WO2001013343A1

WO2001013343A1 - Cash register system

Info

Publication number: WO2001013343A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/008120
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joachim Jennerjahn
Original assignee: Profi-Rechenzentrum Ag
Priority date: 1999-08-18
Filing date: 2000-08-18
Publication date: 2001-02-22
Also published as: AU7410700A; DE29914668U1; DE10082421D2

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic cash register system with input means (18 to 24) which are designed for detecting product- and/or customer-specific data. The inventive system also comprises data processing means (28) which are connected to the input means (18 to 24) on the input side thereof and which are configured for carrying out arithmetical operations with product-specific data. Said system also comprises a data memory (54), image reproduction means (14) and display control means (48) that are connected to the data processing means (28) and the data memory (54) on the input side thereof and to the image reproduction means (14) on the output side thereof and are designed for controlling the operation of the image reproduction means (14) in such a way that detected product- and/or customer-specific data as well as data that is contained in the data memory (54) can be displayed by the image reproduction means (14). According to the invention, the display control means (48) are embodied for controlling the operation of the image reproduction means (14) according to the detected customer-specific data.

Description

Cash register system

The invention relates to an electronic cash register system with input means which are designed for the acquisition of goods and / or customer-specific data, data processing means which are connected on the input side to the input means and are designed for carrying out arithmetic operations with product-specific data, a data memory, image reproduction means and with display control means which are on the input side are connected to the data processing means and the data memory and on the output side to the image display means and which are designed to control the operation of the image display means such that recorded goods and / or customer-specific data and data contained in the data memory can be displayed by the image display means.

The display control means are, for example, a control unit for controlling at least one display means, such as the image display means. Electronic cash registers are used in retail and wholesale stores. They are primarily used to monitor the sale of goods. In the course of the sales process, goods and / or customer-specific data are recorded. Goods-specific data are printed on the goods themselves or on their packaging - usually in the form of a barcode. The goods-specific data include, for example, purchase and sales prices, which are encoded by a key number. Customer-specific data is stored, for example, in the context of customer discount systems on magnetic cards or chip cards as the customer's personal data. Cash register-specific data - such as the sales price and the description of the goods - are displayed to the customer for control and printed out on a cash receipt. This provides the customer with a clear and easily understandable list of the goods purchased. For the final checkout process, the total sales price of the purchased goods is automatically determined. The goods and / or customer-specific data are mostly recorded and saved for the calculation of sales statistics or for triggering reordering processes, and thus also facilitate the merchandise management of the business.

It is the intention of the manufacturers of goods that can be obtained through the wholesale and retail trade to present them to the customer as specifically as possible. Advertising tools are used for this. As a place for advertising, a retail and wholesale store proves to be particularly cheap, since here the direct contact between the customer and the goods takes place. For example, the packaging of the goods themselves or advertising boards installed in the shop serve as advertising media. However, the space available on packaging is primarily reserved for information about the goods themselves and is also geometrically limited. The packaging is therefore not ideal for advertising purposes. The disadvantage of billboards is that the wealth of visual impressions in a store is often overlooked by customers.

A cash register system of the type mentioned at the outset is known from the document JP- A-063331 59 known. This document describes a cash register with an input unit for goods and / or customer-specific data. A customer-viewable customer screen is provided as the image reproduction means, on which data of the products received and a video advertising film can be displayed. To display the video advertising film and the goods and / or customer-specific data, a display control unit accesses a data memory in which the video advertising film is stored.

A disadvantage of this known cash register is that the information content which can be displayed on the customer screen, for example video advertising films, advertising images or advertising texts, is of no interest to many customers. Some customers even feel bothered by the information content shown. This can lead to customers staying away from the shop where the well-known cash register is operated.

It is an object of the invention to develop a cash register system of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the display of information content during the checkout process can have an interesting and attractive effect on a particularly large number of customers.

The object is achieved for a cash register system with the features of the preamble of claim 1 in that the display control means are designed to control the operation of the image reproduction means as a function of acquired customer-specific data.

According to the invention, captured customer-specific data are used to control the information content displayed by the image display means.

On the one hand, customer-specific data are understood to mean fixed characteristics of individual customers. For example, a registered customer number or the gender of an individual customer are fixed characteristics of an individual Customers. A customer number can, for example, be stored on a customer card in the form of a barcode, in the form of binary data in an electronic memory chip and read from there. When using so-called "tags", which are transponders designed for the contactless transmission of an identifier, a customer number can also be received wirelessly.

On the other hand, customer-specific data are also features that are not fixed to a customer, but can be reassigned with each purchase, such as the time at which the checkout began. This point in time usually varies from purchase to purchase. However, such a small amount of data describing the customer's characteristics, which are not fixed, often allow predictions of certain interests of the respective customer with a high probability of being hit. For example, people who shop in a textile store between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. are likely to be people who are not gainfully employed. This group of people is more likely to be open to certain information content than working people. This experience can be used to display information content on the image display means, which is likely to be of great interest, even using such "blurred" customer-specific data.

