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WO2001048717A2 - Retail systems and methods employing a shelf display to provide purchase incentives - Google Patents

Retail systems and methods employing a shelf display to provide purchase incentives Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001048717A2
WO2001048717A2 PCT/US2000/042671 US0042671W WO0148717A2 WO 2001048717 A2 WO2001048717 A2 WO 2001048717A2 US 0042671 W US0042671 W US 0042671W WO 0148717 A2 WO0148717 A2 WO 0148717A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
signal
card
customer
shelf
product
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/042671
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2001048717A3 (en
Inventor
Ken R. Powell
Original Assignee
Softcard Systems, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Softcard Systems, Inc. filed Critical Softcard Systems, Inc.
Priority to AU50764/01A priority Critical patent/AU5076401A/en
Publication of WO2001048717A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001048717A2/en
Publication of WO2001048717A3 publication Critical patent/WO2001048717A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
    • G07F7/02—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
    • G06Q20/343—Cards including a counter
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
    • G07G1/00—Cash registers
    • G07G1/0036—Checkout procedures

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a commercial system and, more particularly, to a system and method of issuing discounts in an incentive program.
  • Product promotions employing price discounts are a popular means to stimulate sales of products such as grocery store items.
  • One type of product promotion is a discount coupon. It has been estimated that in-store couponing coupled with advertising increases sales by 544%.
  • a method for a system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf.
  • the method comprises receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; processing the first signal to access demographic data: and displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
  • a processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf.
  • the processing system comprises means for receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; means for processing the first signal to access demographic data: and means, supported by the shelf, for displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
  • a processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf.
  • the processing system comprises a receiver that receives a first signal from a customer in the store; a processor that accesses demographic data in the first signal; a display supported by the shelf; and a first generator that generates a display signal for the display, the display signal indicating a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product, the first generator generating the display signal in response to the demographic data.
  • a system for a shelf, units of a product supported by the shelf for operating with a plurality of portable cards comprises a card-writer with circuitry configured to selectively write a second signal to the first card, depending on whether the second signal corresponds to a first signal on the card, the first signal representing demographic information; a display for displaying the second signal from the shelf, a card-reader with circuitry configured to send second signals from the first card; a signal generator that generates a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase; and a determiner an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal from the card-reader.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a plan view of the retail store in accordance with a first preferred embodiment.
  • Figs. 3A and 3B are another type of view of a part of the first preferred retail store.
  • Figs. 4A and 4B are the other type of view of another part of the first preferred retail store.
  • Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a process performed in the first preferred system.
  • Figs. 6A and 6B are a flow chart showing part of the process of Fig. 5 in more detail.
  • Figs. 7A, 7B. and 7C are enlarged views of some products shown in Figs. 4A and 4B.
  • Fig. 8 is a diagram of a shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing a first customer card.
  • Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a process performed by the shelf units shown in Fig. 3 A and 3B.
  • Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the first customer card.
  • Fig. 11 is a diagram of some records on the first customer card.
  • Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a check-out station shown in Fig. 4A.
  • Fig. 13 is a block diagram of the shelf unit shown in Fig. 8.
  • Fig. 14 is a more detailed diagram of some memory contents of the shelf unit.
  • Fig. 15 is a diagram of some records on a second customer card.
  • Fig. 16 is a diagram of the shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing the second customer card.
  • Fig. 17 is a diagram of a table for controlling coupon processing during store checkout transactions.
  • Fig. 18 is a diagram of a second shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing the first customer card.
  • Fig. 19 is a diagram of some memory contents of the second shelf unit.
  • Fig. 20 is a diagram of the second shelf unit after processing the customer card.
  • FIG. 1 shows commercial system 1 in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • System 1 includes grocery stores 62, 64. 66.
  • Geographic area 15 encompasses store 62, home 2. home 3. and home 7.
  • Geographic area 15 includes one or more postal zip code areas.
  • Geographic area 17 encompasses store 66, home 7, home 9. and home 6. Geographic area 17 includes one or postal zip code areas.
  • Geographic area 19 encompasses store 64, home 5, home 10. and home 8. Geographic area 19 includes one or more postal zip code areas.
  • FIG. 1 shows a plan view of store 64.
  • Shelves 1 1, 12, 21, 22, 31. and 32 include product areas l l l, 121, 110. 120, 130. 141 , 151, 161, 140, 150, 160 , 171. 181. 170, 180, and 190.
  • Each product area includes a plurality of units of a respective product. For example, product area 110 has Easy brand diapers, product area 120 has Old World brand pasta, and product area 130 has Cool brand cola.
  • Figs. 3A, and 3B are each a partial view of 64.
  • Customers 210. 220, 230, 240, 270, 280, 290, 390, 470, 480, and 490 shop in store 64.
  • checkout stations 300, 301. and 302 include a UPC bar code reader that detects an optical (electromagnetic) signal reflected from a UPC bar code symbol.
  • Checkout station 300 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314.
  • checkout station 301 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314, and checkout station 302 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314.
  • circuitry encompasses dedicated hardware, and/or programmable hardware, such as a CPU or reconfigurable logic array, in combination with programming data, such as sequentially fetched CPU instructions or programming data for a reconfigurable array.
  • Fig. 5 shows a processing performed in system 1.
  • One of stores 62. 64. or 66 selectively writes a coupon onto the customer card from a product shelf (step 10), and displays a message from the product shelf depending on demographic data on the card (step 15).
  • demographic data includes data about, or derived from, characteristics of individuals and households date of birth (age), gender, marital status, number of persons in the household, age categories of persons in household, number of pets in household, phone numbers, level of education, type of education degree, location of residence, tax and property records, languages spoken, income, employer, job description, or job title.
  • Location of residence may include a full postal address, or may simply include more general location information such as neighborhood, zip code, city, county, state, or region.
  • Demographic data also includes data about, or derived from, customer-specified preferences, interests, or habits such as types of foods, sizes, shapes, colors, sports such as tennis or golf, and reading topics. Customer-specified preferences, interests, or habits may be received from applications or more general surveys.
  • demographic data may be derived from a survey or application response relating to purchase histories.
  • demographic data may include whether a customer indicates that he is the ''primary shopper * ' shopper for his household, meaning that the customer usually performs most of the shopping for his household; or whether a customer indicates that he is a "secondary shopper" shopper for his household, meaning that someone other than customer usually performs most of the shopping for his household.
  • Demographic data excludes data derived by retailers, or other commercial entities, by recording actual purchase transactions of individuals or households. For example, demographic data excludes retailer-recorded, customer points earned by past product purchases.
  • each customer Upon completion of shopping, each customer brings selected products from the shelves to checkout stations 300. 301. or 302.
  • a customer such as customer 290 completes the purchase of her selected products 293 by transferring products 293 from her cart 292 to station 300, and by presenting card 295 for insertion into card interface slot 314:
  • customer 270 completes the purchase of her selected products 273 by transferring products 273 from her cart 272 to station 300, and by presenting card 275;
  • customer 280 completes the purchase of her selected products 283 by transferring products 283 from her cart 282 to station 300, and by presenting card 285;
  • customer 390 completes the purchase of her selected products 393 by transferring products 393 from her cart 392 to station 301, and by presenting card 395;
  • customer 490 completes the purchase of his selected products 493 by transferring products 493 from his
  • a checkout clerk (not shown) scans each selected product past bar code reader 310, or enters the product selection information manually via keyboard 318.
  • Station 300 thus detects products selected by the customer. After station 300 determines a basic price for a product by processing a message received from computer 40, station 300 displays the description of the product and product price on display 317. Station 300 scans and processes each product 293 in a similar manner. Checkout station 300 determines a total amount due and prints the total amount due on display 317 and on the customer's paper receipt.
