Abstract:
An electronic sign includes a bi-stable display portion to display primary content such as price, type of offer, etc. and another secondary display portion to display secondary content such as enterprise name, logo, eye-catching message, etc. Enterprises are enabled to adhere to their organization&#39;s color theme while conveying secondary information. Secondary content may be fixed content or may be selected from a predefined set of content. The presently described electronic sign uses a passive medium to display secondary content along with a bi-stable display for displaying primary content, resulting in an effective, low cost solution.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to electronic display signs. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Present day retail enterprises use a paper based signage system to display prices, promotional data and advertisements. Most of the existing retailers&#39; infrastructure for sign management let the buying office or the vendor decide the price or the promotion. Store manager uses the sign management infrastructure to pull the sign content and place it in appropriate location manually. There is a system in place in the sign management infrastructure to verify the content. Present day paper based signage system is being replaced by an electronic signage system. Most of the signage appliances are portable battery operated devices and equipped with a remote connection method such as wireless communication, light modulated unidirectional communication to communicate with the back end. 
         [0003]    Most of the electronic signs are used to display promotional data and those are placed near merchandise, which has the promotion. The same electronic sign can be used to display price or promotion of different merchandise in different locations. Therefore electronic signage is not fixed to a particular location and it can be moved from one place to another. The electronic signage system does not require manual intervention to get the update from content management server and to display it. Content update is a fully automated process. However the content displayed in the electronic sign should be associated with the particular merchandise. The particular content to be displayed is decided by the buying office of the enterprise or a product vendor who is unaware of the location of the electronic sign which is located near to the relevant merchandise in the store. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0004]    The present invention may be further understood from the following description in conjunction with the appended drawing. In the drawing: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a manual association process. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2A  is a diagram illustrating an example of unverified content. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2B  is a diagram illustrating another example of unverified content 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating use of a machine readable content identifier. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating a manual verification process. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5A  is a diagram illustrating an electronic sign holder. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5B  is a diagram illustrating an electronic sign mounted on the holder of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5C  is a diagram illustrating another view of the electronic sign holder of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating the location identification system using existing in-store mobile application with location identification capability. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     SUMMARY 
       [0014]    The present invention addresses the methods used to associate particular merchandise to an electronic sign, and the process used to verify the content being displayed in the electronic sign. 
         [0015]    In one aspect, a method is provided of displaying in-store promotional information about merchandise offered in a store, using one or more servers, a plurality of electronic display signs, and a network coupled between the one or more servers and the plurality of electronic display signs. The method includes: the one or more servers updating contents of an electronic display sign; and store personnel verifying updated contents of the electronic display sign using a mobile electronic device. 
         [0016]    In another aspect, a method is provided of displaying in-store promotional information about merchandise offered in a store, using one or more servers, a plurality of electronic display signs, and a network coupled between the one or more servers and the plurality of electronic display signs. The method includes: enabling both store personnel and merchandise vendor personnel to access the one or more servers; and the one or more servers, responsive to communications from either store personnel or merchandise vendor personnel, updating contents of an electronic display sign; and store personnel verifying updated contents of the electronic display sign using a mobile electronic device. 
         [0017]    In another aspect, pairing or verifying pairing of an electronic display sign with merchandise includes: scanning or imaging a first coded image displayed on the electronic display sign; scanning or imaging a second coded image attached to the merchandise; sending to one or more servers information derived from the first coded image and information derived from the second coded image; and at the one or more servers, pairing or verifying pairing of the electronic display sign and the merchandise. 
         [0018]    In another aspect, pairing or verifying pairing of an electronic display sign with merchandise, using one or more servers, includes: the one or more servers controlling the electronic display sign to display a coded image; receiving at the one or more servers information derived from scanning or imaging a first coded image displayed on the electronic display sign; receiving at the one or more servers information derived from scanning or imaging a second coded image attached to the merchandise; and at the one or more servers, pairing or verifying pairing of the electronic display sign and the merchandise. 
         [0019]    In another aspect, pairing or verifying pairing of an electronic display sign with merchandise includes: providing an electronic display sign support located nearby the merchandise with a coded identifier; attaching the electronic display sign to the electronic display sign support; the electronic display sign, as a result of being attached to the electronic display sign support, reading the coded identifier; sending from the electronic display sign to one or more servers information derived from the coded identifier; and at the one or more servers, pairing or verifying pairing of the electronic display sign and the merchandise. 
         [0020]    In another aspect, a method of pairing or verifying pairing of an electronic display sign with merchandise, using one or more servers, includes: receiving at the one or more servers from an electronic display sign information derived a coded identifier of an electronic display sign support located nearby the merchandise upon attachment of the electronic display sign to the electronic display sign support; and at the one or more servers, pairing or verifying pairing of the electronic display sign and the merchandise. 
       DESCRIPTION 
     Manual Association of Sign and Merchandise 
       [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a diagram is shown illustrating portions of an electronic display sign system and a manual association process in accordance with one embodiment. A content management server  101  and an associated content depository  103  are used to manage contents of electronic display signs. Every electronic sign in the store, such as an electronic display sign  105 , can be uniquely identified using a unique number. The unique number may be associated with an electronic sign using a machine readable method, for example but not limited to a sticker containing a barcode  107  of the unique number or a RFID tag attached to the sign. A hand held device  110  with an application may be used to associate particular merchandise with an electronic sign. The hand held device has access to the content management server  101  through communications infrastructure which may include one or more WiFi networks, cellular networks, the Internet, etc. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates a manual association process. The manual association process may be a one-time process which is carried out for each specific location. This association process may be repeated each time an electronic sign is moved from one location to another. To perform manual association or pairing, the store associate scans the unique identifier  107  of the electronic sign  105  and a relevant machine readable code  121  (such as Universal Product Code) of merchandise  120  using the hand held device  110 . The hand held device  110  and the application will communicate with the content management server  101  and request the content management server to register the electronic sign  105  with the relevant merchandise  120 . The content management server  101  then uses this relationship to push content for the merchandise  120  to the associated electronic sign  105 . 
