WO1998058320A2

WO1998058320A2 - Shelf mountable kiosk apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1998058320A2
Application number: PCT/US1998/012366
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles R. Sullivan; Andrew M. Thomson; John J. Mckinley; Greg Garrett; Henry Kin; William H. Zimmerman
Original assignee: Pinnacle Intellectual Property Services-International, Inc.
Priority date: 1997-06-16
Filing date: 1998-06-12
Publication date: 1998-12-23
Also published as: WO1998058320A3; CA2294350A1; AU8143598A

Abstract

A small, shelf (12) mountable kiosk unit (10) is described for providing product and/or service information and for processing customer orders. A customer may actuate the kiosk through a programmed source of information in the kiosk located at a facility such as a health care provider facility.

Description

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.

BACKGROUND 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-located 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 from 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. 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. 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 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 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 1 ;

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; 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 1 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the kiosk of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

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 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 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 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 SP5000 (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 fit 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 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 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 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 link 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 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 remote 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. 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 10 may be programmed and stored at the hard drive 31, for example, or at the diskette drive 30. 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 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 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 & 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 "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 1 1 , 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.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A kiosk apparatus, comprising: a housing enclosing said kiosk, said housing adapted to reside on a conventional store shelf; a touchscreen monitor within a front panel of said housing; and a computer processor in association with said monitor.

2. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein said front panel is hinged to said housing, and is adapted to open.

3. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising: a printer mechanism adapted to provide printed information on paper at a paper access located at said front panel.

4. The kiosk of claim 3, wherein said printer mechanism includes an accordion stacked paper supply.

5. The kiosk of claim 3, wherein said printer mechanism is adapted to be slideably removed from said kiosk.

6. The kiosk of claim 3, wherein said printer mechanism is arranged with said print head immediately adjacent said front panel when said front panel is in a closed position, and in front of said paper stack, and a print controller board is secured to a side of said mechanism adjacent said paper stack.

7. The kiosk of claim 1, wherein said kiosk is of a size of less than 20 inches deep, less than 20 inches wide, and less than 20 inches high.

^' 8. The kiosk of claim 1 , further comprising: a mounting bracket adapted to be engaged with a fixture secured to a shelf.

9. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard electronically connected to said processor, said keyboard adapted to reside in a compartment within said front panel.

10. The kiosk of claim 1 , further comprising at least one speaker secured within said housing and in electronic communication with said processor.

1 1. The kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a compact disc drive secured within said housing and in electronic communication with said processor.

12. An apparatus in combination with a conventional store shelf, said apparatus comprising: a fixture secured to said store shelf; a kiosk within a housing, said housing including a base bracket, said bracket adapted to engage said fixture such that said kiosk is secured to said store shelf; a computer processor within said kiosk; and a touchscreen monitor within a front face of said kiosk and in communication with said computer processor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said bracket includes a lever for engaging and disengaging said bracket from said fixture.

14. A shelf mountable kiosk, comprising: a housing of overall dimensions which are adapted to enable the housing to reside on a conventional store shelf; a touchscreen monitor in a front hinged panel of said housing; a computer processor, hard drive, CD drive, diskette drive, modem, and sound card all in electronic communication and housed within said housing; and a printer within said housing, said printer adapted to produce printed information on paper at the front panel of said kiosk, said printer in electronic communication with said processor.

15. A system including a plurality of kiosks and at least one remote server computer, said system comprising: a plurality of store shelf mounted kiosks; a remote server computer; a communication network for facilitating communication between said kiosk and said server computer; an electronic message format adapted to enable said server computer to collect information from said kiosks.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said server computer collects information from said kiosks through data packets sent over a standard telephone line.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said standard telephone line is a nondedicated line.

18. In a health care provider facility where products and information are sought by customers, a kiosk apparatus comprising: a housing entirely enclosing said kiosk, said housing of an overall size adapted to reside on a shelf such as a conventional store shelf; a touchscreen monitor within a front panel of said housing; and a computer processor in association with said monitor.

19. The kiosk of claim 18, further comprising a printer secured in said housing and in electronic communication with said processor.

20. The kiosk of claim 18, further comprising a UPC bar code reader device secured to said housing and in electronic communication with said processor.