  • Figs. 6A and 6B show the processing of step 5 of Fig. 5 in more detail.
  • Station 300 detects a product selected by a customer, by receiving a UPC product code from bar code reader 310 or keyboard 318. (step 5).
  • Station 300 determines a price for the product, by processing a message from financial computer 40. (step 10). If the checkout transaction for the current customer is complete (step 25), station 300 determines a total amount due depending on the sum of the product prices from the various executions of step 10, minus any product discounts.
  • Station 300 displays this total amount due on display 317 and the customer ' s receipt tape. (Step 35).
  • FIGs. 3 A and 3B some of the product areas have a respective shelf unit for writing an electronic coupon onto a customer card.
  • Product Area 110 has Shelf unit 1 15.
  • Product Area 120 has Shelf unit 125.
  • Product Area 130 has Shelf unit 135.
  • Product Area 110 has boxes of diapers 112 grouped together on multiple shelves. Boxes of diapers 1 12 are contiguously grouped, meaning that no other product is between any two boxes of diapers 112. No other product is between shelf unit 1 15 and boxes of diapers 112. Shelf unit 1 15 is on a shelf under some of the boxes 112 and over some of the boxes 112. In other words, Shelf unit 115 is adjacent to boxes 112 and supported by a shelf that is in vertical alignment with some of the boxes 112.
  • Fig. 7A shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes of diapers 1 12.
  • Each box of diapers has a common Universal Product Code (UPC) symbol 114.
  • Symbol 1 14 encodes a 12-digit UPC number that is part of a product identification system documented by the Uniform Code Council, Inc., Dayton, OH. The first digit is a number system character, which in this case is 0. The next five digits are a company number, which is sometimes called a manufacturer ID. The next 5 digits are an item number. The last digit is a check digit.
  • UPC Universal Product Code
  • Each UPC symbol 1 14 is a group of parallel lines that encodes a number (0 17075 00003 3) that uniquely identifies Easy Diapers, 17075 being the UPC company number of the Easy Corporation. In other words, symbol 1 14 is different from UPC symbols of units of other products.
  • Each box of diapers 1 12 also has a common character label 1 13 that verbally describes the product. Character label 113 is "EASY DIAPERS.” Label 1 13 is different from labels of units of other products.
  • Product Area 120 has boxes of Old World brand pasta 122 contiguously grouped together on multiple shelves.
  • Fig. 7B shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes of pasta 122.
  • Each box of pasta 122 has a common UPC symbol 124, which is a group of parallel lines that encodes a number (0 17031 00005 3) that uniquely identifies Old World pasta, 17031 being the UPC company number of the Alpha Imports Corporation. In other words, symbol 124 is different from UPC symbols of units of other products.
  • Each box of pasta 122 also has a common character label 123 that verbally describes the product. Character label 123 is "OLD WORLD PASTA.” Label 123 is different from labels of units of other products.
  • Product Area 130 has bottles of Cool brand cola 132 grouped together on multiple shelves.
  • Fig. 7C shows an enlarged view of some of the bottles of cola 132.
  • Each bottle of cola 132 has a common UPC symbol 134, which is a group of parallel lines that encode a number (0 17054 1017 6) that uniquely identifies Cool brand cola, 17054 being the UPC company number of the Beta Corporation. In other words, symbol 134 is different from
  • Each box 132 also has a common character label 133 that verbally describes the product. Character label 133 is "Cool brand cola.” Label 133 is different from labels of other products.
  • product area 140 has bottles of ABC brand ketchup 142 contiguously grouped together, and shelf unit 145.
  • Product area 150 has boxes of Fido brand dog food 152 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit.
  • Product area 160 has loaves of Boxer brand bread 162 contiguously grouped together, and shelf unit 165.
  • Product area 170 has cartons of Clover brand milk 172 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit.
  • Product area 180 has packages of Chicago brand bacon 182, and no shelf unit.
  • Product area of 190 has packages of Clover brand butter 192 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit.
  • Product area 1 1 1 has boxes of XYZ brand paper napkins contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 121 has rolls of XYZ brand paper towel contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 141 has boxes of Wheat brand crackers contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 151 has Tropical brand canned fruit contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 161 has V brand canned vegetables contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 171 has cans of Chicago brand meat contiguously grouped together.
  • Product area 181 has boxes of Mill brand flour contiguously grouped together.
  • Fig. 8 shows shelf unit 1 15, including liquid crystal display (LCD) 360, and interface slot 352. Shelf unit 1 15 has no external wires connecting shelf unit 115 to another device.
  • conductive contact 354 inside interface slot 352 touches a contact on the customer card.
  • Interface slot 352 has other contacts (not shown) for touching the other card contacts.
  • a card may store one or more entries for recording information about a customer or a customer's household.
  • shelf unit 115 may store a plurality of different types of coupons for a common product, each coupon having a different discount amount. Shelf unit 115 may select one of the coupon types depending on data on the customer's card.
  • Fig. 9 shows a processing performed by Shelf Unit 1 15.
  • shelf unit 1 15 selects a first coupon type for examination (Step 5).
  • Shelf unit 115 examines data from the customer card to determine whether the customer meets the criteria for receiving the currently examined coupon. (Step 10). If the customer does not meet the requirements for the current coupon, shelf unit 1 15 determines whether there are coupons remaining (step 15). If there are coupons remaining, shelf unit 115 examines the remaining coupon types to determine whether the customer meets the requirements for receiving one of the remaining coupon types. (Steps 20, 10. etc.). If the customer does meet the requirements for receiving one of the coupon types dismissible by shelf unit 115, shelf unit 1 15 sends the coupon to the customer card (Step 25).
  • step 30 displays a message to the customer indicating the discount quantity of the coupon received.
  • step 30 may also display information about the customer, such as the demographic category that made the customer eligible for the coupon. Thus, in essence, step 30 may also display demographic data. If the customer is not eligible to receive any of the coupons dispensable by shelf unit 1 15, shelf unit 1 15 displays a message to inform the customer that the products is available for the standard listed price. (Step 22).
  • the customer also removes the product from the shelf and places the removed product into her cart.
  • a customer may bring selected products from the shelves to checkout station 300, 301, or 302, as described above.
  • a customer may redeem the electronic coupons received from a shelf unit by presenting her customer card, allowing the store clerk to insert the presented card into smart card reader/writer 315.
  • Station 300, 301 , or 302 then reads the coupon offers from the card.
  • Station 300 for example, performs electronic coupon redemption, by processing the selected products in the context of coupon information from the customer's card to determine discount eligibility.
  • station 300 determines a basic price for each product by processing a message received from computer 40.
  • Station 300 processes electronic coupons from a customer card, to deduct any discounts from the basic price to calculate and display a total amount due.
  • station 300 voids the shelf unit coupons on the card and the clerk is notified to remove the customer's card from slot 314 and return it to the customer.
  • Fig. 10 is a block diagram of customer card 215, including CPU 450, and memory 460.
  • Memory 460 includes three addressable segments: nonvolatile read only memory
  • ROM read only memory
  • EEPROM electrically erasable memory
  • Station interface 425 includes a serial to parallel converter for transferring data signals between contacts, on the exterior of card 215, and CPU 450 over parallel bus 452.
  • ROM 461 stores a program 465 executed by CPU 450.
  • EEPROM 462 stores customer card identification data 467.
  • Customer card identification data 467 is a 6 byte field that uniquely identifies the card. For example, identification data 467 in customer card 235 uniquely identifies the card held by customer 230.
  • EEPROM 462 also stores demographic data table 404.
  • EEPROM 462 also stores coupon table 465 (product pricing data) received from one or more shelf units. When a customer inserts a customer card into a shelf unit, card
  • CPU 450 may receive a coupon code for the product from the shelf unit and add the code to table 465.