In the cash register system according to the invention, the input means for goods or customer-specific data form a first data source, which are connected to the display control means via the data processing unit. The type of input means used can vary in different embodiments. Different input means can also be used in parallel. Optical scanners are intended for capturing bar codes, on magnetic and chip card readers and on receiving devices for wirelessly transmitted identifiers. Basically, all of the input means mentioned are suitable both for entering customer-specific and for entering goods-specific data. A second data source is the data memory, which stores the information content that can be displayed using the display control means. Instead of the data memory or in addition to it, an information source connected, for example, via radio or the Internet can also be provided as the second data source. The data memory can also be an exchangeable read-only storage means, in particular a CD-ROM, from which the display control means read data.

The playback means, i.e. the display means of the cash register can consist of exactly one screen unit, in which an image sector for displaying the cash register-specific data and a second image sector for displaying the information obtained from the data of the second data source - preferably advertising information - is provided. It is particularly advantageous here if the image sector for displaying the cash register-specific data is smaller than the image sector for displaying the other information. A small strip of the upper image area is particularly suitable as a small image sector for the display of the cash register-specific data. Here the product description and sales price can be clearly displayed side by side. The other information can be reproduced over a large area on the remaining larger image sector.

In addition, the display means can also consist of two or more screen units, of which at least one screen unit is provided for the display of the cash register-specific data and at least one further screen unit for the display of the other information. This solution allows an individual and therefore comfortable alignment of different display media on the one hand to the cashier and on the other hand to the customer. Since the other information is not relevant for the cashier, only the cash register-specific data can be displayed on the display means assigned to him.

All known display means for standing can be used as image display means and / or moving images and / or text are used, for example flat screens or electron beam tubes. Light-emitting diode or laser displays can also be used. The image display means do not have to be arranged directly at the checkout, but can also be set up at a distance, but easily visible to the customer. The use of large format displays is also considered. Image projection techniques can also be used with these in particular.

The display control means can comprise means for variably dividing the display area of the image display means into two image sectors.

The image display means can consist of two or more screen units, of which at least one screen unit is provided for the display of captured goods-specific data and at least one further screen unit for the display of data from the data memory.

Cash register-specific data - such as the sales price and the description of the goods - are displayed to the customer for control. The checkout-specific data are goods-specific data. They can also be printed out on a receipt from a connected printer. This provides the customer with a clear and easily understandable list of the goods purchased. For the final checkout process, the total sales price of the purchased goods is automatically determined. The goods and / or customer-specific data are mostly recorded and saved for the calculation of sales statistics or for triggering reordering processes, and thus also facilitate the merchandise management of the business.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the display on the reproduction means is controlled with access to customer profile data (customer profiles or customer group profiles) stored in a customer profile memory. In one exemplary embodiment, the customer profile data are stored in the form of a two-column table. The first column of the table contains certain characteristics or characteristic codes assigned to specific characteristics in its rows. The rows in the second column of the table each contain a number between 0 and 1 assigned to the relevant characteristic or characteristic code, which indicates the relative frequency with respect to a statistical population or the probability with which the characteristic is fulfilled.

In a further exemplary embodiment, suitable information content, for example advertising information, is assigned to each customer profile. For example, a customer whose customer profile she identifies as a recreational athlete can be targeted with new offers in the field of fitness nutrition.

The assignment between the different customer profiles and the different information contents can take place in the form of a matrix. The column index of a matrix element can be assigned to a respective information content and the row index of the matrix element can be assigned to a respective customer profile. The matrix element can carry the information "suitable for display" in the form of the number 1 or "not suitable for display" in the form of the number 0. Here, too, it is possible to work with updatable probability information, i.e. numbers between 0 and 1, for further differentiation.

The ability to update the customer profile and the assignment of information content to the customer profile enables adaptive display control.

In one embodiment of the invention, a customer profile determination unit is provided which is designed to determine the output of a code assigned to a customer profile for each checkout process. If no personal customer profile is entered

The advertising information displayed can also depend on the customer profile controlled by goods. In an exemplary embodiment, the display control can react to goods-specific entries if the respective customer profile is assigned suitable advertising information associated with the current goods. In this case, depending on the goods identified via the input means, suitable advertising information can be given. As an example, the advantageous properties of a certain fabric softener could then be pointed out when purchasing a full detergent.

