Device for marking edges of shelves

• US 5,313,569 A
• Filed: 01/14/1993
• Issued: 05/17/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pricer AB
• Original Assignee: Unigrafic AG
• Inventors: Ahlm, Roger, Olsson, Sture
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US08/004,623
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 395/100, 395/118, 395/155, 395/161, 340/825.17, 340/825.07, 340/825.15, 340/572, 340/825.35, 455/603, 455/604, 455/39, 364/400, 364/401, 364/406.01, 235/383, 235/385, 373/37
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels

Abstract

A device for indicating prices, article numbers or similar information on the edges of the shelves in department stores or storing premises. The device comprises a number of displays which shall be mounted to the shelves, and each display is connected to a separate electronic control unit and forms together with said unit an operative unit having its own power source. This operative unit is directly or indirectly connected to external control apparatus.

Claims

1. Device for indicating prices, article numbers or similar information on the edges of the shelves in department stores and storing premises, comprising a display mounted to the shelf, and a control unit operatively connected to the display, characterized in that each display is connected to a separate electronic control unit and forms together with said unit a self-contained operative unit having its own power source, which can be connected directly or indirectly to external control apparatus.

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 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;

aerially broadcasting said signal as 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 pricing 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;

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

displaying on each module information that changes less often than said product information.

3. The method of claim 2, where in said information that changes less often comprises a product label mounted on the module.

4. 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 a module address and the data part representing product information for the module address;

aerially broadcasting said signal as 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 comprising at least some of the electronic pricing 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;

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

transmitting a universal address from a programming module moved to near a selected module;

transmitting a module address from said programming module to said module after transmitting the universal address, such the nonselected modules do not receive the module address;

recognizing said universal address by said modules; and

accepting said module address by said module and storing said module address for comparison with later a received address decoded from said signal.

5. A method for electronically displaying product information in different spatial zones using a single display module, comprising the steps of:

encoding first product information into a first infrared signal;

encoding an address into the first infrared signal;

broadcasting the first infrared signal from a remote transmitter into a first zone;

encoding second product information into a second infrared signal;

broadcasting the second infrared signal into a second zone;

receiving the first signal in the first zone by a self-contained electronic display module;

decoding the first signal;

comparing the decoded address in the first signal to an address of the module;

storing and displaying the first product information by the module responsive to matching the module address with the address in the first signal;

moving the module from the first zone to the second zone;

receiving the second signal in the second zone by the module;

decoding the second signal;

comparing the decoded address in the second signal to the module address; and

storing and displaying the second product information by the module responsive to matching the module address with the address in the second signal.

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 said module with a module address;

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 and second signal as pulsed electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light respectively to the first and second zones;

said module having means for receiving the signal, means for decoding the address part of the signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

said module further comprising means for decoding the data part of the signal into product information, said module further including means for storing and means 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, decoding said first data part into said first product information, and comparing said received address with its module address, said module storing and displaying the first product information responsive to matching the received address with its module address; and

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

7. The system of claim 6, and further including a plurality of modules similar to said module, at least some of said module, at least some of said modules movable between said first and second zones.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein ones of said modules are programmed with different module addresses, said ones of said modules responsive to respective different signals each including different address parts.

9. A system for electronically displaying product information comprising:

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

means for programming each module with a module address;

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

remote means for serially transmitting signal as pulsed electromagnetic energy selected from the band consisting of infrared and light to the modules;

each module having means for receiving signal, means for decoding the address part of the signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

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

each module being capable of alternately displaying product information relating to price with other product information.

10. A system for electronically displaying product information comprising:

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

means for programming each module with a module address;

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

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

each module having means for receiving the signal, means for decoding the address part of the signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

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

computer means for entering and maintaining price information for a plurality of different products; and

said computer means including means for associating product information for each product with an address thereof, said associated product information and address input to said means for forming said signal.

11. A system for electronically displaying product information comprising:

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

means for programming each module with a module address;

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

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

each module having means for receiving the signal, means for decoding the address part of the signal into a received address, and means for comparing the received address to the module address;

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

said remote means comprising a transmitter and a receiver/transmitter operable to receive said signal from said transmitter and to retransmit said signal to at least some of said modules.

12. Device for indicating prices, article numbers or similar information on the edges of the shelves in department stores and storing premises, comprising a display (10) mounted to the shelf, and an external instructing control unit (18) operatively connected to the display, wherein each display (10) is connected to a separate receiving electronic control unit (15) including a microprocessor (27) for controlling the receiving electronic control unit, and a power source forming together with said display, said receiving electronic control unit, and said microprocessor a self-contained operative unit, said external instructing control unit (18) being operatively connected to said self-contained operative unit by a wireless link (13, 17) for transmitting control signals to the unit;

that the receiving electronic control unit (15) comprises a chargeable article number register (23) for storing information identifying the article number of the display, and a product price register (22) operatively connected to said microprocessor (27); and

said microprocessor (27) is operatively connected to said external instructing control unit (18) by said wireless link (13,

     17) to receive control signals and compare said signals with the article number stored in said article number register (23) and to direct said signals transmitted to the display (10) from said external instructing control unit selectively to said article number register (23) for changing article number data stored therein, and to said product price register (22) for changing the price information data stored therein.

13. Device according to claim 12 wherein each of said registers has an associated control circuit connected to a drive stage for the display and a serially operating shift register connected to the registers, said microprocessor being connected to said control circuits.

14. Device according to claim 12 wherein the display comprises a display of the LCD type.

15. Device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the said external instructing control unit is connected to the self-contained operative unit by means of a wireless link (13, 17) of the IR type.

16. Device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said external instructing control unit (18) is connected to a circuit (16) for pulse width modulation of digital signals from the external instructing control unit, and that the self-contained operative unit comprises a circuit (20) for decoding the pulse width modulation.