Abstract:
Described are is a wireless device for outputting product-related data comprising a memory, an output arrangement, a wireless receiver and processor. The memory stores first product-related data. The output arrangement outputs the first product-related data. The wireless receiver receives a wireless signal including second product-related data. When the wireless receiver receives the wireless signal, the processor processes the second product-related data to replace the first product-related data so that the output arrangement outputs the second product-related data. The device is situated adjacent to a product. The first product-related data corresponds to the product and the second product-related data corresponds to one of the product and a further product.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention generally relates to a product display arrangement and a system implementing the same.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0002]     Within retail stores, warehouses and grocery stores, products are displayed on shelves and/or bins. Formerly, the products were individually labeled for sale by an employee applying a price tag to each item. Currently, the price tag is disposed on the shelves adjacent to a location of the item. Shelf-labeling eliminated the time and cost of marking each product. However, when a price change is necessitated, a current price tag is removed, and a new price tag is printed and affixed to the shelf. Manually adjusting and/or replacing the price tags for each of the products in the store may require several employees working over several hours. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient manner of displaying product information.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention relates to a product display arrangement and system. The product display arrangement includes a wireless device for outputting product-related data comprising a memory, an output arrangement, a wireless receiver and processor. The memory stores first product-related data. The output arrangement outputs the first product-related data. The wireless receiver receives a wireless signal including second product-related data. When the wireless receiver receives the wireless signal, the processor processes the second product-related data to replace the first product-related data so that the output arrangement outputs the second product-related data. The device is situated adjacent to a product. The first product-related data corresponds to the product and the second product-related data corresponds to one of the product and a further product. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0004]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a system according to the present invention;  
         [0005]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary embodiment of a product display arrangement according to the present invention;  
         [0006]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention; and  
         [0007]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary embodiment of a table including product data according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0008]     The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The present invention describes a product display arrangement and a system implementing the same. The exemplary embodiment of the arrangement will be described as being implemented in a retail store. However, those of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may be utilized in any venue in which items are displayed along with information related to each item, such as, for example, a grocery store, a warehouse, a library, etc.  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a system  100  according to the present invention. The system  100  includes a communications network  10  (e.g., a wired/wireless LAN, WAN or the Internet) having at least one access point/port (“AP”), such as an AP  30 , providing access thereto. The system  100  may further include a server  20  including or coupled to a database  25  and having access to the network  10 . When the system  100  is deployed within a retail store, the database  25  may include product identifiers and corresponding product data, as will be described further below. Within the store, products (e.g., a product  40 ) are arranged on display arrangements (e.g., a shelf  45 , a bin, a promotional marketing display, etc.).  
         [0010]     According to the present invention, a product display arrangement (e.g., an electronic price tag  50 ) is coupled to the shelf  45  in a location corresponding to a location of the product  40 . The tag  50  displays product data (e.g., price, discount, rebate, coupon, quantity, identifier, etc.). As will be described further below, the product data may be remotely updated using the server  20  or manually updated by a store employee using a wireless computing device. Additionally, the tag  50  may be relocated and reconfigured to display new product data corresponding an update of the product data and/or a different product. A store employee or customer may transfer and/or obtain the product data from the tag  50  using the wireless computing device (e.g., a mobile unit (MU)  52 ) including, but not limited to, a phone, a PDA, a laser/image-based scanner, an RFID reader, a network interface card, a laptop, etc.  
         [0011]     An exemplary embodiment of the tag  50  is shown in  FIG. 2 . Components of the tag  50  may be encased within a housing  55  which is preferably made of a durable and lightweight material (e.g., plastic, ceramic, composite materials, etc.). The housing  55  may be colored, sized and/or shaped based on identifiers (e.g., logo, colors, trademarks) of the retail store. In other embodiments, a manufacturer of the product  40  may provide the retail store with the tag  50  so that the color, size, shape, etc. of the housing  55  are indicative of the product  40  and/or the manufacturer. At least a portion of the housing  55  includes a coupling mechanism for attaching the tag  50  to the shelf  45 . The coupling mechanism may include, but is not limited to, a magnet, an adhesive, Velcro®, a clip, etc. Those of skill in the art will understand that the coupling mechanism may provide for temporary or permanent attachment of the tag  50  to the shelf  45 .  