The information originating from the data store, that is to say from the second data source, is stored on an electronic storage unit. An exchangeable read-only storage device can be provided as the data storage device, from which the control device reads the information. A CD-ROM is particularly suitable for this.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the data storage device is to be designed as a read / write storage device, from which the control unit reads out the advertising information. This variant also allows the stored data to be overwritten, in particular from an external location, in order to update it to this extent. For example, a magnetic hard disk can be used as read / write storage means.

Irrespective of the fact that the display control means are designed to control the operation of the image display means as a function of acquired customer-specific data, the cash register system can have a detection unit which is connected to the control unit and which is designed to store goods and / or customer-specific data for storage or further processing to capture. In particular, it is designed to record which goods were bought when or by which customer or by what type of customer, or when, how long and which information file was displayed. These data are preferably stored on a downstream statistical storage unit. From the recorded data, in the case of advertising For example, statistical conclusions about the frequency of similar information content, the time of day distribution of which is drawn, in order to optimize the advertising measures. In addition, the statistics obtained facilitate the exact accounting of the advertising performance of the business against the manufacturers of the goods.

In a preferred embodiment, customer profiles and data recorded by the recording unit can be combined in the statistics storage unit. This allows, for example, the evaluation of test sales in test markets. Another advantage is that, at the same time, evidence for billing with clients for the display of advertising is stored via the cash register system according to the invention.

For this purpose and for the purpose of merchandise management, it is advantageous if a means for remote data transmission of goods and / or customer-specific data and / or the content of the statistics storage unit, for example a modem, can be connected. This measure enables an optimal flow of information between business, suppliers, goods manufacturers, financial institutions and other participants. In particular, this allows information from different POS systems to be combined and evaluated centrally in a test market or different test markets.

If several cash register systems are combined in an internal network, it is advantageous if only one means for remote data transmission to a central administration unit, ie. a central control unit of the network is connected. A telephone modem is also suitable as a means of remote data transmission. The information about this can be called up from an external location or sent from the cash register.

Various embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawing. In it shows FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an electronic cash register with a display means,

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a customer screen,

FIG. 3 shows a basic block diagram of individual functional units of the

Cash register system,

FIG. 4 shows a representation of a customer profile in tabular form,

Figure 5 is a matrix representation of a selection file with which the

Selection of information to be displayed on the customer screen is controlled,

Figure 6 is a more detailed block diagram of individual functional units of the

Cash register system from Figure 3 and

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart with essential method steps

Algorithm for determining a customer profile.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electronic cash register 10. The cash register 10 has a cash register device 1 2 and a customer screen 14 arranged separately and connected to the cash register device 1 2 via a cable. The customer screen 14 is a flat screen which is pivotably mounted about two axes and which can be aligned for optimum viewing by the customer currently serving at the checkout.

A seller screen 16 is arranged on the cash register device 12, which is also designed as a pivotable flat screen for displaying cash register-specific data for the seller. On the one hand, the cash register 12 has a keyboard 18 for recording goods-specific data (product data). On the other hand, a hand scanner 20 is provided as a further data input unit in the present exemplary embodiment. The hand scanner 20 is designed in a known manner for scanning bar codes with a light beam and converts the light intensity backscattered during scanning into a time-dependent electrical signal, which is used to identify and interpret the scanned bar code. It goes without saying that, as an alternative to the hand scanner 20, a permanently mounted scanning device can also be used. A scale 22 is provided as a further data input unit, which is also connected to the cash register 1 2 via an electrical connecting line.

In addition to goods-specific data, customer-specific data can also be entered at the cash register 1 2 using the hand scanner 20 or a card reader 24. The card reader can be designed, for example, to read customer data from a magnetic card or a smart card. Alternatively, means for contactless reading of customer data via radio can also be provided, for example with the aid of tags.

The customer-specific data are stored, for example, on a customer card (not shown), which is issued to customers when participating in a discount or credit system. The customer-specific data that can be read in from the customer card allow the customer to be identified and thus read and / or write access to previously stored data assigned to the individual customer. This data, which assign certain characteristics to a specific customer, is also referred to below as a personal customer profile.

In addition to personal customer profiles, the cash register system is also designed to create and manage customer group profiles. Customer group profiles contain data relating to several specific or indefinite customers assign certain characteristics. A customer group profile that records several specific customers can, for example, assign certain characteristics to all registered participants in a discount system. Such a characteristic can be described as "interested in special offers within the framework of the discount system".

A customer group profile of a customer group whose members cannot be individually identified can, for example, be defined solely by the feature “morning shopping between 9 am and 1 am 2 am”. A customer group profile can also be used to assign characteristics to this undefined customer group, for example the characteristic "interested in coffee products".

Further properties of the personal customer profiles and the customer group profiles are discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

The cash register 1 2 has, as an additional output unit, a cash register printer, which is arranged in the housing of the cash register and is identified in the following by the reference number 26, which in FIG has. The checkout printer 26 generates a printout which shows a list of the purchased goods with retail prices and the final price.

