Product information display system with expanded retail display functions

• US 20010045893A1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northern Illinois University
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Swartzel, Stanley J., Honeck, Timothy B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,552,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, expanded retail mode functions and methods are provided for stocking products, locating products, printing new overlay labels for tags, and performing tag maintenance.

Claims

1. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, a method for locating at least one product, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying a desired product using the portable wireless terminal;

(b) communicating the desired product to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(c) identifying, by the controller, at least one display tag associated with the desired product;

(e) communicating, from the controller to the identified display tag, a signal for activating the annunciator of the identified display tag.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein, prior to step (a), the following steps are performed:

(i) the controller stopping all annunciator activity of the multiplicity of display tags; and

(ii) the controller storing a record of tags which had active annunciators.

3. The method of

claim 2

, further comprising:

(f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for a plurality of desired products.

4. The method of

claim 3

, comprising the further steps of:

(g) after step (f), the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(h) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

5. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the annunciator is a light emitting element.

6. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the annunciator is a sound element type annunciator.

7. The method of

claim 1

comprising the further steps of:

(1) the controller retrieving a tag location of the identified display tag and communicating the tag location to the portable wireless terminal;

(2) the portable wireless terminal displaying the received tag location for observation by a user.

15. The method of

claim 1

comprising the further steps of:

(1) the controller retrieving a tag location of the identified display tag and communicating the tag location to the portable wireless terminal;

(2) the portable wireless terminal displaying the received tag location for observation by a user.

8. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, and the system operable in a plurality of modes, a method for retrieving multiple products stored in the product storage areas, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uploading a product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a desired product from the product list of the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the desired product to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller identifying a display tag associated with the desired product and activating the annunciator of the associated display tag;

(e) retrieving the desired product;

(f) marking the desired product as retrieved on the product list on the portable wireless terminal;

(g) updating the product list on the portable wireless terminal by removing the retrieved product from the product list; and

(h) repeating steps (b) through (g) for each product on the product list.

9. The method of

claim 8

, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to a product locate mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

10. The method of

claim 9

wherein after step (h) the following steps are performed:

(i) returning the system to the operating mode;

(j) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(k) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record.

11. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller and having a scanner for scanning product codes, a method for facilitating product stocking, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a product code of a product to be stocked using the portable wireless terminal;

(b) communicating information regarding the scanned product to the controller;

(c) the controller identifying a display tag associated with the scanned product and activating the annunciator of the associated display tag to alert the user to the appropriate stocking location.

12. The method of

claim 11

, comprising the further steps of:

(d) stocking the scanned product at the appropriate product location; and

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) for a multiplicity of different products.

13. The method of

claim 12

, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to a product stock mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

14. The method of

claim 13

wherein after step (e) the following steps are performed:

(f) returning the system to the operating mode;

(g) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(h) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

16. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, each product display tag including a display screen, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, a method for displaying secondary display information on at least one display tag, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying primary display information by a given display tag;

(b) activating an input device of the given display tag;

(c) communicating the activation of the input device of the given display tag to the controller;

(d) the controller retrieving secondary display information for the given tag from a database;

(e) the controller transmitting the secondary display information to the given display tag; and

(f) the given display tag displaying the received secondary display information.

17. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the secondary display information is at least part of a UPC for a product associated with the given display tag.

18. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the secondary display information is planogram information for the product associated with the given display tag.

19. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the secondary display information is set appearance information for a product associated with the given display tag.

20. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the secondary display information is reorder information for the product associated with the given display tag.

21. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the secondary display information is date information for the product associated with the given display tag.

22. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

(g) activating the input device of the given display tag a second time;

(h) communicating the second activation of step (g) to the controller;

(i) the controller retrieving the primary display information for the given tag;

(j) the controller transmitting the retrieved primary display information to the given display tag; and

(k) the given display tag displaying the received primary display information.

23. The method of

claim 22

wherein:

(g1) if a second activation of the input device of the given display tag is not received by the controller within a specified time period, the controller automatically proceeds to step (h).

24. The method of

claim 16

wherein the method includes the steps of:

(g) activating the input device of the given display tag a second time

(h) communicating the second activation to the controller;

(i) the controller retrieving third display information in response to the second activation;

(j) the controller transmitting the third display information to the given display tag; and

(k) the display tag displaying the third display information.

25. The method of

claim 16

wherein:

in step (d) the controller retrieves at least third display information and fourth display information in addition to the secondary display information;

in steps (e) and (f) the secondary, third and fourth display information is transmitted to the given display tag and the display tag displays the secondary, third and fourth display information in a sequential manner.

26. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, and a printer associated with the portable wireless terminal, a method for replacing at least one overlay label for a display tag, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uploading a display tag or product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a list item from the list on the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the list item to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller activating a annunciator of a given display tag associated with the selected list item;

(e) the controller communicating print information for the given display tag to the portable wireless terminal;

(f) the portable wireless terminal causing the printer to print a new overlay label for the given display tag according to the received print information.

27. The method of

claim 26

comprising the further steps of:

(g) applying the new overlay label to the given display tag;

(h) marking the list item associated with the given display tag as updated on the list of the portable wireless terminal;

(j) updating the list of the portable wireless terminal by removing the list item associated with the given display tag from the list; and

(k) repeating steps (b) through (j) for each list item remaining on the list of the portable wireless terminal.

28. The method of

claim 27

, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to an overlay merchandising mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

29. The method of

claim 28

wherein after step (k) the following steps are performed:

(l) returning the system to the operating mode;

(m) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(n) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

30. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, a method for performing display tag maintenance, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uploading a display tag or product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a list item from the list on the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the list item to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller activating an annunciator of a given display tag associated with the selected list item;

(e) locating the given display tag via the annunciator and performing required display tag maintenance.

31. The method of

claim 30

comprising the further steps of:

(f) marking the list item associated with the given display tag as updated on the list of the portable wireless terminal;

(g) updating the list of the portable wireless terminal by removing the list item associated with the given display tag from the list; and

(h) repeating steps (b) through (g) for each list item remaining on the list of the portable wireless terminal.

32. The method of

claim 31

, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to tag maintenance mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

33. The method of

claim 32

wherein after step (h) the following steps are performed:

(i) returning the system to the operating mode;

(j) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(k) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.