Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SHELF MOUNTABLE KIOSK APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the invention relates to kiosk apparatus. More specifically, the
present
invention relates to a store shelf mountable kiosk apparatus.
BACKGROI_TND OF THE INVENTION
In an effort to expand the scope of services and amenities available to their
customers many businesses could make valuable use of kiosks containing product
information. Training a sales staff takes many resources. By use of a
programmed kiosk,
sales information can be delivered to customers without error and without
having to spend
valuable resources training employees about every product available.
Several industries can make effective use of kiosks. For example, kiosks may
be
used by health care provider facilities (e.g., clinics, retail pharmacies,
hospitals, doctor's
offices, etc.). Such facilities have started stocking and offering to sell to
their customers
health care related items. For example, many ophthalmologists have co-iocated
at their
offices eyeglass and contact lens dispensing facilities so that patients who
need corrective
lenses may select and purchase them immediately following their eye
examinations. Many
hospitals today have retail shops in the hospitals so that patients who are in
need of non-
prescription items that may help in their recovery may purchase them while in
the hospital
or upon their discharge. Specialty clinics such as sports medicine clinics may
also offer for
sale health care related items (e.g., heating pads) that may assist patients
in their recovery
fiom sports-related injuries. The ability to purchase health care related
items in conjunction
with a visit to a health care provider facility may result in significant time-
savings for
patients of the facility.
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Another need in health care provider/supplier locations is for quick,
effective,
accurate information about a medical product or about a medical condition.
Frequently,
medical professionals do not have the time to answer all of a patient's
medical questions. It
may also be the case that a patient does not desire to ask a doctor or nurse a
particular
medical question out of fear or embarrassment perhaps. Furthermore, it is
frequently the
case that questions do not always come to a patient's mind while in the
immediate presence
of a doctor or other professional.
Kiosks have been in use for many years. Traditionally they are bulky in size
and
come as free standing units. Due to floor space demands, it is not always the
case that the
messages conveyed by a kiosk can be in close proximity to the goods to which
the kiosk
may relate. A need exists for being able to place a kiosk unit in close
relationship to the
goods or services to which it pertains.
There is a need for an apparatus that can answer customer questions and
provide
helpful product information. There is a need for such an apparatus to be
relatively small so
it does not take up much store or office space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a unique shelf mountable kiosk unit which may serve
several program purposes, for example, to allow customers to place a customer
purchase
order, receive product or service literature, learn about particular
information (for example,
medical conditions), and/or learn about products. In a preferred embodiment of
the present
invention, a customer may learn about products or services through a
touchscreen computer
kiosk mounted on a shelf, located in a facility such as a pharmacy, a
hospital, a specialty
clinic, doctor's office, etc., or such other facilities as car dealerships,
clothing stores, etc.
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The unique shelf mounted kiosk of the present invention may be used in a
number of
ways. For example, customers may peruse an electronic catalog in the kiosk
unit and learn
about items offered by the facility. The kiosk unit may also contain helpful
information,
such as medical information to assist in answering customer questions about a
medical
condition. By touching identified areas on the screen of the kiosk unit, a
customer can find
information about a wide variety of relevant product information or other
information such
as, medical conditions and treatments.
The apparatus of the present invention is smaller than known kiosk units, in
that it is
adapted to reside on a store shelf. A video monitor is mounted to a shelf
mountable chassis,
which is configured to be secured to a conventional store shelf. Within the
chassis resides a
paper printer, and all of the associated computer components for operating the
kiosk unit.
The size of the overall unit may be about the size of a 13 inch television set
commonly sold
today, and the size of the unit is adapted for placing the unit on
conventional store shelf
arrangements. Shelf mounted kiosk units are advantageous in a number of ways.
They are
1 S less intimidating to customers due to their smaller size. They may be
located in certain
areas of the store or facility where other known kiosks are simply too large
to reside in some
environments. For example, a shelf mounted unit may be placed directly in the
middle of
stocked shelves and be programmed to provide information on the products in
the
immediate vicinity of the kiosk unit. In this manner a store may place many
kiosk units of
the present invention in strategic locations throughout a store, and each unit
may be
programmed to address only those questions that may concern the products or
services
offered in that respective vicinity of the store.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, multiple shelf mounted
kiosk
units may be electronically connected to a central computer within the health
care provider
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facility. In this manner, each unit may not necessarily require its own
independent data
storage since the main or central computer could provide this function to each
kiosk
remotely.
