Abstract:
Methods and systems are disclosed to map locations of wireless transmitters for use in gathering market research data. A disclosed example method involves displaying a representation of a commercial establishment on a portable device, obtaining transmitter data via the portable device from a wireless transmitter located within the commercial establishment, and in response to the portable device receiving a user selection of a first location on the representation of the commercial establishment, associating the first location with the transmitter data and location information generated by the portable device representative of a physical location in the commercial establishment.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent arises from a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/556,858, filed Jul. 24, 2012, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/800,884, filed Mar. 15, 2004, U.S. Pat. No. 8,229,469, titled “Methods and Systems for Mapping Locations of Wireless Transmitters for Use in Gathering Market Research Data,” issued Jul. 24, 2012, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present invention relates to methods and systems for mapping locations of wireless transmitters for use in gathering market research data. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Managers of commercial establishments, such as retail stores, shopping malls, transportation centers and the like, responsible for maximizing sales of products and services, are well aware that the layout of their facilities has a substantial impact on sales volume. To evaluate this impact, it is necessary to gather data characterizing the flow of customer traffic into and within the facility. This data will reveal the locations where customers are present more frequently (“hot spots”) and those where customer traffic is lighter (“cold spots”). With this information, it is possible for the manager to make changes in features that affect accessibility, lighting, fixture space, product placement, and the like that will improve product exposure and reduce the number and/or size of cold spots. 
     The tracking data, along with product placement data are also important to distributors of products sold in commercial establishments. This information enables them to evaluate whether their products are receiving sufficient attention in a retail store, so that the cost of shelf space is justified. It also enables them to assess whether they should request shelf space for their products in a different location in the store. 
     Traditionally such traffic flow studies have been conducted manually. One or more of the manager&#39;s employees would record the movements of customers within the facility on a sheet representing its layout. The accumulated data would then be reviewed by the manager. Clearly, this is a labor-intensive way of gathering such data. It is also potentially annoying to customers if the employees tracking them are not very discrete. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,143, titled “Methods and Systems for Gathering Market Research Data Within Commercial Establishments,” assigned to the assignee of the present application and hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses cost effective and potentially less annoying techniques for gathering market research data concerning the presence and movements of customers in commercial establishments and elsewhere. These techniques employ one or more wireless transmitters placed near or within such commercial establishments. It is often necessary to map the identities or other relevant data of the transmitters to their locations to be able to determine the presence and movements of customers participating in such market research studies. 
     A further useful application of wireless transmitters in market research is in gathering data indicating exposure of panelists to billboards, posters and other types of media displays providing advertisements or other promotional information. The wireless transmitters are placed in proximity to the media displays to transmit a location signal which is received by a portable monitor carried by a panelist to indicate the panelist&#39;s exposure to the media display. 
     In order to carry out such marketing studies, it is often necessary to map the identities or other relevant data of the various wireless transmitters to their locations and/or to the media display, product display, product or other object of interest. It is desirable, therefore, to provide setup methods, devices and systems for the transmitters that efficiently record their locations or other key data in a database from which suitable reports may be produced, using a minimum amount of effort and expense. 
     SUMMARY 
     For this application the following terms and definitions shall apply: 
     The term “data” as used herein means any indicia, signals, marks, symbols, domains, symbol sets, representations, and any other physical form or forms representing information, whether permanent or temporary, whether visible, audible, acoustic, electric, magnetic, electromagnetic or otherwise manifested. The term “data” as used to represent predetermined information in one physical form shall be deemed to encompass any and all representations of the same predetermined information in a different physical form or forms. 
     The term “media data” as used herein means data which is widely accessible, whether over-the-air, or via cable, satellite, network, internetwork (including the Internet), distributed on storage media, or otherwise, without regard to the form or content thereof, and including but not limited to audio, video, text, images, animations, web pages and streaming media data. 
     The term “database” as used herein means an organized body of related data, regardless of the manner in which the data or the organized body thereof is represented. For example, the organized body of related data may be in the form of a table, a map, a grid, a list or in any other form. 
     The term “layout map” as used herein means a database of data representing locations in an area or areas for the purpose of market research. 
     The term “network” as used herein includes both networks and internetworks of all kinds, including the Internet, and is not limited to any particular network or inter-network. 
     The terms “first” and “second” are used to distinguish one element, set, data, object or thing from another, and are not used to designate relative position or arrangement in time. 
