A system and method for automatically updating content related to an object in response to a determination that a related event has occurred.

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system (100), the system being A set of electronic display devices (ESLs) (110), wherein each electronic display device in the set is configured to display content relating to a specific object associated with that electronic display device, A server (120) is connected to a communication network and configured to receive event-related data from an external data source. A controller (130) configured to communicate with a server via a communication network and with a set of electronic display devices, An event determination unit (140) is configured to determine, based on event-related data, that an event has occurred related to one or more objects associated with each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set. Includes, The controller is configured to communicate its respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set. The electronic display device in the set is configured to display updated content in response to receiving update messages from the controller. Further methods are disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of electronic shelf labels, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling the content displayed by electronic shelf labels.

Background Art

[0002] The use of electronic shelf label (ESL) systems in similar facilities for displaying associated content related to specific objects such as stores, showrooms, museums, and products offered for sale has been continuously increasing. Such systems have been evaluated to provide many benefits and simplifications to the facility management team. In particular, the manual work associated with the placement and updating of conventional shelf labels can be significantly reduced by defining the content displayed on each ESL device via a central computer-based management system. In other words, the person in charge does not need to go to each shelf or all shelves in the store to place or replace paper labels. Despite these advantages, due to the large number of in-store objects and corresponding ESL devices, the central management of the content displayed on various ESL devices can still present situations that are difficult to handle. Such situations may particularly include short-term events that affect product demand, such as sudden changes in the market, for example, changes in the pricing of competing companies, or changes in production-related conditions, or changes in the weather or upcoming special holidays.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

[0004] Therefore, an improved ESL system is needed that can process events in such a time-efficient manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This need, as well as other needs, can be satisfied by the subject matter of the independent claim. Further advantageous features are described in the dependent claim.

[0006] summary According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a system is provided. This system has the following configuration: (a) A set of electronic display devices, each electronic display device in the set is configured to display content relating to a specific object associated with that electronic display device; (b) A server, which is connected to a communication network and configured to receive event-related data from an external data source, (c) A controller configured to communicate with a server via a communication network and with a set of electronic display devices, (d) An event determination unit configured to determine, based on event-related data, that an event has occurred related to one or more objects associated with each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set. Includes, (e) The controller is configured to communicate its respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set, (f) The electronic display device in the set is configured to display updated content in response to receiving update messages from the controller.

[0007] This first embodiment is based on the idea that event-related data originating from an external data source is received by a server and processed by an event determination unit to determine whether the relevant event has occurred. In this case, an update message is communicated to each electronic display device affected by the event. Upon receiving such an update message, the corresponding electronic display device is configured to display updated content that reflects the event. As a result, event-related data received from an external data source may directly trigger an update of the content displayed by the affected electronic display devices without requiring any manual interaction by an operator or other party.

[0008] In this context, the term “content” may refer specifically to any form of content suitable for display by an electronic display device, and in particular to images and / or videos and / or text suitable for conveying relevant information about the object in question to a viewer or observer (e.g., a potential buyer). The information conveyed may be any kind of product-related data, such as pricing information (including various discount options) or the characteristics of the object (e.g., dimensions and / or weight, and / or compatibility with other objects).

[0009] In this context, the term “object” may mean any kind of item or product. An object may specifically be a product offered for sale in a store, or a work of art displayed in a showroom or museum.

[0010] The electronic display system may be installed on shelves, racks, or other similar configurations within a building such as a store, warehouse, showroom, or museum, so that interested persons can easily understand that the displayed content is related to an object near the electronic display system or to a certain type of object (product range).

[0011] In addition to communicating with the server, the controller also allows operators to supply, edit, and delete information that defines the content displayed on the set's electronic display devices. Therefore, this centralized management function is a characteristic feature of known ESL systems.

[0012] The server receives event-related data from external data sources, such as one or more web crawlers or web scrapers, one or more third-party providers, or web-based systems for comparing product prices or weather forecasting or calendar services.

