J., Matheson, Rod
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US13/843,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0295 Labels or tickets for tubes, pipes and the like
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels

Abstract

The invention discloses a printed label and a display shelf for a business establishment, including a display shelf having a length and at least one area on which at least one product is to be placed. The area has a length and a depth. The label includes product information printed thereon for identifying the at least one product for display on the shelf, and first and second space indicators for indicating a position, corresponding to a portion of the length of the shelf, at which the at least one product is to be placed. The label is constructed and arranged to have a predetermined length that is coextensive with the portion of the length of the area of the shelf on which the at least one product is to be placed. The first and second space indicators define the predetermined length. The first space indicator indicates where the portion of the length of the area of the shelf begins and the second space indicator indicates where the portion of the length of the area of the shelf ends.

Claims

1. A strip and a display shelf, the display shelf having at least a predetermined length for displaying at least first and second products and at least one area on which at least one product is to be placed, the area having a second length and a depth, the predetermined length including at least a first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length and a second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length, the strip having a length substantially corresponding to the predetermined length of the display shelf;

the strip further comprising;

i) at least first and second product information printed on the strip for identifying at least a first and second product, the at least first and second product information including at least first and second product price information and at least first and second product identification information for identifying to at least a consumer the at least first and second products for display on the shelf, and

ii) at least first indicia for indicating a beginning position and an end position, corresponding to the length of the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space at which the first product is to be placed, and at least second indicia for indicating a beginning position and an end position, corresponding to the length of the second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space at which the second product is to be placed,

wherein the first and second indicia are printed on the label.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the at least first indicia includes first and second space indicators located on the strip and defining a length coextensive with the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying the first product, the first space indicator indicating where the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space begins, and the second space indicator indicating where first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space ends.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the at least second indicia includes first and second space indicators located on the strip and defining a length coextensive with the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying the second product, the first space indicator indicating where the second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space begins, and the second space indicator indicating where second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space ends.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein the second space indicator for the first product is the same as the first space indicator for the second product.

5. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the at least first and second product identification information each includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a name of a respective product, a color, a machine readable code, graphics associated with the respective product, an advertisement, a coupon, a promotion, and combinations thereof.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length corresponds to a predetermined number of first product facings, and the second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length corresponds to a predetermined number of second product facings.

7. A method for creating strips for display shelves of a business establishment, comprising:

providing planogram information of products for display in one or more areas of a business establishment, wherein the planogram information includes information identifying products for display and identifying a corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying each product on a shelf;

providing information related to a predetermined number of shelves and the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space for the one or more areas for displaying the products identified by the planogram information;

apportioning the products identified by the planogram information to one or more of the predetermined number of shelves based on the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying each product; and

printing a strip for one or more shelves of the predetermined number of shelves, wherein strip information printed on each strip identifies at least first and second products to be displayed on a respective shelf, the strip being a defined predetermined length that is coextensive with at least a first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length and a second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length, the strip further comprising at least first indicia for indicating a position and length on the strip corresponding to the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length, and second indicia for indicating a position and length on the strip corresponding to the second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the planogram information includes a machine readable code for each product to be displayed in the area of the business establishment.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the strip information includes a machine readable code for each product or a machine readable code for the strip.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least first indicia includes first and second space indicators located on the strip and defining a length coextensive with the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying the first product, the first space indicator indicating where the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space begins, and the second space indicator indicating where first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space ends.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least second indicia includes first and second space indicators located on the strip and defining a length coextensive with the corresponding horizontal dimension of shelf space required for displaying the second product, the first space indicator indicating where the second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space begins, and the second space indicator indicating where second product'"'"'s allocated shelf space ends.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second space indicator for the first product is the same as the first space indicator for the second product.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the information printed on each strip includes control information for locating the respective shelf of the business establishment for attaching the respective strip thereto.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the control information comprises a machine readable code and/or information related to at least one of an area of the establishment, an aisle of the establishment, a gondola of the establishment, a bay of the establishment, or a shelf of the establishment.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein the strips are printed in planogram shelf-space order.

16. A shelf edge strip system for creating a shelf strip for a business establishment, comprising:

a database comprising planogram data for an area of a business establishment, wherein the database includes spacemap data for a product display area of the business establishment;

a strip editor for creating and editing one or more strips for affixing to one or more display shelves using at least one of the planogram data and spacemap data; and

a printer for printing the one or more strips, wherein the one or more strips each includes printed information for one or more products, and wherein each strip is constructed and arranged to be a defined predetermined length that is coextensive with an entire horizontal dimension of an area of space on a shelf for arranging a corresponding product thereon, the strip-further comprising at least first and second space indicia being printed on the strip and defining the predetermined length on the strip, wherein the first space indicia indicates where the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length begins, and the second space indicia indicates where the first product'"'"'s allocated shelf space length ends.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the spacemap data is contained in a second database.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a strip library.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the spacemap data includes information related to a store product floor plan.