  • FIG. 1 1 shows a simplified, abstract, view of demographic data table 404 and coupon table 435.
  • Demographic data table 404 is a data structure within other data structures in EEPROM 462.
  • Each row in table 404 represents an entry in table 404, and each of the two columns represents a field within each entry.
  • the entry on the left is a demographic category identification (ID) field.
  • the entry on the right is a value field representing a value, or list of values, identified by the left field.
  • ID demographic category identification
  • Coupon table 435 is a data structure within other data structures in EEPROM 462 of customer card 215. Each row in table 435 represents an entry in table 435. Each entry includes a 4 hexadecimal digit coupon number. Table 435 has three entries, representing that customer 210 has received three electronic coupons from coupon dispensing devices. The entry having the coupon number 1317 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of a box of Old World Pasta 122. The entry having the coupon number 0054 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of a bottle of Cool brand cola 134. The entry having the number 3657 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of diaper boxes 1 12.
  • Fig. 12 is a block diagram of checkout station 300.
  • Programmable hardware 339 executes software instructions 340 in memory hardware 303.
  • Cash register keyboard 318 allows manual entry of alpha-numeric data.
  • Bar code reader 310 generates a bar code signal, and sends the bar code signal to hardware 339.
  • Poll display 317 displays product data in response to signals from hardware 339.
  • Hardware 339 and software instructions 340 act to receive electronic coupons from a customer card, via reader/writer 315.
  • Memory hardware 303 stores redemption control table 347, which enables hardware 339 to determine if a product has a corresponding electronic coupon offer.
  • Fig. 13 shows a block diagram of shelf unit 1 15, including CPU 247, nonvolatile memory 248, card contact interface 252, and battery 249.
  • Memory 248 stores program
  • Memory 248 may include sections of ROM and EEPROM.
  • Fig. 14 shows offer table 251.
  • Each box in table 251 represents an entry in table
  • Each of the four rows in each box represents a field in each entry.
  • the first row represents a coupon ID field.
  • the second row represents a demographic category ID field.
  • the third row represents an arithmetic expression to be evaluated by CPU 247 if the cardholder has an entry for the demographic category ID of the second row.
  • VALUE is an array that accesses the second field of entries in table 404 of the customer card.
  • VALUE[1] is the first value in the second field of an entry in table 404. If the entry has more than one value.
  • VALUE[2] accesses the second entry, VALUE[3] accesses any third entry, VALUE[4] accesses the fourth entry, etc.
  • the variable CURRENT_DATE has a value of the current date, which is maintained by shelf unit 215.
  • the expression in the third field of the second entry in table 251 calculates a child ' s age by subtracting the child's birth date from the current date, and compares the age to 540 days, which is approximately 18 months.
  • the second and third rows of each of the 3 entries in Fig. 14 include logic for receiving and processing demographic data in shelf unit 1 15, to dispense various discounts for diapers.
  • the fourth row represents a message field to be displayed if shelf unit 1 15 sends the coupon to a customer.
  • CPU 247 When a person inserts a card into slot 352 of shelf unit 1 15, a switch (not shown) in slot 352 alerts CPU 247 that a card has been inserted into the slot. Subsequently, CPU 247 causes contact interface electronics 252 to reset the card. CPU 252 then receives a header record and table 404 from the card. CPU 247 examines an entry in table 251. (See Fig. 9 step 5). CPU 247 decides that the customer is eligible to receive the coupon of the current entry in table 251 if and only if one of two conditions is satisfied. The first condition is that the demographic category ID of the current entry is ANY.
  • the second condition is that one of the category ID fields of table 404 matches the category ID of the current entry in table 251, and the value field of any such matching entry in table 404 causes the expression in the current entry in table 251 to evaluate to TRUE. (See Fig. 9 step 10).
  • the demographic category ID of the current entry of table 251 is ANY
  • the customer is ipso facto entitled to receive the coupon of the current entry, regardless of demographic data in table 404.
  • CPU 247 decides that the customer is eligible to receive the coupon of the current entry in table 251 if the demographic category ID field of the current entry of table 251 is equal to ANY. For this reason, if an entry in table 251 has a category ID of ANY, such an entry should be located in the last position in table 251, to allow the logic of steps 10. 15. and 20 of Fig. 9 to find any relevant demographic entries in table 251.
  • CPU 247 If the customer card satisfies the criteria for an entry in table 251. CPU 247 appends the coupon ID field of the matching entry to coupon table 435 on the customer card. CPU 247 then sends the message field of the matching entry in table 251 to LCD display 360. (See Fig. 9 step 30).
  • unit 1 15 when customer 210 presents card 215 to shelf unit 1 15, unit 1 15 effects the third entry in table 251 by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 10% OFF" on LCD display 360 and writing 3657 into table 435 of card 215. More specifically, table 404 does not contain the demographic category
  • step 10 of Fig. 9 selects the third entry of table 251. having ANY for the demographic category.
  • unit 1 15 effects the second entry in table 251 by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 20% OFF BECAUSE YOU ARE SHOPPING FOR A GROWING
  • HOUSEHOLD on LCD display 360 and writing 3659 into table 435' of card 235.
  • Fig. 15 shows a simplified, abstract, view of table 404' and coupon table 435' stored on customer card 235.
  • the current date is April 2, 2002.
  • Company table 404' has a BIRTH_DATE_OF_YOUNGEST_CHILD entry having a value of April 4, 2001. The difference between this value and the current date is 363, which is less than
  • Fig. 16 shows shelf unit 115 after customer 230 presents card 235 to shelf unit 1 15.
  • customer 210 when customer 210 interacts with shelf unit 115, customer 210 receives 10% off. as table 404 does not have the child age data required for a higher value coupon. In contrast, customer 230 receives a higher value coupon because table 404' does include child age data and the child age data is within a range that satisfies the logic in the second entry in Fig. 14.
  • Fig. 17 is a simplified diagram of redemption control table 347 stored in card interface station 300. Each row in Fig. 17 represents an entry in table 347. and each of the
  • a redemption control table may include additional entries for additional coupon offers, and additional fields for recording other types of information.
  • the first field in Fig. 17 is a coupon ID stored as 4 hexadecimal digits.
  • the second field is a UPC product code corresponding to the coupon ID.
  • the second field is stored as binary coded decimal.
  • the third field is a reward type.
  • a reward type of 2 represents a percent off coupon, and a reward type of 0 represents a cents off coupon.
  • the fourth field in Fig. 17 is the reward quantity.
  • the first entry shows a reward of 50 cents off because the reward type is 0.
  • the first entry is for a product having a product number of 49873, from a company having a company ID of 017031.
  • the second entry shows a reward quantity of 75 cents off because the reward type is 0.
  • the second entry is for a product having a product number of 24943, from a company having a company ID of 017054.
  • the third entry shows a reward quantity of 30 percent because the reward type field is 2.
  • the third entry is for a product having a product number of 42312, from a company having a company ID of 017075.
  • the company ID 017075 identifies the Easy Company.
  • the fourth entry shows a reward quantity of 10 percent for the product having the product number 42312 from the company having the ID 017075, which is the Easy Company.
  • the fifth entry shows a reward quantity of 20 percent for the product having the product number 42312 from the company having the company ID 017075 , which is the
  • table 347 stores three coupon entries for the same product, each coupon entry having a different reward value.
  • Checkout stations 301 and 302 each have the same capabilities and hardware as checkout station 300
  • cash register systems 331 and 332 each have the same capabilities and hardware as cash register station 300
  • card interface systems 301 and 302 each have the same capabilities and hardware as card interface station 300.