[0013] Based on event-related data, the event decision unit can determine the occurrence of various events for one or more objects associated with each electronic display device. When such an event occurs, the controller communicates an update message to the corresponding electronic display device, which responds by displaying updated content that reflects the event.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, the event decision unit comprises a server and / or a controller.

[0015] In other words, the event decision unit (functional unit) may use the same hardware as the server and / or controller. Therefore, the event decision unit may be part of the server, part of the controller, or part of both.

[0016] According to a further exemplary embodiment, the event determination unit is configured to generate an update message for each of one or more respective electronic display devices of the set.

[0017] In other words, the event determination unit can generate an update message for each single electronic display device associated with an object affected by the event. Thus, the specific content of each update message may generally vary such that the changes caused by the event are different for each type of object (e.g., product).

[0018] According to a further exemplary embodiment, the event-related data includes one or more of competitor price-setting data, weather data, calendar data, and product data.

[0019] The competitor price-setting data may particularly include information regarding the price setting of similar objects, equivalent objects, or identical objects in other stores.

[0020] The weather data may particularly include information regarding temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, daytime sunshine hours, amount of rain or snow, etc.

[0021] The calendar data may particularly include information regarding holidays, cultural or religious festivals, etc.

[0022] The product data may particularly include information regarding a specific product such as related raw materials or product components.

[0023] According to a further exemplary embodiment, the update message includes one or more of changed content, additional content, and the period of the event.

[0024] In other words, an update message may include changed content, i.e., content intended to replace previous content as a result of the event. Additionally or alternatively, an update message may include additional content, i.e., content displayed in addition to (together with) the previous content. Furthermore, an update message may include information about the duration of the event. This may be an absolute amount of time, i.e., hours, days, weeks, etc. Alternatively or additionally, for example, the duration may be expressed as a duration relative to a baseline value, as long as the temperature is at least a certain level above a specific value (e.g., the seasonal average temperature). In the last case, the event ends when the baseline is no longer met.

[0025] According to further exemplary embodiments, the electronic display device of the set is configured to display modified content and / or additional content during the duration of the event.

[0026] Upon receiving an update message, each electronic display device associated with the object affected by the event applies the update corresponding to the displayed content, unless the display period has already ended. Once the period has ended, the electronic display device may revert to displaying the same content as before the event.

[0027] According to a further exemplary embodiment, each electronic display device in the set comprises a memory for storing content, a communication interface for communicating with a controller, and a display for displaying the content stored in the memory.

[0028] The memory may be any suitable type of memory, such as flash memory, that can store data representing the content to be displayed. The communication interface may be configured to communicate with the controller via a wired communication network such as a LAN, or via a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® network, ZigBee network, or any proprietary wireless network used in a retail environment. The display may be an electrophoretic display, LCD or OLED display, and may preferably be a color display, but is not necessarily required. The display preferably has sufficient resolution to display images, graphic elements, video, and / or text.

[0029] According to a further exemplary embodiment, each electronic display device in the set is configured to receive its respective update message via a communication interface and to update the content stored in memory according to the received update message.

[0030] In other words, each electronic display device can receive update messages that update the content stored in its memory accordingly.

[0031] According to a further exemplary embodiment, the system further comprises (a) a further set of electronic display devices, and (b) a further controller configured to communicate with a server via a communication network and with the further set of electronic display devices. The further controller is configured to communicate update messages to each of one or more of the further set of electronic display devices. Furthermore, the electronic display devices of the further set are configured to display updated content in response to receiving update messages from the further controller.

[0032] Further sets of electronic display devices and additional controllers may be installed in a facility remote from the facility where the electronic display device set and controllers are located, for example, in a different store or building at a remote location. However, they may also be installed in a different department of the shopping center, or on a different floor or level of the same building. In any case, both the electronic display device set and the two controllers communicate with the server so that event-related data collected by the server can be used.

