Abstract:
Systems and methods for creating and delivering banner strip messaging in print format along a shelf edge in a retails establishment are disclosed. A process for creating and delivering banner strip messaging in print format includes the steps of: (1) receiving message content data and planogram data for a plurality of products from an input device, wherein the message content data includes price data and advertising data; (2) storing the message content data and the planogram data in a database; (3) aligning the message content data and the planogram data for each of the plurality of products; (4) creating a display template based on the aligned message content data and the planogram data; and (5) sending the display template to an output device, wherein the output device produces an output display.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional patent application No. 61/863,245, filed Aug. 7, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Retailers currently utilize print messaging at the shelf edge as a way of communicating with shoppers. These messages include but are not limited to product pricing, promotional offers, product content, health and wellness, and advertising. These messages normally are developed for each individual item on the store shelves. Messaging in the form of individual tags is often updated weekly as item price files are modified. Marketing and advertising messaging are usually modified less frequently as many offers last for several weeks, or as inventory levels dictate. The ability to provide a high quality color print message attached to the store shelf has been difficult to execute due to limited space availability, interference with product placement on the shelves, the physical nature of the shelf edge, the cost of installation and maintenance, and the constant contact with shoppers and store employees. 
         [0003]    Printed tags and strips attached to the store shelves have continued to be the primary shopper communication medium in the aisles. Electronic communications networks have been attempted, but the cost to install and maintain have limited broad adoption. In most cases, the center of a grocery store does not have power outlets available to meet these electronic system requirements. Another factor is the fee structure required to offset the cost of these networks. The pricing for electronic media cannot compete with the printed tag, strip, or print signage within the store. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The following present a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below. 
         [0005]    In one embodiment, a duplex printed label sheet is disclosed, which includes a first printed label having an upper portion and a lower portion separated by a perforated line. A front side of the first printed label includes product specific information and a back side of the first printed label includes location data for placement of the first printed label along a shelf edge. In use, the upper portion is installed along the shelf edge and the lower portion hangs below the shelf edge when the first printed label is folded along the perforated line. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a process for creating and delivering banner strip messaging in print format includes: (1) receiving message content data and planogram data for a plurality of products from an input device, wherein the message content data includes price data and advertising data; (2) storing the message content data and the planogram data in a database; (3) aligning the message content data and the planogram data for each of the plurality of products; (4) creating a display template based on the aligned message content data and the planogram data; and (5) sending the display template to an output device, wherein the output device produces an output display. 
         [0007]    In yet another embodiment, a system for creating banner strip messaging in a print format has a server having a communication device, a processor, non-transitory computer memory having at least one program, and a database for storing planogram data and message content data; an input device having a communication device for providing the planogram data and the message content data; and an output device having a communication device for receiving information from the program and providing an output display. The program accesses the planogram data and the message content data received from the input device and stored in the database, aligns the correct message content data with the planogram data for a particular product, prepares an output template, and transmits the output template to the output device. The output template includes at least one label having an upper portion and a lower portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached figures. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a banner strip according to one embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a shelf indicating the position of the banner strip of  FIG. 1  along a shelf edge. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  perspective view of a shelf having the banner strip of  FIG. 1  positioned along the shelf edge corresponding to various product. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a system for creating and delivering banner strip messaging in print format. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an exemplary set of steps performed in one embodiment of the present method. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  shows an exemplary printed label sheet having multiple banner strips per sheet. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Embodiments of the present invention include processes and systems for creating and implementing a banner strip print messaging network in a retail establishment. 
         [0016]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , a shelf tag (or “banner strip”)  100  may have an upper portion  102  and a lower portion  104  separated by a perforated line  106 . The upper portion  102  may be designed to fit inside a shelf edge  110 , such as a C-channel shelf edge ( 110 C) or J-channel shelf edge ( 110 J), as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The perforated line  106  may aid in folding the lower portion  104  over the shelf edge  110  such that the lower portion  104  extends downward from the shelf edge  110 . 
         [0017]    The banner strip&#39;s upper portion  102  may include information relating to the price of an item stored at a particular location on the shelf  110 . The lower portion  104  may include marketing or advertising information, promotional offers, product content, and health and wellness information, for example. Additionally, as the banner strips  100  may be duplex printed, additional information can be stored on the underside of the lower portion  104 , including UPC numbers for the associated items, planogram numbers, aisle location data, chain/banner/store numbers, version, expiration dates, or other product specific data. 
         [0018]    The information printed on the upper portion  102 , the lower portion  104 , and the underside of the lower portion  104  will hereinafter be generally referred to as message content data  425 . 
         [0019]    The banner strips  100  may be designed to meet the physical dimensions of the store shelf edge  110 . The width of the upper portion  102  may be adjusted to correspond to the fixture measurements of a given store. A typical configuration includes, for example, 1⅜″, although the strip  100  may be any width. Additionally, the length of the banner strips  100  may vary to meet store shelving dimensions. Typical configurations include, for example, 3-foot and 4-foot long sections. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the content of each banner strip  100  must align to each product position on the shelves  110  on each aisle. In  FIG. 3 , the upper portion  102 A and lower portion  104 A align with Product A on the shelf  110 . Similarly, upper portions  102 B,  102 C and lower portions  104 B,  104 C align with Products B and C on the shelf  110 , respectively. 
