System for locating display devices
First Claim
1. A system for displaying information in an area, the system comprising:
- a bus comprising a main bus and bus extensions;
a central computer connected with the bus;
a plurality of appenders located on the main bus, each appender having a unique address on the bus, each appender associated with a geographic portion of the area and permitting bidirectional communications between the main bus and a particular bus extension associated with the appender;
a multiplicity of display devices, one or more of which are connected with each bus extension;
each display device having a unique address on the bus, and being capable of detecting messages transmitted on the bus, each display device responsive to a receipt of a message containing its unique address for sending a message on the bus;
each appender comprising first means responsive to an occurrence of sending of a message by a display device on the bus extension associated therewith, for sending an append message subsequent to the conclusion of the message sent by the display device, the append message containing information indicative of the unique address of the appender.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a system for displaying prices in a retail store, improved system architecture and stored programs are disclosed to permit improved accuracy in confirming the physical location of display devices called labels. A response from a label to the host, or central computer, has appended to it an additional message by an appender, one of a plurality of appenders located throughout the architecture. The appender'"'"'s message permits localization of the labels. A power-on status flag in a response from the labels permits the central computer to determine, through global inquiries to all the labels, whether any of the labels has had an interruption of power. A dongle or RF-linked bar-code scanner permits store personnel to send messages to the central computer to request that labels in a particular subarea of the store display alternative information such as the amount of inventory for items in that subarea.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for displaying information in an area, the system comprising:
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a bus comprising a main bus and bus extensions; a central computer connected with the bus; a plurality of appenders located on the main bus, each appender having a unique address on the bus, each appender associated with a geographic portion of the area and permitting bidirectional communications between the main bus and a particular bus extension associated with the appender; a multiplicity of display devices, one or more of which are connected with each bus extension; each display device having a unique address on the bus, and being capable of detecting messages transmitted on the bus, each display device responsive to a receipt of a message containing its unique address for sending a message on the bus; each appender comprising first means responsive to an occurrence of sending of a message by a display device on the bus extension associated therewith, for sending an append message subsequent to the conclusion of the message sent by the display device, the append message containing information indicative of the unique address of the appender. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for locating a display device in a system for displaying information in an area, the system comprising:
- a bus comprising a main bus and bus extensions;
a central computer connected with the bus;
a plurality of appenders located on the main bus, each appender having a unique address on the bus, each appender associated with a geographic portion of the area;
a multiplicity of display devices, a plurality of which are connected with each bus extension, each display device having a unique address on the bus, each display device capable of detecting messages transmitted on the bus;
each appender comprising means responsive to an occurrence of sending of a message by a display device on the bus extension associated therewith, for sending an append message subsequent to the conclusion of the message sent by the display device, the append message containing information indicative of the unique address of the appender;
the method comprising the steps of;sending a message from the central computer containing the unique address of a particular display device; responding to the receipt of the message containing the unique address of a particular display device by sending a message from the particular display device; and sending a message from the appender associated with the bus extension on which the particular display device is located. - View Dependent Claims (10)
- a bus comprising a main bus and bus extensions;
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11. Appender which is electrically connected with a bus transporting messages in a plurality of directions, said appender comprising:
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first means for detecting first ones of said messages on said bus in only one of said plurality of directions; and second means for transmitting a second message on said bus after detection of each of said first messages, said second message containing an address identifying said appender on said bus. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A method for use in an appender which is electrically connected with a bus transporting messages in a plurality of directions, said method comprising the steps of:
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detecting first ones of said messages on said bus in only one of said plurality of directions; and transmitting a second message on said bus after detection of each of said first messages, said second message containing an address identifying said appender on said bus.