Customers benefit from the quick and efficient location and delivery of the
specialty
and general items and information they need. Facilities may also benefit from
using the
present invention to offer a larger selection of items via the kiosk without
actually stocking
them. Other benefits include quick, accurate answers to customer questions on
particular
topics.
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein in
relation to the medical care industry, the present invention is useful in
practically all
industries where goods and/or services are sold and/or where particular
information is
needed by a customer. These benefits and other advantages may be understood in
relation to
the following drawings and description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the kiosk
apparatus of
the present invention secured to a store shelf;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the kiosk of Figure 1, shown with the front
panel in
the open position;
Figure 3 is a side view of a preferred printer mechanism of the kiosk shown in
Figure l;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the printer mechanism shown in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a plan view of a universal shelf mounting fixture for use with the
kiosk of
the present invention;
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Figure 6 is a plan view of a mounting bracket to be secured to the bottom of
the
kiosk of the present invention and then secured to the fixture of Figure 5 to
secure the kiosk
to a store shelf;
Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a system implementation of a plurality of
kiosks
of the present invention in communication with a remote computer;
Figure 8 is a kiosk screen shot of an electronic catalog page for a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 9 is a kiosk screen shot of an electronic catalog item page for a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 10 is a kiosk screen shot of an electronic catalog item order page for
a
preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure I I is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the kiosk of the
present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS)
Referring to Figure 1, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is
shown
generally at 10. An electronic catalog of products and information (or other
programmed
information not necessarily in catalog form) may be made available through a
kiosk 10
located in a customer facility. A wide variety of industries and businesses
may make
effective use of the present invention. As just one example, health care
provider facilities
provide health related services to patients (i.e., customers) and may include
retail
pharmacies, hospital pharmacies or shops, extended care facilities, doctor's
offices,
specialty clinics such as sports medicine clinics, cancer clinics,
ophthalmology clinics, acute
care or emergency clinics, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, occupational and
physical
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therapy clinics, sleep clinics, etc. These facilities and many others may use
the present
invention.
Preferably, a computer in the kiosk contains an electronic catalog and a
touchscreen
interface/graphical user interface is available to peruse the items in the
catalog. The items in
the electronic catalog may be stored in a database at the kiosk computer-for
example, on a
hard disk, a floppy disk, or a CD. Preferably, the kiosk computer is equipped
with a printer
so a user may print information leaflets, obtain coupons for products or
services, or obtain a
receipt for ordered items and facility personnel may print reports regarding
system usage,
etc. The kiosk computer may be equipped with a network adapter (or card) and
cable (or
connector) or alternatively, a modem, so it may communicate with other
computers in the
system of the present invention.
Conventional store shelves 12 are in wide spread use throughout retail
establishments in practically every country of the world. The kiosk 10 of the
present
invention is adapted to reside on a conventional store shelf. Store shelves 12
may be free
standing structures or wall mounted units but typically have standard depths
and heights
between shelves. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the kiosk
measures
approximately 16 inches deep, 16 inches wide, and 13 inches high. These
dimensions allow
the unit 10 to readily reside on a store shelf 12.
Referring to Figure 2, the kiosk 10 is shown with the front panel 14 open. The
front
panel 14 is preferably hinged at the side 16 of the chassis 18. The front
panel 14 holds the
monitor 20, which is preferably a flat panel, color, liquid crystal display
having a viewing
angle of about 160 degrees, and may be obtained from Sharp Electronics. The
wide viewing
angle and bright colors of the displayed information contributes to eye
catching
advertisements that may be displayed on the kiosk and visible to a shopper
walking down a
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store aisle. A touchscreen 22 is applied to the monitor 20 in any suitable
manner, such as
by velcro fasteners around the perimeter of the monitor. In a preferred
embodiment
touchscreen model E284A-684 by Elo Touch Systems, in Fremont, California was
used. A
fully functional keyboard 24 may also be provided with the unit 10, and stored
in a
compartment 26 behind the monitor 20 within the front panel 14. In a preferred
embodiment, keyboard model SPR-8630 from Sejin Electron Inc., from Korea, was
used.
The kiosk 10 also preferably includes a CD Rom drive 28, a diskette drive 30,
a
processor 32, a modem 33, a sound card 35 and microphone 37. The processor
preferred at
the present time is a Pentium~ 133. Several commonly available CD drives,
diskette
drives, modems, microphones, and sound cards are readily available from many
sources.
