COMPLIANCE SYSTEM FOR DISPLAY UNITS IN A RETAIL SETTING

• US 20150287045A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Original Assignee: Rock-Tenn Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen Robert, Lazo, Philip Alfonso
• Granted Patent: US 10,360,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system for monitoring compliance with a retail display program includes a beacon coupled to a promotional display structure. The beacon is configured to transmit a beacon signal that includes a beacon ID and is configured to be received by a user device. A database stores the beacon ID along with a specified retail facility and time period associated with the promotional display structure. A computing device is configured to receive a beacon data record at least partially generated by the user device. The beacon data record includes the beacon ID, a time stamp, and location-specific data associated with a retail facility in which the beacon data record is generated. The computing device is configured to compare the location-specific data and time stamp to the specified retail facility and time period to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified retail facility during the specified time period.

Claims

14. A method for monitoring compliance with a retail display program, the retail display program comprising a promotional display structure intended to be displayed at a specified retail facility during a specified time period, said method comprising:

transmitting a beacon signal from a beacon coupled to the promotional display structure, the beacon signal comprises a beacon ID, the beacon signal is configured to be received by a user device;

storing the beacon ID along with the specified retail facility and the specified time period associated with the promotional display structure in a database;

receiving a beacon data record at least partially generated by the user device, wherein the beacon data record comprises the beacon ID, a time stamp, and location-specific data associated with a retail facility in which the beacon data record is generated;

retrieving the specified retail facility and the specified time period linked to the beacon ID from the database;

comparing the location-specific data to the specified retail facility to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified retail facility; and

comparing the specified time period to the time stamp to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed during the specified time period.

1. A system for monitoring compliance with a retail display program, the retail display program comprising a promotional display structure intended to be displayed at a specified retail facility during a specified time period, said system comprising:

a beacon coupled to the promotional display structure, said beacon is configured to transmit a beacon signal, said beacon signal comprises a beacon ID, said beacon signal is configured to be received by a user device;

a database storing said beacon ID along with the specified retail facility and the specified time period associated with the promotional display structure; and

a computing device in communication with said database, said computing device is configured to;

receive a beacon data record at least partially generated by the user device, wherein the beacon data record comprises said beacon ID, a time stamp, and location-specific data associated with a retail facility in which the beacon data record is generated;

retrieve the specified retail facility and the specified time period linked to said beacon ID from said database;

compare the location-specific data to the specified retail facility to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified retail facility; and

compare the specified time period to the time stamp to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed during the specified time period.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the retail display program further comprises a specified location at which the promotional display structure is intended to be displayed within the specified retail facility, said system further comprising a reference beacon installed at a predetermined location in the retail facility, said reference beacon is configured to transmit a reference beacon signal, said reference beacon signal comprises a reference beacon ID, said reference beacon signal is configured to be received by the user device, wherein said database further links said beacon ID to the specified location and further stores said reference beacon ID along with the predetermined location, and wherein said beacon data record further comprises said reference beacon ID, said computing device is further configured to:

retrieve the specified location linked to said beacon ID from said database;

retrieve the predetermined location linked to said reference beacon ID from said database; and

compare the predetermined location to the specified location to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified location.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said beacon is embedded within a material from which the promotional display structure is fabricated.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said beacon includes a power source that is configured to activate automatically when the promotional display structure is erected.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said beacon is a low-energy Bluetooth device, and said beacon signal is configured to be read at a distance of up to approximately 150 feet from said beacon.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said beacon is configured such that a proximity of the user device to said beacon can be calculated from said beacon signal.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computing device is further configured to store the beacon data record in a set of beacon data records received from a plurality of user devices in each of a plurality of retail facilities involved in the retail display program.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said computing device is further configured to evaluate an effectiveness of the retail display program using the set of stored beacon data records.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said computing device is further configured to compare the set of stored beacon data records from one of the plurality of retail facilities to at least one of a known customer traffic pattern and a modeled customer traffic pattern for the one of the plurality of retail facilities.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said beacon is further configured to transmit a promotional message to the user device.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the promotional message includes an electronic coupon for a product associated with promotional display structure.

12. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the promotional message includes a uniform resource locator (“

URL”

) associated with a web page available on the World Wide Web.

13. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein the web page is configured to provide the user device with an application configured to at least partially generate the beacon data record.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the retail display program further comprises a specified location at which the promotional display structure is intended to be displayed within the specified retail facility, said method further comprising:

transmitting a reference beacon signal from a reference beacon installed at a predetermined location in the retail facility, the reference beacon signal comprises a reference beacon ID, the reference beacon signal is configured to be received by the user device, wherein receiving the beacon data record at least partially generated by the user device further comprises receiving the reference beacon ID;

linking in the database the beacon ID to the specified location and linking in the database the reference beacon ID to the predetermined location;

retrieving the specified location linked to the beacon ID from the database;

retrieving the predetermined location linked to the reference beacon ID from the database; and

comparing the predetermined location to the specified location to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified location.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising evaluating an effectiveness of the retail display program using the set of stored beacon data records.

17. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising comparing the set of stored beacon data records from one of the plurality of retail facilities to at least one of a known customer traffic pattern and a modeled customer traffic pattern for the one of the plurality of retail facilities.

18. A method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising transmitting a promotional message from the beacon to the user device.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein transmitting the promotional message comprises transmitting an electronic coupon for a product associated with promotional display structure.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18, wherein transmitting the promotional message comprises transmitting a uniform resource locator (“

URL”

) associated with a web page available on the World Wide Web.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the web page is configured to provide the user device with an application configured to at least partially generate the beacon data record.

15-1. A method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising storing the beacon data record in a set of beacon data records received from a plurality of user devices in each of a plurality of retail facilities involved in the retail display program.

22. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for monitoring compliance with a retail display program, the retail display program comprising a promotional display structure intended to be displayed at a specified retail facility during a specified time period, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

receive a beacon data record, wherein the beacon data record is at least partially generated by a user device in response to a beacon signal from a beacon coupled to the promotional display structure, and wherein the beacon data record comprises a beacon ID, a time stamp, and location-specific data associated with a retail facility in which the beacon data record is generated;

retrieve the specified retail facility and the specified time period associated with the promotional display structure from a database, wherein the database stores the beacon ID associated with the promotional display structure along with the specified retail facility and the specified time period;

compare the location-specific data to the specified retail facility to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified retail facility; and

compare the specified time period to the time stamp to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed during the specified time period.

23. A computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 22, wherein the retail display program further comprises a specified location at which the promotional display structure is intended to be displayed within the specified retail facility, the beacon ID is linked to the specified location in the database, and wherein a reference beacon is installed at a predetermined location in the retail facility, the reference beacon is configured to transmit a reference beacon signal, the reference beacon signal is configured to be received by the user device, the reference beacon signal comprises a reference beacon ID, the reference beacon ID is stored in the database along with the predetermined location, the beacon data record further comprises the reference beacon ID, the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

retrieve the specified location linked to the beacon ID from the database;

retrieve the predetermined location linked to the reference beacon ID from the database; and

compare the predetermined location to the specified location to determine whether the promotional display structure is displayed in the specified location.

24. A computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to store the beacon data record in a set of beacon data records received from a plurality of user devices in each of a plurality of retail facilities involved in the retail display program.

25. A computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to evaluate an effectiveness of the retail display program using the set of stored beacon data records.

26. A computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to compare the set of stored beacon data records from one of the plurality of retail facilities to at least one of a known customer traffic pattern and a modeled customer traffic pattern for the one of the plurality of retail facilities.