Abstract:
A method and system for providing an enhanced window shopping and retail information exchange with shoppers, includes acoustic sensing in connection with one or more storefront windows of a retail store, and a corresponding transparent display located within the store and visible through the storefront window, the interior of the store being visible through the transparent display. Display of information on the transparent display, and in optional combination with audio information external to the store, prompts shoppers to tap the storefront window at locations which correspond to the locations of information displayed on the transparent display. The system and method is programmed to respond to taps on the window according to the locations of the taps with incentives to enter the store and/or to redeem awards or coupons in the store.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/290,918, filed Nov. 8, 2002. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention pertains generally to interactive displays, and more specifically to a method and system for implementing an interactive display window with multiple transparent surfaces. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Attention is directed to a masters thesis by Nisha Checka entitled “A System for Tracking 15 and Characterizing Acoustic Impacts on Large Interactive Surfaces” (MIT, May, 2001) and J. D. Paradiso, K. Hsiao, J. Strickon, J. Lifton, and A. Adler, “Sensor Systems for Interactive Surfaces,” IBM Systems Journal 39, Nos. 3&amp;4, 892-914 (2000), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
         [0004]    Large flat surfaces, such as glass windows, are common structures in everyday life. Because of a window&#39;s transparent nature, it is often used in showroom displays, or as a conduit through which one can view an area of a showroom. Without additional enabling circuitry, common glass windows are passive surfaces. While different products generally centered on the theme of “home automation” have inspired various interactive displays, these are usually hand-held, small or moderate-sized discrete electronic devices, such as touch screens or monitors that are embedded into walls, kiosks or tables. The use of large portions of the walls, floors, or windows themselves as interactive interfaces, except perhaps in niche applications such as those used for teleconferencing, is rare. As new technologies evolve, architectural surfaces are becoming more sensate, following trends and concepts in smart skins developed in the areas of structural control and aerospace research over the last decade. 
         [0005]    Most of the commercial products that have been developed to track position across a large, responsive surface have been aimed at the hand-held digitizing tablet and “smart whiteboard’ markets, where handwriting from a writing instrument (such as a coded pen, or the styles used with the Palm Pilot™) is digitally captured. While many of these systems require contact or pressure to be applied against a sensitive surface and act as a large touch screen or trackpad, others detect the position of objects just above a board or tablet. The bulk of these devices are made to work with electronic sensing technology (usually nontransparent) within or beneath the active area. One interesting example of a recent, noncommercial sensing surface is the pixilated capacitive matrix devised by Post and collaborators at the MIT Media Lab for their sensor table developed for an installation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Although this technique can detect and track nearby bare hands through their capacitive loading, it does not scale easily in large areas and is generally opaque; therefore it is not suited to rear-projection applications. For smaller surfaces, transparent conductors such as indium-tin oxide (“ITO”) or conductive plastic can be used as in capacitive touchscreens, but extending such fine sampling or pixilated concepts to very large displays becomes complicated and expensive with existing technologies. 
         [0006]    Most tracking systems for translucent or very large wallboards are the “squinting” type that look across from the edges of the display. Although inexpensive devices exist that use acoustic time-of-flight to a fixed receiver from active sonar pingers embedded in pens, several employ optical sensing, which enables simple, passive reflecting targets on the drawing objects to be easily detected in a sensitive plane defined by a scanning fan-collimated light source, such as generated by a scanned diode laser. For example, a pair of scanning lasers emanate from the two top corners of a board, identifying and tracking coded targets on pens and other objects approaching the whiteboard and intersecting the scanned plane. These sensors are unable to detect distance, thus planar position is determined by triangulating the two angular measurements. To avoid ambiguities in this triangulation, these systems generally allow only one object to be tracked at a time. Although such systems require coded targets, research systems have been designed to use a similar arrangement to track single fingers and bare hands. Light-Curtains, which use dense arrays of infrared light-emitting diodes (“IR LEDs”) that face corresponding receivers lining the perimeter of the screen, are commercially available and can track multiple hands, but because of poor scalability, become expensive for large displays. A variant on this approach is the Intrepid touch system, which uses an array of IR LEDs across the top of the display and two linear CCD arrays at the corners that look for reflections from the hands. Unfortunately, this technique can become problematic with large screens as it is expensive and illumination difficulties often persist. 