     The terms “coupled”, “coupled to”, and “coupled with” as used herein each mean a relationship between or among two or more devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, and/or means, constituting any one or more of (a) a connection, whether direct or through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, (b) a communications relationship, whether direct or through one or more other devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means, and/or (c) a functional relationship in which the operation of any one or more devices, apparatus, files, programs, media, components, networks, systems, subsystems, or means depends, in whole or in part, on the operation of any one or more others thereof. 
     The terms “communicate” and “communication” as used herein include both conveying data from a source to a destination, and delivering data to a communications medium, system or link to be conveyed to a destination. 
     The term “processor” as used herein means processing devices, apparatus, programs, circuits, systems and subsystems, whether implemented in hardware, software or both. 
     The terms “storage” and “data storage” as used herein mean data storage devices, apparatus, programs, circuits, systems, subsystems and storage media serving to retain data, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, and to provide such retained data. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for mapping locations of wireless transmitters having associated transmitter representative data and positioned for detecting the presence of participants in market research. The method comprises providing a portable device storing data representing locations within a research area relevant to the market research; inputting transmitter location data in the portable device representing selected locations of the wireless transmitters relative to the research area; and associating data representing each wireless transmitter with respective transmitter location data in the portable device. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for mapping locations of wireless transmitters having transmitter representative data and positioned for detecting the presence of participants in market research. The system comprises a portable device storing location data representing locations within a research area relevant to the market research; and a processor within the portable device operative to associate the location data with data representing respective wireless transmitters positioned at the locations. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for mapping locations of wireless transmitters used in market research. The method comprises providing a layout map including location data representing a plurality of locations within a market research area; providing transmitter data representing respective ones of the wireless transmitters; and associating the transmitter data with the location data. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a floor of a retail store for use in illustrating certain embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic representation of a table of a database populated by means of certain embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates a user interface of a portable device of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the portable device of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates various techniques for downloading data from the portable device of  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic representation of a table of a database populated with data for use in market research. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is useful for facilitating the set up of market research studies that employ wireless transmitters to detect the presence and/or movements of individuals participating in such studies. These studies provide various types of data useful to marketers, advertisers, media organizations, managers and the like, to assess exposure to advertising and promotional efforts, their effects on customer behavior as well as other facets of customer behavior. 
     An example of devices, methods and systems useful in conducting a traffic flow study employing wireless transmitters and useful to a store manager as well as to the store&#39;s product suppliers in assessing the behavior of customers in the store, is now provided.  FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a floor of a retail store having an entrance  20  and a plurality of fixtures  24  comprising shelving for products offered for sale. The fixtures  24  define aisles  28  therebetween. 
     A portable monitor  32  is carried on the person of a panelist participating in a market research study to track the presence and movements of the panelist into and within the retail store, as well as other such retail stores participating in the study. As depicted in  FIG. 1 , when the panelist enters the retail store at the entrance  20 , the portable monitor  32  carried by the panelist receives a location signal from a radio frequency (RF) transmitter  36  positioned in proximity to the entrance  20 . In certain embodiments, acoustic transmitters, infrared light transmitters and/or visible light transmitters are employed in place of or in addition to one or more RF transmitters in conducting the study. 
     The location signal contains data from which the presence of the panelist at the entrance can be determined. Such data in certain embodiments comprises a transmitter identification code that uniquely identifies the transmitter  36 . This transmitter identification code is stored in a database where it is associated with data identifying the location of the transmitter at the entrance to the retail store. 
     The strength of the transmitted location signal, along with the capabilities of the monitor  32  to receive and accurately decode the data in the transmitted location signal are selected to ensure that monitor  32  will only detect the data contained in the location signal when it is sufficiently near the identified location. When the monitor  32  detects the data contained in the location signal, it either stores the data or data based thereon, together with a time stamp indicating the time at which the data was received. 
     After the panelist has entered the store and then proceeds down an aisle  28  flanked by shelves holding various products offered for sale, the panelist comes into the range of a transmitter  40 . The portable monitor  32  carried by the panelist then detects the data contained in a further location signal from the transmitter  40 , and stores it along with a time stamp indicating the time of detection of the further location signal. If the panelist lingers in the vicinity of transmitter  40 , this indicates that the panelist may be interested in purchasing a product adjacent the transmitter. 
     Accordingly, periodically or from time to time the monitor  32  checks for the detection of the data contained in the same or a different location signal. If the data of the further location signal has again been detected, the monitor  32  stores further data indicating a duration of the continuous presence of the panelist in the vicinity of transmitter  40 . 