[0033] A method is provided according to a second aspect of this disclosure. The method is (a) The process of operating a set of electronic display devices such that each electronic display device in the set displays content relating to a specific object associated with that electronic display device, (b) The process of receiving event-related data from an external data source on the server, (c) Based on the received event-related data, the step of determining that an event has occurred related to one or more objects associated with each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set, (d) The process of communicating the respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set, (f) The step of updating the content displayed on one or more electronic display devices in the set in response to receiving an update message.

[0034] This second embodiment is based on essentially the same idea as the first embodiment described above. More specifically, event-related data originating from an external data source is received by a server and processed to determine whether the relevant event has occurred. In this case, an update message is communicated to each electronic display device affected by the event. Upon receiving such an update message, the corresponding electronic display device is configured to display updated content that reflects the event. As a result, event-related data received from an external data source may directly trigger an update of the content displayed by the affected electronic display devices without requiring any manual operation by an operator or other user.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment, event-related data includes one or more of the following: competitor pricing data, weather data, calendar data, and product data.

[0036] According to further exemplary embodiments, the update message includes one or more of the changed content, additional content, and the duration of the event, and the method further includes operating a set of electronic display devices to display the changed content and / or additional content during the duration of the event.

[0037] According to further exemplary embodiments, the method is (a) The step of operating the further set of electronic displays such that each of the further set of electronic displays displays content relating to a specific object associated with each electronic display, (b) Based on the received event-related data, the step of determining that an event has occurred relating to one or more objects associated with each of one or more electronic display devices in a further set, (c) The step of communicating the respective update message to each of one or more electronic display devices of a further set, (d) Further includes the step of updating the content displayed by one or more of a further set of electronic display devices in response to the receipt of an update message.

[0038] As mentioned above, additional sets of electronic display devices may be installed in facilities far from the facility where the existing set of electronic display devices is located, for example, in a different store or building in a distant location. However, additional sets may also be installed in a different department of the shopping center, or on a different floor or level of the same building. In any case, both sets of electronic display devices communicate with the server, so that event-related data collected by the server can be used.

[0039] The electronic components of various devices in a system, as well as their interfaces, can be implemented in an individualized and integrated manner using a very wide range of passive and active electronic components. Preferably, in this case, a microprocessor or microcontroller with corresponding peripheral components is used, on which software to provide various functions is executed. Alternatively, what is known as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) can be used.

[0040] These and further embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0041] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a system according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of an electronic display device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of the method according to an exemplary embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0042] Figure 1 shows a system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. The system comprises a server 120 that communicates with external data sources 105, 106 and an event determination unit 140. The system 100 further comprises a set of electronic display devices 110, indicated as electronic shelf labels (ESLs), that communicate with a controller 130. Although set 110 is shown as comprising five ESLs, it should be understood that set 110 may comprise any number of ESLs, such as 10, 20, 50, 100, or more. Each ESL in set 110 communicates with the controller 130, as indicated by the lines connecting each ESL in set 110 to the controller 130, and is therefore capable of receiving data, commands, and messages from the controller 130. Each ESL in set 110 may also be capable of sending data and / or messages, such as sensor data, to the controller 130. Communication between the controller 130 and the ESL in set 110 may be wireless, preferably via a Bluetooth® network (in particular, connecting to "bluetooth Core Specification" version 5.1, version 2023-01-23, "Electronic Shelf Label Profile Specification" version V1.0, version 2023-03-28, or later, both of which are available on the website https: / / www.Bluetooth.com (Bluetooth SIG, Inc.)), and the controller 130 may function as an access point in the network.