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15. Controller which is operatively connected with a bus transporting messages in a plurality of directions, said controller comprising:
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first means for detecting first ones of said messages on said bus in only one of said plurality of directions, and for detecting second ones of said messages on said bus in only one of said plurality of directions; and second means for transmitting a third message on said bus after detection of each of said first messages and each of said second messages, said third message containing an address identifying said controller on said bus. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for use in a controller which is operatively connected with a bus transporting messages in a plurality of directions, said method comprising the steps of:
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detecting first ones of said messages on said bus in only one of said plurality of directions; detecting second ones of said messages on said bus in only said one of said plurality of directions; and transmitting a third message on said bus after detection of each of said first messages and each of said second messages, said third message containing an address identifying said controller on said bus.
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19. A system for locating display devices comprising:
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a bus; a computer operatively connected with said bus; a plurality of appenders electrically connected with said bus, each of said appenders being identified by a different address on said bus and being associated with a geographic area; a plurality of display devices, each of said appenders electrically connected with one or more of said display devices in the geographical area associated with the appender, each of said display devices being identified by another different address on said bus; means in said computer for transmitting first messages on said bus, means in each of said display devices for receiving one of said first messages; means in each one of said display devices for transmitting second messages on said bus in response to a receipt of a said one of said first messages in the event of power outage of the one of said display devices, said second messages each containing information indicative of the power outage of the one of said display devices; means in each of said appenders for detecting, on said bus, ones of said second messages which are transmitted by ones of said display devices in the geographic area associated with the appenders; and means in each of said appenders for transmitting third messages after detection of said ones of said second messages, said third messages each containing information indicative of its address. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A system for locating display devices comprising:
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a bus; a computer operatively connected with said bus; a plurality of appenders electrically connected with said bus, each of said appenders being identified by a different address on said bus and being associated with a geographic area; a plurality of display devices, each of said appenders electrically connected with one or more of said-display devices in the geographical area associated with the appenders, each of said display devices being identified by another different address on said bus; means in said computer for transmitting first messages on said bus, said first messages containing information indicative of the address of one of said display devices; means in each of said display devices for receiving one of said first messages; means in each one of said display devices for transmitting second messages on said bus in response to a receipt of a said one of said first messages in the event of the contained information matching the address of the display device, said second messages each containing information indicative of the power outage of the one of said display devices; means in each of said appenders for detecting, on said bus, ones of said second messages which are transmitted by ones of said display devices in the geographic area associated with the appenders; and means in each of said appenders for transmitting third messages after detection of said ones of said second messages, said third messages each containing information indicative of its address.
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22. A method for locating display devices in a system which comprises:
- a bus;
a computer operatively connected with said bus;
a plurality of appenders electrically connected with said bus, each of said appenders being identified by a different address on said bus and being associated with a geographic area; and
a plurality of display devices, each of said appenders electrically connected with one or more of said display devices in the geographical area associated with the appenders, each of said display devices being identified by another different address on said bus;
said method comprising the steps of;transmitting a first message on said bus from said computer; receiving said first message in each of said display devices; transmitting a second message on the bus by one of the display devices in the event of power outage of the one of said display devices, said second message containing information indicative of the power outage of the one of said display devices; detecting said second message on said bus by a particular appender associated with the geographic area where said one of said display devices is located; and transmitting a third message from said particular appender after detection of said second message, said third message containing information indicative of the address of said particular appender. - View Dependent Claims (23)
- a bus;
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24. A method for locating display devices in a system which comprises:
- a bus;
a computer operatively connected with said bus;
a plurality of appenders electrically connected with said bus, each of said appenders being identified by a different address on said bus and being associated with a geographic area; and
a plurality of display devices, each of said appenders electrically connected with one or more of said display devices in the geographical area associated with the appenders, each of said display devices being identified by another different address on said bus;
said method comprising the steps of;transmitting a first message on said bus from said computer including first information indicative of an address of one of said display devices; receiving said first message in each of said display devices; transmitting a second message on the bus by one of the display devices in the event of the first information matching the address of the one of the display devices; detecting said second message on said bus by a particular appender associated with the geographic area where said one of said display devices is located; and transmitting a third message from said particular appender after detection of said second message, said third message containing information indicative of the address of said particular appender.
- a bus;
Specification