The cash register 1 2 finally contains a data processing unit 28 which is designed to carry out the arithmetic operations required for cashing and to convert the incoming electrical signals from the keyboard, scanner, magnetic card reader and scales into binary data structures which are connected to the customer screen 14, the seller screen 16 and / or the printer 26 can be output and can be displayed there.

The cash register 12 is arranged on a cash drawer 30 for secure Accommodation of means of payment serves. The cash drawer 5 is electrically connected to the data processing unit 28. The data processing unit 28 controls the opening of the cash drawer 30 at the end of each checkout process.

2 shows a schematic illustration of the image surface of the customer screen 14 during a checkout process. The flat screen is enclosed in a frame 32. The entire screen area can be used for the output of goods-specific data (type of goods, number or mass, price, etc.) as well as for the output of text or image files or video sequences. The control of the display on the customer screen 14 is generally carried out by a control group (reference numeral 44 in FIG. 3) described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3. In the present example, the cash register can optionally be operated with reduced functionality independently of the control group 44. In this operating mode, the display on the customer screen is controlled by the data processing unit 28.

In the present example, the display is controlled by the control group 44. Two image areas are shown on the customer screen 14. A first image area 34 is provided as a relatively narrow, line-like strip at the top of the screen and has three image sectors arranged one behind the other in the line. In the image sectors, goods-specific data is displayed during the checkout process. The type of goods (“detergent”) is displayed in a first image sector 36, the product name (“X”) in a second image sector 38 and the price of the product (“Eurosymbol 5.90”) in a third image sector 40.

A second image area 42 is provided on the screen area below the first image area 34 and is used in the present exemplary embodiment for the display of advertising messages. The second image area 42 is of large area and is used to display text or image files or video sequences. In the present example it is only identified by a capital X. In another exemplary embodiment, not shown here, the control unit is set up in such a way that advertising messages and goods-specific data overlap one another. The goods-specific data is displayed in a currently displayed advertising message during checkout.

Figure 3 shows in a block diagram the structure of an embodiment of the cash register system according to the invention. The cash register 10 described with reference to FIG. 1 is shown in the left third of the block diagram. The same components are identified here as in the following with reference numerals unchanged from FIG. 1. A previously mentioned control group 44 is connected to the cash register 10, which in turn can be connected to a central administration unit 46.

The control group 44 can be arranged within the housing of the cash register device 1 2 of the cash register 10. In the present example, however, it is arranged separately from the cash register 10 and connected to it via a data line. In another alternative embodiment, wireless communication channels are used for the data connection between cash register 10 and control group 44. The modules required for the communication between the cash register 10 and the control group 44 are not shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3 for the sake of simplicity.

The structure and operation of the cash register 10, the control group 44 and the central administration unit 46 are explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

At the cash register 10, the data processing unit 28 receives read data from the input units - these are the keyboard 1 8, the hand scanner 20, the scales 22 and the card reader 24. The data processing unit is designed such that goods-specific data can be supplied to the customer screen 14, the seller screen 16 and the printer 26 in a known manner and can be displayed by these output devices. at the same time All read data are forwarded from the data processing unit 28 to the control group 44.

The data processing unit 28 is further designed such that, on a corresponding control signal from the control group 44, the data output via the output devices can be controlled only by the control group 44.

It should be mentioned that the cash register 10 can also be operated as a conventional cash register without the control group 44 in an emergency. However, operation of the cash register 10 in connection with the control group 44 is regularly provided.

The control group 44 has a control unit 48 which is connected to the data processing unit 28 of the cash register 10 and receives customer and goods data from it. The control unit is also connected to a number of data memories. These include a customer profile memory 50, a product memory 52, an information memory 54 and a statistics memory 56. Further details of the structure of the control unit 48 are explained below with reference to FIG. 5.

The control group 44 also has a detection unit 58 connected to the control unit 48. The detection unit 58 is connected to the data processing unit 28 of the cash register 10 and receives customer and goods data from it. The detection unit 58 is also connected to the customer profile memory 50, the product memory 52, the information memory 54 and the statistics memory 56.

The operation of the control group 44 is explained in more detail below. The function of the detection unit 58 is first described.

During a checkout process, 10 different data are stored at the cash register entered, which are fed to the data processing unit 28. Customer-specific data is often entered at the start of the checkout process, for example when a customer presents his customer card. At the same time, the data processing unit 28 of the cash register 10 generates data which contain the date, the time and an identification of the cash register and the checkout process. For example, an order number or the date and time of its start can be assigned to a checkout process for identification. Furthermore, during a checkout process, the products purchased by the customer, their quantity, weight data or their number, the price invoiced for it and the total amount to be paid are registered. All of this data is forwarded by the data processing unit 28 to the detection unit and initially stored there temporarily.

