Electronic product information display system

• US 4,962,466 A
• Filed: 12/19/1989
• Issued: 10/09/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pricer AB
• Original Assignee: Viscom Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Burkett, Harold G. Jr., Gilbert, Robert C., Revesz, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNDON, HEATHER R
• Application Number:
  US07/453,816
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.15, 340/825.35, 235/378, 235/383, 235/385, 235/454, 358/194.1, 358/113, 358/149, 455/603, 455/604
• US Class Current: 705/14.47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud

Abstract

An electronic product information display system includes a plurality of self-contained display modules (10) mounted proximate to respective products. A signal (22) is formed that comprises an address part and a data part, the adderess part corresponding to a selected module address and the data part encoding product information (18, 20) to be displayed by the addressed module (10). The signal a broadcast from a transmitter (24) remote from a plurality of modules (10). Modules (10) each receive the signal, decode the address part into a received address, and decode the data part into product information (18, 20). The product information is stored and displayed responsive to a match between the module address and the received address. The signal (22) is preferably infrared.

Claims

1. A method for displaying product information at locations proximate to associated products, comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of electronic display modules at locations proximate to respective different goods;

programming each module with a module address;

forming a signal comprising address and data parts, the address part representing a module address and the data part representing product information for the module address;

broadcasting a non-pulsed signal having a band width selected from the spectral band consisting of infrared and visible light;

receiving said signal by a plurality of receiving modules, the receiving modules comprising at least some of the electronic display modules;

decoding the address part of said signal by each receiving module into a received address;

comparing the received address to the module address for each receiving module;

matching the received address to the module address in at least one addressed module among the receiving modules;

for each addressed module, decoding the data part of the signal into product information;

storing the decoding product information in a memory of the addressed module; and

displaying the stored product information on a display of the addressed module responsive to said step of matching.

2. A method for displaying product information at locations proximate to associated products, comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of electronic display modules at locations proximate to respective different products;

encoding product information for selected ones of the modules into an infrared signal;

programming each module with a module address;

forming a signal comprising address and data parts, the address part representing a module address and the data part representing product information to be displayed on at least an addressed one of the modules;

aerially broadcasting said signal as pulsed electromagnetic energy selected from the spectral band consisting of infrared and light to the modules from a remote transmitter;

receiving said signal by a plurality of receiving modules through housings of the modules, each housing being entirely transparent to said electromagnetic energy, the receiving modules comprising at least some of the electronic display modules;

decoding the address part of said signal by each receiving module into a received address;

comparing the received address to a module address of the module;

matching the received address to the module address in at least one addressed module among the received modules;

for each addressed module, decoding the data part of the signal into product information;

storing the decoded product information in a memory of the addressed module; and

displaying the stored product information on a display of the addressed module responsive to said step of matching.

3. A method for displaying product information at locations proximate to associated products, comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of electronic display modules at locations proximate to respective different goods;

programming each module with a module address;

forming a signal comprising address and data parts, the address part representing a module address and the data part representing product information for the module addressed;

aerially broadcasting said signal as pulsed electromagnetic energy selected from the spectral band consisting of infrared and light to the modules from a remote transmitter;

receiving said signal by a plurality of receiving modules, the receiving modules comprising at least some of the electronic display modules;

decoding the address part of said signal by each receiving module into a received address;

comparing the received address to the module address for each receiving module;

matching the received address to the module address in at least one addressed module among the receiving modules;

for each addressed module, decoding the data part of the signal into product information;

storing the decoded product information in a memory of the addressed module;

displaying the stored product information on a display of the addressed module responsive to the step of matching;

transmitting a test address from a programming module moved near a selected module, such that non-selected modules do not receive the test address;

recognizing said test address by said selected module response to said step of recognizing executing a test routine; and

displaying the results of said test routine on the selected module'"'"'s display.

4. A system for electronically displaying product information, comprising:

at least one electronic display module for displaying product information disposed in an area including at least first and second zones;

means for programming a module address of said module;

means for forming first and second signals, the first signal comprising an address part and a first data part, the address part representing a module address and the first data part representing first product information for the module address, the second signal comprising said address part and a second data part representing second product information;

remote means for aerially transmitting the first signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the first zone;

remote means for aerially transmitting the second signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the second zone;

means in said module for receiving one of said first and second signals, means for decoding the address part of said one signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

means in said module for decoding the data part of said one signal into product information, means in said module for storing and displaying the decoded product information response to obtaining a match between the received address and the module address;

said module initially disposed in said first zone and decoding a received address from said address part of said first signal, decoding said first data part into said first product information, and comparing said received address with said module address, said module storing and displaying the first product information responsive to matching the first received address with said module address;

said module operable to be moved into said second zone, said module then decoding said received address from said address part of said second signal, decoding the second data part into said second product information, comparing the address part of said second signal to its module address, and storing and displaying said second product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address; and

means for entering product information for storage and display other than by aerial transmission of a signal of pulsed electromagnetic energy.