         [0007]    Some smart wail hand-tracking systems use computer vision. The most straightforward versions of these use multiple cameras, squinting along the horizontal and vertical coordinates and triangulating. Although this approach is capable of providing a great deal of information potentially enabling hand gesture to be determined), it involves a considerable amount of sometimes fragile video processing to detect the hand, reject background light and clutter, and solve the image-correspondence problem for multiple hands. 
         [0008]    Another technique is “chroma-key”, which is one that looks from the front of a screen. In this technique, the silhouette of the body is detected against a plain blue or bright screen, whereupon the hands are identified and tracked when not in front of the torso, similar to systems employed during weather broadcasts. Although the newscaster only gestures in front of a blue screen in the studio, the screen is replaced by the weather map in the broadcast video. For increased precision, lower ambiguity, higher speed, and the ability to work with variable background light or an image-bearing screen, many classic body-tracking systems have exploited active targets made from modulated IR LEDs that must be placed on or carried by the user. 
         [0009]    Recent work by the MIT Media Laboratory&#39;s Responsive Environments Group on new user interface devices for interactive surfaces and large-scale public installations has led to the development of technologies such as an interactive wall which tracks hand positions with a low-cost scanning laser rangefinder and a smart window that locates finger taps using differential acoustic time-of-arrival. Such technologies, independently and in combination, turn an ordinary window into an input device, analogous to a touchscreen or mouse. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an interactive display system which utilizes acoustic coordinate identifying technology. The display system of the invention is applied in one embodiment to a showroom window, with acoustic location means for determining the location of a tap on the window made by a shopper or passer-by. The system fiercer comprises display means for displaying information responsive or otherwise related to the determined location of the top, while maintaining at least partial transparency through the area in which information is displayed. Thus, the interactive display system does not obstruct the view through the window. 
         [0011]    Also, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for interactive display of information in connection with a window such as a storefront window. The method involves the use of a showroom window and an at least partially transparent display that is viewable from outside the showroom through the window. After a user makes an acoustic contact or “tap” with the showroom window, the coordinate location of the tap on the window is determined by acoustic-electrical processing means. Information is then displayed that is responsive to the determined location of the tap. Preferably, at least partial transparency is maintained through the area in which information is displayed. 
         [0012]    Also, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a retail business method for awarding a coupon to a window shopper. A graphical or textual user interface is provided to the window shopper wherein the interface comprises a window and a display viewable from an exterior side of the window. An acoustic contact or tap made with the window by the shopper is received and its location determined. In response to or depending upon the particular determined location of the tap, a coupon is awarded to the window shopper, as further described herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of an acoustic tap tracking system of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of an interactive window display system of the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a method of displaying information in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an acoustic tap tracking system is used to create an interactive window, which may be a display window such as in a retail store. While rangefinder systems are well adapted for tracking hands, they are less adapted to notions like the “click” of a mouse, a commonplace action in today&#39;s standard graphical user interface (“GUI”). There are several clean gestures by which the notion of a “clink” can be adopted; for example, moving ones hand quickly in and out of the scan plane or pulsing the nontracked other hand rapidly in and out of the beam, etc. The most direct method of clicking, however, would be to just tap the surface. With only one hand being tracked, this is straightforward; a simple acoustic transducer affixed to the screen suitably detects the tap and announces a “click” event. With multiple hands, however, the tracking becomes more problematic, as planar rangefinders generally provide no means by which to determine which hand was responsible for the contact. To resolve such issues and explore a different kind of smart surface interface, the Tangible Media Group at MIT developed an acoustic tap locating/tracking system. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of an acoustic tap tracking system like that developed at MIT. The system is designed to locate the position of a tap, knock or contact indicated generally at location  102  upon a sensing surface  104 . In order to determine the location of tap  102 , a plurality of contact sensors or pickups  106  are attached or secured to the sensing surface  104 . A preferred embodiment, there are four sensors  106 , which are preferably polyvinylidene fluoride (“PVDF”) piezoelectric foil sensors, attached to the sensing surface  104  (alternatively “glass  104 ”) which is preferably glass preferred for its physical properties as a medium for travel of acoustic energy in wave form therethrough. However, any rigid material with similar properties can be used as sensing surface  104 . When a tap is made upon the glass  104 , acoustic energy propagates through the glass  104  and is sensed by sensors  106 . If the tap is closer to one sensor  106  than another sensor  106 , less time will pass before the acoustic energy arrives at the sensor to which the tap location  102  is closest. Therefore, the tap location  102  is determined by the differential time-of-arrival of acoustic energy at multiple locations, in this case, four sensors  106  positioned at corners. 