Audio speakers 34 may be included in a structure 19 of kiosk 10. In a
preferred
embodiment the speakers were 3 inch, 25 ohm, 1 watt speakers readily available
from
several commercial sources.
A UPC reader or scanner 70 may be provided with the present invention. Ideally
the scanner 70 should reside on the structure 16 somewhere in close proximity
to the
monitor 20. UPC bar codes are routinely provided by manufacturers on their
product
packaging. Once the UPC scanner 70 scans a product bar code 71 product
information may
be displayed on the monitor 20. The scanner 70 is electronically connected to
the processor
32 which controls the display on the monitor 20. In addition to product bar
codes,
customers may be given a card having a bar code thereon to be scanned by the
scanner 70 to
identify the customer electronically and record customer activity at the kiosk
10 (e.g.,
product purchases, health tips, insurance information, health statistics, and
any other
information that would benefit a customer in interacting with the kiosk 10).
Bar code
developed information may be displayed at the monitor 20 through a Windows~
interface
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such as Windows 3.11. In a preferred embodiment a UPC scanner model MS951 from
Metrologic in Blackwood, New Jersey was used. The UPC scanner 70 is adapted to
connect
with the processor such as a keyboard emulator.
A printer mechanism 36 resides within the kiosk 10 to provide a user with
printed
information, coupons, receipts, etc. The present inventors have developed a
unique printer
mechanism 36 for use in the present invention. A printer mechanism was
purchased from
Telpar in Houston, Texas, model number SPS000 (a four inch thermal printer).
The print
head, controller board, power supply, and rolled paper feed, of the Telpar
printer were
disassembled and rearranged in a unique manner (as shown in Figures 3 and 4)
in order that
the printer mechanism 36 would ft within the kiosk 10 and provide a printed
paper access
38 at the front of the kiosk.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 views of the unique printer mechanism of the
present invention are shown. The print head 40 is placed at the front of the
kiosk. Paper
rulers 42 guide the paper from a paper stack 44 into the print head 40. The
paper stack 44
I S rests within a cavity 46 interior of the printer mechanism 36. To the rear
of the printer
mechanism is the power supply 48. The power supply 48 provides the needed
power to the
controller board 50 mounted onto the side of the printer mechanism 36. The
paper stack 44
is preferably of the accordion stack variety with perforated edges
approximately every 4
inches. The printer mechanisms 36 is preferably adapted to be readily pulled
out of the front
of the kiosk 10 when the front panel 14 is open. The printer mechanism may
include a
handle 52 and guides 54 residing on tracks 56 in the base of the unit 10. Thus
when an
operator pulls on the handle 52 the printer guides 54 move along tracks 56 to
a position
where the printer mechanism 36 is at least partially removed from the housing
to enable the
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operator to service the printer 36 (e.g., change paper). The above described
arrangement of
printer mechanism components is believed to be unique to the present
invention.
The kiosk unit 10 is preferably housed in a housing 58, that may be 16 gauge
metal
panels, welded together and painted, or may, in another embodiment, be a
plastic molded
housing, or a combination of metal and plastic components.
Referring now to Figures 5 and 6 a universal shelf mounting fixture 60 is
shown.
The shelf mounting fixture 60 is adapted to be secured to practically any
existing store shelf.
The base of the kiosk 10 includes a bracket 62. The bracket 62 engages the
mounting
fixture 60 to secure the kiosk 10 to the store shelf 12. A lever 64 forms a
part of the bracket
62. The lever 64 is adapted to engage a receiver 66 on the fixture 60. To
release the kiosk
10 from the fixture 60, the lever 64 is actuated by the operator, thereby
releasing that portion
of the lever 64 that was engaged with the receiver 66. The unit 10 may then be
pulled
forward toward the operator a few inches and then, for safety reasons,
preferably the unit 10
must be lifted from off the fixture 60. It is not desired to allow the unit 10
to slide fully off
the fixture 60 without requiring a lifting motion since this could result in
the unit falling to
the floor.
Referring now to Figure 7, there is shown just one schematic representation of
a
system implementation of a plurality of kiosks of the present invention. In
this manner,
many kiosks 10 may be connected to a remote computer processor 68 through any
one of
several well known communication systems. For example, the remote computer 68
may be
in electronic communication with the kiosks 10 via a local area network. The
remote
computer 68 may also be in communication with the kiosks 10 through a wide
area network
70 or through the public telephone switched network, or through the Internet
or an intranet.
