Location and time based smart label updates for auto currency conversion, symbol and item level description

• US 10,152,690 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Sequeira, Melwyn F., Patterson, Hubert A., Mohiuddin, Mohammad
• Primary Examiner(s): Zare, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US15/398,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20180189719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing inventory pricing. The methods comprise: programming, at a first location, an Electronic Smart Tag (“EST”) with at least first item level information comprising a first item description in a first language and a first item price in a first monetary currency; outputting the first item level information from the EST; and automatically replacing the first item level information being output from the EST with second item level information in response to the ESTs arrival at a second location different than and remote from the first location. The second item level information comprises the first item description in a second language different than the first language and the first item price in a second monetary currency different than the first monetary currency.

Claims

1. A method for managing inventory pricing, comprising:

programming, at a first location, an Electronic Smart Tag (“

EST”

) with at least first item level information comprising a first item description in a first language and a first item price in a first monetary currency;

outputting the first item level information from the EST; and

automatically replacing the first item level information being output from the EST with second item level information in response to the EST'"'"'s arrival at a second location different than and remote from the first location, the second item level information comprising the first item description converted into a second language different than the first language and the first item price converted into a second monetary currency different than the first monetary currency.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first location is in a first country and the second location is in a second different country.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing the EST to enter a first operational mode in which at least one operation of the EST is disabled, where the at least one operation is exclusive of item level information output operations.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising causing the EST to transition from the first operational mode to a second operational mode in which all functions of the EST are enabled, in response to the ESTs arrival at the second location.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically replacing comprises performing operations by the EST to:

retrieve the second item level information from an internal memory;

cease outputting of the first item level information; and

start outputting the second item level information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically replacing comprises:

performing operations by a remote computing device to program the EST with the second item level information; and

performing operations by the EST to cease outputting the first item level information and start outputting the second item level information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically replacing comprises performing operations by the EST to:

convert the language and monetary currency of the first item level information to generate the second item level information;

cease outputting the first item level information; and

start outputting the second item level information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatically replacing comprises:

performing operations by a remote computing device to generate the second item level information by converting the language and monetary currency of the first item level information; and

performing operations by the EST to cease outputting the first item level information and start outputting the second item level information.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing operations by the EST to determine if a current date is a pre-selected sale date for an item to which the EST is attached.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising performing operations by the EST to replace the second item level information being output therefrom with third item level information comprising at least one of a sale price and a promotional message, it if is determined that the current date is a pre-selected sale date.

11. An Electronic Smart Tag (“

EST”

), comprising;

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium comprising programming instructions that are configured to cause the processor to implement a method for managing inventory, wherein the programming instructions comprise instructions to;

receive, from a first device located at a first location, at least first item level information comprising a first item description in a first language and a first item price in a first monetary currency;

output the first item level information; and

automatically replace the first item level information being output with second item level information in response to the EST'"'"'s arrival at a second location different than and remote from the first location, the second item level information comprising the first item description converted into a second language different than the first language and the first item price converted into a second monetary currency different than the first monetary currency.

12. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the first location is in a first country and the second location is in a second different country.

13. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the programming instructions further comprise instructions to cause the EST to enter a first operational mode in which at least one operation of the EST is disabled, where the at least one operation is exclusive of item level information output operations.

14. The EST according to claim 13, wherein the programming instructions further comprise instructions to cause the EST to transition from the first operational mode to a second operational mode in which all functions of the EST are enabled, in response to the ESTs arrival at the second location.

15. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the first item information is automatically replaced with the second item level information by:

retrieving the second item level information from an internal memory of the EST;

ceasing the output of the first item level information from the EST; and

starting to output the second item level information from the EST.

16. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the first item level information is automatically replaced with the second item level information by:

receiving second item level information from a remote computing device;

ceasing the output of the first item level information from the EST; and

starting to output the second item level information from the EST.

17. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the first item level information is automatically replaced with the second item level information by:

converting the language and monetary currency of the first item level information to generate the second item level information;

ceasing the output of the first item level information from the EST; and

starting to output the second item level information from the EST.

18. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the first item level information is automatically replaced with the second item level information by:

receiving the second item level information which was generated by a remote computing device via a conversion of the language and monetary currency of the first item level information;

ceasing the output of the first item level information from the EST; and

starting to output the second item level information from the EST.

19. The EST according to claim 11, wherein the programming instructions further comprise instructions to determine if a current date is a pre-selected sale date for an item to which the EST is attached.

20. The EST according to claim 19, wherein the programming instructions further comprise instructions to replace the second item level information being output from the EST with third item level information comprising at least one of a sale price and a promotional message, it if is determined that the current date is a pre-selected sale date.