The object of the' invention is an interactive sales stand, a system of interactive sales stands, and a method of real and virtual interactive video sales communication, applicable in offering, selection and sales of products, in particular mattresses .

Sales stands in a form of modular booths or sales islands are a significant sales solution connecting marketing, advertising, and trade aspects (sales) allowing to reach a larger audience while building the company or product brand. Sales stands _j are often situated in shopping arcades, hypermarkets, and shopping malls. A sales stand in the form of a sales island is usually operated by one salesperson whose task is to promote the given products', communication with the customer and sales. A network of such sales stands requires operation by- personnel that is at least as numerous as the number of the sales stands themselves. Multimedia kiosks that are interactive information points allowing for providing unattended information, marketing, and advertising service in public spaces like shopping malls, shopping arcades, or hypermarkets have been also becoming more and more popular. These are mainly multimedia advertising displays equipped multimedia touch screens displaying advertising and information content, in some cases on customer's demand. The unquestionable advantage of multimedia kiosks is their little space demand, which makes them willingly used for promoting advertising content. The object of Polish patent application PL395578 (Al) is an interactive kiosk of modular structure, comprising a processor, main memory, non-volatile memory, and a controller receiving commands from the user as well as a peripheral unit, and connected bidirectionally with the peripheral unit controller controlled by the processor and adapted for adding peripheral modules that can be mounted inside the kiosk chassis and installed as plug and play, wherein the kiosk also contains a module sharing the resources of peripheral modules wirelessly to portable devices in the vicinity of the kiosk. The interactive kiosk referred to enables the user to obtain information or perform a transaction.

The object of the invention disclosed in US patent application No. US2010132231 (Al) is a mattress assembly with an attached sensor device. The mattress assembly comprises a mattress core, an attached headboard, a mattress cover at least partially enclosing the mattress, and at least one sensory device constituting an assistance interface for the customer. The sensory device is configured to present at least one parameter of the mattress at least in the form of a visual signal. In one embodiment of the solution referred to, the sensory device may have the form of an LCD display with loudspeakers to present audio-visual information, situated in the mattress assembly headboard. The sensory device may also be connected with the Internet, enabling sending and receiving information from network servers. Furthermore, the sensory device may be equipped with wired or wireless communication interfaces. In another embodiment, the mattress assembly can comprise more LCD touch screens that allow displaying additional information on customer's demand.

US Patent No. US8482424 (B2), in turn, discloses a digital advertising stand for offering and advertising mattresses, comprising a display device to present changeable information about the product. The display device assumes the form of a stand comprising a base and a generally vertical wall including an upper display portion, the base is selectively placed under, next to or in connection with the mattress so that the wall is situated proximate to the end of the mattress. The display device comprises a media player displaying the changeable product information regarding the mattress to the person approaching the given stand. The information display activation is provided by a sensor in electronic communication with the media player.

The technical challenge faced by the present invention is to propose such an interactive sales stand, a system comprising a number of such interactive sales stands, and an interactive video communication method that will be dedicated in particular to offering, advertising, and selling mattresses, wherein the sales stand shall be intended mainly for placing in shopping arcades or shopping malls, shall occupy little marketing space, shall be operated remotely from the operating centre, and shall display advertising content on both sides, and will provide audio-visual communication of a potential customer with the sales assistant from the sales centre. It is also desired that the interactive sales stand induce contact with the sales assistant from the sales centre upon the potential customer approaching the stand or after testing the product, while during communication with the sales assistant/consultant, the customer would have audio-visual contact or advertising information would be displayed. Furthermore, it is desired that the interactive video communication stand be relatively simple in construction with stable structure resistant to damage and easy to keep clean. Unexpectedly, the said technical problems have been solved by the present invention. The first object of the invention is an interactive sales stand comprising a base with a vertical wall situated on one edge, wherein the base consists of a frame with legs and a mattress or another product placed thereupon, while on the side connecting with the base, the wall comprises, on its lateral surface, a first audio-visual device displaying picture and/or sound, the vertical wall comprising also a sensory device constituting at least one proximity sensor, characterized in that there is a second audio-visual device situated on another lateral surface of the vertical wall, at least on the lateral surface opposite to the lateral surface comprising the first audio-visual device. The sensory device can constitute a device comprising a camera, a microphone, a touch screen, a button, a proximity sensor, etc. reacting to or enabling reaction of the sales assistant/consultant upon a potential customer approaching the sales stand. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensory device is mounted on each lateral surface of the vertical wall. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first audio-visual device and/or the second visual audio/video device comprises a video camera and a microphone enabling bidirectional customer- seller communication. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the first audio-visual device and the second audio ^¬ visual device enable independent display of content. Preferably, the interactive sales stand comprises a wireless communications module.

The second object of the present invention is a system of interactive sales stands, comprising a number of interactive sales stands situated in various locations, and one interactive sales centre, the interactive sales stand constituting an interactive sales stand as defined in the first object of the invention, characterised in that each interactive sales stand provides bidirectional customer communication with the seller in the interactive sales centre via telecommunications link. By telecommunications link, it should be understood providing bidirectional voice connection and video connection enabling e.g. running a videoconference . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the said interactive sales stand induces contact with the seller in the interactive sales centre upon activation of the sensory device. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, during customer' s communication with the seller via the first audio-visual device or the second audio-visual device, changeable audio-visual content is displayed or another customer-seller communication runs on the second audio-visual device or on the first audio-visual device, respectively.

