Space management system
US6016481A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 18, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 8, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q40/12
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An improved system for space management in retail stores is described. The space management system includes price display labels mounted on rails along the edges of shelves in a store. A communications link between the computer and the labels permits the computer to address each label by a logical address and to determine the physical location of each label to within a resolution of typically four feet. The system prepares price audit lists and adjacency audit lists that permit economical use of the time of store personnel during the audit. The lists are generated in such a way that the items on a particular list are physically contiguous; thus once the correct general area has been located by the auditor little additional time need be spent locating the individual items. In performing an audit of product facings, the user is able to use the display hardware, including the pushbutton on each label, as a data collection system for product facing information. In product location mode, the user starts at the first label at one end of a shelf and presses the button on the first label. The user moves to the second label, presses its button, moves to the third label, and the process is r…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.