Self-Service Weighing Scale with Portable Device Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-service weighing scales in supermarkets lack the ability to provide customers with additional information and guidance beyond weight measurement, such as recipe suggestions and product location, without the need for human staff, which would be costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a weighing scale connected to a store-associated database via a telecommunications network or wireless protocol, allowing communication with a portable computer device to provide customers with information on product recipes, stock status, and store navigation, using optical codes or machine-readable texts for data input and display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If human staff are provided to give customers additional information and guidance beyond weight measurement, then customers can receive recipe suggestions and product location guidance, but the cost increases and the self-service purpose is defeated
Solution Approach 1:
A portable computing device serves as an intermediary between the weighing scale and the customer, delivering recipe suggestions, product location guidance, and additional information through the device's display and communication capabilities, thereby maintaining self-service while enhancing information provision
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables customers to automatically receive personalized information and guidance by weighing products and having the scale communicate product details to their portable devices, which then provide recipe suggestions and navigation without requiring human staff intervention
2Ease of operation
If human staff are deployed to accompany shoppers and help them find products, then customers receive personalized guidance, but operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical system of human staff physically guiding customers is replaced with an electronic information system that uses the portable computing device to provide turn-by-turn navigation and product location guidance through digital maps and directional instructions
Solution Approach 2:
The guidance function is copied from human staff to a digital navigation system that provides equivalent product location information through the portable device, eliminating the need for physical staff presence while maintaining guidance quality
3Loss of information
If self-service scales only provide basic weight and pricing information, then the system remains simple, but customers cannot access recipe suggestions or related product information
Solution Approach 1:
The information delivery is moved from the two-dimensional scale display to the portable computing device's display, utilizing an additional dimension (the customer's personal device) to present comprehensive information including recipes, product locations, and recommendations without complicating the scale itself
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: the weighing scale handles weight measurement, the portable device handles information presentation, and the database provides content, allowing each component to remain relatively simple while the integrated system provides comprehensive information
Data Source
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AI summary
A system incorporating a weighing scale in which information is presented to the user based on output of the weighing scale via a portable device and a database.