Spaced-Apart Screen Units on Shopping Trolleys

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shopping carts do not effectively influence purchasing behavior, as they typically have a single screen or screens arranged centrally, limiting the shopper's field of view and not encouraging increased purchases.

Innovation Solution

Equipping a shopping cart with at least two spaced-apart screen units, arranged to the sides or along its length, to present information in a decentralized manner, forcing the shopper to expand their field of view and increasing exposure to products or promotional offers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a single screen or centrally arranged screens are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the purchasing behavior influence is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurchasing behavior influenceVSAvoidscreen arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The screen is divided into multiple separate screen units (at least two) that are spaced apart from each other. This segmentation forces the shopper to move their gaze across different locations, effectively widening their field of view and increasing exposure to various products and promotional information, thereby enhancing purchasing behavior influence without requiring a single complex large screen.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Area of moving object

If screens are arranged close to one another, then the device complexity is reduced, but the field of view is not sufficiently widened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefield of viewVSAvoidscreen arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of arranging screens closely together in a compact manner, the invention spaces the screen units apart by 10-70 cm, utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the shopping cart. This dimensional arrangement creates a more extensive visual spread along the shopping path, forcing the shopper to scan across a larger area and effectively widening their field of view.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Productivity

If information is presented in the center of the field of view, then the information is easily noticed, but the purchasing behavior influence is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurchasing behavior influenceVSAvoidinformation presentation effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of concentrating information in the center of the field of view where it is most easily noticed, the invention deliberately places screen units at spaced-apart locations that require the shopper to move their gaze away from the center. This inverted approach ensures that information is distributed across multiple locations, preventing the shopper from focusing on a single central area and thereby enhancing overall purchasing behavior influence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP3446946B1Shopping trolley
Publication Date: 2022.04.13 STREICHER MATHIAS
  • EP3446946B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

Shopping cart on which at least two screen units (2, 2') arranged at a distance from each other are provided on the shopping cart (1).