5. A system for electronically displaying product information, comprising:

at least one electronic display module for displaying product information disposed in an area including at least first and second zones;

means for programming a module address of said module;

means for simultaneously storing a plurality of sets of product information;

means for forming first and second signals, the first signal comprising an address part and a first data part, the address part representing a module address and the first data part representing first product information for the module address, the second signal comprising said address part and a second data part representing second product information;

remote means for aerially transmitting the first signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the first zone;

remote means for aerially transmitting the second signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the second zone;

means in said module for receiving one of said first and second signals, means for decoding the address part of said one signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

means in said module for decoding the data part of said one signal into product information, means in said module for storing and for displaying the decoded product information responsive to obtaining a match between the received address and the module address;

said module initially disposed in said first zone and decoding a received address from said address part of said first signal, decoding said first data part into said first product information, and comparing said received address with said module address, said module storing and displaying the first product information responsive to matching the first received address with said module address; and

said module operable to be moved into said second zone, said module then decoding said received address from said address part of said second signal, decoding the second data part into said second product information, comparing the address part of said second signal to its module address, and storing and displaying said second product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address.

6. A system for electronically displaying product information, comprising:

at least one electronic display module for displaying product information disposed in an area including at least first and second zones;

means for programming a module address of said module;

means for simultaneously storing at least first and second sets of product information;

means for forming first and second signals, the first signal comprising an address part and a first data part, the address part representing a module address, the second signal comprising said address part and a second data part, said data parts of said first and second signals representing respective data triggers which respectively cause the display of said first or second set of product information previously stored in said module;

remote means for aerially transmitting the first signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the first zone;

remote means for aerially transmitting the second signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the second zone;

means in said module for receiving one of said first and second signals, means for decoding the address part of said one signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

means in said module for decoding the data part of said one signal to trigger the display of a respective set of product information, responsive to obtaining a match between the received address and the module address;

said module initially disposed in said first zone and decoding a received address from said address part of said first signal, and comparing said received address with said module address, said module decoding the first data part to trigger the display of the first product information responsive to matching the first received address with said module address; and

said module operable to be moved into said second zone, said module then decoding said received address from said address part of said second signal, comparing the address part of said second signal to its module address, and decoding the second data part to trigger the display of said second product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address.

7. A system for electronically displaying product information, comprising:

at least one electronic display module for displaying product information disposed in an area including at least first and second zones;

means for programming a module address of said module;

means for simultaneously storing at least first and second sets of product information;

means for forming first and second signals, the first signal comprising an address part and a first data part, the address part representing a module address, the second signal comprising said address part and a second data part, said data parts of said first and second signals representing respective data triggers which respectively cause the display of said first or second set of product information previously stored in said module;

means for manually entering said data trigger into said module;

remote means for aerially transmitting the first signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the first zone;

remote means for aerially transmitting the second signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the second zone;

means in said module for receiving one of said first and second signals, means for decoding the address part of said one signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

means in said module for decoding the data part of said one signal to trigger the display of a respective one of said previously stored set of product information responsive to obtaining a match between the received address and the module address;

said module initially disposed in said first zone and decoding a received address from said address part of said first signal, and comparing said received address with said module address, said module decoding the first data part to trigger the display of the first set of product information responsive to matching the first received address with said module address; and

said module operable to be moved into said second zone, said module then decoding said received address from said address part of said second signal, comparing the address part of said second signal to its module address, and decoding the second data part to trigger the display of said second set of product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address.

8. A system for electronically displaying product information, comprising:

at least one electronic display module for displaying product information disposed in an area including at least first and second zones;

means for programming a module address of said module;

means for forming first and second signals, the first signal comprising an address part and a first data part, the address part representing a module address and the first data part representing first product information for the module address, the second signal comprising said address part and a second data part representing second product information;

remote means for aerially transmitting the first signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the first zone;

remote means for aerially transmitting the second signal as electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the second zone;

means in said module for receiving one of said first and second signals, means for decoding the address part of said one signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

means in said module for decoding the data part of said one signal into product information, means in said module for storing and for displaying the decoded product information responsive to obtaining a match between the received address and the module address;

said module initially disposed in said first zone and decoding a received address from said address part of said first signal, decoding said first data part into said first product information, and comparing said received address with said module address, said module storing and displaying the first product information responsive to matching the first received address with said module address; and

said module operable to be moved into said second zone, said module then decoding said received address from said address part of said second signal, decoding the second data part into said second product information, comparing the address part of said second signal to its module address, and storing and displaying said second product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address; and

means in said module for making a tangible record of said stored product information.