     As the panelist pauses in the vicinity of a transmitter  56  shown in  FIG. 1  near the end of a store fixture  24 , the monitor detects a further location signal from transmitter  56 . The transmitter  56  may be mounted on a product display, which serves to attract attention to a product, which it carries or contains. As the panelist stops by the product display, the monitor records data indicating the duration of the panelist&#39;s presence near the product display providing an indication of its effectiveness in attracting consumer attention. 
     As the panelist proceeds down another aisle, the monitor  32  detects data contained in a location signal from a transmitter  70  placed above the aisle to estimate the amount of traffic therethrough to detect whether the aisle is a “cold spot” in the store. The detected data is stored by the monitor  32  in a respective record. 
     Still later the panelist pauses in the vicinity of another transmitter  78  to examine a product. Shortly thereafter, the panelist proceeds to the checkout counter to pay for the selected products, and then leaves the store, which is recorded in the monitor  32  by a further detection of the location signal from transmitter  36 . 
     In order to carry out the market flow study as illustrated by  FIG. 1 , in certain embodiments a market research installer installs transmitters  36 ,  40 ,  56 ,  70 , and  78  at their selected locations. In certain embodiments, the transmitters comprise stand-alone devices which store all necessary data for communication with the monitor  32 . In certain embodiments, the transmitters comprise RFID tags, and/or any other suitable wireless transmitters. In certain embodiments, the transmitters are coupled with existing data storage and/or communication devices, such as intelligent shelf systems. Intelligent shelf systems serve to gather data concerning products placed on shelves or other product presentation devices for inventory control purposes and communicate such data as well as the identity of the shelf or other device being monitored. The transmitter  40  is coupled with the intelligent shelf system to obtain the data provided thereby and serves to transmit it wirelessly to be received by the monitor  32 . In such embodiments, the transmitter  40  either is installed by the market research installer, or constitutes a wireless transmitter forming a part of the intelligent shelf system. An example of a market research system that cooperates with an intelligent shelf system as described above is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/800,883 filed concurrently herewith in the names of James M. Jensen and Eugene L. Flanagan III, assigned to the assignee of the present application and hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The installer or another also records various data associated with each installed transmitter such as client name, geographic location of the install, location of the transmitter at the research site, transmitter ID, the product and/or promotional display that the transmitter was located on or near, and/or the name of the distributor/manufacturer whose product and/or promotional display that the transmitter was located on or near. 
     In certain embodiments, market research personnel log the locations of previously installed transmitters and data provided thereby. Such previously installed transmitters include wireless data communication devices which serve to wirelessly communicate data from intelligent shelf systems, including shelf or other product presentation device identification data and/or data concerning products presented for sale thereby. 
     An example illustrating the recordation of such data is shown by table  79  of  FIG. 2  and the examples of the data and the types of data can include more or fewer data types. The manual entry of such data into table  79  or similar data record would be labor intensive and prone to error due to the numerous opportunities to incorrectly enter erroneous data. Also, timely access to the entered data would be a problem because of the period of time that lapses between data entry and its availability for use by a market researcher. 
     The present invention addresses this challenge by providing methods and systems for mapping locations of the wireless transmitters quickly and efficiently by means of a portable device that is enabled to relay the entered data in near-real time. An embodiment of such a device is illustrated as portable device  80  of  FIG. 3 . Portable device  80  is a device such as a PDA, cellphone, laptop, organizer or the like on which a map  82  is presented to a user, e.g., market researcher and/or market research installer. 
     Map  82  represents a data set displayed on portable device  80  that depicts a particular location such as that of a particular commercial establishment, e.g. the location represented in  FIG. 1 . In certain embodiments, map  82  represents locations through the use of a coordinate system, e.g. a coordinate system controlled by a positioning system such as the global positioning system (“GPS”). In certain embodiments, the map  82  represents a location of a commercial establishment or objects or features therein. such as rooms, fixtures, aisles, floors and the like. The locations can be represented by absolute or relative data, and can be either approximate or precise, depending on the application. 
       FIG. 4  schematically illustrates the portable device  80  in block diagram format. A user can enter data such as transmitter location data, e.g., for transmitter  78 , into portable device  80  through user interface  94 . User interface  94  in various embodiments comprises a keyboard, touchscreen, mouse, joystick, trackball, voice activated interface, microphone, or the like by which a user can enter data into portable device  80 . 
