Patent ID: 6826554
Filing Date: 2004-11-30
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
An electronic personal shopping system for use in a retail facility of the type having a plurality of display locations at which merchandise items are offered for purchase, the system comprising:a plurality of individually addressable electronic display units mounted at corresponding ones of the display locations, each display unit configured to present an information message relating to the merchandise item offered for purchase at that display location; a plurality of interrogator units, each interrogator unit being associated with and in proximity to a corresponding one of the individually addressable electronic display units, each interrogator having a unique address assigned thereto, and each interrogator defining an interrogation area characterized by a radiation field; a store platform computer coupled to the interrogators and display units by a bi-directional communication bus for receiving data from each interrogator unit and for transmitting a corresponding information message to the corresponding display unit; a portable customer data card including; means for automatically communicating with an interrogator unit upon the data card's entry into an interrogation area; at least a memory storage area, the memory storage area holding at least a customer indicia, the customer indicia being communicated to the interrogator unit and thence to the store platform computer as data; and means for automatically adaptively reconfiguring a display unit corresponding to a particular interrogator based on profile information of a customer retrieved in response to the customer data card's entry into the interrogation area to display a corresponding information message, the adaptive reconfiguration allowing customization of a display format of the information message while preserving the message content.