[0043] System 110 further comprises a further set 110a of electronic display units (ESLs) that communicate with a further controller 130a. The further set 110a of ESLs and the further controller 130a are optional. Also, although the further (optional) set 110a is shown as comprising five ESLs, it should be understood that the further set 110a may comprise any number of ESLs, such as 10, 20, 50, 100, or more. Each ESL in the further set 110a communicates with the further controller 130a, as indicated by the lines connecting each ESL to the further (optional) controller 130a, and is therefore capable of receiving data, commands, and messages from the further controller 130a. Each ESL in the further set 110a may also be capable of sending data and / or messages, such as sensor data, to the further controller 130a. Communication between the controller 130a and the ESL in the further set 110a may be wireless, preferably via a Bluetooth® network as described above, and the controller 130a may function as an access point in the network.

[0044] The functionality of system 100 (as described below) does not largely depend on the presence or absence of option set 110a and option controller 130a. Therefore, the further sets of ESL 110a and further controllers 130a are shown only to indicate that system 100 may actually contain any number of sets of ESL and corresponding controllers. However, it should be understood that the following description of set 110 of ESL and corresponding controller 130 also applies to further / optional sets of ESL 110a and further / optional controllers 130a, as well as any further sets of ESL and corresponding controllers.

[0045] In the following, System 100 is described in the context of a store where ESLs are used to provide customers with product-related content such as pricing and other useful and relevant information. Each ESL is placed on a shelf so that customers can easily understand the information displayed on the ESL about a particular product that is in stock on the shelf. For larger products and other products that are not in stock on the shelf but are instead placed on the floor, the ESL may be placed directly on the product itself or on a support device such as a beam or table next to the product.

[0046] The content displayed for various products within a store is typically selected, defined, and managed manually by an operator, for example, through a management system (not shown) that utilizes a database. In other words, the content is centrally and manually managed and then distributed to each individual ESL by the corresponding controller 130. While this system is very useful for managing product-related content displayed on the ESL, short-term changes in response to various events that may apply to a large number of products cannot be handled manually (both in terms of detecting events, determining which products are affected, and updating the displayed content accordingly).

[0047] Server 120 is connected to a communication network such as the Internet and is configured to receive event-related data from one or more external data sources, such as external data sources 105 and 106 shown in Figure 1. External data sources 105 and 106 may provide a wide range of event-related data, such as weather data, calendar data, competitor pricing data, and product data. For example, an external data source may be an external weather data provider, and external data source 106 may be a web scraper that provides pricing information about products offered for sale by competitors. This data is collected by Server 120 and analyzed by Event Decision Unit 140. Event Decision Unit 140 may be a separate functional unit, an integrated part of either Server 120 or Controller 130, or shared by Server 120 and Controller 130.

[0048] For example, the event determination unit 140 may determine that a warm weather event is occurring if the predicted temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, such as 25°C. Furthermore, the event determination unit 140 may determine that this warm weather event applies to one or more products in beverages and food, such as soft drinks, beer, and ice cream, as well as other related products, such as barbecue equipment and / or consumables like gas or charcoal. The selection of specific products affected by the event may depend on whether the predicted temperature is expected to exceed the threshold over a shorter or longer period. If the temperature rise is simply a short-term event, peaking for, for example, one or two days, this event may apply to beverages and ice cream. On the other hand, if the forecast indicates prolonged hot weather, the duration may be considered, as various garden furniture and equipment, such as grills, may be affected by the event. In other words, a hot weather event may be associated with a specific period.

[0049] As a result, individual update messages are generated by the event decision unit and communicated via the controller 130 to a set of ESLs 110 related to products affected by the event. Each individual update message may include one or more of the following: changed content, additional content, and the duration of the event. Changed content may be, for example, event-related pricing that differs from (is lower or higher than) normal pricing. Additional content may be, for example, a slogan or catchphrase such as "It's getting hot!" or "The hot days continue!". Another example of additional content may be specific event-related discount information, such as "Buy 5, get 4 for the price of 5". Duration may specify the duration of the event, for example, 3 days. In some cases, the duration is used internally only via the ESL to revert to the original content (i.e., content before the event) once the event has ended. Optionally or additionally, duration may be included in additional content displayed with the event duration, such as "This week only".