The control unit 48 receives data from the control unit 48, which represent the identity and the start and end time of the display of information units from the information store 54 during a checkout process.

For each checkout process, the recording unit 58 creates a data structure which is assigned to it and which contains all the individual data of different types mentioned in the preceding two paragraphs. However, the individual data can usually only be combined into a data structure at the end of the checkout process. Because, for example, customer data is not always entered immediately. Many customers will not have a customer card. Therefore, a personal customer profile can often not be determined. Subsequent entry of customer data is possible at any time during or after a checkout process. The registration unit then completes the data structure assigned to the checkout process.

The data structure generated by the detection unit 58 is stored in the statistical memory 56. The data structure generated can be incomplete because, for example, as mentioned above, no customer data is entered in many checkout processes. Statistical data can also be assigned to a specific customer profile be filed. The data structures are stored in the statistics memory in the form of a database, which allows selective read access to individual data from different checkout processes with predefined characteristics at any time. For example, the data can be stored in the statistics memory as a relational database.

Another task of the registration unit 58 is to create and update customer profiles on the basis of the data coming in from the cash register 10. For this purpose, the registration unit has read / write access to the customer profile memory 50.

To explain this mode of operation of the detection unit 58, the structure of a customer profile 60 is first explained with reference to FIG. 5 using an example. The customer profile 60 is a file which on the one hand contains a number of features and on the other hand the relative frequencies assigned to them in the form of a two-column table. Here and in the following we generally speak of a customer profile. However, it goes without saying that this refers to both personal customer profiles and customer group profiles, as long as it is not defined in the context or is obvious by itself.

A first column of the table of the customer profile 60, overwritten with M for the purposes of this description alone, consists of a list with a total of N characteristics. In the present example, these features are coded with atomic numbers from 1 to N. Other known coding options are also suitable.

With the help of another table, not shown here and stored in the customer profile memory, the assignment of characteristics to ordinal numbers is clearly defined. However, the table can also be stored on another, in particular a memory of the administrative unit 46. For example, in the table of ordinal number 1, the characteristic column M of the customer profile 60 is the characteristic "Shopping between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m." assigned. The ordinal number 2 is assigned the feature “purchase of product A”, product A being any product, for example a food product such as a milk product, a textile product such as a towel or a technical product such as a car model, depending on the business in which the cash register is used. Of course, further feature differentiations are possible based on additional features. For example, in addition to a feature “purchase of car model C”, a further feature “purchase of car model with automatic transmission” can be provided. The list of characteristics can be updated, supplemented or shortened by the registration unit. This will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5.

In the case of a personal customer profile, the list of characteristics contains data which enable the customer to be identified, for example his name or his customer number. The same applies to a customer group profile that includes a number of specific customers. Here, the identification data of each member of the customer group is included in the list of characteristics. In the case of a customer group profile that is assigned to a group of customers that cannot be individually identified, such identification data is missing.

The right column P (M) of the customer profile 60 assigns a relative frequency to each characteristic M, that is to say a number between 0 and 1. The relative frequency P (M) indicates how often purchases by a (certain or indefinite) customer with the customer profile 60, based on the total number of purchases of such a customer, have the assigned characteristic. An example: if 4 out of 10 purchases by a customer with customer profile 60 have the characteristic with the assigned ordinal number 2, the relative frequency 0.4 is assigned to this characteristic in customer profile 60. The relative frequency of a feature is a measure of the probability that a customer's purchase with the customer profile 60 has the feature in question. Individual customers can be assigned several different customer profiles when making a purchase. For example, a personal customer profile can be created for an individual customer. The registration unit registers a purchase from this customer and only uses it to maintain the personal customer profile. However, this customer's purchase can also be used to maintain customer group profiles, for example if the registered customer makes a purchase between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. and thus falls under the above-mentioned customer group profile "Purchase between 9 a.m. and 1 2 a.m." , After this purchase, the registration unit will update both the personal customer profile and the customer group profile mentioned.

The detection unit 58 from FIG. 3 is designed to regularly update customer profiles that are stored in the customer profile memory 50. The update can take place, for example, immediately after each purchase, for which a customer with a specific customer profile has made purchases.

When the customer and customer group profiles are updated, new features can be added and the relative frequencies of all features can be recalculated while accessing the statistical memory 56. In this case, the registration unit takes from the statistical memory 56 the total number of previous purchases assigned to the respective customer or customer group profile.

