WO2004102136A1

WO2004102136A1 - Scale with user targeted advertising

Info

Publication number: WO2004102136A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/002065
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Slater, Daniel; The Select Media Group Limited
Priority date: 2003-05-13
Filing date: 2004-05-13
Publication date: 2004-11-25
Also published as: GB0310995D0; AU2004202037A1

Abstract

A weighing scale (1) has a footplate (21), a display (6) and a coin-operated actuation mechanism (9). In accordance with the invention, it also includes user input means, e.g. a touchscreen system, and means for displaying on the display (6) one or more items from a database of moving pictures, such as advertisements, the items being selected in accordance with the information input by the user, following a program stored in the scale (1).

Description

SCALE WITH USER TARGETED ADVERTISING

This invention relates to a public weight scale provided with customer targeted advertising.

Coin-operated weight scales are widely known, and are commonly sited in public areas, for example shopping or leisure centres. These devices comprise a secure coin operation system, a scale with a footplate, and means for indicating weight, via a display and/or a printout. The user deposits payment in a coin slot, stands on the foot plate and the scale measures their weight and displays it and/or produces a printout, which may, for example, include a record of the date.

Public weight scales can be provided with advertising in the form of static signs printed or painted onto their exterior casing. However, advertising is often targeted at a articular market sector. For example female beauty products are printed in female fashion magazines, and toys are advertised on television during children's programmes. Users of weight scales can vary considerably, so any advert provided on a scale will only be correctly targeted at some of those > users.

Advertising takes several forms, from static printed adverts in publications and on hoardings, to audio adverts broadcast on radio stations and motion picture adverts^' on television. Motion picture adverts are often the most effective because they are regarded as more prestigious, and there are more opportunities to entice customers with a sequence of moving images and sounds. It is also known that advertising is most effective when it reaches a captive audience, for example in a cinema when there are no distractions and all eyes are on the screen.

The present invention is intended to provide a novel approach by providing user specific motion picture advertising to a captive audience standing on the scale. Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a weighing scale comprising means to weigh and display a person standing on the scale, and characterised by user information input means, motion picture display means and a motion database arranged so that, in use of the scale, one or more motion pictures chosen from the motion picture database according to information supplied by the user via the user information input means is displayed on the motion picture display means.

Preferably the scale is a coin-operated scale, provided with a coin-operated actuation system and a safe, i.e. a secure container for receipt of coins inserted by the user of the scale, in which the scale is adapted to display the one or more motion pictures after a coin has been deposited in the coin-operated actuation system and stored in the safe.

' In one construction the scale can be provided with a computer processor - > adapted to control the operation of the scale. The computer processor may be , provided with a 'controlling computer program, and means to store the motion picture database.

The user information input means and the motion picture display means can be combined as a flat panel display screen provided with a touch screen mechanism.

In a preferred construction the computer processor, flat panel screen and touch screen mechanism may comprise a single BF Group unit comprising an aluminium plate, mounted to which are a single board PC model SBC8360VEA with an 850Mhz INTEL Celeron chip, 256 mb RAM, 14GB HDD and running Microsoft Windows 2000, a 12 inch Sharp flat panel display and six wire resistive touch screens with a controller and an RS-232 connector. (INTEL, Celeron, Microsoft, Windows 2000 and Sharp are all Registered Trade Marks).

In one construction the user inputs information about themselves via the touch screen, and the controlling computer program running on Microsoft Windows 2000 chooses appropriate motion pictures from the motion picture database to display on the flat panel display while the user is standing on the foot plate and looking at the display.

5 The controlling program may choose the motion pictures according to a predetermined formula, which is programmed into the controlling computer program.

In an alternative embodiment, user information can also be provided from a user 10 database provided on such a PC, or from another location accessed via a modem or ethernet link. The user can input information about themselves when they first use the scale, and that information can be stored in the database. When the user returns they can identify themselves via a PIN number, and the controlling computer program can access their information from the database 15. and display. appropriate motion pictures as described above., vr- ■:^■■:, .

. Preferably the motion pictures are advertisements, fin one cohstructionvthe -^{■ ■ < ■■} '.^'•^• advertisements can also be supplied from another location via acmodem or ethernet link, This allows for the advertisements to be regularly updated without 0 having to physically access the scale itself. ' .. .^'. v :^{■ ■ ■ ■}

In one construction the controlling computer program can be adapted to offer the user the. opportunity to request a sample of the product which has been

•advertised. The user confirms the request via.the touch screen and. inputs 5 ^: information in relation to delivery of the sample product.¹. This information may then be used to send a sample product to the user, or to dispense a sample

^"product from an associated dispenser.

