Field of the Invention

This invention relates to improvements in respect of electronic bill boards 5 mounted to exterior surfaces of themed shopping carts.

Background of the Invention

Electronic shopping carts (sometimes called shopping trolleys) in the form of cars and trucks have been operating in retail stores for 8 years throughout o the world. They operate mostly in supermarkets and departments stores and improve the shopping experience by keeping children quiet while their parents shop. While they provide an excellent service for parents they are expensive to buy being 4 to 5 times the cost of a normal shopping cart. They are also expensive to maintain as they are made of less durable plastic as

5 opposed to metal, and their nature and user profile that includes young

children in an enclosed environment means that the maintenance costs are also high. Until now this has been solved by vending the carts for $1 to $2 via a machine or at the till so on that basis they are very expensive for parents, who in many cases cannot afford the charge.

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Likewise there has been advertising on the inside of shopping carts for a long time, however this is targeted at the user of the cart and is in the form of A4 printed message.

5 It would be of advantage to have an improved system, apparatus and/or method of deploying a themed shopping cart which could cover its capital and operating costs while providing a free service for customers. It would be of advantage to have an improved system, apparatus and/or method of deploying a themed shopping cart which could address any of the above o issues or at least provide the public with an alternative choice to the prior art. Disclosure of the Invention

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a shopping cart which includes

a body which defines a passenger compartment and at least one goods carrying basket,

a set of wheels mounted on the body

a handle for directing the wheels mounted adjacent to a rear facing exterior surface of the body

a outward facing media display screen mounted to an exterior surface of the body,

a processor arranged to control the retrieval and display of media on the display screen to observers of the exterior of the cart,

a battery arranged to supply electrical energy to the media display and the processor.

In a preferred embodiment a media display screen may be mounted to a front facing exterior surface of the body. However, in other embodiments a media display screen may alternatively be mounted to a side facing exterior surface of the body. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a media display screen may be mounted to a variety of exterior surfaces of the body which are visible to observers of the exterior of the cart. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the exterior surfaces of the cart will be readily visible to other shoppers - while the interior surfaces (such as those associated with the interior of the passenger compartment or goods carrying basket) will be readily visible to the users of the cart.

In preferred embodiments the body is formed at least in part from a mouldable material. Preferably the body includes a rigid frame to which a mouldable sheet material shell is mounted.

Preferably the body forms a themed vehicle exterior. Preferably the invention includes at least three wheels. Preferably at least one wheel is arranged to have a variable orientation relative to the body to steer the cart. Themed shopping trolleys or carts are defined as goods carrying devices, preferably with three to four wheels, comprising a goods carrying apparatus, a child carrying area and a handle for shoppers to push the cart around the 5 store. Preferably each cart would have a battery to power the components, a screen facing out towards external shoppers and an electronic controlling unit for managing the screen information and messages, either receiving an electronic signal, or holding an electronic message that could be shown on the screen.

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Carts may be provided with shape themes such as a truck or plane or car. Preferably this body could be formed from a mouldable material such as plastic or fibreglass.

L5 Preferably a goods carrying basket is located above the passenger

compartment. Preferably a good carrying basket is located to the rear of the passenger compartment.

Preferably a handle is formed from a push bar mounted to the rear of the !0 body.

Preferably the passenger compartment defines a seat. Preferably the passenger compartment at least partially encloses a volume. Preferably the passenger compartment defines a toy steering wheel. Preferably the

»5 passenger compartment includes a least one restraint belt.

In a preferred embodiment the invention may include at least one activation detection element. In one embodiment an activation detection element may be formed from a motion sensor, while in another may be implemented with 10 an accelerometer. In yet another embodiment an activation element may be implemented with a weight detection structure associated with interior of the passenger compartment. In a further preferred embodiment an activation detection element may be formed from a load cell integrated underneath a seat formed in the passenger compartment.

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Preferably the invention includes an internal display, where this internal display is powered by the battery. In one embodiment an internal display includes a touch sensitive screen user interface.

5 Preferably an internal display is controlled and supplied with media by the processor.

Preferably media presented by the internal display is provided to entertain an occupant of the passenger compartment.

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Preferably the invention includes an internal screen inside the cart that could be viewed by children who are in the child carrying area of the apparatus. Preferably this would show entertaining electronic media such as short movies or programs or games.

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Preferably interactive media is presented by the internal display and the interactive touchscreen interface is used to provide user commands and inputs to the microprocessor.

!0 Preferably the microprocessor runs an interactive entertainment process

using the internal display and controls the display of media on the display screen located in front of the cart.

In preferred embodiments triggering of an activation detection element

!5 indicates the shopping cart is being used and enables operation of the

exterior mounted surface display.

In preferred embodiments triggering of the activation detection element indicates the shopping cart is being used and enables operation of the

10 internal display.

In preferred embodiments the invention includes a media storage element connected to the processor, the media storage element being arranged to store records of media to be presented on the media display screen mounted is to the exterior surface of the body.

Preferably the media storage element is arranged to store records of media to be presented on an internal display.

Preferably the processor is in communication with an update media server which provides a source of further media content.