  • step 35 of Figs. 6A and 6B will now be described in more detail.
  • hardware 339 receives a valid UPC product code from reader 310 or keyboard 318.
  • hardware 339 adds the product code to a basket list for the current customer.
  • Hardware 339 searches for the received product code in the second field of redemption control table 347, which enables hardware 339 to determine if the product has a corresponding electronic coupon offer. If the product does have an electronic coupon offer, hardware 339 searches coupon table 435 from the customer card to confirm that the customer has the coupon on her card. If the customer has the coupon on her card and qualifier conditions are satisfied for the coupon, hardware 339 adjusts the total amount due by the discount amount of the coupon.
  • Programmable hardware may include an IBM 4680-4690 Point of Sale (POS) System.
  • Programable hardware 339 may include two CPUs, as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 09/301,749 of KEN R. POWELL, KEVIN W. HARTLEY, ELEANOR B.
  • hardware 339 may be a single CPU having electronic coupon, or other discount, processing integrated with conventional UPC product scanning and price lookup.
  • Memory hardware 303 may include two independent memories or may be an integrated memory.
  • area 19 includes postal zip codes areas 22314, 22315. and 22017.
  • Customer 210 resides in house 5 in postal zip code area 22314.
  • Area 17 includes postal zip code area 22040.
  • Customer 230 resides in house 6 in postal zip code area 22040.
  • Fig. 18 shows shelf unit 135.
  • Fig. 19 shows offer table 251' in memory 248 in shelf unit 135.
  • the box in table 251' represents an entry in table 251'.
  • Each of the four rows in the box represents a field.
  • the coupon ID, in the first field, is 0054, representing 75 cents off Cool brand cola.
  • the demographic category ID. in the second field is ZIP CODE.
  • the arithmetic expression, in the third field tests to determine if the card holder resides in one of three ZIP_CODE areas.
  • the message, in the fourth field is to inform the customer that she will recieve 75 cents off because she resides in proximity to store 64.
  • the second and third rows of the entry in Fig. 19 include logic for receiving and processing demographic data in shelf unit 135. to dispense a discount for a soft drink.
  • unit 135 effects the entry in table 251' by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 75 CENTS OFF BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOOD NEIGHBOR SHOPPER" on LCD display 360 and writing 0054 into table 435 of card 215.
  • table 404 contains the demographic category ZIP_CODE.
  • unit 135 does not effect the entry in table 251'. but instead displays
  • table 404 does contain the demographic category ZIP CODE, and step 10 of Fig. 9, therefore, evaluates the arithmetic expression in the entry of table 251 '. In the context of table 404', however, this arithmetic expression evaluates to FALSE.
  • customer 210 interacts with shelf unit 135.
  • customer 210 receives 75 cents off because customer 210 lives near store 64.
  • customer 230 receives no discount because customer 230 does not live near store 230.
  • Embodiments of the invention may be practiced using other data in addition to, or in combination with, demographic data.
  • a shelf unit could selectively display a different discount amount depending on a composite criteria including both demographic data and customer points earned by past product purchases. Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art.
  • the invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or the scope of Applicants' general inventive concept.
  • the invention is defined in the following claims.

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Abstract

Retail systems and methods employing a product shelf display to provide purchase incentive. Based on a signal received from a card transported by the customer and data about the product selected for purchased, displaying demographic data corresponding to the user and a proposed discount quantity by means of a shelf display.

Description

RETAIL SYSTEMS AND METHODS EMPLOYING A SHELF DISPLAY TO PROVIDE PURCHASE INCENTIVES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a commercial system and, more particularly, to a system and method of issuing discounts in an incentive program.
Description of Related Art
Product promotions employing price discounts are a popular means to stimulate sales of products such as grocery store items. One type of product promotion is a discount coupon. It has been estimated that in-store couponing coupled with advertising increases sales by 544%.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system and method for issuing discounts. To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, there is a method for a system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf. The method comprises receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; processing the first signal to access demographic data: and displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is a processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf. The processing system comprises means for receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; means for processing the first signal to access demographic data: and means, supported by the shelf, for displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is a processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf. The processing system comprises a receiver that receives a first signal from a customer in the store; a processor that accesses demographic data in the first signal; a display supported by the shelf; and a first generator that generates a display signal for the display, the display signal indicating a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product, the first generator generating the display signal in response to the demographic data.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is a system for a shelf, units of a product supported by the shelf for operating with a plurality of portable cards. The system comprises a card-writer with circuitry configured to selectively write a second signal to the first card, depending on whether the second signal corresponds to a first signal on the card, the first signal representing demographic information; a display for displaying the second signal from the shelf, a card-reader with circuitry configured to send second signals from the first card; a signal generator that generates a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase; and a determiner an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal from the card-reader.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagram of a system in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the retail store in accordance with a first preferred embodiment.
Figs. 3A and 3B are another type of view of a part of the first preferred retail store. Figs. 4A and 4B are the other type of view of another part of the first preferred retail store. Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a process performed in the first preferred system.
Figs. 6A and 6B are a flow chart showing part of the process of Fig. 5 in more detail.
Figs. 7A, 7B. and 7C are enlarged views of some products shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. Fig. 8 is a diagram of a shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing a first customer card.
Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a process performed by the shelf units shown in Fig. 3 A and 3B.
Fig. 10 is a block diagram of the first customer card.
Fig. 11 is a diagram of some records on the first customer card.
Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a check-out station shown in Fig. 4A. Fig. 13 is a block diagram of the shelf unit shown in Fig. 8.
Fig. 14 is a more detailed diagram of some memory contents of the shelf unit.
Fig. 15 is a diagram of some records on a second customer card.
Fig. 16 is a diagram of the shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing the second customer card. Fig. 17 is a diagram of a table for controlling coupon processing during store checkout transactions.
Fig. 18 is a diagram of a second shelf unit shown in Fig. 3 A after processing the first customer card.
Fig. 19 is a diagram of some memory contents of the second shelf unit. Fig. 20 is a diagram of the second shelf unit after processing the customer card.
The accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and which constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, explain the principles of the invention, and additional advantages thereof. Throughout the drawings, corresponding elements are labeled with corresponding reference numbers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1 shows commercial system 1 in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. System 1 includes grocery stores 62, 64. 66. Geographic area 15 encompasses store 62, home 2. home 3. and home 7. Geographic area 15 includes one or more postal zip code areas.
Geographic area 17 encompasses store 66, home 7, home 9. and home 6. Geographic area 17 includes one or postal zip code areas.
Geographic area 19 encompasses store 64, home 5, home 10. and home 8. Geographic area 19 includes one or more postal zip code areas.
As represented in Fig. 1. homes 2. 3, and 7 are in the neighborhood of store 62. Homes 6, 7, and 9 are in the neighborhood of store 66. Homes 5. 8. and 10 are in the neighborhood of store 64. Home 4 is outside of the neighborhood of store 62. 66. and 64. Fig. 2 shows a plan view of store 64. Shelves 1 1, 12, 21, 22, 31. and 32 include product areas l l l, 121, 110. 120, 130. 141 , 151, 161, 140, 150, 160 , 171. 181. 170, 180, and 190. Each product area includes a plurality of units of a respective product. For example, product area 110 has Easy brand diapers, product area 120 has Old World brand pasta, and product area 130 has Cool brand cola.
Figs. 3A, and 3B are each a partial view of 64. Customers 210. 220, 230, 240, 270, 280, 290, 390, 470, 480, and 490 shop in store 64.
As shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. financial computer 40 sends product pricing data to checkout stations 300, 301. and 302 via cable 8. Each of checkout stations 300. 301. and 302 includes a UPC bar code reader that detects an optical (electromagnetic) signal reflected from a UPC bar code symbol. Checkout station 300 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314. checkout station 301 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314, and checkout station 302 includes reader/writer 315 having a card interface slot 314.