In a preferred construction the scale when not carrying out a weighing operation 0 may run, e.g. a random sequence of advertisements stored in the database.

The invention can be performed in various ways, but one embodiment will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a scale according to the present invention; and,

5

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the components of the scale shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 2, a scale 1 comprises user information input means in the 10 form of touch screen 2, a user database 3, a modem 4 and a connection 5 to a telephone line, which may be connected to a second user database (not shown) at another location. The scale 1 further comprises motion picture display means in the form of screen 6, and a motion picture database in the form of an advert database 7. The scale may be connected to a second advert database (not . 15 ^• "^i'shown): at another location via modem 4 and connection 5i. _;- :•^' .. ^{■ ■}■■^■ - ■ •

•^■•"^{'■ '} The^' scale ^is.¹ adapted to display in use one or more adverts rfrom-the.advert. ^• . ' •:^"; database ^/-according to information supplied by the user vja:the,touch^; scre.en

20 ^{■■ ■■}.

The scale 1 further comprises a load cell 8, a coin-operated mechanism 9, a token hopper 10, a' printer 11 , a lamp 12, power supply 13, and PC board 14. ^• The PC board 14 is provided with a Microsoft Windows 2000 operating.. system ^■ 15, which .contains a controlling program 16, 'as well as. user database-3, advert ^'25 database 7 and modem 4 and a printer interface 17..

As shown in Figure 1 the scale 1 is provided with an outer casing 18, having a base 19, feet 20, foot plate 21 , side portions 22 bearing promotional signage 23. The scale incorporates a footplate 21 for the user to stand on. In Figure 1 the 30 token hopper 10 and printer 11 are shown in dotted lines because they are inside the casing 18. Token hopper aperture 10a and printer aperture 11 a are provided in the outer casing 18 to allow token and printed material to be dispensed to the user in use. Coin operation mechanism 9 comprises coin slot 9a into which coins are deposited in use and a safe 9b in which they collect. Lamp 12 is disposed behind the promotional signage 23 so as to illuminate the signage in use. (Lamp 12 and safe 9a are shown in dotted lines because they are inside the casing 18). 5

The coin operation mechanism 9 comprises a Cashflow Model 330 & MCI Controller. Further, the PC board 14, and the screen 6 and touch screen 2 are provided as part of a single BF Group unit (not shown in the Figures) which comprises an aluminium plate, mounted to which are a single board PC model

10 SBC8360VEA with an 850Mhz INTEL Celeron chip, 256mb RAM, 14GB HDD and running Microsoft Windows 2000, a 12 inch Sharp flat panel display and six wire resistive touch screens with a controller and an RS-232 connector. The printer 11 is an APS-Printers Model APS90305CRS. The lamp 12 is a General " Electric 2D Starcoat Fluorescent lamp. (INTEL, Celeron, Microsoft, Windows

15 . 2000,^ Sharp, APS Printers and General Electric are all Registered: Trade

Marks). ^• . . . .

^■'^■ .:- '. The, powe supply 13 is a main power supply which. is connected to the various ^'• •.^{• '}-. components, of the scale 1 as shown in Figure 1. Various power supply , 20 converters are required to change the power required for several of the components. However, as this type of electric power supply and wiring is well known it will not be further described here.

• • In use.a^'-tiser deposits a coin in the coin slot 9a, which is then deposited in the 25 safe 9b. When this happens the coin operation mechanism 9 sends a signal to the controlling program 16 which sends a predetermined welcoming message to the screen 6, which prompts the user to enter information about themselves via the touch screen 2. If the user has never used the scale 1 before, they are prompted to answer various predetermined questions about themselves, for 30 example their sex, age, build, activity level etc. This information is stored in the user database 3. If the user has used the scale 1 before they can enter a PIN number, which can be used by the controlling program 16 to access information about the user stored in the user database 3 on a previous occasion. Further, information about the user may be stored in a second user database (not shown) which is at another location. The controlling program can access this information via the modem 4 and telephone line connection 5.

Once the controlling program 16 has gathered the required information about the user as described above, the user may step onto the footplate 21 , which is connected to the load cell 8. A measurement of the user's weight is then taken. When the user stands on the footplate 21 they are disposed between the side portions 22 and the screen 6 is directly in front of them.

