Intelligent marketing and advertising platform

• US 10,769,666 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2018
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cooler Screens Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cooler Screens Inc.
• Inventors: Avakian, Arsen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bekerman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US16/222,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20190122263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/68 Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0033 on refrigerated containers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

An intelligent marketing and advertising platform which provides an innovative merchandising solution for retailers by effectively transforming the glass surface of retail product containers (such as cooler doors) into a non-transparent display of planograms. The merchandising solution provides for digital planograms and pricing management, real time promotional updates and sales data, etc. This is accomplished by converting/transforming the simple glass surface of a retail product container (such as cooler/freezer doors) into digital “smart” screens that provide for innovative advertising solutions. The cooler/freezer doors are configured to use at least one camera to capture images when the doors are opened, in order to effectively take inventory of what is inside the cooler/freezer.

Claims

1. A door system for a retail cooling storage container, said door system comprising:

a non-transparent display on a surface of the retail cooling storage container that prohibits viewing of an internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container;

at least one camera pointing into internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container, wherein the non-transparent display displays different things depending on what is detected by the at least one camera;

a computer processor;

a tangible non-transitory computer memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the door system to;

receive, from the at least one camera, an inventory of one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container;

generate, by the processor, a planogram of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container;

display, on the non-transparent display, the planogram of the one or more retail products with current pricing information positioned alongside the one or more retail products on the planogram, wherein in a closed position, the non-transparent display blocks viewability from outside of the retail cooling storage container of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume;

display, on the non-transparent display, a promotion of a retail product of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume based on customer behavior analytics.

2. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein the door system is configured to be controlled by a controller that is networked with a plurality of other doors.

3. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one camera captures at least one image when a door with the non-transparent display is opened.

4. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one camera captures a plurality of images when a door with the non-transparent display is opened, the computer memory further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the door system to:

trigger, by the processor, the at least one camera to capture, at intervals when the door is opened, the plurality of images.

5. The door system of claim 4, wherein the triggering of the at least one camera at intervals occurs based on motion sensed by the at least one camera.

6. The door system of claim 4, wherein the triggering at intervals of the at least one camera occurs based on inputs received by one or more accelerometers affixed to the door, wherein the triggering depends on a swing state and location of the door.

7. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein a door with the non-transparent display has a back, wherein the at least one camera is mounted on the back of the door, wherein the at least one camera is tilted at an angle relative to the door.

9. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein a door with the non-transparent display comprises a mechanical frame, wherein the at least one camera is housed within an empty bezel space between the display and the mechanical frame.

10. The door system of claim 9, wherein three cameras are housed within the empty bezel space between the display and the mechanical frame at equal distances along a height of the door.

11. The door system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one camera starts taking images upon the at least one camera detecting a door with the non-transparent display being opened.

12. The door system as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one accelerometer on a door with the non-transparent display, wherein the at least one camera starts taking images upon the at least one accelerometer detecting the door being opened.

13. The door system of claim 1, the computer memory further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the door system to:

receive, via a customer-detecting hardware at the retail cooling storage container, activation of the non-transparent display to display the promotion of the retail product.

14. The door system of claim 1, the computer memory further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the door system to:

determine, based on the inventory of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container, that a particular product is missing;

send a signal to a content management system to update the planogram to indicate that the particular product is out of stock; and

display, on the non-transparent display, the updated planogram with the indication of out of stock.

15. The door system of claim 14, the computer memory further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the door system to:

notify, in response to determining that the particular product is missing, an inventory management system that re-stocking of the particular product in the retail cooling storage container is needed.

8. The door system of 7, wherein the at least one camera is tilted at a 45°

angle relative to the door and is mounted along an edge of a handle side of the door.

16. A method involving a movable, non-transparent display on a surface of a retail cooling storage container, the method comprising:

determining, by a processor using image recognition, an inventory of one or more retail products physically contained in the retail cooling storage container;

generate, by the processor, a planogram of the one or more retail products physically contained in the retail cooling storage container;

displaying, on at least one non-transparent display on a surface of the retail cooling storage container, the planogram of the one or more retail products with current pricing information positioned alongside the one or more retail products on the planogram, wherein in a closed position, the at least one non-transparent display blocks viewability from outside of the retail cooling storage container of the one or more retail products physically contained in the retail cooling storage container;

displaying, on the at least one non-transparent display on the surface of the retail cooling storage container, a promotion of a retail product of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume based on customer behavior analytics; and

transmitting, by the processor, data to a distributor and/or store regarding overall stock relating to the inventory of the one or more retail products.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the image recognition is performed by at least one camera mounted on the back of the movable, non-transparent display, wherein the at least one camera is tilted at an angle relative to the movable, non-transparent display, the method further comprising:

triggering, by the processor, the at least one camera to capture, at intervals when the movable, non-transparent display is opened, a plurality of images of the one or more retail products physically contained in the retail cooling storage container.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, the promotion of the retail product of the one or more retail products based on the customer behavior analytics, wherein the retail product is physically contained in the retail cooling storage container.

19. An apparatus for a retail cooling storage container comprising:

a non-transparent display on a surface of the retail cooling storage container that prohibits viewing of an internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container, wherein the non-transparent display has a back;

a plurality of cameras mounted relative to the back of the non-transparent display, wherein the at least one camera of the plurality of cameras is tilted at an angle relative to the back, wherein the at least one camera is tilted at a 45°

angle relative to the back and is mounted along an edge of the back, wherein the plurality of camera are pointing into the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container, and wherein the non-transparent display displays different things depending on what is detected by the plurality of cameras;

a computer processor;

a tangible non-transitory computer memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from the plurality of cameras, an inventory of one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container;

generate, by the processor, a planogram of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume of the retail cooling storage container;

display, on the non-transparent display, the planogram of the one or more retail products with current pricing information positioned alongside the one or more retail products on the planogram, wherein in a closed position, the non-transparent display blocks viewability from outside of the retail cooling storage container of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume;

and

display, on the non-transparent display, a promotion of a retail product of the one or more retail products physically contained in the internal storage volume based on customer behavior analytics.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein three cameras are housed within an empty bezel space between the non-transparent display and a mechanical frame at equal distances along a height of the back.