Processes performed by the circuitry of system 1 are described below. In this Patent Application, the word circuitry encompasses dedicated hardware, and/or programmable hardware, such as a CPU or reconfigurable logic array, in combination with programming data, such as sequentially fetched CPU instructions or programming data for a reconfigurable array.
Fig. 5 shows a processing performed in system 1. One of stores 62. 64. or 66 selectively writes a coupon onto the customer card from a product shelf (step 10), and displays a message from the product shelf depending on demographic data on the card (step 15).
In this Patent Application, demographic data includes data about, or derived from, characteristics of individuals and households date of birth (age), gender, marital status, number of persons in the household, age categories of persons in household, number of pets in household, phone numbers, level of education, type of education degree, location of residence, tax and property records, languages spoken, income, employer, job description, or job title. Location of residence may include a full postal address, or may simply include more general location information such as neighborhood, zip code, city, county, state, or region. Demographic data also includes data about, or derived from, customer-specified preferences, interests, or habits such as types of foods, sizes, shapes, colors, sports such as tennis or golf, and reading topics. Customer-specified preferences, interests, or habits may be received from applications or more general surveys. Thus, demographic data may be derived from a survey or application response relating to purchase histories. For example, demographic data may include whether a customer indicates that he is the ''primary shopper*' shopper for his household, meaning that the customer usually performs most of the shopping for his household; or whether a customer indicates that he is a "secondary shopper" shopper for his household, meaning that someone other than customer usually performs most of the shopping for his household.
Demographic data excludes data derived by retailers, or other commercial entities, by recording actual purchase transactions of individuals or households. For example, demographic data excludes retailer-recorded, customer points earned by past product purchases.
Checkout Processing in the First Preferred Embodiment
Upon completion of shopping, each customer brings selected products from the shelves to checkout stations 300. 301. or 302. Customers check out of store 64 by presenting a customer card, allowing the store clerk to insert the presented card into a smart card reader/writer 315. For example, a customer such as customer 290 completes the purchase of her selected products 293 by transferring products 293 from her cart 292 to station 300, and by presenting card 295 for insertion into card interface slot 314: customer 270 completes the purchase of her selected products 273 by transferring products 273 from her cart 272 to station 300, and by presenting card 275; customer 280 completes the purchase of her selected products 283 by transferring products 283 from her cart 282 to station 300, and by presenting card 285;customer 390 completes the purchase of her selected products 393 by transferring products 393 from her cart 392 to station 301, and by presenting card 395; customer 490 completes the purchase of his selected products 493 by transferring products 493 from his cart 492 to station 302, and by presenting card 495;customer 480 completes the purchase of his selected products 483 by transferring products 483 from his cart 482 to station 302, and by presenting card 485;customer 470 completes the purchase of his selected products 473 by transferring products 473 from his cart 472 to station 302. and by presenting card 475. Customer 210 (Fig. 3 A) completes the purchase of her selected products 214 by transferring products 214 from her cart 212 to station 300, and by presenting card 215 for insertion into card interface slot 314.
A checkout clerk (not shown) scans each selected product past bar code reader 310, or enters the product selection information manually via keyboard 318. Station 300 thus detects products selected by the customer. After station 300 determines a basic price for a product by processing a message received from computer 40, station 300 displays the description of the product and product price on display 317. Station 300 scans and processes each product 293 in a similar manner. Checkout station 300 determines a total amount due and prints the total amount due on display 317 and on the customer's paper receipt.
Figs. 6A and 6B show the processing of step 5 of Fig. 5 in more detail. Station 300 detects a product selected by a customer, by receiving a UPC product code from bar code reader 310 or keyboard 318. (step 5). Station 300 determines a price for the product, by processing a message from financial computer 40. (step 10). If the checkout transaction for the current customer is complete (step 25), station 300 determines a total amount due depending on the sum of the product prices from the various executions of step 10, minus any product discounts. Station 300 displays this total amount due on display 317 and the customer's receipt tape. (Step 35). Store Layout, Coupon Distribution, and
Product Selection in the First Preferred Embodiment
As shown in Figs. 3 A and 3B some of the product areas have a respective shelf unit for writing an electronic coupon onto a customer card. Product Area 110 has Shelf unit 1 15. Product Area 120 has Shelf unit 125. Product Area 130 has Shelf unit 135.
Product Area 110 has boxes of diapers 112 grouped together on multiple shelves. Boxes of diapers 1 12 are contiguously grouped, meaning that no other product is between any two boxes of diapers 112. No other product is between shelf unit 1 15 and boxes of diapers 112. Shelf unit 1 15 is on a shelf under some of the boxes 112 and over some of the boxes 112. In other words, Shelf unit 115 is adjacent to boxes 112 and supported by a shelf that is in vertical alignment with some of the boxes 112.
Fig. 7A shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes of diapers 1 12. Each box of diapers has a common Universal Product Code (UPC) symbol 114. Symbol 1 14 encodes a 12-digit UPC number that is part of a product identification system documented by the Uniform Code Council, Inc., Dayton, OH. The first digit is a number system character, which in this case is 0. The next five digits are a company number, which is sometimes called a manufacturer ID. The next 5 digits are an item number. The last digit is a check digit.
Each UPC symbol 1 14 is a group of parallel lines that encodes a number (0 17075 00003 3) that uniquely identifies Easy Diapers, 17075 being the UPC company number of the Easy Corporation. In other words, symbol 1 14 is different from UPC symbols of units of other products. Each box of diapers 1 12 also has a common character label 1 13 that verbally describes the product. Character label 113 is "EASY DIAPERS." Label 1 13 is different from labels of units of other products. Product Area 120 has boxes of Old World brand pasta 122 contiguously grouped together on multiple shelves. Fig. 7B shows an enlarged view of some of the boxes of pasta 122. Each box of pasta 122 has a common UPC symbol 124, which is a group of parallel lines that encodes a number (0 17031 00005 3) that uniquely identifies Old World pasta, 17031 being the UPC company number of the Alpha Imports Corporation. In other words, symbol 124 is different from UPC symbols of units of other products. Each box of pasta 122 also has a common character label 123 that verbally describes the product. Character label 123 is "OLD WORLD PASTA." Label 123 is different from labels of units of other products. Product Area 130 has bottles of Cool brand cola 132 grouped together on multiple shelves. Fig. 7C shows an enlarged view of some of the bottles of cola 132. Each bottle of cola 132 has a common UPC symbol 134, which is a group of parallel lines that encode a number (0 17054 1017 6) that uniquely identifies Cool brand cola, 17054 being the UPC company number of the Beta Corporation. In other words, symbol 134 is different from
UPC symbols of other products. Each box 132 also has a common character label 133 that verbally describes the product. Character label 133 is "Cool brand cola." Label 133 is different from labels of other products.
Similarly, other product areas have a set of respective products contiguously grouped together. Respective units of a certain product have a common UPC symbol, different from UPC symbols on units of other products, that uniquely identifies the certain product. Respective units of a certain product have a common label, different from labels on units of other products, that uniquely identifies the certain product. Referring to Figs. 2, 3A, and 3B product area 140 has bottles of ABC brand ketchup 142 contiguously grouped together, and shelf unit 145. Product area 150 has boxes of Fido brand dog food 152 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit. Product area 160 has loaves of Boxer brand bread 162 contiguously grouped together, and shelf unit 165. Product area 170 has cartons of Clover brand milk 172 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit. Product area 180 has packages of Chicago brand bacon 182, and no shelf unit. Product area of 190 has packages of Clover brand butter 192 contiguously grouped together, and no shelf unit. Product area 1 1 1 has boxes of XYZ brand paper napkins contiguously grouped together. Product area 121 has rolls of XYZ brand paper towel contiguously grouped together. Product area 141 has boxes of Wheat brand crackers contiguously grouped together. Product area 151 has Tropical brand canned fruit contiguously grouped together. Product area 161 has V brand canned vegetables contiguously grouped together. Product area 171 has cans of Chicago brand meat contiguously grouped together. Product area 181 has boxes of Mill brand flour contiguously grouped together.