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Preferably the images and management of the carts will predominantly be done via electronic means from a computer that is likely to remotely located from the cart, although in some versions the computer could be located in the retail environment or store. This will allow a large number of carts in 10 disparate locations to be updated with the same information very quickly and easily using the internet in both a wireless internet methodology or through a wired system that would preferable also be via the internet so as to reach a large number of carts.

L5 One aspect of this invention allows images and files to be transmitted to the cart from an external source either "live" or so as to update the memory of the controller on the cart itself. There would a wireless or internet

connection on the cart so that this updating could take place from a remote server or from a computer inside the store. This would allow fresh or new

>o images to be fed to the cart on a regular basis

In preferred embodiments media to be presented on a front mounted media display may be composed from a number of media segments, the processor controlling the order in which particular segments are presented by the •5 media display.

In some embodiments these media segments are presented in a random order, while in other embodiments media segments are presented in a fixed predetermined sequence. In yet another embodiment media segments are 10 selected for presentation based on the location determined for the shopping cart within a retail environment.

For example in one embodiment media segments formed by advertising messages are presented by the external screen. The processor also receives is information relating to the cart's location in the store, and triggers the

external screen to play selected advertising segments when in proximity to a relevant service or product. In further embodiments the proximity trigger may be implemented with Bluetooth, RFID, or photoelectric mechanisms mounted either in the cart or at the message delivery point.

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A further trigger may be provided by a device that uses GPRS or radio frequency signal triangulation or similar approaches to locate the cart in the retail environment store, and signals the cart external screen to play relevant messages for services or brands where their location is also know in o the store. For example in some embodiments the particular media segment of advertising message displayed could be selected based on the cart's proximity to a related product sold in the store.

In yet further embodiments there may be provided a further display screen 5 that can be viewed by the shoppers pushing the cart. Preferably this would be mounted on the handle or on the inside of the basket area, or in any place that is easily viewable by the shopper pushing the cart.

With this invention, shoppers with young children would enter the store and o instead of picking a normal shopping cart (or trolley) they would pick one of these carts. Adults would put the appropriate child into the child carrying part of the cart, and the entertainment for the children in the cart (such as screen with images or audio or both) would start playing automatically.

5 The cart controller could use an accelerometer to detect movement, or an inferred device (or some similar device) to sense a child in the cart to activate the interior screens so as to keep the child amused and occupied in the shop. o The parents would push the cart around the store in the same way as a

normal shopping cart, putting items for purchase in to the goods carrying compartment of the cart. While they were pushing the cart the screen on the front of the cart would automatically activate and play a sequence of messages that could be normal moving 30 second advertisements or

5 preferably would be a series of electronic billboards with various messages so as to minimise distraction and electronic clutter in the store. The messages could be linked to the location in the store, or could be in an arranged sequence, or could be random. While the adults pushing the cart will of necessity see the images as they move around to the front of the cart in the course of picking up the various goods, the main target of the

5 messages will be the shoppers who walk up the aisle towards the cart, or pass the cart.

This concept could be installed in themed carts that are in the shape of cars and trucks. Each cart would be designed with a number of elements to

10 maximise the benefit of the concept, but capable of considerable

adjustment.

The invention may provide the facility to turn an expense or cost for a retailer into an opportunity to generate further revenues. Advertising

L5 presented to other customers observing the cart within a retail store can generate advertising revenues which pay for the capital implementation and ongoing maintenance costs of providing a shopping cart, potentially in addition to providing additional revenue to the retailer once these costs have been covered. Furthermore, the invention can providing a further service foro the retailer's customers, increasing customer satisfaction and potentially

acting as a draw card to attract more customers to the retailer.

Brief description of the drawings

Additional and further aspects of the present invention will be apparent to the reader from the following description of embodiments, given in by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a shopping cart provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment, and

Figures 2 and 3 provide perspective views of the same shopping cart as illustrated with respect to figure 1, and

Figure 4 provides a top view of the shopping cart illustrated with respect to figures 1, 2 and 3, and • Figures 5A, 5B provide partial cross section front and side views of the shopping cart illustrated with respect figures 1 to 4.

• Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the electronic components used to implement the invention in the embodiment shown with respect to figures 1 to 5.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which is given by way of example only of a particular embodiment.

Best modes for carrying out the invention

These figures show a shopping cart 1 as provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The cart includes a body 2, which in this embodiment conveys a vehicle appearance theme to the cart. A set of wheels 3 are also provided with an appearance which matches that of the theme illustrated by the body.

The body also defines a passenger compartment 4 which locates a seat 5 and a toy steering wheel 6.

The cart 1 also provides an external display screen 7 mounted on a front facing surface of the body 2. Also provided is an internal display screen 8 mounted to face observers sitting on the passenger compartment seat 5.

The body also defines a pair of goods storage areas on top of the cart 9 and to the rear 10 of the cart.

The body also mounts a handle 11 forming an element which a user can push against the move the cart.

Figures 5A and 5B show front and side cross-section views of the cart illustrated with respect to figures 1 through 4. In addition to the features discussed above with respect to figures 1 through 4 - figures 5A illustrates the provision of a battery 12 connected to both a microprocessor 13 and a radio-frequency transceiver circuit 14 in addition to the internal display screen 8 and external display screen 7.

