Information Resources, Inc.

Videocart, Inc.

Joseph P Moser

John Malec

Scott J Thomas

Eleanor Ting

A passive data monitor and collection apparatus, and associated method, for obtaining market research data from an automated checkout system of a retail establishment. The apparatus positively monitors all the communications on a communications network between a plurality of point-of-sale terminals in a store and the store controller controlling the terminals. The store communications are converted from a phase encoded protocol into a standard RS 232 protocol which is then assembled into SDLC frames by a processor. The SDLC frames are separated on the basis of a control field format before being parsed by terminal addresses to form separate transactions on a list. The transaction list is produced by a real time monitor routine which builds the list from the asynchronous frames received from each of the store loops. The transactions on the list are handled in the background of the processing by a parsing routine which assembles the transactions into data files relating to the purchases by panelists and data files relating to the purchases by all customers. In a preferred embodiment, a host processor polls monitoring apparatus at a multiplicity of stores and has transferred to it the market research data files stored for the retail respective establishments.

Passive data collection system for market research data

Intelligent shopping cart system having cart position determining and

A shopping cart display system is provided to present product advertisements to consumers who do not have this information. This shopping cart display system includes a cart mounted display that is responsive to unique trigger signals provided by respective transmitters associated with respective fixed locations. When the display receives a unique trigger signal, it displays advertising associated with the respective location. In one embodiment, the display includes a sensor determining whether the information is displayed in the presence of a customer, and a memory for storing all signals received during a given shopping trip and the times that those trigger signals were received. The stored trigger signals may then be used to analyze the path of the shopping cart. The stored data are transmitted to a polling transceiver located at a point of sale register for later analysis. Provision is made for the customer to request and receive information, such as deli numbers.

Intelligent shopping cart system having cart position determining

A shopping cart display system includes a cart mounted display that is responsive to trigger signals provided by transmitters associated with a particular location. When the display receives a unique trigger signal, it displays advertising media associated with that location. In one embodiment, the display includes a sensor for determining whether the information is displayed in the presence of a consumer, and a memory for storing all trigger signals received during a given shopping trip. The stored data is transmitted to a polling transceiver located at a point of sale register for later analysis.

Growing community of inventors

Glendale Heights, IL, United States of America

Joseph P Moser