For certain characteristics of a customer or customer group profile, it will not make sense to specify and update relative frequencies, since these are characteristics that can be reliably determined and cannot be changed from purchase to purchase. For example, gender can be included as a characteristic in the customer profile. In this case the characteristic "male" is listed in the customer profile. According to the actual gender of the customer, a "1" is assigned to this characteristic. This example illustrates the practicability of the form of customer profile proposed here. The acquisition unit is also designed to regularly update the data contained in the statistical memory 56.

Further details on the construction and structure of the registration unit are explained below in connection with FIG. 6.

In a further exemplary embodiment, which is not shown, the cash register 10 has a log memory which records all the data entered together with the date, time of the input time and the identification of the cash register. This data can later be read out by the detection unit 58 of the control group 44 and processed in the manner described above.

The essential task of the control unit 48 is to control the display on the customer screen 14. In the present exemplary embodiment, the display on the customer screen 14 can be controlled by the control unit 48 depending on the current customer profile. For this purpose, the control unit 48 accesses the customer profile memory 50, the information memory 54 and the statistics memory 56.

Alternatively, the display on the customer screen can be controlled by the control unit 48 independently of the current customer profile.

The information store can be designed as a CD-Rom, as a magnetic hard disk or as another storage medium for data. On the one hand, the information store contains the information which can be displayed on the customer screen 14 as an image, text or video sequence in the form of different files. Each picture, each text and each video sequence forms an information unit to which an identification key is assigned. The information units are predominantly advertising information which are used to advertise goods or services on the customer screen 14. In addition, other types of information units, for example with current news, Weather forecasts or information about shop opening times etc. can be contained in the information store. The information store 54 contains a total number Y of information units.

In a selection file stored in the information store, each of the information units contained is assigned a suitability indicator between 0 and 1 for each of the customer profiles contained in the customer profile store. The number 0 means that an information unit is not suitable for the relevant customer profile. The number 1 means that an information unit is certainly suitable for the relevant customer profile. Correspondingly, values of the suitability number between 0 and 1 indicate a more or less high probability for the suitability of an information unit.

The structure of the selection file is explained below in connection with FIG. 5 using an exemplary selection file 62. The suitability numbers contained in the selection file are assigned, on the one hand, to a specific customer profile and, on the other hand, to a specific information unit, according to the type of entries in a matrix. The suitability figures are assigned to the key figures KP1 to KPZ of all Z customer profiles in the customer profile memory line by line. The suitability numbers are assigned column by column to B1 to BY of all information units contained in the information store 54. For example, in the case of a customer profile KP1, which can be seen as the characteristic "age under 1 6 years", the suitability number "0" is assigned to the selection file of an information unit B2 which advertises an alcoholic beverage.

In the manner of a relational database, the information units in the information store 54 are also assigned to one or more products. Here, too, a hierarchy can be made by weighting the assignment with a number between 0 and 1.

The suitability numbers can initially be set arbitrarily, for example to test the effect of certain information units on certain customer profiles. In the course of time, the suitability figures can also be determined automatically if the statistical material collected provides sufficient information about the preferences of certain customer profiles. The evaluation algorithms required for this can be implemented in an evaluation unit, not shown here. To improve the statistical basis, the evaluation can be carried out by the central administration unit 46, which preferably communicates with a large number of cash registers and tax groups and takes into account all the data collected by them. Further details are explained below.

Furthermore, the suitability figures can also be changed in the course of time by using predetermined strategy rules. For example, it may be desirable to display a certain message to a given customer profile only during a specified period of time. In this case, the suitability number for the specified customer profile is automatically set to zero at the end of the period.

The algorithms that manage and update the selection file are also implemented in the above-mentioned evaluation unit.

Further details on the structure and functioning of the control unit 48 are explained below with reference to FIG. 5.

The structure and the functioning of the central administration unit 46 are explained below with reference to FIG. 3.

The central management unit 46 is connected to the control group 44 for the wired or wireless exchange of data and / or control signals. Instead of a permanent connection, a connection can only be used temporarily if necessary getting produced. The central administration unit has a central computer 64 which is designed to carry out a multiplicity of administration, maintenance, evaluation and control functions and for this purpose read and write access to the storage units 50 to 56 and in the control unit 48 and in FIG Detection unit 58 has implemented executable program files. The central administration unit has, in particular, central storage units 66 to 72 which correspond to the storage units 50 to 56.

The management unit 46 is designed to manage a large number of cash registers and control groups, for example in the context of a widely branched branch system. The management unit 46 can be used, for example, to compare the data collected in the various branches in order to create improved customer profiles, if necessary, which are based on data collected in all branches. The central administration unit 46 can store new or improved customer profiles in the customer profile memory 50 of the control group 44 and replace the corresponding customer profiles used previously. New customer profiles are integrated into the databases of the control group 44 by updating the selection file in the information store 54 from the central office.

Furthermore, the statistical data generated by the cash register 10 and the control group 44 can be used in a known manner to control a central purchasing system.