Fig. 8 shows shelf unit 1 15, including liquid crystal display (LCD) 360, and interface slot 352. Shelf unit 1 15 has no external wires connecting shelf unit 115 to another device. When customer card 215, for example is in interface slot 352, conductive contact 354 inside interface slot 352 touches a contact on the customer card. Interface slot 352 has other contacts (not shown) for touching the other card contacts.
While shopping in store 64, each of customers 210, 220. 230. 240. 270. 280. and 290 carries his or her respective customer card. A card may store one or more entries for recording information about a customer or a customer's household.
To receive an electronic coupon in the store, a customer inserts her respective card into the shelf unit adjacent to the product the customer wishes to purchase, and the shelf unit then selectively writes an electronic coupon onto the card depending on data on the card. In other words, the shelf unit selectively writes an electronic coupon into a memory on the card, in response to a person presenting the card at the shelf unit, and depending on data stored on the card. Shelf unit 115 may store a plurality of different types of coupons for a common product, each coupon having a different discount amount. Shelf unit 115 may select one of the coupon types depending on data on the customer's card.
Fig. 9 shows a processing performed by Shelf Unit 1 15. When a customer presents a card to shelf unit 1 15. shelf unit 1 15 selects a first coupon type for examination (Step 5). Shelf unit 115 examines data from the customer card to determine whether the customer meets the criteria for receiving the currently examined coupon. (Step 10). If the customer does not meet the requirements for the current coupon, shelf unit 1 15 determines whether there are coupons remaining (step 15). If there are coupons remaining, shelf unit 115 examines the remaining coupon types to determine whether the customer meets the requirements for receiving one of the remaining coupon types. (Steps 20, 10. etc.). If the customer does meet the requirements for receiving one of the coupon types dismissible by shelf unit 115, shelf unit 1 15 sends the coupon to the customer card (Step 25). And displays a message to the customer indicating the discount quantity of the coupon received. (Step 30). In some cases, step 30 may also display information about the customer, such as the demographic category that made the customer eligible for the coupon. Thus, in essence, step 30 may also display demographic data. If the customer is not eligible to receive any of the coupons dispensable by shelf unit 1 15, shelf unit 1 15 displays a message to inform the customer that the products is available for the standard listed price. (Step 22).
The customer also removes the product from the shelf and places the removed product into her cart.
Checkout Processing in the First Preferred Embodiment - Redemption of Coupons
After receiving an electronic coupon from a shelf unit and completion of shopping, a customer may bring selected products from the shelves to checkout station 300, 301, or 302, as described above. A customer may redeem the electronic coupons received from a shelf unit by presenting her customer card, allowing the store clerk to insert the presented card into smart card reader/writer 315. Station 300, 301 , or 302 then reads the coupon offers from the card. Station 300, for example, performs electronic coupon redemption, by processing the selected products in the context of coupon information from the customer's card to determine discount eligibility. After station 300 determines a basic price for each product by processing a message received from computer 40. Station 300 processes electronic coupons from a customer card, to deduct any discounts from the basic price to calculate and display a total amount due. At the conclusion of the checkout transaction, station 300 voids the shelf unit coupons on the card and the clerk is notified to remove the customer's card from slot 314 and return it to the customer.
More Detailed Description of the First Preferred Embodiment
Fig. 10 is a block diagram of customer card 215, including CPU 450, and memory 460. Memory 460 includes three addressable segments: nonvolatile read only memory
(ROM) 461 ; nonvolatile, electrically erasable memory (EEPROM) 462; and memory 463 for temporary storage. Station interface 425 includes a serial to parallel converter for transferring data signals between contacts, on the exterior of card 215, and CPU 450 over parallel bus 452. ROM 461 stores a program 465 executed by CPU 450. EEPROM 462 stores customer card identification data 467. Customer card identification data 467 is a 6 byte field that uniquely identifies the card. For example, identification data 467 in customer card 235 uniquely identifies the card held by customer 230. EEPROM 462 also stores demographic data table 404. EEPROM 462 also stores coupon table 465 (product pricing data) received from one or more shelf units. When a customer inserts a customer card into a shelf unit, card
CPU 450 may receive a coupon code for the product from the shelf unit and add the code to table 465.
Each of customer cards 235, 245, 275, 285, 295, 395, 475, 485, and 495 have the same hardware structure as card 215. Fig. 1 1 shows a simplified, abstract, view of demographic data table 404 and coupon table 435. Demographic data table 404 is a data structure within other data structures in EEPROM 462. Each row in table 404 represents an entry in table 404, and each of the two columns represents a field within each entry. The entry on the left is a demographic category identification (ID) field. The entry on the right is a value field representing a value, or list of values, identified by the left field.
Coupon table 435 is a data structure within other data structures in EEPROM 462 of customer card 215. Each row in table 435 represents an entry in table 435. Each entry includes a 4 hexadecimal digit coupon number. Table 435 has three entries, representing that customer 210 has received three electronic coupons from coupon dispensing devices. The entry having the coupon number 1317 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of a box of Old World Pasta 122. The entry having the coupon number 0054 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of a bottle of Cool brand cola 134. The entry having the number 3657 corresponds to a coupon for purchase of diaper boxes 1 12.
Fig. 12 is a block diagram of checkout station 300. Programmable hardware 339 executes software instructions 340 in memory hardware 303. Cash register keyboard 318 allows manual entry of alpha-numeric data. Bar code reader 310 generates a bar code signal, and sends the bar code signal to hardware 339. Poll display 317 displays product data in response to signals from hardware 339. Hardware 339 and software instructions 340 act to receive electronic coupons from a customer card, via reader/writer 315. Memory hardware 303 stores redemption control table 347, which enables hardware 339 to determine if a product has a corresponding electronic coupon offer. When station 300 detects insertion of a customer card into reader/writer 315, station
300 reads coupon table 435 into a temporary version of table 435 in memory hardware 303. At the conclusion of the checkout transaction, hardware 339 writes the temporary version of table 435, stored in memory hardware 303, to the customer card.
Fig. 13 shows a block diagram of shelf unit 1 15, including CPU 247, nonvolatile memory 248, card contact interface 252, and battery 249. Memory 248 stores program
250, executed by CPU 247, and offer table 251. Memory 248 may include sections of ROM and EEPROM.
Fig. 14 shows offer table 251. Each box in table 251 represents an entry in table
251. Each of the four rows in each box represents a field in each entry. The first row represents a coupon ID field. The second row represents a demographic category ID field.
The third row represents an arithmetic expression to be evaluated by CPU 247 if the cardholder has an entry for the demographic category ID of the second row. In these expressions. VALUE is an array that accesses the second field of entries in table 404 of the customer card. Thus, VALUE[1] is the first value in the second field of an entry in table 404. If the entry has more than one value. VALUE[2] accesses the second entry, VALUE[3] accesses any third entry, VALUE[4] accesses the fourth entry, etc. The variable CURRENT_DATE has a value of the current date, which is maintained by shelf unit 215. Thus, the expression in the third field of the second entry in table 251 calculates a child's age by subtracting the child's birth date from the current date, and compares the age to 540 days, which is approximately 18 months.
Thus, the second and third rows of each of the 3 entries in Fig. 14 include logic for receiving and processing demographic data in shelf unit 1 15, to dispense various discounts for diapers.