         [0021]      FIGS. 4-5  illustrate a system and method for creating, delivering, and installing banner strip messaging in print format that corresponds to the correct position of products on the shelves  110 . The system  400  may include a server  401 , at least one input device  430 , and at least one output device  440 . 
         [0022]    In the embodiment  400 , the server  401  includes a processor  405 , which may be a single processor or multiple processors in communication with one another, in data communication with various elements. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the processor  405  is in data communication with computer memory  410 . The memory  410  may support a program  415 , and at least one database  417  for storing relevant product and product placement information, such as POG data  420  and message content data  425 . 
         [0023]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the computer memory  410  may consist of any appropriate computer-storage media (e.g., RMA, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, et cetera) and the database  417  may be any electronic file or combination of files in which data is stored for use by the processor  405 . The database  417  may additionally be split into additional databases. The program  415  is described in further detail below, with specific reference to  FIG. 5 . 
         [0024]    A communication device  410  may be data communication with the processor  405  to communicate with an input device communication device  410 ′ and an output device communication device  410 ″. The communication devices  410 ,  410 ′,  410 ″ may utilize any appropriate communication technology whether now known or later developed. 
         [0025]    The input device  430  (e.g., one or more keyboard, microphone, electronic-indicia reader, barcode scanner, et cetera) may be in data communication with the processor  405  to provide data from a particular store to the server  401 , and the output device  440  (e.g., printer) may be in data communication with the processor  405  for providing a means for displaying product information to the particular store. The input device  430  may be a third party input device, or it may be an input device from a participating retailer. 
         [0026]    In general terms, the programming  415  causes the processor  405  to undertake various steps for producing banner strips  100 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps discussed herein may be caused by the programming  415 , and that the exact location of the programming  415  and where the electronic data is maintained or processed is not critical. 
         [0027]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the process  500  begins at step  501 , where the programming  415  causes the processor  405  to retrieve message content data  425  and planogram (or “POG”) data  420  from the input device  430  and store the data  420 ,  425  in the computer memory  410 . Alternately, the message content data  425  and the POG data  420  may be stored directed in the computer memory  410 , such that the processor  405  accesses the message content data  425  and the POG data  420  stored in the database  417  at step  501 . As noted above, the message content data  425  may include price information relating to each product, as well as advertising and/or promotional content relating to each product. 
         [0028]    The message content on each banner strip  100  must be aligned with the product position on the shelves in each aisle. Thus, at step  502 , the program  415  aligns the correct message content data  425  with the POG data  420  using matching techniques for each product, and the process moves to step  503 . 
         [0029]    At step  503 , the program  415  prepares an output document template (e.g., as illustrated at  FIG. 6 ) based on the aligned message content data  425  and POG data  420 . Each output document template may include several banner strips  100 A- 100 F to be printed on a single page. 
         [0030]    Moving on, at step  504 , the output document template is transmitted to the output device  440 , which may provide the appropriate output  600 , such as a printed sheet having the desired content. As previously noted, the printed sheet  600  may be duplex printed, and therefore message content data  425  and/or POG data  420  may be printed on both sides of the printed sheet  600  as desired. It shall be noted that the output device  440  may be separate from the input device  430 , or the input device  430  and the output device  440  may be combined into a single device. The process then moves to step  505 . 
         [0031]    At step  505 , the printed sheet  600  may be loaded into a splitter device to complete a splitting process. As the printed sheet passes through the splitter device, the sheet may be separated into individual banner strips  100 A- 100 F, as illustrated in  FIG. 6  by broken lines. Alternately, the strips, for example strips  100 A- 100 C in  FIG. 6 , may remain attached to form a long strip. Additionally, during step  505 , the splitter device may create the perforated line  106 . 
         [0032]    The splitter device may be provided with the necessary die cutter specifications for each printed sheet. The splitter device may be a separate device, or it may be combined with the output device  440 . 
         [0033]    Moving on, at step  506 , the banner strips  100  may be sorted based on location of the product and loaded into store specific boxes. For example, the banner strips  100  may be sorted in walk sequence order for ease of application. During a walk-sequenced installation process, banner strips  100  may be placed on the appropriate shelf location as indicated on the duplex printed information provided on the back side of the lower portion  104  of the strip  100 . Additional store material may be loaded into the boxes prior to sealing the box for shipping. These additional materials may include, for example, price tags, advertising, promotion, marketing message tags, planogram information, store signage, and specific store instructions or directions. 
         [0034]    At step  507 , once the strips are received at a retail store, the banner strips  100  may be placed at the correct shelf location as described above, and as shown in  FIG. 3 . procedures. The lower portion  104  of the banner strips  100  may be folded over the shelf edge  110  along the perforated line  106  created during the die casting process (step  505 ). The lower portion  104  of the banner strips  100  may thus hang straight down from the shelf edge, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0035]    Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0036]    It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described.