     The entered transmitter location data is processed by processor  98 , which is in communication with user interface  94 , according to the needs of portable device  80  and the user. For example, data entered through user interface  94  can be sent to storage  96  for later recall and/or the data can be sent to display  100  for presentation to the user. 
     Portable device  80  also includes wireless receiver  102  and first antenna  104  for communicating with a transmitter being installed. In certain embodiments such communication is carried out for checking and/or setting the operational parameters of the transmitter as well as for recording the transmitter ID data from a particular transmitter. In certain embodiments, the functions of wireless receiver  102  are carried out by an RFID reader. In certain embodiments, in addition to or instead of wireless receiver  102 , portable device  80  includes a scanner  107  by which a user scans a code disposed on a transmitter to enter transmitter ID number data into the system. As an alternative to the foregoing, or in addition thereto, certain embodiments enable the user to enter a transmitter ID number using user interface  94 , e.g. keyboard  83 . In addition, portable device  80  contains wireless data communication  108  and second antenna  106  for enabling portable device  80  to communicate with a centralized or remote processor. 
     For instance and referring to  FIG. 5 , portable device  80  sends a signal  110  generated by wireless data communication  108  and transmitted by second antenna  106  to communication network  162 . The wireless communications link can be of any technology known in the art such as a cell network, WiFi network, wireless Local area network (LAN), or the like. Signal  110  contains transmitter location data that can be relayed by communications network  162  to centralized processor  166 , which stores transmitter location data in a database that can represent data in a form such as table  79 . 
     In certain embodiments, in the alternative to the foregoing or in addition thereto portable device  80  includes device interface  114  (see  FIG. 4 ), which interfaces with device couple  112  (see  FIG. 5 ) to relay data over communications network  162 . This embodiment is realized using any technology known in the art such as a modem/phone jack connection, contacts/contacts port connection, wireless transceiver pair, and the like. 
     An example of how the present invention is utilized will now be described. In one embodiment of the present invention, portable device  80  is used by a user such as a market researcher and/or a market research installer to set up a market research site in a commercial establishment such as the one schematically shown in  FIG. 1 . The user initiates the setup process by retrieving from storage  96  of portable device  80 , map  82  of the commercial establishment in which the user is setting up the market research site. In certain embodiments the user retrieves map  82  from centralized processor  166  via wireless data communication  108  and/or device interface  114 . In certain embodiments the user creates map  82  on-site on portable device  80 . In certain embodiments the user uses a combination of two or more of the foregoing methods to generate map  82 . 
     Once the user has access to map  82  on display  100  of portable device  80 , the user can begin the process of installing the data representing the location of transmitters installed in the market research area. In one embodiment, wireless receiver  102  of portable device  80  receives a signal from a transmitter being installed and detects the data therein. In certain embodiments, scanner  107  is employed to input transmitter data. In certain embodiments display  100  presents data in the form of an image  90  associated with data representing the transmitter and its location. In certain embodiments, image  90  is produced in response to receipt or input of transmitter data. In certain embodiments, the insertion of image  90  is controlled by a user activating a selectable connection on portable device  80  to input transmitter data. 
     The user manipulates the location of image  90  to move image  90  to a position on map  82  corresponding to the location of the transmitter. Portable device  80  then stores a record including the detected data from the transmitter along with data representing its position generated by the positioning of the image  90 . 
     For instance, the position of image  90  is moved from its present position to location  84  on map  82 , which correlates to the location of transmitter  78  in  FIG. 1 . User interface  94  in this embodiment is a touch screen activated through the use of stylus  86  or other similar object. In certain embodiments user interface  94  enters data to manipulate image  90  by means of a keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball and/or voice activated command module. 
     If the market research study requires the installation of more than one transmitter at this location, then the user continues to record data indicative of the location of additional transmitters placed for a particular market research study in a particular commercial establishment using portable device  80 . The data indicative of transmitter location then can be stored in storage  96 , processed further by processor  98 , and/or relayed to centralized processor  166  for further processing. 
     In certain embodiments, the centralized processor  166  stores the received transmitter location data in one or more databases from which it is accessed to produce market research reports based on data representing the locations of transmitters in a commercial establishment. Such a market research report can include the data from table  79  and data gathered from monitor  32 , for example, as illustrated by table  114  in  FIG. 6 . The transmitters&#39; location data can be accessed and evaluated with the data from various parts of tables  79  and  114  to produce useful market research reports concerning the likely behavior of customers when they are exposed to a particular product and/or service, and/or promotional display. 
     Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other embodiments, modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.