The third object of the present invention is a method of interactive sales communication using the interactive stands system as defined in the second object of the present invention, characterised in that a number of interactive stands are provided at various locations, the telecommunications link of a number of interactive sales stands to the interactive sales centre is provided, sales communications is carried out via the first audio-visual device or the second audio-visual device. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sales communication is induced by the sensory device. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, during customer' s communication with the seller via the first audio-visual device or the second audio ^¬ visual device, changeable audio-visual content is displayed or another customer-seller communication runs on the second audio-visual device or on the first audio-visual device, respectively . The solution according to the present invention creates an interactive relation by combining the traditional model of selling/information providing (direct communication) with the video-interactivity of the sales stand which enables establishing a trade relationship between the buyer and the seller/person providing information. The interactive sales stand according to the present invention has simple structure providing economic benefits, in particular during its production and assembly in the destination place. Application of compact structure with a multi-function vertical wall results in the interactive sales stand occupying little space, which allows placing it in shopping arcades and shopping malls even in narrow passages. The occupation of a small area also provides economic benefits in the form of lower rent rates. A system of interactive sales stands, due to the application of a common central point, allows for remote operation of the sales stand by sales personnel limited to the minimum. Furthermore, the application of a sensory element in the interactive sales stand enables inducing the contact with the customer by the seller upon the potential customer' s approaching the interactive sales stand. The applied audio ^¬ visual system enables carrying conversation with the consultant/seller directly at the stand, and the two-sided vertical wall enables constant displaying changeable advertising and information content even during the conversation with the consultant/seller.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented in the drawing, where fig. 1 illustrates an axonometric projection of the interactive sales stand according to one embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 illustrates another axonometric projection of the interactive sales stand from fig. 1, whereas fig. 3 illustrates the block diagram of the system of interactive sales stands. Example 1

An embodiment of the interactive sales stand according to the present invention is illustrated in figures 1 and 2 illustrating axonometric projections of the device from two opposite corners. The interactive sales stand consists of substantially two main elements: the base 1 and the vertical wall 2. In case of the interactive sales stand dedicated to selling mattresses, the base 1 comprises a bed frame 3 supported on legs 4, with an adequate mattress 5 situated thereupon. The mattress 5 dimensions are adjusted to the bed frame size and may comprise standard and custom dimensions, e.g. 90x200 cm, 120x200 cm, 140x200 cm, 160x200 cm, 180x200 cm, 200x200 cm. A vertical wall 2 running from the floor is attached to one of the short sides of the base 1. In this particular example, the vertical wall provides support for frame 3 and substitutes the legs 4 on its side, supporting the bed frame 3 at a certain height. The lateral surface of the vertical wall 2, on the side of attachment to the base 1, has the first audio-visual device 6 in the form of a LCD, LED, OLED, plasma display or projector (including projector displaying 3D holograms), displaying picture and sound. It is possible to use any audio-visual device enabling displaying picture and sound here. The first audio-visual device 6 is equipped with a video camera and a microphone which enables establishing bidirectional contact between the seller and the consumer. There is a second audio-visual device 8 of the same type as the first audio-visual device 6 and also equipped with a video camera and a microphone on the vertical wall 2 surface opposite to the surface with the first audio-visual device 6. The first audio-visual device 6 and the second audio-visual device 8 constitute independent devices enabling independent operation, including independent displaying of information content on the offered product. There are also sensory devices 7 in the form of proximity sensors, buttons responding to pushing, and cameras responding to motion on both sides of the vertical wall 2. The sensory devices 7 can comprise cameras, microphones, touch screens, buttons, etc., and their function is to induce the contact with the seller at the interactive sales centre 9 upon potential customer' s approaching the interactive sales stand. The contact with the seller at the interactive sales centre 9 is possible due to the wireless communications module integrated in the vertical wall 1, allowing to establish telecommunication link. The seller can also join since they watch the potential customer via the camera. Upon the potential customer's approaching the interactive sales stand, the contact with the seller is induced on one of the audio-visual devices 6, 8 by activation of the sensory device 7. During audio-visual communication with the seller, the second device that is not used for that purpose may still display advertising and information content on the product. Optionally, upon approaching the second, communicatively unoccupied audio-visual device by another customer, the second audio-visual communication with the seller at the interactive sales centre 9 can be established. This way it is possible to interactively run two sales at a time. The presented interactive sales stand is simple in construction, thus its production and assembly at the destination is facilitated. Thanks to the remote operation of the interactive sales stand, it does not require vast commercial space and can be situated in shopping arcades and shopping malls even in narrow passages.

Example 2

Fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a system of interactive sales stands according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system comprises four interactive sales stands A-D, as illustrated in example 1. Each interactive sales stand A-D is situated in different location, e.g. in different shopping malls within one or more towns. Each interactive sales stand A-D is connected with the interactive sales centre via any telecommunications link. Upon inducing contact by one interactive sales stand, a bidirectional customer-seller contact is established for broadly understood promotion of the product. Such system of interactive sales stands is operated by one interactive sales centre 9, which allows limiting the sales personnel to a minimum.