       Manual Verification Method 
       [0023]    Content of each electronic sign  105  is pushed from a content management server  101 . In one embodiment, the electronic sign  105  treats any new content as “unverified” content. The electronic sign  105  visually indicates the unverified state, although it shows the updated content. For example, indicating a cross along the diagonal ( FIG. 2A ) is a visual indication of unverified content.  FIG. 2B  illustrates another display showing an example of unverified content. 
         [0024]    The content of each display screen may be given a content ID ( 201 ,  201 ′). The content ID may be made available in machine readable format, for example but not limited to, a barcode displayed along with the content, or RFID tag which is programmed by internal circuitry and firmware of the electronic sign.  FIG. 3A  illustrates one example of a machine readable content identifier  201  (barcode).  FIG. 3B  illustrates another example of a machine readable content identifier  201 ′ (RFID tag). A main sign controller  301  communicates with the RFID tag, which consists of RFID controller  303  and RFID antenna  305 , to program the relevant content ID. 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates a manual verification process. To verify content, the store associate scans the merchandise  120  and the content ID  201 / 201 ′ using the handheld device  110  and the application. The content management server  101  then verifies the request and sends a “Verified” message to the electronic sign  105 . The electronic sign  105  will delete the “unverified” indication and show the appropriate sign content. 
       Automated Association and Verification 
       [0026]    An electronic sign place holder, installed in a fixed location, may be used to automate the association and verification process. As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , in one embodiment, the placeholder  500  comprises a mechanical structure  501  including mounting holes  503  and a screw fastener  504  to hold the electronic sign, an electronic unique identifier (not shown) and electrical connections  505  to access the content of the electronic unique identifier. The electronic unique identifier can be programmed in a semiconductor read only memory type device, smart card type device, any electronic media that can store and access unique number, or printed circuit board traces, etc. Referring to  FIG. 5B , when a sign  105  is placed in an electronic sign place holder  500 , it reads the unique ID from the provided electrical interface  505  and sends it along with a unique identifier of the electronic sign  105  itself to the content management server  101 . The content management server  101  associates the electronic sign  105  and the correct merchandise by retrieving the set of data for merchandise which is located near the location given by the place holder identifier. If there are any updates to merchandise, the content management server  101  finds the particular identifier of the electronic sign  105  and sends the update to the relevant electronic sign  105 . 
       Automated Pairing 
       [0027]    In other embodiments, pairing between electronic signs and merchandise display information may be achieved automatically. For example, electronic signs located sufficiently close to particular merchandise may be automatically paired with that merchandise. In some instances, location information of merchandise and/or electronic signs may be known within a content management system. In other instances, location information of merchandise and/or electronic signs may be determined or augmented empirically. 
         [0028]    An example of a system in which location information of merchandise and/or electronic signs may be determined or augmented empirically is shown in  FIG. 6 . Location-aware devices  601 A,  601 B,  6010 , etc., are used to interact with electronic signs  603  and/or merchandise  605 A,  605 B, etc. During the course of such interaction, location information regarding the electronic signs and/or merchandise is gathered and conveyed to a content management server, for example via a location calculation server  610 . The content management server  620  may then use the resulting location information to perform automatic pairing of electronic signs and merchandise display information as described. 
         [0029]    More particularly, the content management server  620  may not know the exact location information of the merchandize due to existing processes of the retail store, which may not support recording the location information of the merchandize. However most retailers offer specific mobile application for customers to check the price and view further information and reviews by scanning the item. Similarly store associates use mobile applications inside the store for various tasks such as taking down stocks. In the present embodiment, the mobile applications running on the mobile devices  601  are configured such that indoor localization services are used by the mobile application and such that the mobile application determines the location of an item when the item is scanned by the mobile application. Then the mobile application sends the item code and location information to the location calculation server  610 . The location calculation server  610  calculates the location information of that merchandise, using statistical methods as needed depending on the quality of the location information. The location calculation server  610  may further map location information to aisle location before sending the location information to the content management server  620  along with the merchandise code. 
         [0030]    In the present embodiment, location-aware placeholders such as placeholder  500  of  FIG. 5  are not required. If a placeholder  500  is not available for a particular sign, the store associate&#39;s mobile application can be used to identify the location by scanning the unique identifier of the sign and indoor location services are then used to determine the location of the sign. 
         [0031]    In other embodiments, the electronic signs themselves (which are network connected) may be equipped with dedicated location hardware, for example but not limited to compass, location engine chips, etc., which is capable of finding exact indoor location or providing raw data used to calculate relative or exact position. A placeholder like that of placeholder  500  is not required for this type of sign. 
         [0032]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the part that the present invention can be embodied in different forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The disclosed embodiments are therefore intended in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims, not the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein. Words of approximation, except as otherwise noted, are used herein to mean plus or minus twenty percent of nominal value.