Method of optimizing electronic price label systems

• US 5,794,215 A
• Filed: 11/13/1996
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, John C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US08/748,452
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 235/383, 235/383.2, 364/401, 340/825.35, 340/825.49, 340/825.54, 340/825.69
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

A method of optimizing electronic price label (EPL) systems which employs a three-dimensional graph of retry levels in a transaction establishment. The method includes the steps of determining locations of EPLs within the transaction establishment, determining locations of transmit and receive antennas that are used by a computer to communicate with the EPLs, determining retry levels for the EPLs, mapping the retry levels to locations within the transaction establishment, producing a three-dimensional graph of the retry levels within the area of the transaction establishment, and determining, from the graph, subareas within the area having retry levels above a predetermined maximum retry level. Once the subareas having higher retry levels are determined, the locations of the transmit and receive antennas may be changed and/or interfering structures may be moved until the retry levels of the subareas are below the predetermined maximum retry level.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing an electronic price label (EPL) system within an area of a transaction establishment comprising the steps of:

determining locations of EPLs within the transaction establishment;

determining locations of transmit and receive antennas that are used by a computer to communicate with the EPLs;

determining retry levels for the EPLs;

mapping the retry levels to locations within the transaction establishment;

producing a three-dimensional graph of the retry levels within the area of the transaction establishment; and

determining, from the graph, subareas within the area having retry levels above a predetermined maximum retry level.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of producing a two-dimensional graph illustrating subareas having a predetermined retry level.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining average retry levels for each location within the store after the step of mapping.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein step of producing comprises the substep of:

producing a three-dimensional graph of the average retry levels.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

changing the locations of the transmit and receive antennas.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying structures responsible for the higher retry levels; and

moving the structures to decrease the retry levels of the subareas below the predetermined maximum retry level.