The fourth row represents a message field to be displayed if shelf unit 1 15 sends the coupon to a customer.
When a person inserts a card into slot 352 of shelf unit 1 15, a switch (not shown) in slot 352 alerts CPU 247 that a card has been inserted into the slot. Subsequently, CPU 247 causes contact interface electronics 252 to reset the card. CPU 252 then receives a header record and table 404 from the card. CPU 247 examines an entry in table 251. (See Fig. 9 step 5). CPU 247 decides that the customer is eligible to receive the coupon of the current entry in table 251 if and only if one of two conditions is satisfied. The first condition is that the demographic category ID of the current entry is ANY. The second condition is that one of the category ID fields of table 404 matches the category ID of the current entry in table 251, and the value field of any such matching entry in table 404 causes the expression in the current entry in table 251 to evaluate to TRUE. (See Fig. 9 step 10).
As described in the previous paragraph, if the demographic category ID of the current entry of table 251 is ANY, the customer is ipso facto entitled to receive the coupon of the current entry, regardless of demographic data in table 404. In other words, CPU 247 decides that the customer is eligible to receive the coupon of the current entry in table 251 if the demographic category ID field of the current entry of table 251 is equal to ANY. For this reason, if an entry in table 251 has a category ID of ANY, such an entry should be located in the last position in table 251, to allow the logic of steps 10. 15. and 20 of Fig. 9 to find any relevant demographic entries in table 251.
If the customer card satisfies the criteria for an entry in table 251. CPU 247 appends the coupon ID field of the matching entry to coupon table 435 on the customer card. CPU 247 then sends the message field of the matching entry in table 251 to LCD display 360. (See Fig. 9 step 30).
Thus, referring to Figs. 8, 9, 1 1, and 14, when customer 210 presents card 215 to shelf unit 1 15, unit 1 15 effects the third entry in table 251 by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 10% OFF" on LCD display 360 and writing 3657 into table 435 of card 215. More specifically, table 404 does not contain the demographic category
BIRTH_DATE_OF_YOUNGEST_CHILD and, therefore step 10 of Fig. 9 selects the third entry of table 251. having ANY for the demographic category.
In contrast, preferring to Figs. 16. 9, 15, and 14, when customer 230 presents card 235 to shelf unit 1 15, unit 1 15 effects the second entry in table 251 by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 20% OFF BECAUSE YOU ARE SHOPPING FOR A GROWING
HOUSEHOLD" on LCD display 360 and writing 3659 into table 435' of card 235. More specifically, Fig. 15 shows a simplified, abstract, view of table 404' and coupon table 435' stored on customer card 235. In this example, the current date is April 2, 2002. Company table 404' has a BIRTH_DATE_OF_YOUNGEST_CHILD entry having a value of April 4, 2001. The difference between this value and the current date is 363, which is less than
540. Thus, the expression in the second entry evaluates to TRUE and shelf unit 1 15,therefore, effect the second entry. Fig. 16 shows shelf unit 115 after customer 230 presents card 235 to shelf unit 1 15.
In summary, when customer 210 interacts with shelf unit 115, customer 210 receives 10% off. as table 404 does not have the child age data required for a higher value coupon. In contrast, customer 230 receives a higher value coupon because table 404' does include child age data and the child age data is within a range that satisfies the logic in the second entry in Fig. 14.
Fig. 17 is a simplified diagram of redemption control table 347 stored in card interface station 300. Each row in Fig. 17 represents an entry in table 347. and each of the
4 columns shown represents an entry field. A redemption control table may include additional entries for additional coupon offers, and additional fields for recording other types of information.
The first field in Fig. 17 is a coupon ID stored as 4 hexadecimal digits. The second field is a UPC product code corresponding to the coupon ID. The second field is stored as binary coded decimal. The third field is a reward type. A reward type of 2 represents a percent off coupon, and a reward type of 0 represents a cents off coupon. The fourth field in Fig. 17 is the reward quantity.
The first entry shows a reward of 50 cents off because the reward type is 0. The first entry is for a product having a product number of 49873, from a company having a company ID of 017031. The second entry shows a reward quantity of 75 cents off because the reward type is 0. The second entry is for a product having a product number of 24943, from a company having a company ID of 017054.
The third entry shows a reward quantity of 30 percent because the reward type field is 2. The third entry is for a product having a product number of 42312, from a company having a company ID of 017075. The company ID 017075 identifies the Easy Company.
The fourth entry shows a reward quantity of 10 percent for the product having the product number 42312 from the company having the ID 017075, which is the Easy Company.
The fifth entry shows a reward quantity of 20 percent for the product having the product number 42312 from the company having the company ID 017075 , which is the
Easy Company.
Thus, table 347 stores three coupon entries for the same product, each coupon entry having a different reward value.
Checkout stations 301 and 302 each have the same capabilities and hardware as checkout station 300, cash register systems 331 and 332 each have the same capabilities and hardware as cash register station 300, and card interface systems 301 and 302 each have the same capabilities and hardware as card interface station 300.
Processing of step 35 of Figs. 6A and 6B will now be described in more detail. When hardware 339 receives a valid UPC product code from reader 310 or keyboard 318. hardware 339, hardware 339 adds the product code to a basket list for the current customer.
Hardware 339 searches for the received product code in the second field of redemption control table 347, which enables hardware 339 to determine if the product has a corresponding electronic coupon offer. If the product does have an electronic coupon offer, hardware 339 searches coupon table 435 from the customer card to confirm that the customer has the coupon on her card. If the customer has the coupon on her card and qualifier conditions are satisfied for the coupon, hardware 339 adjusts the total amount due by the discount amount of the coupon. Programmable hardware may include an IBM 4680-4690 Point of Sale (POS) System. Programable hardware 339 may include two CPUs, as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 09/301,749 of KEN R. POWELL, KEVIN W. HARTLEY, ELEANOR B. MAXWELL, and COREY C. SNOOK for COMPUTER SYSTEM CONFIGURATION AND METHOD FOR A STORE, filed April 29, 1999, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference. Alternately, hardware 339 may be a single CPU having electronic coupon, or other discount, processing integrated with conventional UPC product scanning and price lookup. Memory hardware 303 may include two independent memories or may be an integrated memory. Alternatives, to the disclosed coupon ID and matching of a product code in table
347 described above, include a wildcard scheme, or the family-code-based U.P.C. coupon-product(s) correspondence scheme promulgated by the Uniform Code Council Uniform Code Council, Inc., Dayton, Ohio.
Monitoring certain types of electronic coupon dispensers is a subject of copending application Serial No. 09/301,748 of KEN R. POWELL, KEVIN W. HARTLEY,
THOMAS M. HINTZ, ELEANOR B. MAXWELL, and COREY C. SNOOK for SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYING PORTABLE CARDS TO MONITOR A COMMERCIAL SYSTEM, filed April 29, 1999, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference. A scheme of programming shelf units and checkout stations is a subject of copending application Serial No. 09/301,747 of KEN R. POWELL, ELEANOR B.
MAXWELL, and COREY C. SNOOK for SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYING A PORTABLE CARD TO CONFIGURE A STORE FOR PRODUCT PROMOTION, filed concurrently with the instant application, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Processing of Second Shelf Unit
Referring to Fig. 1, area 19 includes postal zip codes areas 22314, 22315. and 22017. Customer 210 resides in house 5 in postal zip code area 22314.
Area 17 includes postal zip code area 22040. Customer 230 resides in house 6 in postal zip code area 22040.
Fig. 18 shows shelf unit 135.