The influence of the information units displayed on the customer screens 14 on the purchasing behavior of the respective customer profiles can also be determined automatically. If, for example, a specific new product was advertised with a selected customer profile and this product subsequently achieved significantly higher sales figures, the advertising can automatically be extended to other customer profiles and at the same time the purchase could be changed according to the increased and the expected demand become.

The central computer 64 has one or more input units (not shown), with the aid of which product data, customer profiles, information units, statistical data and strategy rules can be entered and / or edited in the form of executable program files.

A central customer profile memory 66 contains customer profiles created or updated using the central computer. A central product memory 68 contains product data created or updated with the aid of the central computer. A central information store 70 contains information units created or updated with the aid of the central computer. A central statistical memory 72 contains statistical data created or updated with the aid of the central computer.

FIG. 6 shows further details of control group 44 from FIG. 3 in a further block diagram. For the sake of simplicity of illustration, not all elements of control group 44 are shown in this block diagram.

The control unit 48 has a customer profile determination unit 48.1, which is connected on the input side both to the data processing unit 28 of the cash register 10 and to the customer profile memory 50. On the output side, the customer profile determination unit 48.1 is connected to a display control unit 48.2.

The customer profile determination unit 48.1 determines the customer profile of the customer currently being served on the basis of the input data received from the data processing unit 28. Once the customer profile has been determined, its identification number is forwarded to the display control unit 48.2. Further details of the functioning of the customer profile determination unit 48.1 are explained below with reference to FIG. 7. The display control unit 48.2 controls the display on the customer screen 14 on the basis of the present customer profile. For this purpose, the display control unit accesses the selection file 62 stored in the information store 54. The information unit with the highest suitability number is displayed first. If several information units come into question with this selection criterion, the information unit with the lowest identification code is preferably selected and displayed on the customer screen 14.

The duration of the display of the information unit is predetermined by the display control unit 48.2 by a time control unit 48.3. In the present exemplary embodiment, the time control unit 48.3 obtains the data required for determining the display duration either solely from the data processing unit 28 of the cash register. In this way, for example, the end of a checkout process can be automatically waited for before a subsequent customer is shown another information unit.

As a further alternative example, the interaction between the display control unit 48.2 and the time control unit 48.3 can be used to selectively react to the input of certain products. If, for example, a specific product is read in at the cash register using the hand scanner 20, the display control unit 48.2 checks the selection file to determine whether an information unit is assigned to this product. If necessary, a more complex variant can also be used to check whether the information unit found is in turn assigned a suitability number above a predefined threshold value and whether this information unit is only displayed if this is the case.

The acquisition unit 58 has a data acquisition unit 58.1, a memory unit 58.2 connected to it and a computing unit 58.3. The data acquisition unit 58.1 receives from the data processing unit 28 of the cash register 1 0 customer-specific and goods-specific data and an identifier of the cash register 1 0. Customer-specific data become, if they are not at the Cash register can be entered, the data acquisition unit alternatively from the customer profile determination unit 48.1. Furthermore, the data acquisition unit 58.1 receives from the display control unit 48.2 the identifier of the information unit currently displayed and from the time control unit the start and stop time of the current display. The data acquisition unit 58.1 adds the date to these data and continuously uses all the data mentioned to generate data structures which are continuously fed to the statistical memory 56 and stored there. The data structures generated can also have other data types. For example, an identification number of the seller can also be registered. Or certain weather data can be registered in order to register the dependence of the effect of advertising messages, for example on the temperature.

The data structures generated by the data acquisition unit 58.1 will also be temporarily stored in the memory unit 58.2 if the connection to the statistical memory 56 fails.

The computing unit 58.3, like the central computer 66, is designed to calculate and update customer profiles and the selection file on the basis of the data structures generated by the data acquisition unit 58.1. Data of new products or new features for customer profiles or new information units can also be transferred to the data acquisition unit via the hand scanner 20 or another input unit (not shown) that is independent of the cash register 10, for example. Computing unit 58.3 has read and write access to these memories in order to update the files stored in memory units 50 to 56.

As a rule, a hierarchy will be specified, according to which write accesses by the central computer to the storage units of the control group 44 have the highest priority and the computing unit 58.3 has a lower priority than the acquisition unit. The computing unit 58.3 can, for example, the one described Take on tasks as long as the connection to the central computer is down.

FIG. 7 shows in a flow chart an exemplary embodiment of an algorithm that can be executed by the customer profile determination unit. This is started with a step S1 0 as soon as the cash register 1 0 is put into operation. In a subsequent query loop, step S 12 is waited until the cash register signals that a customer is being served. This can be determined, for example, by entering customer or product-specific data. If a checkout process was started, it is then checked whether customer-specific data, i.e. a specific customer profile (or several customer profiles) have been entered. If this is the case, the code number of the specific customer profile is sent to the display control unit 48.2 in a subsequent step S1 6 and then jumped back to step S1 2.