[0050] As another example, the event decision unit 140 may decide that a particular product is being offered at a lower price than a competitor. In this case, the event may trigger an update message for the ESL associated with the affected product. These update messages may include additional content to be displayed to inform potential customers of the detected fact. For example, a phrase such as "Best Price!" may be added to already displayed content, preferably using a different text style and / or color from the rest of the displayed content to emphasize the phrase. This type of event does not have a predetermined or known duration. However, as soon as the event-related data indicates that the local price is no longer below the competitive price, a new update message is generated and communicated to the relevant ESL to notify it that the event has ended. In response, the corresponding ESL removes any additional content displayed during the event.

[0051] In a further embodiment, the event determination unit 140 may determine that a specific calendar event, such as Halloween, Valentine's Day, or World Vegan Day, is occurring and generate a corresponding update message to communicate via the controller 130 to the ESL of the set 110 associated with the relevant product. These update messages may include a display of the upcoming calendar event as additional content (e.g., "Remember Valentine's Day") that is displayed by the ESL until the event has expired.

[0052] In yet another embodiment, the event determination unit 140 may determine, for example, that the market price of a particular raw material, such as wheat or corn, has changed significantly due to a poor harvest or an exceptionally good harvest. In this case, the event determination unit 140 may anticipate the change in market price and generate an update message that includes an adjusted price.

[0053] In yet another embodiment, the event decision unit 140 may determine that one or more products are new to the market and decide to carry out an introduction event over a certain period. The corresponding update message may include adjusted pricing for the introduction period and / or various marketing phrases related to the new products.

[0054] It should be emphasized that the above is merely an example and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the attached claims.

[0055] In summary, the server 120 collects event-related data from one or more external data sources, and the event decision unit 140 analyzes the event-related data to identify a wide range of events, their corresponding periods, and in particular, one or more relevant marketing actions that should be taken automatically by communicating update messages to those specific ESLs related to the products affected by the events.

[0056] This allows the system to automatically adapt the information displayed for each individual product within a store to a wide range of marketing-related events. Detecting events that should be displayed on the affected ESL, and updating the content, could not be handled manually by operators via the ESL management system.

[0057] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an electronic display device (ESL) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The ESL comprises a processor 112, a memory 114, a display 116, an interface 118, and an antenna 119. The processor 112 functions as the central processing unit of the ESL and controls communication with a communication network via the interface 118 and the antenna 119. The interface 118 is preferably a Bluetooth® wireless module. The processor 112 accesses data in the memory 114, such as software or firmware, and data representing content to be displayed on the display 116. Furthermore, the processing unit 112 is configured to store and update specific data in the memory 114. The display 116 is implemented by an electrophoretic display. The display may also be an LCD display or an LED or OLED color display that can display both text, images, and video clips to present potential customers with relevant information about the in-store product to which it is associated. The display 116 may be a single display screen or may include two or more separate display sections. In the latter case, one section may always display some product-specific information, such as the product name, manufacturer's name, and price, while one or more other display sections may display changing content, such as short advertising video clips, customer reviews, and other relevant information. In the case of a video screen, the types of content displayed by the display screens may be mixed. In some embodiments, one display section may be reserved for displaying event-related information.

[0058] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of Method 301 according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0059] More specifically, in block 350, sets of electronic display devices such as set 110 and / or set 110a of ESLs shown in Figure 1 are operated so that each electronic display device ESL in set 110 displays content related to a specific object associated with its respective electronic display device, in particular a product offered for sale. This ensures that each ESL is placed on the shelf so that customers can quickly understand the information displayed on the ESL related to a particular product that is in stock on the shelf.

[0060] In block 352, event-related data from an external data source, such as the external data source 105 or 106 shown in Figure 1, is received by a server, for example, server 120 shown in Figure 1. As mentioned above, event-related data may include, for example, weather data, calendar data, competitor pricing data, and product data. For example, the external data source may be an external weather data provider, and the external data source 106 may be a web scraper that provides pricing information about products offered for sale by competitors.