Fig. 19 shows offer table 251' in memory 248 in shelf unit 135. As described above in connection with unit 1 15. the box in table 251' represents an entry in table 251'. Each of the four rows in the box represents a field. The coupon ID, in the first field, is 0054, representing 75 cents off Cool brand cola. The demographic category ID. in the second field, is ZIP CODE. The arithmetic expression, in the third field, tests to determine if the card holder resides in one of three ZIP_CODE areas. The message, in the fourth field, is to inform the customer that she will recieve 75 cents off because she resides in proximity to store 64.
Thus, the second and third rows of the entry in Fig. 19 include logic for receiving and processing demographic data in shelf unit 135. to dispense a discount for a soft drink. Thus, referring to Figs. 18, 9, 1 1, and 19, when customer 210 presents card 215 to shelf unit 135, unit 135 effects the entry in table 251' by displaying "YOU WILL RECEIVE 75 CENTS OFF BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOOD NEIGHBOR SHOPPER" on LCD display 360 and writing 0054 into table 435 of card 215. More specifically, table 404 contains the demographic category ZIP_CODE. The process of Fig. 9 selects the entry in table 251', and the arithmetic expression in the entry of table 251 ' will evaluate to TRUE, because the zip code in table 404 (22314) is one of the zip codes tested by the arithmetic expression. More specifically. VALUE[1] = 22314 is TRUE and therefore the arithmetic expression is TRUE.
In contrast, preferring to Figs. 20, 9, 15, and 19, when customer 230 presents card 235 to shelf unit 135, unit 135 does not effect the entry in table 251'. but instead displays
"PRODUCT AVAILABLE FOR LISTED PRICE" on LCD display 360. More specifically, table 404 does contain the demographic category ZIP CODE, and step 10 of Fig. 9, therefore, evaluates the arithmetic expression in the entry of table 251 '. In the context of table 404', however, this arithmetic expression evaluates to FALSE. In summary, when customer 210 interacts with shelf unit 135. customer 210 receives 75 cents off because customer 210 lives near store 64. In contrast, customer 230 receives no discount because customer 230 does not live near store 230.
Conclusion Embodiments of the invention may be practiced using other data in addition to, or in combination with, demographic data. For example, a shelf unit could selectively display a different discount amount depending on a composite criteria including both demographic data and customer points earned by past product purchases. Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or the scope of Applicants' general inventive concept. The invention is defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A method for a system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf, the method comprising: receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; processing the first signal to access demographic data; and displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying includes displaying demographic data from the shelf.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving includes receiving the first signal from a first card transported by the customer.
4. The method of claim 3 further including: sending a second signal to the first card, the second signal corresponding to the discount quantity displayed in the displaying step; receiving the second signal from the first card: receiving a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase; and determining an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal on the first card.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the demographic data is selected from the group consisting of date of birth (age), gender, marital status, number of persons in the household, age categories of persons in household, number of pets in household, phone numbers, level of education, type of education degree, location of residence, address, neighborhood, zip code, city, county, state, region, tax records, property records, languages spoken, income, employer, job description, or job title; and customer-specified preferences or interests, such as types of foods, sizes, shapes, colors, sports such as tennis or golf, and reading topics.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying includes displaying the selected one of the plurality of discount quantities, depending on a location of the customer's residence relative to the shelf.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying includes displaying the selected one of the plurality of discount quantities, depending on whether the customer usualh- performs most of the shopping for a household.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying includes comparing the demographic data to criteria data.
9. A processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf, the processing system comprising: means for receiving a first signal from a customer in the store; means for processing the first signal to access demographic data; and means, supported by the shelf, for displaying a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product in response to the demographic data, the displaying step being performed from the shelf.
10. The processing system of claim 9 wherein the means for displaying includes means for displaying demographic data from the shelf.
11. The processing system of claim 9 wherein the means for receiving includes means for receiving the first signal from a first card transported by the customer.
12. The retail system of claim 11 further including: means for sending a second signal to the first card, the second signal corresponding to the discount quantity displayed by the displaying means; means for receiving the second signal from the first card; means for receiving a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase; and means for determining an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal on the first card.
13. The processing system of claim 9 wherein the demographic data is selected from the group consisting of date of birth (age), gender, marital status, number of persons in the household, age categories of persons in household, number of pets in household, phone numbers, level of education, type of education degree, location of residence, address, neighborhood, zip code, city, county, state, region, tax records, property records, languages spoken, income, employer, job description, or job title; and customer-specified preferences or interests, such as types of foods, sizes, shapes, colors, sports such as tennis or golf, and reading topics.
14. The processing system of claim 9 wherein means for displaying includes means for displaying the selected one of the plurality of discount quantities, depending on a location of the customer's residence relative to the shelf.
15. The processing system of claim 9 wherein means for displaying includes means for displaying the selected one of the plurality of discount quantities, depending on whether the customer usually performs most of the shopping for a household.
16. The processing system of claim 9 wherein means for displaying includes means for comparing the demographic data to criteria data.
17. A processing system for a first system having a with a plurality of products including a first product, a shelf, and units of the first product supported by the shelf, the processing system comprising: a receiver that receives a first signal from a customer in the store; a processor that accesses demographic data in the first signal; a display supported by the shelf; and a first generator that generates a display signal for the display, the display signal indicating a selected one of a plurality of discount quantities for the first product, the first generator generating the display signal in response to the demographic data.
18. The processing system of claim 17 wherein the display signal also indicates demographic data.
19. The processing system of claim 17 wherein the receiver is included in a card interface for receiving the first signal from a card.
20. The processing system of claim 19 wherein the card interface further includes a sender that sends a second signal to the first card, and the processing system further includes a second receiver that receives the second signal from the first card; a second generator, the second generator generating a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase: and a second processor, the second processor determining an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal on the first card.
21. The processing system of claim 17 wherein the demographic data is selected from the group consisting of date of birth (age), gender, marital status, number of persons in the household, age categories of persons in household, number of pets in household, phone numbers, level of education, type of education degree, location of residence, address, neighborhood, zip code, city, county, state, region, tax records, property records, languages spoken, income, employer, job description, or job title; and customer-specified preferences or interests, such as types of foods, sizes, shapes, colors, sports such as tennis or golf, and reading topics.
22. The system of claim 17 wherein the first generator includes logic to generate the display signal, depending on a location of the customer residence relative to the shelf.
23. The processing system of claim 17 wherein the first generator includes logic to generate the display signal, depending on whether the customer usually performs most of the shopping for a household.
24. The processing system of claim 17 wherein displaying includes comparing the demographic data to criteria data.
25. A system for a shelf, units of a product supported by the shelf for operating with a plurality of portable cards, the system comprising: a card-writer with circuitry configured to selectively write a second signal to the first card, depending on whether the second signal corresponds to a first signal on the card, the first signal representing demographic information; a display for displaying the second signal from the shelf. a card-reader with circuitry configured to send second signals from the first card; a signal generator that generates a third signal corresponding to a product selected for purchase; and a determiner an amount due depending on whether the third signal corresponds to a second signal from the card-reader.
26. The system of claim 25 further including a housing on the shelf, wherein the card reader and the card writer are in the housing.
27. The system of claim 25 wherein the card- writer includes a memory that stores a plurality of second signals and a plurality of criteria signals.
28. The system of claim 27 wherein the card-writer further includes a comparator that compares the first and criteria signals.
29. The system of claim 25 wherein the product units include a bar code identifying a first company, and the second signal corresponds to the first company.
PCT/US2000/042671 1999-12-28 2000-12-08 Retail systems and methods employing a shelf display to provide purchase incentives WO2001048717A2 (en)

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US4982346A (en) * 1988-12-16 1991-01-01 Expertel Communications Incorporated Mall promotion network apparatus and method
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AU5076401A (en) 2001-07-09

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