If no customer profile was identified on the basis of the data received from the cash register in step D14, the time and the cash register location are first determined in step S20. For example, a certain department within a department store is determined as the checkout location. This prevents, for example, that advertising for colors and varnishes available in another department is displayed in a textile department of a department store. Other parameters can also be determined in step S20. In this step, manual entries by the checkout staff can also be taken into account. For example, some features of the current customer (such as male / female, older / younger than about 50 years, etc.) can be entered by pressing a key on the keyboard 1 8.

In a subsequent step S22, a standard customer profile assigned to the existing features is determined from the customer profile memory 50, and the code number is then forwarded to the display control unit 48.2 in a step S24. It is then checked whether new customer-specific data has been entered. If this is the case, for example for a customer who was initially unable to find his customer card, the process jumps back to step S14. If this is not the case, the input of product-specific data at the cash register 10 is first waited for in a step S28. If no product-specific data was received, the process jumps back to step S20.

After the input of product data, the customer profile memory 50 is searched in a step S30 for a customer profile which has a feature related to this product with the comparatively highest assigned probability / relative frequency. Furthermore, it is checked in step S30 whether the customer profile determined in this way also contains the other features determined in step S20 with an assigned probability greater than 0. It is then checked in a step S32 whether the mean value of the probabilities mentioned exceeds a predefined threshold value. If several possible customer profiles were found in step S30, these are checked one after the other in subsequent step S32 and finally the feature is selected which most far exceeds the probability criterion. If the decision is not clear at first, the one with the lowest key figure is selected from several possible customer profiles. The process then jumps to step S24 and the determined customer profile is output to the display control unit.

The embodiment of the invention is not limited solely to the preferred exemplary embodiments specified above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the solution shown even in the case of fundamentally different types. In particular, other peripheral devices such as stationary scanners, payment terminals and others can also be connected to the electronic cash register described above. In addition, the electronic cash register presented can also be used as part of a wide variety of network topologies or as the only cash register location be used. Furthermore, the electronic cash register can not only be used for the sales process but also for merchandise management purposes. The individual functions are offered via corresponding software programs.

Claims

Patent claims

. Electronic cash register system with input means (1 8 to 24) which are designed to record goods and/or customer-specific data,

Data processing means (28), which are connected on the input side to the input means (1 8 to 24) and are designed to carry out arithmetic operations with product-specific data, a data memory (54), image display means (14) and with display control means (48), which are connected to the data processing means on the input side (28) and the data memory (54) as well as on the output side to the image display means (14) and which are designed to control the operation of the image display means (14) in such a way that recorded goods- and / or customer-specific data as well as those contained in the data memory (54). Data from the image display means (14) can be displayed, characterized in that the display control means (48) are designed to control the operation of the image display means (14) depending on acquired customer-specific data.

2. Cash register system according to claim 1, characterized in that a second data memory is provided for recording customer-specific data.

3. Cash register system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the data memory (54) is designed to supply data that represents still or moving images or text.

4. Cash register system according to the preamble of claim 1, characterized in that the displayed data can be recorded by means of a detection unit (58) connected to the display control means (48) and can be stored in a statistics storage unit (1 6).

5. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image display means for displaying advertising information consists of exactly one screen unit (14), in which a first image sector (34) for displaying product-specific data and a second image sector (42) for Display of data from the data memory (54) is provided.

6. Cash register system according to claim 5, characterized in that the first image sector (34) is smaller than the second image sector (42).

7. Cash register system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the display control means (48) comprise means for variably dividing the screen unit into two image sectors (34, 42).

8. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image display means consist of two or more screen units (14, 16), of which at least one screen unit (16) is for displaying recorded product-specific data and at least one further screen unit (14) is provided for displaying data from the data memory (54).

9. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image display means (14) is designed as a screen unit in the manner of a flat screen or in the manner of a cathode ray tube.

0. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data memory (54) is a replaceable read-only storage means from which the display control means (48) reads data.

1 . Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data memory (54) is a read/write storage means from which the display control means (48) read out the data and which can be overwritten from an external location.

2. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a remote data transmission means is provided for transmitting data from the data memory (54) or for transmitting the data recorded by the detection unit (58).

1 3. Cash register system according to claim 1 2, characterized in that the data sent via the remote data transmission means can be called up from an external location or can be sent from the display control means (48).

14. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the input means for product-specific data is designed as a keyboard (1 8) and / or as a scanner (20) and / or as a scale (22).

1 5. Cash register system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the input means for customer-specific data are designed as a card reader (24) and / or as a chip card reader and / or as a barcode card reader (20).