         [0012]     The tag  50  further includes an output arrangement which may include a display (e.g., an LCD  60 ) which displays the product data to the customer, a speaker, an LED and/or a Braille device. In a preferred embodiment, the LCD  60  is a thin-film, multi-lined LCD. As stated above, the product data may include text and/or graphics which are indicative of the price, quantity, coupons, rebates, discounts, etc. The product data may further include an image of a product identifier (e.g., a bar code). A store employee may scan the product identifier to confirm the product data, and a customer may scan the product identifier to retrieve additional product information stored in the database  25  and/or add the product  40  to a shopping list (e.g., an electronic shopping list).  
         [0013]     The tag  50  utilizes a wireless communication arrangement (e.g., a receiver  65 , a transceiver) to receive radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted from the AP  30 , the MU  52  or any other device configured to transmit signals according to a predetermined wireless protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11x protocol). Preferably, the receiver  65  is a low-power receiver, because its receiving range need only extend through a predetermined area of the retail store which includes at least one AP. An antenna element  70  may be coupled to the receiver  65  facilitating the reception of the RF signals. In one embodiment, the receiver  65  is operated in conjunction with a timer  80  which instructs the receiver  65  to power-on at one or more predefined times, as will be described further below.  
         [0014]     A power supply (e.g., a solar cell  75 , a battery, line voltage, a transient electrical storage) is embedded in and/or coupled to the tag  50 . For example, the solar cell  75  may be positioned on a face of the tag  50  which allowing it to receive ambient light (e.g., store lighting, natural light). The solar cell  75  may utilize normal store lighting to power the tag  50 , and, optionally, charge a capacitor (not shown) which may aid in booting the receiver  65 . The tag  50  further includes a memory  85  (e.g., a non-volatile memory) storing the product data, an identifier (e.g., a serial number, an IP/MAC address, etc.). In the exemplary embodiment, the tag  50  includes a tag identifier (ID)  90  (e.g., a bar code) which uniquely identifies the tag  50 . A store employee may scan the tag ID  90  when, for example, reporting a malfunction of the tag  50  (e.g., LCD damage, non-responsive to wireless transmissions, etc.). A malfunction report may then be wirelessly transmitted from the MU  52  to the server  20 .  
         [0015]     Prior to being deployed within the store, the tag  50  may be initialized and configured with the product data corresponding to the product  40 . In one embodiment, the tag  50  is configured by the server  20 . For example, the server  20  may store the tag ID  90  and the corresponding product data in a table  400 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The server  20  transfers the product data (or select portions thereof) to the tag  50 , which may then be deployed in the store. In another embodiment, the tag  50  may be configured by the MU  52 . The MU  52  may scan the product identifier and the tag ID  90  generating a data request which is transmitted to the server  20 . The server  20  queries the database  25  as a function of the product identifier to retrieve the corresponding product data. The server  20  may then transmit the product data to the tag  50  and/or the MU  52 . Those of skill in the art will understand that tag  50  may be configured by any computing device with access to the network  10  (e.g., a retail store headquarters server). The device may retrieve the product data from the database  25  or a further database accessible on the network  10 , and transmit the product data to the tag  50 .  
         [0016]     When the tag  50  is deployed in the store, the LCD  60  may display the product data corresponding to the product  40 . The product data is stored in the memory  85  of the tag  50 . Several conditions may require the product data to be updated and/or changed. For example, the store (or chain of stores) may have a sale for the product  40 , or costs associated with the product  40  may fluctuate, as is the case with, for example, orange juice, fruits and vegetables, etc. Alternatively, the tag  50  may be relocated within the store and used to display the new product data corresponding to a different product.  
         [0017]     The tag  50  may download the new product data (e.g., updated product data or different product data) at a predefined time. Preferably, the server  20  initiates the update of the product data during off-hours (e.g., while the store is closed). The update may occur each night and/or only when the product data for the tag  50  is being updated/changed. Those of skill in the art will understand that when the tag  50  does not include a transmitter (i.e., only the receiver  65 ) the new product data may be transmitted a predetermined number of times over a predetermined time period to ensure that it is received by the tag  50 . That is, without a transmitter, the tag  50  may not be capable of acknowledging receipt of the new product data.  
