System and methods for tracking consumers in a store environment

• US 20070067222A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Marshall Haine, Mary Scheid, Ronald Godsey
• Original Assignee: Marshall Haine, Mary Scheid, Ronald Godsey
• Inventors: Scheid, Mary, Godsey, Ronald, Haine, Marshall
• Application Number:
  US11/602,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/23
• 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 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A virtual store environment is provided.

Claims

1. A system for tracking a plurality of product containers in a store environment and generating a track through the store environment representative of a continuous path followed by each of the product containers to a point-of-sale location, the system comprising:

the plurality of product containers;

a plurality of identification tags each of which is associated with and uniquely identifies one of the product containers;

a plurality of sensors in the store environment each of which has a region associated therewith within which the identification tags are detected, at least one of the plurality of sensors having within its associated region the point-of-sale location; and

a processor configured to receive location data from the plurality of sensors and generate the track therefrom.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of containers comprises at least one of shopping carts, shopping baskets, and shopping bags.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of identification tags comprises active transmitters.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of identification tags comprises detectable patterns.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the detectable pattern comprises a UPC code.

6. The system of claim 7 wherein the passive sensors comprise at least one of infrared radiation detectors and radio frequency detectors.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprise active sensors for detecting patterns associated with the identification tags.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the active sensors comprise UPC code scanners.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of heat detectors for detecting human heat signatures associated with the plurality of containers.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to use heat signature data from the heat detectors to generate the track.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one starting location sensor associated with a starting region in the store environment, the track being considered valid only where the track begins in the starting region.

12. A computer-implemented method for determining effects of changing parameters in a store environment, comprising:

generating a first plurality of tracks through the store environment, each of the first plurality of tracks being representative of a continuous path followed by each of a first plurality of product containers to a point-of-sale location before one or more store environment parameters is changed;

generating a second plurality of tracks through the store environment, each of the second plurality of tracks being representative of a continuous path followed by each of a second plurality of product containers to a point-of-sale location after the one or more store environment parameters is changed; and

analyzing the first and second plurality of tracks to determine relationships between the one or more store environment parameters and one or more of the effects.

13. A database comprising data corresponding to tracks through a store environment, each track being representative of a continuous path followed by each of a plurality product containers, the tracks being generated from location data for each of the plurality of product containers using a plurality of sensors, each track being generated from the location data only where the location data for the corresponding product container satisfies at least one validity criterion.