Electronic retail shelf pricing and promotional display modular system

• US 9,361,061 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Sinclair Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Sinclair Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Marx, David L., Sinclair, Craig M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELAI, NAOD W
• Application Number:
  US13/294,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20120120327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 348/840, 235/383, 235/385, 345/1.3, 340/9.1, 705/16, 705/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels

Abstract

There is provided an electronic display system for retail product displays including an electronic display apparatus, a controller, a database stored plan-o-gram data and associated devices.

Claims

1. An electronic display system comprising:

(A) an electronic display apparatus comprising two electronic display modules (EDMs) that are mountable to a shelf edge of a shelf and connectable to each other to provide a continuous display screen of uniform height extending along a contiguous portion of the shelf edge for providing product information about products on the shelf, the two EDMs including;

a first EDM mounted on a first part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge, the first EDM including;

(i) a display screen of the uniform height extending over the facing surface of the first EDM;

(ii) a male connector mounted on one end of the first EDM and electrically coupled to the display screen; and

(iii) a female connector mounted on another end of the first EDM and electrically coupled to the display screen; and

at least a second EDM mounted on a second part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge so that the second EDM is adjacent to the first EDM, the second EDM including a display screen of the uniform height;

wherein a male connector of the second EDM engages the female connector of the first EDM such that;

(i) the display screens of the first and second EDMs define the continuous display screen of the uniform height extending along the contiguous portion of the shelf edge, and (ii) a physical connection is established between the first and second EDMs that operates as a path for power transmission to provide power from the first EDM to the second EDM or from the second EDM to the first EDM, wherein the path for transmission is a parallel configuration so that when the first EDM becomes inoperative the second EDM remains operative and when the second EDM becomes inoperative the first EDM remains operative;

(B) a controller coupled to the electronic display apparatus, the controller operable for communication with each of the first and second EDMs; and

(C) a database of stored plan-o-gram data including product placement information indicating a product is located on the shelf, the database coupled to the controller, wherein (i) the controller receives from the database data identifying a product located on the shelf, wherein the product is identified based on the product placement information indicating that the product is located on the shelf, and (ii) the controller causes at least one of the first EDM and the second EDM to display product information for the identified product on the shelf.

2. The electronic display system of claim 1, further comprising a point-of-sale database coupled to the controller,

wherein the controller receives from the point-of-sale database data representing a product price for the identified product on the shelf;

wherein the product information displayed by the electronic display apparatus includes the product price for the identified product on the shelf;

wherein the controller causes the electronic display apparatus to display the product price for the identified product on the shelf by;

(i) causing the first EDM to display the product price when the product placement information indicates that the identified product has a product shelf location corresponding to the shelf edge on which the first EDM is mounted; and

(ii) causing the second EDM to display the product price when the product placement information indicates that the identified product has a product shelf location corresponding to the shelf edge on which the second EDM is mounted.

3. The electronic display system of claim 2, further comprising product inventory data stored in the point-of-sale database and plan-o-gram database, wherein changes in product inventory data is communicated to the controller, in real time.

4. The electronic display system of claim 2, further comprising a network, the network coupled to the controller, the plan-o-gram database, and the point-of-sale database, wherein the network updates product information in one of the controller, the plan-o-gram database, and the point-of-sale database.

5. The electronic display system of claim 1, wherein the controller causes the first and second EDMs to display, via the continuous display screen defined by the first and second EDMs, a full-color, full-motion video electronic display according to display data provided by the controller along an array formed by the adjacent, coupled EDMs.

6. The electronic display system of claim 1, wherein the controller causes only one of the first and second EDMs to display a full-color, full-motion video electronic display according to display data provided by the controller.

7. An electronic display system comprising:

(A) an electronic display apparatus comprising two electronic display modules (EDMs) that are mountable to a gondola edge and connectable to each other to provide a continuous display screen of uniform height extending along a contiguous portion of the gondola edge for providing product information about products on the gondola, the two EDMs including;

a first EDM mounted on a first part of the contiguous portion of the gondola edge, the first EDM including;

(i) a display screen of the uniform height;

(ii) a male connector mounted on one end of the first EDM and electrically coupled to the display screen;

(iii) a female connector mounted on another end of the first EDM and electrically coupled to the display screen; and

at least a second EDM mounted on a second part of the contiguous portion of the gondola edge so that the second EDM is adjacent to the first EDM, the second EDM including a display screen of the uniform height;

wherein a male connector of the second EDM engages the female connector of the first EDM such that;

(i) the display screens of the first and second EDMs define the continuous display screen of the uniform height extending along the contiguous portion of the gondola edge, and (ii) a physical connection is established between the first and second EDMs that operates as a path for power transmission to provide power from the first EDM to the second EDM or from the second EDM to the first EDM, wherein the path for transmission is a parallel configuration so that when the first EDM becomes inoperative the second EDM remains operative and when the second EDM becomes inoperative the first EDM remains operative;

(B) a controller coupled to the electronic display apparatus, the controller operable for communication with each of the first and second EDMs, wherein electric power and display data is provided to each of the first and second EDM; and

(C) a database of stored plan-o-gram data including product placement information indicating a product is located on the gondola, the database coupled to the controller, wherein (i) the controller receives from the database data identifying a product located on the gondola, wherein the product is identified based on the product placement information indicating that the product is located on the gondola, and (ii) the controller causes at least one of the first EDM and the second EDM to display product information for the identified product on the gondola.