During the above weighing process, the controlling program 16 chooses two 5 second long advertisements from the advert database 7, according to a predetermined formula. The formula takes the inputted information, for example the fact that the user is a man aged 25, and chooses an advertisement for a product which is targeted at 25-year-old men. The formula is programmed into the controlling-program, and can be changed depending on the advertisements contained in the advert database 7.

Once the advertisements have been run the user can be asked via the screen 6 if they would like further information about the product, or a free sample. If the user inputs that they would like further information a further longer advertisement can be run, or a fact sheet or the like can be produced via the printer interface 17 and the printer 11 , and be ejected from the scale 1 via the aperture 11a. If a free sample is requested the user can be prompted for further contact details so that a free sample can be sent to them. The contact details can be sent directly to a supplier of the product via the modem 4 and the telephone line connection 5.

It will be appreciated that these features of the scale 1 can be changed depending on the operator's requirements and the nature of the products being advertised. The controlling program 16 can be programmed in a known way and the various interconnected components of the scale 1 can operate in any number of different ways, without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example a free sample and a fact sheet can be requested, or the scale 1 can be connected to a dispensing machine (not shown) which can dispense a free sample of the product to the user if requested.

5 In use the controlling program also stores the weight of the user recorded in the user database. In the event that the user loses any weight, or a predetermined amount of weight between two occasions of using the scale 1 , the controlling program 16 can send a signal to the token hopper 10 to dispense a token which can be collected from the aperture 10a. The token is adapted to be recognised 10 by the coin operation mechanism 9, and allows the user one free go on the scale 1 as a reward for losing weight.

The scale 1 can also be programmed to run advertisements on the screen 6 chosen at random from the advert database 7, when it is not in use. In addition, ^' :15 n the scale. 1 .can be programmed to run advertisements chosen.at random from , ^'.. - 'the advert database.7 on a second screen (not shown) either adjacent the scale .^' • -.1 , or elsewhere in the vicinity. ^• .•: , ; :^■/^{■ •}.^•■ .'^{■' •}

^■-^; ϋ -When.the scale 1 is operational the lamp 12 is switched^'lon to illuminate the ^' 20 ^■! promotional signage 23. ^{• • ■}-■^■

The scale 1 can be accessed by the scale provider via the touch screen 2. These features allow the scale 1 to be re-programmed to operate in any number of .ways, they allow new advertisements to be loaded into the advert database 7, 25 ^' and they allow diagnostic procedures to be carried ^"out. Further the scale 1 can be accessed by the scale provider from another location via the telephone line connection 5 and the modem 4, which allows the above procedures to be carried out from another location.

30 The scale 1 can further be provided with any number of other known features, including the program allowing a mother to weigh their baby by weighing themselves first, then weighing themselves while holding their baby. In addition, it is known to provide a network of scales similar to scale 1 , so users can input their PIN to any one of the scales, and their user information can be readily accessed via the modem, telephone line connection and second user database (not shown).

Thus, a scale 1 is provided with an effective advertising mechanism which presents a captive user with correctly targeted adverts. The scale further allows sample products and further information to be supplied.

Claims

1. A weighing scale comprising means to weigh and display a person standing on the scale, and characterised by user information input means, motion picture display means and a motion database arranged so that, in use of the scale, one or more motion pictures chosen from the motion picture database according to information supplied by the user via the user information input means is displayed on the motion picture display means.

10

2. A weighing scale according to Claim 1 and including a coin-operated actuation system and a safe and wherein the scale is adapted to display the one or more motion pictures after a coin has been deposited in the coin-operated actuation system and stored in the safe.

15

^:3.. : . A/weighing scale according to Claim 1 or 2 and including a computer processor adapted to control the operation of the scale, provided with a controlling computer program and including means to store the motion picture ■database. \ ^{• '}-^■,. . :- :^• ;.. ^■

20

4. A weighing scale according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the user information input means and the motion picture display means are constituted by a. flat panel display screen provided with a touch screen mechanism.

^"25 5. A weighing scale according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 and including means enabling the scale to communicate with a remote computer system including a further motion picture database.

6. A weighing scale according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 and including

30 means for storing information input by a user and for retrieving and displaying such information on further use by the same user.

7. A weighing scale according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the motion picture database is of motion picture advertisements.

8. A weighing scale according to any one of the preceding Claims and arranged to display a sequence of motion pictures stored in the database following as given interval since the coin-operated actuation mechanism was used.