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Figure 6 shows the electrical connections employed by the invention in the same embodiment to connect and power an external display screen 7, internal display screen 8, microprocessor 13, radio-frequency transceiver 14 and battery 12. Figure 6 also shows a remote update server 15 connected LO via the radio-frequency transceiver 14.

These figures illustrate how a single battery 12 and microprocessor 13 combination can be used to service two sets of display screens - potentially with the interior screen being used to present interactive media.

L5 Furthermore the microprocessor is also provided with dynamic access to replacement or new media through the radio-frequency transceiver 14.

The microprocessor controls media content presented by both the external display screen and internal display screen. In the embodiment shown the !0 microprocessor presents a series of video segments to the occupant of the passenger compartment. The processor can also receive user commands via a touch sensitive screen interface and m provide an interactive media presentation for a user sitting in the seat 5.

!5 The microprocessor also controls the display of segments of media forming advertising content. This advertising content may be composed of a sequence of still images or alternatively may have a dynamic video format. Particular segments of advertising content may be triggered for display depending on the location determined for the cart in the store in which it is

10 deployed.

In various embodiments this invention can provide a large (a minimum of 9 inches, but in the preferred format it will be at least 14 inches (measured diagonally) external electronic screen mounted in the front of the cart at is around chest height so its messages face oncoming shoppers while the cart is being wheeled around the store. This screen would show shoppers a sequence of static electronic postcards (similar to a miniature billboard) in a 'playlist' or marketing loop. Preferably these would be 5 to 10 second jpeg or similar images that would be played in a sequence of 5 to 100 images, then repeated. Alternatively the screen

5 could show very short commercials with moving images in flash or Mpeg4 format, where 10 to 30 second media executions could be used. The media executions in either file format would be promoting brands, specials and offers available in store, or suitable services to other shoppers. The revenue from the sale of these advertisements would fund the free use of the cart. o The electronic billboard would use the controller/processor and battery that is in the cart to power the screen, and this system could also power a second screen to keep the children in the cab area of the cart entertained with different media such as interactive games or movies of kid's characters, so the fit and electronic utilization of the concept is maximised.

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The cart shape would be made from plastic or fibreglass, and could be mounted on a steel frame, or have wheels and handles built into it. It would have a large goods carrying area. This could be for groceries and purchases stored in an area that could be behind the interior section, or mounted in a o top basket, or a combination of both as per the attached drawings. It would be in a themed shape such as a car or truck. It would have an area for a child to sit that preferably would be have similarities to being in a car to enhance the child's experience. This area would possibly have a seatbelt and a steering wheel. It could be open, and could have doors, or as per the

5 attached pictures it could be predominantly enclosed and not have doors.

The cart would preferably have an entertainment system for the inside of the cab area where the children sit that could feature a small screen which could show programming. Other versions could have audio only and still further o versions could have games and other interactive entertainment.

The screen could be passive or it could ask for interactivity such as buttons or be a touch screen. All the above entertainment would be designed to keep any children in this area quiet and occupied so the parents could shop in 5 peace and quiet. The cart would have an exterior electronic screen would preferably be about the size of a laptop screen, but in other versions could be both bigger and /or smaller depending on the use and placement of the screen. This could be a simple monitor, or it could be separate computer. It could be in the form

5 of a TV receiver, or in the form of a computer monitor, or in the form of a tablet computer This screen would have a link via wire or other means to a processor below, which would at suitable trigger points, or in an agreed sequence, or according a more random means, display suitable images of various types such as static images, or alternatively moving images that

L0 would be from just a few seconds to over an hour.

It is envisaged that the cart will have a device on board that could be a computer, circuit board, or some other electronic device, or combination of devices that would act as a controller of the screen and other functions of

L5 the cart. It is envisaged that there will need to be a battery mounted in the cart and linked to the controller so as to supply the necessary power for the devices to control and display the messages. Possibly but not necessarily the controller would also control the entertainment aspects related to the child such as second screen, or audio entertainment. The controller could be

[0 a part of the screen, or it could be located separately in the cart with all necessary parts wired together, or linked via an electronic means. re would also need to be an electronic screen to display the images.. It might be a touch sensitive screen, or it might be passive. There would also need to be a wiring system, or wireless method to link the controller, the battery and the

'5 screens together to provide power and perform efficiently.

The images to be displayed on either the exterior screen to target other shoppers or to the screen that will provide entertainment for the children could either be stored on board the cart in some form of electronic memory o such as memory chip, USB stick, SD card or similar or it could come from an external source that is transmitted to the cart from a source exterior to the cart, possibly using wireless technology such as the internet, Bluetooth or similar.

5 In the preceding description and the following claims the word "comprise" or equivalent variations thereof is used in an inclusive sense to specify the presence of the stated feature or features. This term does not preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and further and additional embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader from the examples illustrated with reference to the drawings. In particular, the invention may reside in any combination of features described herein, or may reside in alternative embodiments or combinations of these features with known equivalents to given features. Modifications and variations of the example embodiments of the invention discussed above will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departure of the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

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