Dynamic QR Codes for Tracking Sign Viewing Conditions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The effectiveness of signage advertising is difficult to gauge due to the inability to determine the number of viewers and their behavior influence accurately.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing dynamic machine-readable codes embedded with uniform resource locators (URLs) that include time and location information, allowing for the determination of the conditions under which the sign was viewed, with optional encryption and authentication for security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional signage is used for advertising, then visibility to many people is achieved, but the ability to determine viewing conditions and effectiveness is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds machine-readable codes containing URLs within the signage display. These codes nest multiple layers of information (viewing conditions, timestamps, location data) within a compact structure that can be scanned by user devices, preserving viewing information without significantly increasing visual complexity of the sign itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary server system that mediates between the signage and user devices. The server receives scanned codes, extracts viewing condition information, and processes the data, thereby capturing viewing information without requiring complex embedded systems within the signage itself
2Measurement precision
If dynamic machine-readable codes with embedded URLs are implemented, then viewing condition tracking is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex processing functions from the signage hardware and places them in a separate server system. The signage only needs to display the code, while the server handles URL processing, data extraction, and viewing condition analysis, thereby reducing on-site device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the server processes scanned codes and generates responses that can be displayed on the signage or sent to user devices. This feedback mechanism enables precise tracking of viewing conditions while using the server to manage system complexity rather than embedding all functionality in the signage
Data Source
AI summary
A method for determining a condition under which a sign has been viewed includes receiving a uniform resource locator from a user endpoint device, where the uniform resource locator is embedded in a machine-readable code displayed on the sign, and extracting information from the uniform resource locator, where the information describes the condition under which the sign was viewed by a user of the user endpoint device. A method for transmitting information describing a condition under which a sign is currently viewable includes generating the information describing the condition under which the sign is currently viewable and inserting the information in a uniform resource locator, where the uniform resource locator is embedded in a machine-readable code displayed on the sign.