[0061] In block 354, based on the received event-related data, it is determined that an event has occurred related to one or more objects associated with one or more electronic display devices (ESLs) in set 110. As described above, the event may be a warm weather event, a lowest price event, a calendar event (such as Halloween, Valentine's Day, or World Vegan Day), or a market price event (such as a poor harvest).

[0062] Next, in block 356, each update message is communicated to each of the one or more electronic display devices (ESLs) of set 110. Each individual update message may include one or more of the following: changed content, additional content, and the duration of the event.

[0063] In block 358, the content displayed by one or more electronic display devices (ESLs) of set 110 is updated in response to the receipt of update messages. As a result, the occurrence of an event is immediately and automatically reflected in the content displayed by each ESL, eliminating the need for manual intervention by, for example, the store manager or another employee.

[0064] Finally, it should be noted that the drawings described in detail above are not merely illustrative embodiments, and that those skilled in the art can modify them in many different ways without departing the scope of the invention. For completeness, it should also be noted that the use of the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not imply that the relevant features are not found multiple times.

Claims

1. System (100), The system (100) is A set of electronic display devices (ESLs) (110), wherein each ESL in the set is configured to display content relating to a specific object associated with that ESL, A server (120) is connected to a communication network and configured to receive event-related data from an external data source. A controller (130) configured to communicate with a server via a communication network and with a set of electronic display devices, An event determination unit (140) is configured to determine, based on event-related data, that an event has occurred for one or more objects associated with each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set. In a system including, The controller is configured to communicate its respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set. The electronic display device in the set is configured to display updated content in response to receiving update messages from the controller. System (100).

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the event determination unit is comprised of the server and / or the controller.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the event determination unit is configured to generate an update message for each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set.

4. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the event-related data includes one or more of the following: competitor pricing data, weather data, calendar data, and product data.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the update message includes one or more of the changed content, additional content, and the duration of the event.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the set of electronic display devices is configured to display modified content and / or additional content during the duration of the event.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each electronic display device in the set comprises a memory for storing content, a communication interface for communicating with the controller, and a display for displaying the content stored in the memory.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein each electronic display device in the set is configured to receive an update message via the communication interface and to update the content stored in the memory according to the received update message.

9. The aforementioned system, A further set of electronic display devices (ESL) (110a), A further controller (130a) is configured to communicate with a server (120) via a communication network and with a further set of electronic display devices, Furthermore, A further controller (130a) is configured to communicate its respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices of the further set. Further sets of electronic display devices are configured to display updated content in response to receiving update messages from further controllers. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The method involves the following steps: The step (350) of operating the set of electronic display devices such that each electronic display device in the set displays content relating to a specific object associated with that electronic display device, In the server, the process of receiving event-related data from an external data source (352), A step (354) of determining that an event has occurred related to one or more objects associated with each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set, based on the received event-related data. The process of communicating the respective update message to each of the one or more electronic display devices in the set (356), A step (358) of updating the content displayed by one or more electronic display devices in a set in response to receiving an update message, Methods that include...

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the event-related data includes one or more of the following: competitor pricing data, weather data, calendar data, and product data.

12. The update message includes one or more of the following: changed content, additional content, and the duration of the event. The method further includes the step of operating a set of electronic display devices to display modified and / or additional content during the duration of the event. The method according to claim 10 or 11.

13. The above method comprises the following steps: The process of operating the electronic display devices in a further set so that each electronic display device in the further set displays content (images and / or videos and / or information) related to a specific object (product) associated with each electronic display device, The process of determining, based on the received event-related data, that an event has occurred related to one or more objects (products) associated with each of one or more electronic display devices in a further set, The process of communicating each update message to each of one or more electronic display devices in a further set, The process of updating the content displayed by one or more electronic display devices in a further set in response to the receipt of an update message, The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising:

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