In this manner, the kiosks 10 may be controlled to a greater or lesser extent
by the remote
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computer 68. For example, program changes to the kiosks 10 may be made at the
remote
computer 68 and electronically delivered to each kiosk. This arrangement would
save much
programming time over the alternative of having to reprogram each kiosk in a
facility or
facilities that may have dozens or more kiosks 10. In another example, a live
speaker at the
remote computer site may broadcast a speech or conduct a question/answer
session with
interested customers at the kiosks 10. The communication link between the
kiosk and the
remote computer 68 may be a two way (audio/video) link with respect to both
the remote
computer user and the kiosk, or it may be a two way Iink from the remote
computer and a
one way link from the kiosk users, or simply an audio/video link from the
remote computer
to each kiosk without each kiosk having any communication capability back to
the remote
computer. TCP/IP protocol may be used in conjunction with standard telephone
lines and
commercially available modems for implementing communication between the
remote
computer 68 and the kiosks 10. The remote computer 68 may be merely remote in
the sense
that it is a few feet away from the kiosks 10 (such as is the case with a
local area network) or
1 S the remote computer 68 may be several thousand miles away (such as is the
case with a
wide area network).
The remote computer 68 may collect various information from each kiosk 10. For
example, customer interaction data may be collected which shows popular and
unpopular
portions of the programs available at the kiosk 10 by tracking the number of
times each
program is accessed by a user. This type of information provides product
manufacturers
valuable information regarding the effects there programs or advertisements
are having on
consumers. The remote computer 68 may also collect information concerning the
number
and type of coupons issued by each kiosk 10. Also, the remote computer 68 may
collect
survey results taken at each kiosk 10. The kiosks 10 may receive data from the
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computer 68. For example, the kiosks 10 may receive program content changes,
program
control step changes, program bug fixes, as well as new material, new coupons,
etc.
Each kiosk 10 is electronically identified by a unique identification number.
Each
time the remote computer 68 queries each kiosk, it receives the kiosk
identification number.
From this information the remote computer 68 knows the most recent
communication
received from that kiosk and by checking a database of prior collected
information from that
kiosk, the remote computer 68 can determine new information at the kiosk
memory that has
not yet been collected. In much the same manner the remote computer 68 recalls
what
information the remote computer has previously sent to each respective kiosk.
And thus,
only provides that information to each kiosk which it has not received prior.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, several application
programs
that are operative in the Microsoft~ Windows environment execute on the kiosk
computer
to provide the features and functionality of the present invention. The kiosk
computer may
thus be an IBM or IBM-compatible personal computer. The present invention,
however, is
not limited to any particular computer or windowing system and may be embodied
on a
variety of platforms including Apple Computer Macintosh, UNIX, etc. Both end-
user (e.g.,
clinic or pharmacy customer) and system maintenance application programs may
reside on
the kiosk computer. The application programs may include an electronic catalog
interface
program (for an end-user to interact with the electronic catalog), a
touchscreen calibration
program for maintaining the touchscreen, a report generation program for
printing system
usage reports, a leaflet header modification program for changing the message
that appears
on the headers of information leaflets that may be printed at the kiosk, and a
setup/view
swapfile program for maintaining a file that contains customer order
information.
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Graphical and/or video programs may be run at the kiosk 10 through, for
example, a
programmed compact disc running at the CD drive 28. Text programs to be run at
the kiosk
may be programmed and stored at the hard drive 31, for example, or at the
diskette drive
30.
5 Figures 8-10 show example screen shots at a kiosk 10. The present invention
may
also be used to place product orders. Following a customer acknowledgment,
customer
orders may be processed through an order management system. An order
management
system may be co-located at the kiosk computer, at a remote computer located
at the facility,
or at a remote computer located outside the facility such as at a distribution
center. In an
10 alternative embodiment of the present invention, the order management
system may be co-
located with the electronic catalog interface program so that the local area
network
connection is not needed. In this embodiment of the present invention, the
kiosk computer
may be equipped with a modem so customer orders may be transmitted directly to
a
distribution center computer. In the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the
facility order management system computer is equipped with a network adapter
(or card)
and cable (or connector) and/or a modem so it may communicate with other
computers in
the system of the present invention (e.g., the kiosk computer and order
routing or
distribution center computer.)