         [0018]    A microcontroller  108  is used to continuously sample the signals from each sensor  106  into a rotating buffer. Upon detecting a transducer signal above a defined threshold, a “tap” event is declared, and 10 millisecond (ins) worth of data are stored from all four inputs (including 3 ms of data before the trigger occurred). This buffer is then scanned for every significant peak in the absolute-value waveform produced by each transducer, and descriptive parameters (e.g., peak height, width, and mean arrival time relative to the initial trigger) are extracted for each peak (including any small peaks arriving earlier, as discussed above). These parameters are sent, together with a count of the number of zero-crossings across the data acquisition interval. A connected digital signal processor  110  then processes the timing determined for each first peak by a second-order polynomial that was obtained from a linear least-squares fit to a set of calibration points to produce an estimate of the impact location in Cartesian coordinates. 
         [0019]    In addition to increasing the reliability of the results, the use of a microcontroller  108  readily enables more channels of gestural input (e.g., measuring the strike intensity and classifying the type of strike). Also, because the system has four sensors  106 , accuracy and validity are suitably increased by cross-checking the detected waveform characteristics from the different sensors and examining the differences between the four position estimates obtained from the four different sensor  106  triplets. Only three sensors  106  are necessary to locate a contact  102 . Because there are four sensors, there exists one redundant degree of freedom. Therefore, results from each of the four sets of three sensors  106  are preferably compared to improve accuracy. 
         [0020]    Turing now to  FIG. 2 , an illustration of an interactive showroom display system in accordance with the present invention is provided. As shown, the showroom display system comprises display means  112  in conjunction with location means, which is preferably the acoustic tap tracking system of  FIG. 1 . The glass  104  is preferably a showroom display  20  window and the sensors are preferably PVDF piezoelectric sensors. Display means  112  is suitably any display means for displaying information and suitably comprises a hologram, or film irradiated with a refractive grid. A preferred display means  112  is a HoloPro™ display device available from G+B pronova GmbH, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. The HoloPro™ is a transparent refractive panel upon which an image can be projected from the rear at an oblique angle and displayed clearly toward the front. The unique aspect of HoloPro™ is that the display medium is transparent, and an image projector can be located outside of the boundaries of the display. When used in combination with a window in accordance with this invention, the HoloPro™ display, while displaying a projected image, does not obstruct the view through the window (and the display). This novel combination is therefore particularly advantageous in retail store window applications, whereby an active and interactive display is combined a traditional storefront window. hi addition, the system suitably comprises audio means for providing audio feedback as well as visual feedback responsive to the determined location of a contact  102 . The audio means is also suitably used as means for initially attracting a user to the interactive showroom display system. 