         [0018]     In another exemplary embodiment, the product data may be updated by a store employee using the MU  52  to transmit the new product data to the tag  50 . The MU  52  may download the new product data from the server  20 . To transmit the new product data to the tag  50 , the MU  52  may scan the tag ID  90  to identify the tag  50 , and transmit the new product data to the tag  50 . Transmission from the MU  52  to the tag  50  may be useful when, for example, there is a problem with the server  20 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary embodiment of a method  200  according to the present invention. In step  205 , the tag  50  is configured with the product data corresponding to the product  40 . As noted above, the product data may be transferred to the memory  85  of the tag  50  from the server  20 , the MU  52  or any other computing device with access to the network  10 . In step  210 , the tag  50  displays the product data on the LCD  60 . The product data may include static and/or dynamic images. For example, during the store&#39;s operating hours, the price of the product  40  may be displayed as a static image. However, coupons, rebates, discounts, upsell product offers (e.g., products that when purchase with the product  40  entitle the customer to a discount on one or both products), etc. may be displayed as a series of dynamic images. The LCD  60  may be controlled by the timer  80  to power on/off as a function of the store&#39;s operating hours (e.g., on at opening, off at closing).  
         [0020]     In step  215 , it is determined whether the product data requires an update (e.g., a sale on the product  40 ) or change (e.g., the tag  50  is associated with a different product). In either instance, the product data in the memory  85  and currently displayed by the tag  50  may be replaced by the new product data. In the exemplary embodiment, the new product data is entered manually at the server  20  and/or retrieved from the database  25 . For example, the system  100  may be time-based, such that, at a predetermined interval (e.g., overnight) the server  20  determines whether the new product data is available. That is, the new product data may be downloaded from a headquarters server (not shown) to the database  25  at a time prior to when the server  20  queries the database  25 . The product data may be changed when, for example, the price of the product requires adjustment, the tag  50  is associated with a different product or function, the tag  50  is moved to a different location in the store, etc. According to the present invention, the product data may be updated via the server  20 , the MU  52 , a central server accessing the tag  50  over the network  10  or any other computing device capable of transmitting radio frequency signals to the tag  50 . When the product data does not require the update/change, the tag  50  maintains the display of the product data.  
         [0021]     In step  220 , the tag  50  downloads the new product data. The server  20  may transmit only the new product data corresponding to the product  40 , or the table  400  may be broadcast by the AP  30 . In one exemplary embodiment, the receiver  65  may be powered by the timer  80 . For example, the timer  80  may instruct the receiver  65  to power-on at the predefined time, e.g., when the new product data will be transmitted. Preferably, this occurs after the store has closed. In another exemplary embodiment, the receiver  65  of the tag  50  is continually powered. In this embodiment, the new product data may be transmitted to the tag  50  at any time. This may be advantageous when, for example, the tag  50  is relocated and associated with a different product.  
         [0022]     Control of the timer  80  may be overridden manually or remotely. For example, during the store&#39;s operating hours, an employee may be required to alter the product data. The employee may reset the tag  50  or activate the receiver  65  in any other manner. For a remote override, the server  20  may instruct the tag  50  to change the predefined time/duration and/or keep the receiver  65  powered continually. This instruction may be transmitted along with the new product data.  
         [0023]     In step  220 , the product data is replaced with the new product data. The memory  85  may store the product data and/or the new product data based on a storage capacity thereof. When the table  400  is broadcast, the tag  50  replaces a previous table with the table  400  and displays the new product data corresponding to its tag ID  90 .  
         [0024]     In step  225 , the tag  50  displays the new product data on the LCD  60 . In the exemplary embodiment, the LCD  60  only displays the new product data after receipt thereof. However, in another embodiment, a display instruction may be included with the new product data. The instruction may indicate that the new product data should not be displayed until a preselected time (e.g., the day a sale begins).  
         [0025]     According to the present invention, the product data may be updated remotely without knowing a location of the tag  50  in the store. Also, the tag  50  may be reconfigured which lowers costs associated with disposable electronic tags.  
         [0026]     One skilled in the art would understand that the present invention may also be successfully implemented in various other embodiments. Accordingly, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the broadest spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.