8. The electronic display system of claim 7, further comprising a point-of-sale database coupled to the controller,

wherein the controller receives from the point-of-sale database data representing a product price for the identified product on the gondola;

wherein the product information displayed by the electronic display apparatus includes the product price for the identified product on the gondola;

wherein the controller causes the electronic display apparatus to display the product price for the identified product on the gondola by;

(i) causing the first EDM to display the product price when the product placement information indicates that the identified product has a gondola location corresponding to a gondola location where the first EDM is mounted; and

(ii) causing the second EDM to display the product price when the product placement information indicates that the identified product has a gondola location corresponding to a gondola location where the second EDM is mounted.

9. The electronic display system of claim 8, further comprising product inventory data stored in the point-of-sale database and plan-o-gram database, wherein changes in the product inventory data is communicated to the controller, in real time.

10. The electronic display system of claim 8, further comprising a network, the network coupled to the controller, the plan-o-gram database, and the point-of-sale database, wherein the network updates product information in one of the controller, the plan-o-gram database, and the point-of-sale database.

11. The electronic display system of claim 7, wherein the controller causes the first and second EDMs to display, via the continuous display screen defined by the first and second EDMs, a full-color, full-motion video electronic display according to display data provided by the controller along an array formed by the adjacent, coupled EDMs.

12. The electronic display system of claim 7, wherein the controller causes only one of the first and second EDMs to display a full-color, full-motion video electronic display according to display data provided by the controller.

13. The electronic display system of claim 7, wherein the first and second EDMs are each mounted on a shelf edge of a shelf of the gondola.

14. The electronic display system of claim 7, wherein the first and second EDMs are each mounted vertically on an end-cap of the gondola.

15. A method of promoting retail products on a shelf in a retail store, the method comprising:

attaching to a shelf edge of a shelf an electronic display apparatus comprising two electronic display modules (EDMs) that are shelf mountable and connectable to each other to provide a continuous display screen of uniform height extending along a contiguous portion of the shelf edge for providing product information about products on the shelf, by;

(A) attaching a first EDM to a first part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge, the first EDM including a display screen of uniform height extending over the facing surface of the first EDM; and

(B) attaching a second EDM to a second part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge immediately adjacent to the first EDM, the second EDM including a display screen of the uniform height extending over the facing surface of the second EDM;

coupling an end of each EDM together such that a physical connection is established between the first and second EDMs that operates as a path for power transmission to provide power from the first EDM to the second EDM or from the second EDM to the first EDM, wherein the first and second EDM are in physical proximity such that the display screens of the first and second EDMs define the continuous display screen of the uniform height extending along the contiguous portion of the shelf edge; and

coupling each of the first EDM and the second EDM to a controller, the controller operable for communication with each of the first and second EDM;

receiving at the controller data identifying a product located on the shelf, wherein the received data is received from a database of stored plan-o-gram data including product placement information, wherein the product is identified based on the product placement information indicating that the product is located on the shelf; and

based on the display data;

displaying at the first EDM, the second EDM, or both the first and second EDM, product information for a product on the shelf.

16. The method of promoting retail products on a shelf of claim 15, further comprising:

coupling a plan-o-gram database and point-of-sale database to the controller, wherein the controller receives from the point-of-sale database data representing a product price for the product on the shelf;

wherein the displayed product information includes the product price for the product on the shelf; and

wherein displaying, by at least one of the first and second EDMs, the product price for the product on the shelf includes;

(i) when product placement information stored at the plan-o-gram database indicates that the product on the shelf has a product shelf location corresponding to the shelf edge where the first EDM is mounted;

displaying, by the first EDM, the product price; and

(ii) when product placement information stored at the plan-o-gram database indicates that the product on the shelf has a product shelf location corresponding to the shelf edge where the second EDM is mounted;

displaying, by the second EDM, the product price.

17. The method of promoting retail products on a shelf of claim 16, further comprising:

coupling the controller to a network, wherein the network updates product information in one of the controller, the plan-o-gram database, and the point-of-sale database.

18. The method of promoting retail products on a shelf of claim 15, wherein the shelf is a shelf of a gondola, and wherein attaching the first EDM to the first part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge and attaching the second EDM to the second part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge comprises:

mounting the first and second EDMs on the shelf edge of the shelf of the gondola.

19. The method of promoting retail products on a shelf of claim 15, wherein the shelf is an end-cap shelf for a gondola, and wherein attaching the first EDM to the first part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge and attaching the second EDM to the second part of the contiguous portion of the shelf edge comprises:

mounting the first and second EDMs on the end-cap shelf of the gondola.

20. The method of promoting retail products on a shelf of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring each of the first and second EDMs to display a full-color, full-motion video electronic display of data provided by the controller along the entire array of adjacent, coupled EDMs.