Preferably, the application program that executes on the order management
system
computer is operative in the Microsoft~ Windows environment or the DOS
environment.
The order management system may thus be implemented on an IBM or IBM-
compatible
personal computer. The order management system preferably, contains a primary
set of
features such as providing for retrieval of orders from a kiosk computer,
review, and editing
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of purchase orders as well as entry of customer information such as name,
address, and
insurance or payment plan information.
Customer orders may be transferred from the kiosk computer to the order
management system in several ways. If the electronic catalog application and
order
management system application are resident on the same computer, a single,
resident file
may be used to transfer information (e.g., customer order information) between
the
applications.
In another embodiment of the present invention, customer orders may be
transferred
from the kiosk computer to a remote order management system computer using
peer-to-peer
networking/file sharing capabilities supported by the Microsoft~ Windows
environment. In
this embodiment, customers orders are stored in an ASCII file format on the
hard disk of the
kiosk computer.
To order one or more items, a customer interacts with an electronic catalog
via a
touchscreen interface to a kiosk computer located at a facility. Preferably,
the electronic
catalog contains the same information as may be found in a paper catalog and
is arranged
similarly. Preferably, the catalog contains items from a large number of
vendors thereby
giving customers more options with respect to a particular product.
Preferably, the electronic catalog is comprised of hierarchical menus from
which the
user makes selections. A user interacts with the touchscreen interface to the
electronic
catalog by touching buttons (i.e., icons) that represent various available
options. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first screen of the
electronic catalog
presents introductory information and a "table of contents" button to a user.
After selecting
the table of contents button, a list of categories or items that may be of
interest to the user is
presented. Examples of top-level categories include "Medication Guide" or
"Diseases &
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Illnesses." Instructions on the screen may ask the user to "Touch a category
of interest."
Selection of a top-level category may result in the presentation of additional
category
buttons from which the user may choose. Alternatively, a user may enter
selection criteria
such as a partial description of an item (e.g., the words "metal crutches")
and select a
"Touch to Find" button. The electronic catalog then searches for items meeting
the search
criteria and displays the results to the user.
As the user makes selections through the menu hierarchy, the categories may be
more specific or detailed. In addition, the user may be prompted to respond to
specific
queries to locate items. Categories from which the user may choose are
presented until
product or specific item information that meets the user's selection criteria
may be
presented. Within a category, several pages of items belonging to the general
category may
be presented. The user may navigate through the pages of items by selecting
"Go Back" and
"Next Product Page" buttons that may appear on each screen. Several items may
appear on
each catalog page. Items within a specific product category, preferably, have
an identifier
(e.g., in words,) and a graphic (i.e., picture). Referring to Figure 8, an
example of a catalog
page of several items for a preferred embodiment of the present invention is
shown.
Referring to Figure 9, an example of a catalog page of a single item for a
preferred
embodiment of the present invention is shown. A large graphic of the item as
well as a
detailed description of the item may be displayed. User options may include
ordering the
product ("Order Product"), reviewing other products ("Previous Product"), or
returning to
another part of the catalog ("Go Back" or "Table of Contents")
Following presentation of item information to the user, the user may be
prompted to
order an item appearing on the screen or navigate to a different page or
category. The user's
response is read next. The user may either order the requested item (e.g., by
selecting an
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"Order Product" icon) or continue perusing the pages of item information. If
the user
chooses not to order an item, the user may continue perusing items or review
additional
product categories.
If the customer decides to order an item, the customer may be prompted for
additional information to complete the order. For example, the customer may be
asked to
provide a quantity for the order. Referring to Figure 10, an example of an
order item page
for a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. A quantity,
description, and
price for each item may be displayed. Preferably, the user may select any of
the items listed
on the page to remove it from the order or to change the quantity for the
item. Following
review of the items and completion of the order, the user may submit or
acknowledge the
order by selecting the "Submit Order" icon.
After the customer order has been transmitted to or otherwise retrieved by the
order
management system, the customer may make arrangements to pay for the ordered
item(s).
The pharmacist or cashier may first access the order and review it with the
customer and
then accept the customer's payment (e.g., cash or credit card.)
Finally, referring to Figure 11, there is shown a block diagram of a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention, as can be seen from the above detailed description, has
many
benefits. While it has been described in one embodiment related to the health
care industry,
it is to be understood that the invention has great applicability in
practically all industries.