         [0021]    Preferably, the display means comprises a plurality of individual holograms irradiated alongside one another onto a holographic film. Each holographic optical element (“HOE”) suitably has its own defined deflection angle such that each HOE has a unique angle sensitivity. The system also preferably comprises a projector  118  to irradiate the holograms. In the presently preferred embodiment, display means  112  comprises a screen, which is film laminated between two panes of glass to provide mechanical stability and protect the film from dirt and dampness. The projector  118  is preferably configured such that the light projected from the projector irradiates the holograms at specific angles. A specific angle of projection in combination with angle sensitivity allows ambient light to pass without significant reflection or refraction through the screen and without otherwise materially affecting the optical quality of the projection. When the projector is switched off, the screen appears transparent and the observer can see straight through it. When the projector is on, an observer can still see through the screen. In other words, the display means  112  preferably maintains at least partial transparency through the area in which information is displayed. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the display means is therefore suitably any display means capable of maintaining at least partial transparency through the area in which information is displayed such that a window shopper can view items inside the showroom through the display means. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the display means  112  and the user or window shopper are preferably separated by the window  104 . Preferably, in order to maximize intuitive use, the location means is configured to determine the location of a contact  102  relative to the position of the display means In other words, even though the screen or display means  112  is suitably separated from the showroom window  104 , the system is suitably configured such that each coordinate on the display means corresponds to a coordinate on the showroom window  104 . For example, display means displays information  116 , which prompts a user to contact the showroom window  104 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the information  116  prompts a user to select from one of three choices. To select one of the tree choices, the user preferably contacts the showroom window  104  in front of the desired selection. The contact  102  is represented by location  120  on the showroom window. Location  120  on the showroom window  104  corresponds to location  122  on display means  112 . 
         [0023]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a flowchart generally depicting a method of displaying information in accordance with the present invention is provided. The general flow commences at star block  300 , from which progression is made to process block  302 . At process block  302 , a user interface is provided. The user interface suitably comprises a showroom window  104  and an at least partially transparent display  112  viewable from the exterior side of the showroom window  104 . Preferably, the user interface is of the type shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0024]    Progression then flows to process block  304  wherein a window shopper or user is suitably attracted. The attraction of the window shopper is suitably accomplished through visual and/or audio means. Flow then continues to process block  306  wherein the window shopper is prompted to make a contact to the showroom window. The prompting of the window shopper suitably comprises providing visual and/or audio stimuli. Any suitable form of prompt is contemplated by the present invention. For example, audio instructions are suitably broadcast to the window shopper, textual instructions are suitably displayed, etc. It should be noted that the prompt is also suitably implied, such as through the use of a button, a graphic, a simple list of choices, of other means as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the window shopper is prompted to select from a plurality of selections. In selecting, the window shopper taps window  104  at a location  120  which corresponds to a position  122  on display means  112 . 
         [0026]    Progression then continues to process block  308 , wherein after receiving a contact to the showroom window  104  by the window shopper, the system then preferably determines the location of the tap. The determined location of the tap is suitably correlated with a position on the display. This correlation allows the window and display means to act in combination like a touch screen. The determined location is then suitably compared with predefined criteria. Depending on the criteria definitions and the determined location, the system preferably displays information to the window shopper at process block  310 . 
         [0027]    The displaying information at process block  310  also suitably comprises providing audio feedback responsive to the determined location of the contact. The information displayed is suitably any information and is not necessarily related to a product or company. In the presently preferred embodiment, the display means maintains at least partial transparency through the area in which information is displayed. In response to meeting certain criteria, the system suitably displays information about at least one product that is available for purchase. The product available for purchase is suitably available for purchase in the showroom or via the Internet. In addition, the system also suitably displays company information in response to the contact. Also, information displayed is suitably related to a showroom promotion or to instructions for obtaining or redeeming a coupon inside the showroom. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the displayed information is suitably any information, such as sales information, coupon information, promotion information, information displayed solely for entertainment purposes, etc. 
         [0028]    In the case where displayed information is related to a coupon, a coupon is suitably awarded to a user. The system is suitably configured to interact with showroom databases such that a coupon code is generated by the display system, after which the coupon can be redeemed within the showroom. Alternately, the showroom display system suitably generates any type of redeemable coupon code, even though not in interaction with other systems. The coupon awarded to a user is preferably selectively awarded to the user based upon the determined location of contact. In one presently preferred embodiment, the system initiates a game which the window shopper is prompted to play. The game is configured to receive user input in the form of a contact to the showroom window. Upon successful completion of the game, the window shopper is awarded a coupon. 
         [0029]    Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the area within the principle and scope of the invention as will be expressed in the appended claims.